To ask is there a better version of Brighton

[Wondergirl100]

Sorry a bit cheeky to put on AIBU - but - it's an important question!!

Brighton - great vibes, creativity, open mindedness good schools - but overpriced and the countryside isn't amazing and there are no gardens.

So what is the alternative! Where else is open minded and fun and has sea air and countryside but is not ruined by hen dos and property prices. And needs to have good schools.

Sadly, I have to write off the whole of Kent as I don't approve of grammar system. Unless there is somewhere in Kent with good secondary moderns.

I'd move to Brighton in a heartbeat if I could afford it. Instead I live in a place with moany old bastards who read the daily mail and whinge on about immigrants.

YoniAndGuy Tue 27-Apr-21 18:15:32
Hebden Bridge is pretty crap really.

It's grim, the valley is so deep, and runs east- west, half the town lives in near permanent shadow. And in reality an intolerant place, hostile to those who don't hold the 'correct' views. It was the only part of the Calder Valley constituency where in the 2017 and 2019 I saw (Conservative) election posters defaced.

Just looking at Hastings on Rightmove, look at this beauty !

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/79584981#/

I live in Southsea, Portsmouth. It’s beach and getting more cultural/interesting/arty all the time. I brought my kids up here and really like it. I also lived in Edinburgh in my twenties and agree for culture it is fantastic. As is Glasgow. None of these places have massive gardens though. Think that’s a pipe dream in a cultural city.

*beachy

We live in Southsea and I always say it’s like a better Brighton. Sea, street art, food, creative community...but a hell of a lot less tourists so the beach is still ours in the summer!

the IKEA will mean the roads are gridlocked all weekend.it is already bad for traffic jams but with traffic for 600 homes and an IKEA then you might as well give up trying to get anywhere east of lancing.

Yes @Proudboomer. It took me ages to get through that traffic today. I just can’t imagine how ridiculous it’s going to get when the IKEA and new houses are completed.

Aaaaah Morecambe. Fond student memories. totally misses the point ^

@GreyhoundG1rl

Hastings is an utter shithole.

Live in Hastings do you? Because I do and I can assure you it's not.

[quote frumpety]Just looking at Hastings on Rightmove, look at this beauty !

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/79584981#/[/quote]
I walk past this house often, it has a cave in it which they have turned into a bathroom!

Totnes is nothing like Brighton. Just because two places have a reputation for being a bit alternative doesn't make them alike otherwise.

(South Devon is really lovely--it's just very different)

@Hellsbells35

We live in Southsea and I always say it’s like a better Brighton. Sea, street art, food, creative community...but a hell of a lot less tourists so the beach is still ours in the summer!

Totally agree with this. Last year when most people went to Brighton, Hastings, Camber Sands, Bournemouth and onwards, I went straight down to south sea. Locals are lovely. It's lively, lovely shopping, plenty of green, lovely restaurants and it's on the end of the A3 from London which is near!

I think Bristol is very cool and alternative and exactly what you want, probably, OP. Music, theatre, alternative groups and community movements. If you know the area well, you can find attractive places to live which give you easy access to the centre. Maybe, that could be a compromise: living eight to twelve miles outside.

I'd say Weston Super Mare, or a village near by, or Clevedon, if you want the sea. Villages between Weston and Bristol are lovely, and there are the lakes at Chew, where you could sail, or the river going through Bath and Bristol, where you could take a boat a boat out or keep one. If you could compromise on sea and settle for water instead, little villages like Saltford would be lovely.

Wow a lot of people have an opinion about Brighton don't they! I love Brighton, mostly that there's always loads going on and i can walk along the seafront but also on the downs. Beautiful parks too and so much for kids to do. Great little shops. Mostly though I like the people. I lived in Surrey and also in Kent and I thought they were both a bit boring and conservative. If you like Brighton then there really isn't anywhere like it.

