Margate, Whistable, Hastings, Other?

[moumoute]

Which town would be good for a creative european couple with a kid? Not too far from London. Thanks for your input Aibu team!

A friend has recently moved to Kent, she showed me some of the 11+ test papers. Neither of us (uni educated, professional, well read women, so hopefully reasonably intelligent!) could make head nor tail of some of the reasoning questions!

I second EmmaJR1 - Faversham is a good shout. Lovely town, close to Whitstable (unreasonably expensive to live in, filled with London 2nd homes, uber crowded in summer) and Canterbury, but not so far out as the East Thanet towns.

Margate regeneration is very localised to the old town. Broadstairs is nice, but small. I do like Ramsgate though.

CassianAndor Yes but the children are taught to pass them, silly questions and all!

by tutors at vast expense!

A lot of people are talking up Margate but when I visited last summer to see friends who’d moved there I saw tiny pockets of creative types who’d moved from London to obtain bigger homes alongside serious deprivation.

The were a lot of alcoholic men near the beach and drug addicts on the beach. My friends who were renting to try it out also said the schools had low aspirations for the kids. They’re talking about moving again. I can’t see it ever really moving from up and coming to arriving.

I live in Kent and I really wouldn't move to Margate, it's nice to visit but outside of the old town it's still really really rundown, and really rough. Honestly outside of visiting hours its a complete shithole. And quite a way from london

Folkstone is better, but I'm not sure if it's that much better. I would look at deal

Whitstable is a nightmare in summer, my ex lives there and he literally can't get home some days because of the traffic, and so many people descend there on a sunny day. Like walking along the beach you think will be nice but you have to wade through hoards of Londoners who always travel in packs.

Think about the schools as well, because of the 11+. In Margate the non grammars are not good, really advise against it. And I don't know what the catchment is for grammars in that area.

Whitstable you'll probably have to travel to Canterbury for secondary, depends if you have boys or girls as well as a lot are single sex grammars.

I also went to a Turkish kebab shop in Whitstable which had a big sign on the wall telling people that racism against staff will not be tolerated and they will contact the police. I’ve never seen such a sign in a kebab shop before which made me quite wary. There were also quite a few Union Jack flags about around that area and one house even had a big canvas sign tied against their hedge ranting about the EU.

I lived in Bexhill for 12 years - we live in Kent now for work reasons. Loved Bexhill, lived at the little common end. Lovely beach walks and things going on in Bexhill, but easy to access hastings/Eastbourne/Brighton. We lived in hastings prior to that, I couldn’t settle there.

Not as well connected for London obviously as living in Kent would be

Just under an hour and half to Paddington. A lot of the people I know who commute don't work full time though and have the flexibility to work from home occasionally. I guess the cheapness of living means being able to work and earn less but still have a nice house etc

OK, so probably more like at least 2 hours door to door, probably more, if you've got to travel across London and get to Stroud station in the first place.

That's not really feasible for a regular commute to London, is it?

I'd go for Folkestone. Arty, quick trains to London and defintely on the up. Tbh, though, with a child I'd want to live somewhere more established rather than up-and-coming so West Folkstone, Sandgate or Hythe (still super close to the arty bits).

Folkestone beach is brilliant- and the path down to it is good too. And Folkestone Leas is a great place to swim. All stony though.

Folkestone. It is also on the high steep line to King's Cross/St Pancras.

Love Hythe too.

where are the good places to live in Folkestone, and which are the most nurturing secondaries?

Hi all, thanks for all your messages
It doesn't have to be by the coast but I kind of like the idea of living near the sea for fresh air and sea food! Otherwise I'm open to other suggestions...

I used to go to school in Canterbury. We were taken to Margate on art trips to ' paint the deprivation'!

“I used to go to school in Canterbury. We were taken to Margate on art trips to ' paint the deprivation'!”

Yes- there are sadly still some schools in Canterbury with that mindset.....

You don't need to say which school @Caspianberg but was it a grammar or an independent school?

I wish that was shocking but then I know some of the senior leadership in Canterbury schools!

A grammar

Isn't this like the third time you have posted asking this question? You haven't made much progress with your decision.

im just house browsing now - whats Pevensey Bay like?

Tiny and quiet! What about Rye or Battle?