What’s it like to live in Kent?

[almostautumn]

Sorry, big generalization I know, but…

DH and I are planning to leave London to reduce our large mortgage. We’ve agreed on Kent as a compromise, as he wants to be within 1-1.5 hours of London and I want to live rurally and nearer the coast.

What worries me though is that Kent maybe isn’t rural enough and is overcrowded compared to somewhere like Wales or Yorkshire for example.

I want to live somewhere very peaceful and quiet with beautiful countryside, where I’m not surrounded by hoards of people everywhere I go. A place where I can go for walks and not see another soul (well, maybe a few other people would be okay!) A place where I can drive to places and park and the roads aren’t jam packed.

A small rural town would be fine, as long as it’s quiet and not too busy. DH is on board with all this as long as like I say, he can get to London fairly easily.

Does Kent sound like it would suit us or is it not that rural?

I agree, we paid more than that for a family house in Bromley over a decade ago. And no-one has ever confused us for a pretty village.

Medway is an absolute shithole, gillingham, sittingbourne, chatham etc. And the A2/299 is always fucking shut.

If you want the benefits of West Kent/ East Sussex, Hawkhurst is a great option. Houses are more affordable than Tunbridge Wells, half an hour to camber sands, bedgebury forest in your doorstep and still rural enough to feel like you're away from it all.

@DontWiltMySpinachPlease but Hawkhurst and its surrounds are potentially subject to lots of new development and many protests, possibly even a public enquiry, not 100% sure, but certainly a huge amount of opposition, particularly re the golf course site and infrastructure, there are placards everywhere.

It’s lovely round there but also not all that handy for a London commute, or the budget, depending on what the OP wants to achieve.

Kent is one of the most unfriendly places I’ve lived (and I’ve lived in a few!)

the epitome of cold, unfriendly, up their own ar*e!!! Some beautiful places but good god, the people certainly let it down

Love the way the Isle of Sheppey is stated as the " not so nice place" It has it's problems but water all round it, lots of quiet walks and once it has been completed good road links to London. 55 mins on the train to St Pancras. Places like Whitstable are rammed with DOLs and the prices have reflected this, parking awful and beach overcrowded and not a patch on ours, we have several.... rather glad we are not very nice!!

It also has one of the worst secondary schools in England , granted they are trying to do something about that now but it has been consistently poor for a number of years .

Thing is though the posters headline is a difficult one to respond to as it could be - Chatham or gillingham - it could be a Tunbridge wells- the experience and vibe (and cost) isn't the same.

Look at Lenham.

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