Moving to TW, commute etc

[Annette77]

Hi there

We are considering moving from Beckenham to TW for better schools, more countryside etc and want to buy a house in Langton Green. Anyone know if it is nice there?! I hope there are other young families. I am 32 and have two little ones aged 3.5 and 2. The other thing is I am a bit worried about the commute up to London for my other half. Does anyone else commute and can tell me whether it is not that bad or if it is terrible and they regret moving out? Just trying to weigh everything up. It will be quite a big move for us.

thanks!

Hi - Langton, in my opinion, is lovely. Not sure what the local school is like as I live in St James (an area part of T/Wells). I'm sure there are buses to Langton for commuters....but again I'm not sure as we don't have to commute.

Not sure if this helps or not.....I know lots of people who have moved down to Kent because of the schools & more space & nurseries being cheaper.

Hope this helps...

My inlaws live in Langton Green, my DH grew up there and went to school there. It has all the facilities you need - good state school (highly regarded), plus a private prep school (Holmewood House) should you choose that route, pre-school, shops etc and is within 3 miles of Tunbridge Wells so an easy commute to London.

There are regular buses along the Langton Road and also from Rusthall (the next village in towards to TW).

The train journey (when I used to do it 10 years ago) varied a little in reliability, but I think now it's pretty good with new trains and takes between 50 and 60 minutes to Charing Cross or Cannon Street depending on whether it's a stopping or fast train.

Langton is lovely, and we looked at a couple of houses in the village, but DH and I both commute to London, and as I have to get into the West End from Charing X, I didn't want to add an extra bus journey onto either end of the commute.. but it is possible to scooter or cycle so perhaps your DH would be able to do that. The commute itself is fine (albeit expensive - and the new December timetable is mucking around all the times which is going to be a pain for me personally!) and the trains are often held up around London Bridge in the mornings which can be a nuisance, but generally it's an ok journey.

FWIW, we moved to TW coming up for two years ago, and we haven't looked back - it's fantastic!

Despite not being able to help one iota re langton, I hope ShellingPeas & Meerkat have been able to help. There are lots of other nice areas within T/W which are close to the station & near to good schools.

I think LG is really nice, I have a friend that lives there and another one in Rusthall. I live in St James area and looove it. We are close to almost everything we need. And my DH walks to the station (10min) through Grosvenor Grounds- he really enjoys that walk. He communtes to London and his train takes 43min I think? He personally wouldn't live any further away as 1hr 30min door to door is enough. Let us know when you are coming down, we could probably meet.
All the best!
(Tunbridge Wells IS a great family place)

Did I say Grosvenor? I meant Calverley! haha

Langton Green is really nice. Just be careful that you check the boundry for the school catchment area as some parts of Langton Green fall into the Rusthall catchment area, which isn't too bad but not as good as Langton School. I do the commute 4 days a week to London and it's not too bad, always get a seat and park at the station which is £4.50 with a £2 rebate at the station.
I love living in Tunbridge wells, we're here for good!

Commute isn't too bad, there are a few very fast trains that go from TW+High Brooms without stopping in about 45 mins. I quite like reading/sleeping on the train. But it is extortionate: ~£3500 for an annual season ticket, which is the cheapest way of paying for it. Maybe about £370 for a monthly.

And LG seems quite nice, although one does hear mixed stories about Rusthall, though I'm no expert on that end of town. The Hare pub in LG seems pretty good.