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 completely agree about the Grammar school system now, at least it used to be a way for some poor kids who were academic to have more opportunities. Now it seems to be for my friends who were ‘socialist’ at primary level, but now all moved down from London when their kids were secondary age to be expensively tutored into the grammars. It’s like they can’t admit to wanting equivalent of private education - or worse - are looking for a way not for pay for it!

At least Brighton has not got that faux wealthy ‘but really socialist’ DFL, it’s more competitive creative.

OP I’ve also lived in Bristol and I would say that they are pretty different places. Brighton has a softness about it, even with the roughness and homelessness. Bristol is harder, and much more a sharp edge to it. Bigger, poorer estates in Bristol, rougher inner city estates. There is a positive side to Bristol in that it is much more diverse culturally. It has great cycle paths and more opportunities with jobs and work.

In Bristol it makes a huge difference where you can afford to live and the schools are quite rough and struggling in many areas. However it’s not as hippy. Like a mix of Brighton and London. Beautiful countryside.

Hastings, East Sussex. You can get a 3 bed terrace for around £290-350,000. Old Town is quaint, a good park, nice beach towards the cliffs.

Margate is supposed to be good value. I have only seen it fleetingly and was not that impressed but it is an area that is up and coming.

I think the countryside around Brighton is wonderful. The South Downs - Devil's Dyke, Ditchling Beacon. Not that far from Seven Sisters Country Park, Beachy Head, Birling Gap, etc, etc. Sussex is really lovely.

No sea air, but I vote Hebden Bridge!

Hastings, East Sussex. You can get a 3 bed terrace for around £290-350,000
But there's a reason for that.

I’d say Folkestone, Eastbourne, Chichester etc are all heavily DFL so if you fit in with that clique then you will be fine. Be prepared for some hypocrisy about education and ignoring pushing the local kids out of their own grammar system, and comparing how big a house you have with little mortgage...

But Brighton will give you a bit of that nostalgia you say you are after, but as others have said (and as a long term Brighton person, I think all views here are right in their way!) it is not all hippy paradise. There is a narrow minded woke side that can feel a little suffocating. And yet the gay scene seems to be so positive too for the town in a way that I’m not sure any other place in the UK has.

Edinburgh is pretty good.

New and old town. Folk scene in the pubs. Edinburgh Festival annually. Beach. Large rock (name escapes me) by the Parliament to hike up and down in an hour with views over the City. Some excellent walks out of town and access to Scotland. One hour to Glasgow.

[quote waterlego]@MiniTheMinx, I had some cracking nights at the Jazz Rooms in the 90s![/quote]
Me too! We must have been there all at the same time! Also loved the Escape and Gloucester and the Zap Club...

Having lived in central London for the majority of my life, I couldn't settle in Brighton and left within a year. The novelty of living somewhere I could walk around in 45 minutes wore off very quickly. I found the very visible homelessness very very distressing. If memory serves, one in 75 residents is homeless. When I lived there, many were using spice, and I found the 'living statues' unsettling.to observe. I also struggled that so many social activities revolved around drinking and/or drugs. While I liked to think iBrighton is decaying splendour, it was mostly a shit hole, with a few tiny pockets of loveliness.

I was also shocked how expensive council tax, water bills etc were compared to London. The final straw for me was being ill and struggling with lack of hospital options and long waiting lists. Living in London, I had always been given a choice of three hospitals, all within a mile of where I live, and seen relatively quickly as a result. In Brighton, it was just one hospital, and the wait to be seen was what drove me to move back to London.

It's a shame it didn't work out for me as I desperately wanted it to. I just felt so terribly out of place and isolated, despite having good friends who have lived in Brighton for decades. I sometimes wonder if it would have been less hard work if I was married with kids and moved down there as a family unit. And for that reason alone OP, I would still consider Brighton or neighbouring towns like Hove, Saltdean and Lewes.

I always find Hastings grim...it also has the highest number of registered paedos there and run down and lots of street drinking....brighton also not so nice these days....ok for a visit but i wouldnt want to live there...i used to think i might.

My own choice would be Eastbourne - cheaper (and much cleaner) than Brighton. Eastbourne has a lovely promenade, a good shopping centre, lots of fabulous countryside nearby. It's not as cheap as Hastings though.

Leigh on Sea, Essex is very pleasant and easy for access to London.

Battle in East Sussex - not that far from the coast - is attractive.

But if you particularly want a big city/town with lots of shops and amenities then probably not for you.

Anywhere on the Moray Firth.

Greyhound Girl Any area in the south east that is significantly cheaper will have disadvantages. If you want a fabulous town with sophisticated shops, excellent transport, beautiful beaches, lovely countryside, etc, etc., then you will probably have to pay way above the average to get it.

There are some dingy and seedy parts of Hastings but there are also some very nice areas.

This thread is great. I had been thinking that when my youngest finishes school I might re-locate from London to somewhere just outside Brighton, but I am reconsidering now !!

