Looking for Advice on Moving to Ovingdean/Rottingdean from Surrey

[ilsenyw]

Hi everyone,
We’re a family of three considering a big move and would love some advice! My partner and I recently turned 50, and we have a daughter who will be starting secondary school in 2026. She currently attends a private school in the Kingston Upon Thames/Surrey area, and since we both work mainly from home, we have the flexibility to relocate.
We’ve always dreamed of living by the sea and countryside, and now feels like the right time to make it happen. We recently visited Roedean School and all really loved it, so we’re looking at the Ovingdean/Rottingdean area for a home. We love Rottingdean, but the housing prices are quite high – our budget is around £850K-£950K, though we could stretch a little if it’s worth it.
We’re specifically looking for a 4-bedroom house with some garden space. We’d love to be in a smaller, welcoming community—ideally somewhere without too many Airbnbs or party rentals. We really want to feel part of the neighbourhood and settle in for the long term.
One important factor for us is the commute to London, as we will need to travel there once a week. How easy is it to get to a train station from Ovingdean or Rottingdean? One of us can provide a lift if needed.
Would love to hear any insights from those familiar with the area! Is it worth stretching the budget for Rottingdean, or are there hidden gems nearby we should consider? Any advice would be amazing.
Thanks in advance! 😊

Have a look over the hill into Saltdean. Walk to Rottingdean either along the seafront or over the hill at the back.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION%5E21393&maxPrice=1000000&minPrice=800000&propertyTypes=detached%2Csemi-detached%2Cterraced&includeSSTC=false&mustHave=&dontShow=&furnishTypes=&keywords=

There is a bus to the train station.

It's very hilly in Ovingdean, and a long walk to/ from the buses along the front. We had a look years ago and decided the properties seemed very over-priced as well as impractical for commuting easily every day (even in icy February). I second looking at Saltdean, it is a much more practical location. If it was the quiet hills that you liked but not transport, then another option is to find out school bus routes for Roedean and compare with the bus/ train maps, as that might open up other options that are better value.

There’s no train stations out that way. Nothing between Brighton and Newhaven.

Considering what you want and your budget, I would look at Seaford.

No train stations at all on that stretch of coast and it would be a long journey to the nearest one. As other posters have said, Saltdean is nice. Rottingdean always left me a bit cold for some reason. Seaford has a train station but I don't know that area at all.

It's not for everyone but have you considered Hastings. I lived there for quite a while and it is a beautiful town with good rail links, a castle and lovely old town. You would get more house for your money there too. St Leonards nearby is a bit more deprived but might be a lot better now than it was.

Thank you

Rottingdean is lovely, but out of the way. Saltdean is a bit more central and has a lido.

Hove or Preston Park are nice residential areas on direct line to London.

Rottingdean is mostly one big traffic jam rat run. It is not somewhere to live if easy access to a train station is important. It is twee- if that is what you are after. Seaford is not and is a wind tunnel- housing is more affordable though.

Thank you, really appreciate your insight! We definitely want to be closer to the sea, so we’re open to considering Saltdean.
We visited a few weeks ago and stopped by Smugglers Rest, but we noticed quite a few drunk and rough-looking people at the time. Is that typical for the area, or was it just an off day? (Not trying to be disrespectful, just doing our research to ensure it’s the right fit for us.)
Another question—how noisy does it get if you live closer to the seaside in Saltdean? We’d love to be near the coast but also want to make sure it’s a peaceful place to live.
Many thanks again for your help!

If you are thinking traffic noise, I didn’t think it any noisier than anywhere else. And I was living just a few streets away from the beach front. Mostly, it’s just normal, around the houses traffic.

The thing about Saltdean is that it doesn’t go anywhere so it’s not a rat run or anything like that.

This is just based on camping trips so not as a resident but we’ve done a couple of trips to a campsite by Saltdean and thought it was lovely. Obviously close to Brighton too although we weren’t doing it at commuter times.

Upside is that Ovingdean has got the best beach for miles around, and if you like walking you are out into beautiful open downland in minutes.

Downside is that you need to allow 5 hours a day for your commute.

Hopefully someone else can comment on locals in Saltdean, I don't know sorry.

Trains from Seaford have to change at Lewes or Brighton, and it's quite far to Roedean when there's traffic.