I do find it depressing that so many people seem to want to live in cool places with a relaxed arty feel and yet so many UK places feel quite boring and conservative. Why is that and why are those people dominating the feel of our towns/where we live?

Ageing population?
18% are over 65

Are we meant to get more conservative as we age?

Tunbridge wells is lovely. Only an hour from the sea and the countryside is gorgeous. Also.only an hour from.London. Some great independent shops and restaurants. Lots of green space. Yes, it has grammars but plenty of people swerve them and the non-grammars are all excellent.
Or there's Tonbridge which gives you more bang for your buck.

I lived in Tunbridge Wells for 3 yrs and hated it so much I moved back to a crappy overpopulated part of London to move in with my in laws, just to get away from there! It was the most pretentious town that was full of either snobs or complete down and outs. It is also very pricey to live considering what you get for your money and there is a large traveller community about
, which caused issues quite regularly.
That said there is some beautiful little villages around TW but it certainly wasn't for me and my family!!
I also live in Brighton for 9yrs and while i did love it, it is defo over rated and overpriced. There are little towns around Brighton that are cheaper, nicer and not so busy whilst still being close to the sea, for example Woodingdean, Rottingdean, Worthing, Eastbourne etc.

@thighsin

I'd move to Brighton in a heartbeat if I could afford it. Instead I live in a place with moany old bastards who read the daily mail and whinge on about immigrants.

You don't live in Tunbridge Wells do you?!

Cardiff should be in with a shout here - 2 hours into Paddington, cheaper than Bristol and better traffic, good schools in North Cardiff or Penarth which has the beach, quick to access to the Brecon Beacons, Cardiff Bay or more scenic beaches in the Vale, not too much further to the even more scenic beaches in West Wales, votes left and remain, lots of parks and greenery, easy access to Bristol.

@Wondergirl100 Sheffield or Leeds are surprisingly indie but relatively low cost of living.

Totnes has a lot of New Age stuff, but I don't know if it's much cheaper.

@FuzzyPuffling

OP "not Kent. I've discounted the whole of Kent. What's Tunbridge Wells like?".

Hmmm.....

I thought the same...

Also TW isn't anywhere near the sea, so not much of a replacement for Brighton.

Folkestone was never in East Sussex! It's too far east.

Come on people, get a map out! Or use a map app. Open Britain is free.

@Lickedmylollyandneversaidsorry

I lived in Tunbridge Wells for 3 yrs and hated it so much I moved back to a crappy overpopulated part of London to move in with my in laws, just to get away from there! It was the most pretentious town that was full of either snobs or complete down and outs. It is also very pricey to live considering what you get for your money and there is a large traveller community about , which caused issues quite regularly. That said there is some beautiful little villages around TW but it certainly wasn't for me and my family!! I also live in Brighton for 9yrs and while i did love it, it is defo over rated and overpriced. There are little towns around Brighton that are cheaper, nicer and not so busy whilst still being close to the sea, for example Woodingdean, Rottingdean, Worthing, Eastbourne etc.

Well I've lived here for years & grew up on the edge. I'd say it must have a pretty diverse population as this doesn't sound anything like the experience I have had here. I love it.

Totnes is nice, if you want to be by the sea you could do worse than Teignmouth too. And if you change your mind about grammar schools they are just down the road in Torbay. That said, the traffic is awful and they are building far too many houses in the area (but that probably applies to everywhere these days).

Chepstow is nice and has a Totnes/Lewes type feel. It's not exactly a replacement for Brighton though.

Bristol might be an option though I see there are claims tonight that being a Jewish student there is like being in Nazi Germany (I suspect that is 100 fold exaggerated).

There is only one Brighton which is what makes it a very special place to live. Our kids are so lucky to be growing up here, and with such a connection to the sea and countryside. There aren’t too many cities that allow you to swim in the sea everyday, and still have a music and arts scene, green space and neighbourhoods with a real sense of community.
Lockdown has just made us all realise that we live in a very unique, and supportive place.