DNF Options!

[AbercairnChris]

Hi all,

My partners and I have a dog and an 11 month old baby.

We are planning to have at least another child, so beginning to think about moving out of London - but struggling to even make a long list of places to consider relocating to.

My partner is a teacher. I am a Civil Servant, and would probably need to be able to commute into London twice a week.

So far we've largely focussed on East/West Sussex options, but welcome any advice!

Does anyone here have recent experience of places like St Leonards or Bexhill or Folkestone - family friendly places? Is there much to do?

First time poster so any/all advice gratefully received!

DNF?

Presumably you want Victoria or Charing Cross for your commute?

Folkestone is doing some hard PR - i keep seeing "best seaside town to live in" type articles. I think some of the rail routes can be very expensive.

(We're also in London and i would love to be by the seaside but I find some of the commute times door to door to be a bit galling! And not necessarily loads more for your money).

I can tell you a bit about Folkestone, we moved here when our child was a similar age to your child. It is a family-friendly place - there are, of course, beaches, but it is also surrounded by hills and forests for great walks. There are plenty of parks, the nicest of which is the Coastal Park, overlooking Mermaid Beach. Just a short walk away, you have the Harbour Arm with at least 30 different eateries, an outdoor cinema screen, independent creatives market etc. There are three theatres in the town, plus an independent cinema. There are lots of restaurants in the town itself and the old high street is a picturesque cobbled street full of art galleries and independent shops. The Creative Foundation also facilitates affordable creative activities for kids. There are two train stations, Folkestone West to St Pancras takes just under an hour, 53 minutes, I think, but season tickets on the fast train are expensive. School-wise, most primaries are good or outstanding, and there are boys’ and girls’ grammar schools as well as several non-selective options for secondary. Once your child hits their teens, they may be drawn to nearby Canterbury to access the kind of shops that appeal to that age group, like H&M, whereas if you choose St Leonard’s, you pretty much have that already in Hastings. I would be equally happy to live in St Len’s, where you also have independent shops, a creative vibe and gorgeous natural surroundings. The only slight drawback for a commuter being that the journey to London is longer. We moved here because our jobs were here, but If I were making a choice like yours, I think I would spend some holiday time in each location. According to a local news article, possibly in KentOnline, more than 20% of house sales in the last five years were attributed to buyers from London. You may find the same is true of Hastings and St Leonard’s.