My grandmother lived in Brighton amongst other places so as a child I went there to stay once or twice a year and loved it. She lived in Westdene and I loved the hilly views from her house, the trips to Devil’s Dyke, days spent on the beach in Hove, walks along the promenade, the pier, the lanes... Later she lived in Peacehaven in a tiny house in a row of houses not far from the cliff edge and the views and walks there were lovely.

But this was in the 70s, 80s and 90s (and I wouldn’t have been aware of any other side to Brighton in any case), and I agree that having been there last summer and gone into town (we were camping in Woodingdean) I did think how dirty it was.

The rest I can’t comment on but the comments here about the drugs, crime, deprivation etc are putting me off.

I was thinking Shoreham By Sea might be nice to live in and the big draw would be the river, sea and Downs just behind. And maybe I could work in Brighton.

It’s access to the countryside that I want but my ds has been telling me I should stay in London and go on holiday for that. He has ulterior motives though .

Anyway it’s food for thought so thanks so much for this thread OP.

While camping in Woodingdean last year (on a farm on the edge of the Downs with lovely views) we explored the area and went as far as Birling Gap and Cuckmere Haven. We didn’t walk along the cliffs but the walk through the Seven Sisters Country Park was breathtaking - absolutely gorgeous. I’ve attached a couple of photos from our break last year .

Here’s the Cuckmere river - this photo doesn’t do it justice though.

@tiggeri

Let's hope none of those 'women of a certain age' want the right to have their smears done by an HCP of the same sex, or they will find themselves publicly branded a bigot. Ditto if they want to collect funds for a women's charity.

Oh they've arrived

Every fucking thread. I knew a Brighton one would attract the transphobes.

Brighton was the place where gays were accepted, of course it is the place where people are tolerant of trans people. If you don't like it you can stay in your Daily Mail land with the other bigots. Tunbridge Wells perhaps?

I am all for tolerance, I just think it should extend to women.

The Royal Sussex hospital told its staff that a woman wanting a biologically female HCP should be refused and treated like a bigot, and that it was the equivalent of a patient refusing a doctor who is a different race. I think that is appalling misogyny, if you want to call me names for thinking that, go ahead.

(The really stunning bits were therefore closer to Eastbourne IMO)

Wouldn't it be better to move elsewhere in London? Somewhere like Greenwich maybe; river, green and all the advantages of London but you can be in Leigh on Sea/Brighton/Folkestone in an hour (by car). Comprehensive system for secondary and some of the schools are good. Safer than Hackney, Walthamstow etc

Folkestone or Hythe. Outstanding schools, stunning coastline, beaches and countryside. Fast trains to London etc and easy access to Europe. Growing art scene, and lively community, entertainment. Shopping good, pleasant town centre, plenty or cafes and restaurants and rural country pubs. Also has Canterbury and Ashford nearby. Good sports facility provisions, plenty for children to do. We have everything we need here. We live in a village just outside Folkestone and it's perfect.

Plymouth.

The waterfront areas around Royal William Yard, Barbican and The Hoe are artsy, foodie and full of interesting architecture. The Hoe has that slightly grimy Brighton seafront feel, I think.

Forget the boring parts of the city centre and the fact the city could REALLY do with a new influx of people to freshen things up .

Mannamead, Compton and Hartley areas have gorgeous Victorian and Edwardian housing, and v close to Mutley Plain for that slightly studenty feel.

Heaps for children and families to do. Sea and moors on either edge of the city. Good schools. Cornwall right there across the Tamar for weekend exploring too.

What does DFL mean? Down from London? I looked it up on urban dictionaries but nothing made sense in this context.

Oh and definitely NOT Totnes.

It is very small, very quiet and very naice...it seems to be a MN favourite for some reason although I’m not sure how many posters who recommend it have actually been there.

You could also look at Falmouth for similar artsy, foodie, seaside vibes. Or Truro, except it’s not right on the coast but very close to wonderful beaches and it is on the river.

I’ve lived in Cornwall for nearly a decade and every time I visit Truro I think I could really enjoy living there. The vegan quarter and the little artsy, vintage bits near the Megaloft are full of character, interesting people etc. Lovely architecture and great schools too.

Also see: Penzance. For faded seaside glory, artsy vibe, a growing foodie scene. And much cheaper property than Falmouth or Truro. Also - the geothermal Jubilee seafront pool is wonderful.

I grew up in Brighton, lived in London/Surrey for most of my 20s, and then moved back when DS1 was 2.

I love it, one thing I'm not sure anyone has mentioned is that its not very money orientated and you don't need a lot of money to have fun/socialise (at least not with DC)...we have lots of picnics in the park/walks on the downs/go to the beach.

Houses are expensive though...most of my school friends have moved to the suburbs/just out to Worthing to get houses (we are still renting).

There is a reason it's expensive to buy a house there, people want to live there! Despite all these bad things people are saying, there must be a reason for that.

Yes, imagine wearing a "Woman is an adult human female" t-shirt there - you'd see how open minded they were.

Brighton used to be fun but is terrifying now if you don’t toe the trans line.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4060916-Brighton-TRAs-bullying-Happy-Maki-female-owned-business

The Woman’s Place conference was besieged, intimidated and physically attacked in Brighton.