Have you considered Eastbourne with Eastbourne College instead?

both Rottingdean and Saltdean are a bit rough and ready! I wouldn’t move there- most people there tend to go out in Brighton. Hove or even Worthing would be better if you’re looking for trains to London. Plus up around Preston Park you’ll get bigger gardens.
Also - schools - there are some excellent state schools in Brighton But that area puts you in the catchment for Longhill - the failing one.

I would move into the Varndean or Stringer catchment and save the money on Roedean- it’s not that great…

I wouldn't be living that far along the coast and commute from Brighton. Alternatives might be Lewes/Falmer. Not sure you will find many Roedean girls living in Seaford.

I live in Saltdean. Happy to answer any questions. A few local kids go to Roedean and I believe there’s a minibus, otherwise it’s an easy bus ride along the coast road. The commute to London is more of a pain and I haven’t done it regularly, although lots of people do - bus or lift to Brighton station and the train from there is reasonably quick. Secondary schooling is an issue here and there’s currently a controversial proposal to change the catchment areas…so if you are likely to need state schools at any point you might want to investigate. The sixth form options are meant to be very good though.

Saltdean is lacking a nice pub. Smugglers Rest has a lovely terrace and views out to sea, but it’s a fairly dull chain pub. Rottingdean pubs are more quaint and do nice food. There’s a fab local pizza restaurant and the lido has just been restored and has a good restaurant, gym, and does some events. The night life is a bit limited but it’s only 20 minutes into Brighton.

For property Saltdean is a bit cheaper than Rottingdean. All the housing is on hills sandwiched between the sea and the South Downs, so almost every house has great views and traffic is very light as only the coast road leads anywhere. Rottingdean has a road that connects the coast road and the A27 so can get very busy, and that road also leads to the football stadium. For your budget though, Deans Court Road and the surrounding roads are very pretty and the houses back onto paddocks and lead into the South Downs.

Rottingdean is in my view ruined by traffic. The main coast road runs right through thr town centre and is often gridlocked.

It's very very quiet and dull most of the time.

Saltdean is nice with the lido and beach cafe but these are places with very little transport!! The coast buses are decent but no way to get to London or a train easily

These are basically villages with nothing on

Wld you not look at brighton

Getting from Saltdean/ Rottingdean by bus to Brighton station can take a good hour- the road is really congested at rush hour/ school times so would depend how often you needed to get to London.
You could try renting somewhere for a week or so and seeing what it’s like trying to get about… the only people I know in Roedean are in the £2/million plus houses and their lifestyles are -in the big house or in Brighton but not using their local area, if that makes sense? But they have the ££ to taxi everywhere and aren’t relying much on public transportation

Seaford is a nice enough little town but there is nothing in it! It’s flat, quiet, has a couple of cafes, charity shops etc. If you have no family links or friends there I’m not sure why you would move to it but it’s super cheap compared to Brighton & Hove or even Worthing.

@ilsenyw You are going to have to compromise if you want to live on this stretch of coastline. There are no peaceful seaside areas that also have easy access to train stations.
This is a heavily populated area with a big mix of demographics. You are going to find rough looking drunks outside pubs. Smaller villages don’t have easy access. Saltdean isn’t very exciting and is not easy to get to Brighton. It is on the main coast road and it gets hideously congested at busy times of the day and year.

For going in to London once a week I would look more at going in towards Brighton or even Hove.
Roedean does a minibus service which sweeps all around the city and surrounding areas.

Your budget isn't huge for the area though.

For schools, are you set on Roedean? For that money I'd choose Brighton College, Hurst or even Brighton Girls over Roedean now.

Hi, thank you for your reply. We are still looking for schools. Why do you think you would choose others over Roedean? Brighton College is not an option due to high expectations, but others I would be curious to hear about. Many thanks

It’s not that it’s bad as such, but there aren’t loads of local girls due to boarding. They made a big push for local girls about 10 years ago but don’t have much to offer bursary wise now so it seems to have gone back to being a lot of international boarders.

I agree about Brighton College.

Have a look at Brighton Girls. It would really open up your options in terms of where to live. It’s about a 10 minute walk from Brighton Station.

I have friends in Saltdean and they love it. They cycle into Brighton for work, or get the bus. It's a quick drive to Lewes too which is great and has lots going on. Their primary aged kids are very happy in the local school and they have nice neighbours and spend a lot of time swimming in the sea and doing various sports. I'm a city person and would want more going on, but I can see the attraction.

@ilsenyw - i have dropped you a private message - i live around the area so might be of some help.