thinking of moving to Tunbridge Wells..

[sallybash]

Hi there,

We have a DS 2.5 years and one on the way next march and are trying to work out where to move from East London (something that has been on the agenda since DS was born!)

We have looked a littlearound Tunbridge Wells as it seems to offer a lot but it would be great to get that extra reassurance and insight from people who are there or have made the move from London/from out of the area recently like we hope to.

Any advice (pros and cons) on living there in general, areas to live, the commute to London, nurseries, schools, things to do with little ones and settling in in general would be great to learn! (sorry for such a list!)

It feels like such a big decision where to make the move and without close friends or family in the equation, as they are up North or in London, it seems that bit harder!

Looking forward to hearing from anyone who can help!

Cheers

Sally

Good luck maggie! We should be in our place any time from the end of January onwards... (fingers crossed..)

Getting slightly apprehensive about moving to 'the Provinces' - let's hope we're one of those who never look back, eh? :)

I grew up in TW and my parents still live there. Lovely place to raise a family, great shops, beautiful countryside.
Good luck all.

Good luck with the moves everyone - we did it exactly 4 years ago and haven't regretted it for a second!

Thanks both :) - very good to hear. There is another thread on Property asking about those who've moved out of London and a couple of people slagging off Kent. Already find myself getting annoyed by it, although of course at the same time leaves me wondering a little whether we're doing the right thing.

The bottom line though is that I don't want to live in London with the children, I think. Unless we miraculously could afford a giant Holland Park pad, and somehow I doubt there's any likelihood of that.

I'm still very confused by schools, although that's more to do with my own internal wranglings of private vs state than anything else.

Well, I always slag off Surrey, so I guess it's horses for courses . It IS a big step, but London isn't that far away, and TW is a really fab place - I am sure that you won't regret it.

Our state v private wobble was cured by having a fourth child......!

LOL PanicMode - umm, yes, four children would just about end any fence-sitting, wouldn't it? Our issue is that the area we're moving to is not inside any strict grammar school catchment area. Although the twins are just turned two, so might put that particular bit of anxiety onto the back-burner for at least ten minutes.

We're actually moving to Matfield, all being well, so not TW itself. I'm hoping that won't make me feel too remote, I mean it's only something like 6 miles to the 'big smoke' of TW proper and I'm completely smitten with our new house-to-be (fingers crossed, etc etc). It will all be very new for me - house has an Aga, a big garden with veg patches etc, and I am a dyed-in-the-wool-scaredy-cat when it comes to a spider bigger than a speck of dust. WHAT AM I THINKING?

And hm, yes, completely agree with you re. Surrey. Although I slagged it off earlier in said thread so no doubt there was an element of retaliation

I am sure that it will all work out for the best - I have screwed myself in knots over the fact that our children are not getting the same education we benefitted from, but the schools here are very good, they are flying along, they have lots of local friends and don't spend an hour in the car twice a day as my brother and I did, getting to and from our rural prep schools.

I have a friend who moved from Notting Hill to Plaxtol - you can't see another house from her sitting room - just fields, cows and her vast estate , but she absolutely LOVES it, despite being nervous about the immense change.... your house sounds fantastic, and I'm sure you'll be v happy.

Aah I can just imagine what you mean re. being tied up in knots about it. I'm a bit opposite to you in that I didn't go to private school and in fact prior to having children swore blind I'd never send mine. Now they're here, ahem, my mind's been opened up on the matter. Although when I look at the perfectly turned out almost entirely white girls on the DVDs the local preps sent through, I just can't picture my girls there anyway. I want them to have an outdoorsy, rough-and-tumble, if anything slightly hippy start in life. I don't want them growing up thinking it's normal to be well-off. Hence my turmoil with it all really...

Well if the twins are only just two, you have a bit longer to agonise over it! And then you'll make a decision, and they'll start, and you'll still agonise over it!! My eldest has moved schools once, and then won a scholarship to an outstanding prep here, and we agonised and agonised, turned it down, and now I think we're happy - until we have to worry about secondary/grammars/11+ etc!!

Good luck with the move - hope the house all goes through smoothly!

Hi Guys

Happy New Year everyone!!

Hope the move has gone well Maggie and will certainly get in touch if/when we make the move! DH job situation a bit in flux so hard to make plans but with DS 2 arriving in March and our house already being too small decisions have to be made pronto!

Lottie hope that your house sale goes through smoothly and that you love being in Matlock

Sorry long time away from the thread! :) All progressing with our house, although far too slowly for my liking. We've now wound down our flat in Switzerland and are staying at my mum's in Surrey until the tenants leave our house next week. We're then moving in there until completion on the place in Matfield. Which explains my desperation for our feckless buyers to HURRY UP, as their uselessness has already set us back a couple of weeks.

The schools issue still ongoing, although now thinking of going to have a look at Dulwich Prep, which seems to come highly recommended. All a way off though, and in the meantime it's looking positive for them starting at a Montessori nursery in Brenchley.

Can't wait to get a move on with it all really...

sallybash - how are you doing with it all?

Just want to say how great it is to read all of these positive things about TW and the surrounding areas. Me, my hub and DD of 15 months are taking the plunge and are moving from London to Mark Cross, Crowborough soonish. We don't know anyone down there and so will need to do lots of research on baby groups to make some local friends. Can anyone recommend some good things to take my little one to?