Deal, Kent or Saunton, Devon?

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We’re finally moving back to U.K. after years as expats and we’re looking at either Deal (and area) in Kent or Saunton (and area) in Devon to relocate to. We have close family and friends in both locations. I’m prioritising Deal (closer to London, easier to get to France for weekends/day trips), but DH prefers Staunton, for no particular reason other than he enjoyed holidays in Devon as a child.

Does anyone have any recommendations or anything that might sway us one way or the other?

Sorry I have no experience of either locations, but another thing to consider to get the best of both worlds - live in Deal, and holiday in Devon?

Look beyond the prettiness of the area. What sort of things do you like to do, if it’s the city life Saunton is not for you full time. Barnstaple is the nearest town the nearest city is Exeter over an hour a way. They have the basic restaurant chains but if you want more variety there’s nothing, it was years before they even had anything resembling a Pizza Hut. Good for basic supermarkets, no Waitrose. If you want a life of blissful walks on the coast path and not interested in too much other stuff it’s idyllic.

we visit regularly and I love it but wouldn’t want to live there permanently.

Thank you both, that’s really helpful. We want the sea, and to be within walking distance but I don’t think we’ve thought much beyond that! We have a flat in London so can escape there from time to time if we crave London life (DD living there at the moment). I think we would want a community, volunteering, driving distance to decent town (veering towards Deal as Canterbury is nice). I worry about Deal being a bit too “gammon” as we saw lots of England flags on one of our visits.

You have Broadstairs, Ramsgate and Margate near Deal with an art scene, music venues and more restaurants. Folkestone on the other side too which has been on the up in the last decade.

I think these places are like chalk and cheese. You need to visit.

There's little at Saunton. Summer access is busy. There's trains from Barnstaple but you have to go to Exeter and change for the main branch line to London unless you drive to Tiverton and pick it up there. There's a beach but little else - you'll need to go to Braunton or Barnstaple. Airports are hours away, if you like travel. It's likely to cost a lot to buy a property here

I lived in this area over 20 years but I've never known anyone who lived there - theres a lot of holiday homes. Woolacombe and Croyde I did have friends living - similar beaches but a little livelier but still very small and summer holiday orientated. Ive never been to Deal. I just imagine is so different you cannot possibly compare. You will clearly prefer one to another if you visit.

Many of our communities are not what they once were due to so many properties being holiday homes now but if you've friends that live there now, they will be the best to advise you on what's around to do community wise

We lived in Devon for nearly a decade and I worked in the North Devon and Mid Devon area.

I would avoid Saunton due to the traffic issues in the summer. The queue's of traffic through nearby Braunton are horrendous.Most of the traffic en route to Croyde. Having said that the beach at Saunton is outstanding.

As we have a dislike of overseas travel we spent our holidays at Woolacombe again with a fantastic private beach, cleaned every day and open to the public.

If we were contemplating a move back to North Devon which we are not, the place we would move to is Chittlehampton. It is a beautiful village, lovely pub/hotel, slightly off the beaten track close to Barnstaple and easy access to the A361.

Hope that this helps.

I have close family in Deal and it's lovely, although can be very busy (like Devon) in the summer. I would move to Deal in a heartbeat, as it has a lovely vibe in general and lots of social stuff going on.

My username tells you what you need to know although I don’t know the other town. We love living here!!

Although your ‘gammon’ comment marks you out as a bit of a twat, tbf, OP. Lots of DfLs here (like us) but behaving like a superior knob just because you have different political views won’t go down well overall.

It has to be Devon for me, but it depends what you like to do. It's a long way to anywhere from Saunton, transport links aren't great and summer traffic is awful. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else though.

Been to Saunton many times and I love the beach there, but i definitely wouldn’t live there! There’s nothing there - and the traffic aaargh! I would choose Deal.

Deal. No question or, even better, Walmer.

I don’t know Saunton or Deal very well but I do know people who’ve moved eg to small Devon areas (villages) and Canterbury and small towns like Exmouth and you have to ensure there’s enough for you to do if that’s what you like. For me it’d be Deal or even somewhere like Canterbury as to be close to get to France and London.

Saunton is lovely, but I wouldn't want to live in N Devon. It's quite off the beaten track and can be cliquey. As PPs have said, in summer it is a tourist nightmare.

I'd move to Saunton tomorrow (but then I was born and bred in the West Country) and love the pace and the lack of much to do other than be outdoors. I would then live in the London flat in the summer to avoid the tourists...

I wouldn't have used your descriptor but my MIL lived in East Kent and there is a reason it was one of the highest voting regions for Brexit; some of the conversations I had with her friends and neighbours were jaw dropping....

Thank you - I think we are edging towards Deal.

Apologies for the “gammon” comment. Perhaps I should have said “Brexit voting stereotypes”.

What does DlF stand for out of curiosity?

That part of Kent is slowly improving as younger people move there and are dragging out of Brexitland. I'd chose Kent over Devon because Devon is just so far away.

Down from London - used by locals to disparage those 'not from round here'.....

I live in east Devon and given a choice between the two places you mention, I would pick Deal.

North Devon is beautiful, but I wouldn't live there. Far too rural and isolated for me. Not much going on culturally.

What do you mean by gammon, OP?