Moving to Kent

[Becky6868]

Hi. My partner and I are looking to relocate to Kent with our 8 year old. My partner would be working just outside Sevenoaks and I would be commuting into London a couple of days a week. We don't really know much about the area so any advice on areas to avoid or good places to go would be brilliant. We have looked at Sevenoaks and also Ashford kind of area. Thanks

Ashford to Sevenoaks would be a horrible commute, its like 50 minutes drive without traffic. (about 45 minutes train)

I grew up in Tonbridge which is good for commuting to London, not far from Sevenoaks (15 minutes drive) and has some great schools both primary and secondary but is not the cheapest area to buy in, which is why I left. Sevenoaks is nice but bare in mind Kent is a Grammar school county and a lot of children from Sevenoaks travel into Tonbridge or Tunbridge Wells for secondary.

It really depends on your budget and the kind of lifestyle you like. We live in Sevenoaks - chosen primarily because DH commutes and works long hours.

The downside is that it is really expensive. If you don't need to be in Sevenoaks itself and aren't bothered about being in a town then there are lovely villages on the outskirts. If you want to be in a town but the prices are too high in Sevenoaks then Tonbridge is cheaper. If you want a bigger town and as you only have to commute a few days a week you could look at Tunbridge Wells.