Is there a smaller Brighton anywhere?!

[donttrythisathome]

I live in Brighton and love it, but want to move somewhere a lot smaller and more rural. I've realised that my dream is somewhere like Brighton. Not, as in, for example, lots of drug deaths and hen parties. More the sea, open-mindedness, lots going on. Just smaller, and greener. Somewhere you can walk to countryside easily, and hear owls at night.

Stop laughing, you over there....!

So, is it an impossible dream?

A small seaside place, that is vibrant and progressive, with a great community. And noticeable owls, or at least easy access thereto?! Oh and work for a future childminder and current carpenter/furniture maker?

Bridport is nice, but if you wanted to stay closer to Brighton, how about Arundel. this is only just over budget for you. Beaches are very close (10 mins) and the town is full of antiques shops, etc, but in a more funky than fusty way (some fustiness though). It has a Lido as well as the nature reserve and castle.

Let me know if you need any School help I am a teacher :)

Lovely to hear form some of the old zombie posters!

I've only been to bridport in passing - it was lovely, we went to check out the Jurassic coastline at West bay, briefly. Can see myself going there for holidays definitely, but not sure about living permanently.

Saw Broadstairs briefly during Y2 school trip - what I managed to see from the coach window looked lovely. A really sweet, simple seaside town without the usual tacky crap going on.

I suppose that having been in side the north circular part of London for most of my life, I can't imagine living anywhere so small!!

Will I get claustrophobic?!

It's the everyone knowing your business bit that worries me. Some anonymity of the big city appeals to me, but not so much so that I never know who the hell has been living next door to me for the past 25 years., IFSWIM.

On another note: just heard through a separate thread, that Brighton & Hove council are in the process of discussing how to change the secondary admissions for Brighton schools e.g. Varndean and Dorothy Stringer - apparently a new academy by the Uni of Brighton is also going to be built in that same area.

Wondering if anyone knows about this and how it may affect admissions? My Dc in Y3 currently, so if we did move to the Fiveways bit of Brighton that we like, the admissions chaos would be just coinciding with out move there. Great