Is Ramsgate really so terrible?

[Relocatesss]

Hi,

We are thinking of relocating from south London to the coast. I've been doing lots of online research and have shortlisted Folkestone and Ramsgate.

I've read lot of positive things about Folkestone and it seems like a lovely place to live but our budget wouldn't stretch very far there. Ramsgate on the other hand would allow us to have a beautiful, big period home with lots of space. However, I keep reading lots of negative things about Ramsgate and was wondering if any one has moved there recently and loves it? Is it really as depressing as some people make out?

We are in the early stages of this move and I'm aware we need to spend quite a bit of time visiting both places and getting a feel for them but it would be great to hear from anyone that actually lives in Ramsgate.

Thanks so much in advance.

What is your budget?

I grew up in Ramsgate, failed my 11+ so went to a crap school. We then moved to Margate when I had DD1. Moved up to the Midlands in the end.

It's ok. Beautiful harbour. Mostly pleasant weather. Wouldn't rush back.

Last time we went to Margate DD2 kept muttering “#WannabeinBrighton.” She wasn’t wrong, either.

Oh I have lived in both Broadstairs and Brighton they are different beasts and shouldn't be compared each has their own uniqueness and beauty.

It's happening @Winterlight - everyone can see the changes taking place

The area does have some lovely houses. The place my friends bought is beautiful, a property of that size in London would be 1.5m in a not so great area & 3m in a nice one. Not many large double fronted period homes are getting built these days & even basic 3 bed terraces are out of the reach of many, many buyers.

I suppose your experience of these places will depend on where you are moving from as well... I currently live on the outskirt of SE London and my area has all the issues people are mentioning as negatives about Ramsgate. Plus a polluted high street with too many bus routes, ever-increasing house prices and no beaches and sea like Ramsgate has...

Have you thought of Whitstable or Canterbury op? Much nicer.

@viccat ha my area has plenty of those things too but it's the traffic & pollution that I'm really getting sick of.

Now I've always found Whitstable overrated. It's tiny & Im not a fan of shingle.

We lived in Canterbury for 8 years , I guess it’s a matter of taste but to be honest apart from Canterbury and broadstairs or whitstable or Deal on nice sunny day I disliked the whole area, more the people than anything else, large parts of it were very UKIP - a few fancy new vintage shops etc cant really erase the fact that many of these seaside places just aren’t that nice - but I guess it depends what you are after- if you just want a bigger house and more space and near to coast then of the two I prefer Folkestone, Sandgate and Hyrge areas aren’t bad.

Ramsgate beach up to Dumpton Gap and. Broadstairs is beautiful... Birchington is a bit naicer...

My abiding memory of ramshate is going there for lunch and overhearing the locals make racist comments quite openly.

Like a lot of high streets the shops are not great in Ramsgate as you have the main shops all in an out of town area - Westwood cross for example in Thanet.
The schools in general are all very good, I moved to the area out of SE London 10 years ago and this was my main reason. My children’s primary school was outstanding and the grammar system suits my children.
I was welcomed as a DFL and have made some fantastic friends so In my experience there has been no divide. There’s lots to get involved in if that’s your thing.
Some parts of Ramsgate are better than others but that’s true if every area. Do your research, visit the towns in the winter and the summer, look at schools, houses, the local streets and the nearby towns. Look into the local groups - church/scouts/ as that’s where you will make friends.
Look into your commute to work, or job opportunities.
Restaurants I’d recommend are A la Turka - Turkish, Flavours of Kumar - Indian, that’s Ramsgate and cardak - Turkish In broadstairs. There’s a fab pub called the racing greyhound that had a huge garden with children’s play area and does fantastic food too - between broadstairs and Ramsgate.
Feel free to PM me if you need any more info and if I can help I will.

We live in nearby Broadstairs and love it.

Thanet has beautiful beaches and great schools.

However, it is made up of a set of small towns so there are some small-minded people around.

Great place to bring up kids and retire to but I will definitely be encouraging my DCs to go explore the wider world!

