Commuting from Sittingbourne/Faversham area

[Stokey]

Am looking at houses (online) here as they are amazing compared to what you can get in London. Does anyone have any experience of commuting from this area? My husband would be going in every day to city and I would be doing at least 3 days a wk to west edge of city (Farringdon). We will also have two small children needing child care (3 & 1).

Houses in the villages around Sittingbourne look amazing, but any advice appreciated. Would you advise being in either Sittingbourne or Faversham rather than a village, and are some villages nicer than otehrs? Have seen great looking places in Iwade, Teyneham, Borden, Badlesmere for example.

Thanks

Bumping for you. Also, might be not much help, but I have a friend in Sittingbourne, who moved there from London to acquire a nice peaceful life, but in the end got bored with the peace and quietness and is looking to move somewhere with a buzz.

Thanks confusedperson..

I am a little scared about being bored especially on maternity leave this winter with two tiny people for company.

Its just you can buy a mansion near there for not much more than my 2-bed flat in north london...

Hi there, I can't be much help specifically re. Sittingbourne/Faversham, but did think about that area (more Faversham) recently when we decided to sell up in London and move to Kent. I decided that for us, the commute was too long as a 'first step' into commuter-ville. My husband is used to a 15 minute train journey to London Bridge and I thought anything over an hour into the City would be too much - especially if you factor in a car/pub transport journey to the station. We opted for the Tunbridge Wells/Tonbridge area and are in the process of buying a house in Matfield (52 mins to Cannon St from our nearest station). I know you can get more for your money the further out you get, but for us it was important not to feel too cut off or depressed about the prospect of getting into town.

PS: I have twin 2 yr olds, we've yet to move in but I'm already excited about getting stuck into it all. Especially now I've found a nursery that has space nearby

I live in east Kent and used to commute into London daily- its a killer journey! Better now with the high speed train to St Pancras- but for the city ie cannon street- the train is normally pretty full but the time it gets to sittingbourne!

I live in that area... (and am about to have twins!) You get more for your money in Sittingbourne, Teynham, Iwade etc but Faversham is a much 'nicer' address due to having quite a pretty town centre and Shepard Neame brewery although it has virtually no chain stores in the town centre, which i have found to be a pain in the past. Sittingbourne is your usual high street, albeit a bit run down but it is about to have a massive amount of money spent on a regeneration. Faversham primary schools are better and the secondary schools are fine but Sittingbourne secondarys are more popular. I would avoid Baddlesmere as it is in the middle of nowhere and has very poor transport links and the nearest schools are miles away.

In terms of commuting, I would go for Faversham and Sittingbourne as they have proper train services. Teynham has a station but only the slow train stops there.

All in all it is a nice area, it really depends what your thing is

We've been considering this area for the same reasons as you. We fancied Rochester as it's got a characterful high street and some wonderful affordable Georgian houses, plus a shorter commute.

We live Gravesend way so much much closer to London, but the hour long commute to the city from here means my DH hardly sees our DD. Fav/Sittingbourne way is a much longer commute but Faversham is very picturesque.

Well have spent a long time drooling over houses in the area... but i think commute has put me off. This will always be the one that got away... www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-20079654.html

have had an offer accepted in east London now instead so sticking to urban sprawl for now

Faversham is lovely, probably "nicer" than Sittingbourne, and Whitstable is near by so you have the seaside within reach too. If there's not much of a journey once you're off the train then it's bearable. My sister used to commute from Whitstable and hated having to always be the first one to leave the pub to catch her train home, but of course that was when she was young, free and single. If you can do emails, paperwork on the train it's not so bad, and I don't know what the trains are like now but when she commuted you could guarantee a seat in the mornings. I'm originally from Whitstable and would have loved to move further out from Central London when we moved but we settled on Bromley area as a compromise between commute and cheaper/larger houses.

Now that is a nice house Stokey. it's quite astonishing how far your money goes in Kent [pained south London dweller].

This is the one that got away for us Georgian beauty. Just too much in the middle of nowhere. And the commute is too long. But apart from that, perfect! Dh is comparing everything to it; he will never be happy with anything now.

Oh pants I just linked to the same house. How did that happen? I mean this one

Oh I give up.

Oh come on Rhubarb, we're desperate to see it now! :)

Oh god... Ok I'll try one more time. Let's see if Zoopla is kinder to me please work this time, dammit

THat is amazing - POA though... I can understand dh never being happy again- London terrace can't compare.

Just out of interest, did you find out how much it was?

(looks at Euro millions ticket hopefully...)

I think it was on at 1.175m, or something similar. Needs loads of work but it's been on the market a while so we were reckoning there was room for negotiation.

We walked round the lake and I was planning where I would keep donkeys and goats and dh was planning bathrooms (makes him happy), but then we discovered the village was a drive away, has nothing in it except a small convenience store and the only nearby pub had a sign on the door saying no children. Then we decided the nearest town, Maidstone, wasn't very inspiring and the commute was
a bit too far, so all in all, not really a winner. Still fantasising a bit though, as I sit here in shitsville south London area...