Moving From Clapham To Kent

[josie182]

We’ve been living happily in a nice part of Clapham (near Northcote Rd.) for over five years now and after giving birth to our DD we are considering making the move to Kent..

We have two considerations, DH is adamant that he needs a seat on the train (not a 40% chance!) and ideally we could find somewhere family friendly with nice café’s, outdoor parks, markets etc. No need to be near a school just yet as DD is only 12 weeks.

DH needs to get into Brixton in the mornings so SevenOaks was the front-runner. Some posts on MN have said it’s very difficult to get a seat in the morning on the train – is this still the case?

Where would you recommend that meets these needs?

Trains before 7am should most likely be ok for a seat but it really is only something that can be ascertained by trying out different times/ trains.

Sevenoaks is near the end of the route before the city so will always be busy.

Sevenoaks really isn't big on markets but does have a lot of nice cafe's, big brands and independent boutiques etc.

Sevenoaks is about to have a farmers market on the vine. Not sure how regular it will be.

I get a seat on the train at 7.43 but commute to Waterloo east rather than London Bridge/ Cannon Street.

I like Sevenoaks, I used to live in earlsfield and did miss the hustle and bustle of london at first but now think it's great for the kids.

By the way, I would be thinking about schools now. If you're planning to go private, you should be registering your baby now. If you're planning on state schools, you might want to start thinking about living in a good catchment area. It's quite dog eat dog on the schools front in Sevenoaks!

I live in Sevenoaks and moved from Greenwich London 15 years ago. I help families moving into the area covering all aspects of lifestyle, schooling and areas to live. Would be happy to help if you need to know any local information. Its a fab town and growing fast! We love it and I'm an Australian that's hard to please.