It's horrible, as is folkestone and margate. Rough, dingy and crime ridden.
Why not consider smaller villages surrounding or seaside towns such as Whitstable, Herne bay etc.... Much nicer areas, good schools nearby

To be honest Whitstable is still the only place I’ve ever been to where the Turkish kebab shop next to the beach actually has a sign on the wall asking people not to engage in racist abuse of the staff or the police will be called. Despite the area being pretty it made my group of friends feel quite uncomfortable.

I’ve also read that state schools coastal towns in Kent/Essex are quite poor so unless you can get your kids into a grammar or can afford private it’s not going to be great. A know a supply teacher who worked around those parts and she said there was a culture of low aspiration amongst many of the kids and their parents.

To be honest if you’re trying to get a bigger house, I’d move further north rather than to the SE coast/Thanet area.

I agree with @mrsm43s If you're looking in that neck of the woods, I'd probably look at Broadstairs, Birchington, MInster, Sandwich, Hythe, even Deal possibly.. I'd be avoiding most of the bigger towns such as Margate, Ramsgate, Dover, Folkestone etc.

I live in Broadstairs but to be honest, I wouldn't choose to live anywhere in Thanet. I have young children and do worry about schools if they don't get into grammar. On the plus side we have a beautiful beach within a 2 minute walk which is great for the kids.

Really interesting thread, I live near Canterbury. You can get some gorgeous period houses in ramsgate, the harbour area is lovely and it has a fab beach but yes some if it is run down.
Margate is more arty/ hipster around the old town but a stone's throw away its bedsit city, Broadstairs more gentile iysyim.
If schools are important do your research first on catchment areas they good ones and really bads ones.
Deal and sandwich are also worth looking at. Whitstable is already gentrified, crowded and over priced, Herne bay may be worth a look.
However beware of manston airport reopening as a freight hub thanet is the only area i know where locals think a freight airport and being under a flight path is a fabulous idea!

Ramsgate has an awesome brasserie on the harbour arm.

But it feels a but rough in town at night. Lots of substance abuse.

It's near Broadstairs which is lovely. Isn't it all a bit racist round Thanet way though?

Broadstairs is better .

@Runnerduck34

Really interesting thread, I live near Canterbury. You can get some gorgeous period houses in ramsgate, the harbour area is lovely and it has a fab beach but yes some if it is run down. Margate is more arty/ hipster around the old town but a stone's throw away its bedsit city, Broadstairs more gentile iysyim. If schools are important do your research first on catchment areas they good ones and really bads ones. Deal and sandwich are also worth looking at. Whitstable is already gentrified, crowded and over priced, Herne bay may be worth a look. However beware of manston airport reopening as a freight hub thanet is the only area i know where locals think a freight airport and being under a flight path is a fabulous idea!

Pretty much exactly this but just to add I quite like Folkestone now (it's much improved to what it was). The coastal park, harbour arm and old high street are lovely. The main shopping bit is nothing to write home about but it's better than Ramsgate (no Waitrose though)

I’ve also read that state schools coastal towns in Kent/Essex are quite poor so unless you can get your kids into a grammar or can afford private it’s not going to be great.

That’s a Kent-wide problem. Not just the coastal areas.

I visited this part of the coast recently and was left feeling confused about the hype. All the seaside towns seemed pretty deprived and there was definitely an anti immigrant sentiment that we picked up on a few times. Coming from London I was actually shocked at how bad some parts of the towns looked and how eerily quiet and isolated the deprivation felt. There were nice parts of Ramsgate, Deal and Margate and some lovely houses but the area in general isn't very nice and it didn't feel like the kind of place i'd personally want to raise a family especially with the schools being so hit and miss because of the grammar system. I have friends who absolutely love it down there and have relocated or are thinking of relocating, so maybe I'm just yet to be enlightened and it will grow on me when I take my next trip down there. I've never been to Folkestone so can't comment on it.

Which areas in Ramsgate and Folkestone were you looking? It makes a huge difference