living near haywards heath...

[rubitout]

Trying very hard to move out of London......does anyone out there live in/around Hassocks, commute from Haywards Heath and send children to school in Brighton? does it work???......Should we bin this idea? thx for any insight.

Daft question but why would you live in Hassocks yet commute from Haywards Heath? It's on the same London/Brighton line

DH commutes from Burgess Hill each day. He moans at not getting a seat but lives with it. The price you pay I guess. DC are too young for school so can't answer that, although when I was young I attended college in Brighton. Didn't think anything of the 20min train ride.

thx for your reply.........you can see that i don't know the area that well!! will look into the hassocks commute.

Hassocks doesn't have quite as many direct trains to London as HH, but service is ample for commuting. Also slightly more chance of getting a seat than further up the line - DH usually does but tends to fill up at Hassocks.

Tis a fab place to live We moved here in Dec from London and love it!

V easy to get into Brighton by train or bus.

plenty of people send their children to the private schools in brighton from Hassocks/Henfield and further affield. They either come in on the train or their are buses run by each of the schools.

I was wondering whether megonthemoon could say a bit more about the Hassocks area. We are Londoners and considering a move out to Sussex - basically somewhere along the Brighton line - because DH will have to commute daily into London. We have two young children, one who is pre-school and one who has nearly finished reception.
What do you like about it? I don't know if you have children, but are there a lot of young families? Anything else you can think of..

Thanks.

For those considering a move to Mid Sussex (Haywards Heath - Burgess Hill - Hassocks) the following may be useful information.

Transport (commuting to London): The main London-Brighton line passes through Mid Sussex. Haywards Heath is the best location for trains to London - virtually every train stops there, takes around 45 mins to get into London - either Victoria or London Bridge. Burgess Hill, 5 miles further south from H Heath is also served by 2 rail stations (Burgess Hill and Wivelsfield) but not quite as good service as Haywards Heath. Hassocks is about 3 miles further south of Burgess Hill and again has a good train service although not as good as H Heath. Yes seat availability can be a problem but I regularly commute from Wivelsfield and get a a seat at 7.35 as does my husband who goes up earlier at 7.07.

Housing Stock: H Heath is more expensive than both Burgess Hill and Hassocks. For the same price for a 3-bed house in H Heath you can afford a 4-bed in Burgess Hill. Hassocks has a mix of housing too but some areas command a premium being close to the South Downs and having rural outlook.

Schools: There is a good mix of schools in Mid Sussex, both state and private. Private schools in the area include Ardingly College (north of H Heath), Hurstpierpoint College (village near to Hassocks)and Burgess Hill School for Girls. Good state primary schools are found in all areas as too are Secondary schools.

Family Life: Haywards Heath is a large dormitory town with many people working in London. There is a good cafe strip up at the Broadway with shops found further away in South Road and the Orchards (Next, M&S, Robert Dyas etc.). Burgess Hill (where I live now although have lived in H Heath too) is more of a 'family' town. Less posh than H Heath but still a good place to consider. There are plenty of activities going on in both towns for young babies, toddlers etc. I know less about Hassocks apart from it is much smaller with fewer shops but you gain from living in a pleasant countryside area.

Personally you have to consider what is important for you. Is quick commuting a priority (H Heath) or perhaps a larger house (B Hill/Hassocks). Are private schools a priority too?

I have lived in Mid Sussex for most of my life and has been a nice place to grow up and now bring up my young son. Brighton, Gatwick Airport and London are easy to reach and you are not too far from the coast.

Hope this helps for any of you planning a move to Mid Sussex.

Thanks Meanee and MeMudmagnet for your advice. I lost my login details and so only just picked up your messages. I'm really nervous about moving out of London - I'm just so used to it and my son's happy at primary school here, but I do love the countryside and think it will be a better environment for the kids. I like the fact that Brighton is close by too.

MeMudmagnet - please could you tell me what schools there are in Henfield and Steyning? I've been looking in Hurstpierpoint and Ditchling so far.

Thanks!

Hi, DH and I are considering a move from London to Hurstpierpoint or possibly Lewes in the summer. I'm nervous as really enjoy the London life but would be really interested in hearing from any mnetters who have moved into the area and their experience. I also need to look into good state primary schools - I think Hurstpierpoint has an outstanding primary but I'm not sure how easy it is to get a place (DD will be going in to yr2 in sep) Any help or info would be very much appreciated. I'm all new to this mn thing so I'm not sure how this works..