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?

Excited about Suffolk. Considered it as husband could get work there. What kind of people though - all local or some blow-ins too. Are there things going on - art house cinema, live music, things for kids. Arty vibe would be good, as husband also an artist, and would like to get back to it.

I know noddy, this is half a way of exploring if we should leave. i am so sad for DD that we don't have a garden and owls though, and husband needs a workshop too.

Southwold is Stoke Newington on Sea, I hear

See pample lots of retirees and rundown pubs would depress me. Could get a fab place by sea back in ireland, but there would be a lack of work.
Want to stay here somewhere vibrant and youngish

no owls, but plenty of partridges, buzzards and Kestrels

you want to buy this house :)

cheeky

The Llyn peninsular where Abersoch is situated has a fantastic microclimate which means it is more temperate than other places in the North West. It really is worth a look

edlessallenpoe yes re Hastings, but he said the closure of Mental Health Institutions in the 80s saw lots of people being sent to Hastings for "care in the community", with a real lack of emphasis on "care". Hence deprivation got further entrenched. Considered Worthing too, but it doesn't really ring my bell, and the seafront (the one time I sat there) had a lot of rubbish and hostile looking men.

Is that your bungalow endless? Looks sunny! Do you have a bird sanctuary?

Will check out Abersoch, ta. Jobs there?

Chichester is lovely. But for the more rural side of things how about West Witterings area?

here

there is a carpenter sanctuary in the garage :)

Owls are a tough call though.

this place probably has Owls
as well as being a whole shedload of wood-porn.

I'm not sure about the jobs market in North Wales. I guess everywhere is difficult because of the recession but this would be a great business if you have the money

See youarekidding it's not just rural by the sea I want though. I also want the "vibe" (sorry can't think of a less w*nky word) that Brighton offers too. Passed through West Witterings area and tis lovely it's true, but does it have that kind of community I am looking for?

Oh I feel bad for Hastings now, it is not a bad place to live at all. It does have some undesirable parts but on the whole it is doing well for itself now. The college is going from strength to strength, the centre is having millions chucked at it, St Leonards is the same, its all being regenerated. It has a new (controversial) gallery, amazing fresh fish markets, lots of artiness and bohemian community spirit going on. Some of the primarys are excellent, the secondaries not sure on.
The crap bits are very crap mind you, but it does make for interesting listening in queues I find...
But no owls.

I don't think the last link worked

Link to business didn't work!

edless the carpenter sanctuary sounds nice. But I probably want to be in a more central (yet rural?! see I am losing it) location. Or maybe not, what's the area like?
Sadly the other one is beyond the budget. Plus I am not in the market for porn (cats bum mouth).

I used to live in Whitstable (although it was years ago before it got trendy). The window of the arcade would be broken every saturday night...the local youth had nowt else to do!

I'm not sure about the community of witterings. Bognor has a community

How about Bristol? Okay it doesn't have its own beach but culturally is the best match for Brighton I've ever found (I grew up in Brighton, moved around lots and , when I first came to Bristol years ago temporarily with work felt instantly at home and haven't left since!)

There's heaps of georgian architecture in Clifton, seagulls(!), lots of arty / alternative / green types, harbourside and great community spirit. It is a fair size city but is a collection of local communities (all with their own particular feel / community vibe) rather than one big city centre surrounded by nothing but 'burbs.

What surprised me when I first moved here was that in an hour or so you could get to fantastic countryside in North or South Devon, Wales, Cotswolds ...... and you've also got Bath 30 mins away.

... worth a thought, certainly a huge demand for good quality childminders in the more affluent areas and a big sub-culture of local craftspeople and artisans who're well supported by Bristol and Bath.

I'm glad Hastings is improving then. FIL did live there for a long time. Why is the gallery controversial? I'm from a deprived area myself originally, and know how places can be misjudged (although some of the judgements are spot on too) with people with money thinking those without are ignorant, uneducated and survive on chips. In general, people without money just lack money itself, not education, interest in culture and ideas etc.

thebest don't have that sort of money and I would probably make Fawlty Towers look good anyway.

See Bristol would probably be too much like Brighton, as in even bigger and less near the countryside. Although the fact the burbs all have their own community is tempting. Brighton has that a little too but nowhere where I could afford a big garden with lots of birds.

Wizard I did get that feeling from Whitstable when I visited, but it does appear in all the "haas" magazines with various crafty arty sorts showing off their farrow and ball kitchens.

Noooooooo. Having worked in Bristol (after move from Hove), you really, really, really do not want to move there. Added to the no sea issue, it has none of the 'nice' aspects of Brighton and all of the worst.

Well, IMVHO.

Margate is up and coming but it will be a while. Lots of quirky shops but still areas of deprivation. Broadstairs is lovely :}

... Stroud it is then Seriously, there's a ring of villages around it and the whole area has a major hippy feel to it. There seems to be some psychic tramlines between Stroud / Bristol / Totnes / Glastonbury with lots of people commuting between them. Stroud or Totnes may feel a little small after Brighton but you're only 40 mins from Bristol.

If the property prices in Stroud make it undoable then Wooton-under-Edge is worth considering. Actually it's worth a thought anyway. It's a tucked away big village / little market town with a thriving high street, independent cinema, open air swimming pool .... and good schools! The amazing thing is it manages to feel as if you're in the depths of the countryside (great walking country) and yet is 10 mins from Bristol / 20 mins from Stroud and, if you're selling a place in Brighton, you should be able to get a stonking property there.

Isle of Wight?

St Leonards?