Finding a semi rural home.

[ilovemyelectricblanket]

Hi Guys - can you help us?

We currently live in a small house in a posh, commuter belt town and we want to move to a bigger house in a semi rural location in Kent or Sussex.

Ive figured out that rural to us means paths and amenities. We need a good primary school, beavers, cricket, football clubs. We need a (gastro?) pub, a few shops, a heart/community in the village.

Where is like this in Kent and Sussex.

We need to make this move before September 2014 and I feel short of time. Its the location that is taking the time. We are spending our weekends in the car and the children are not impressed.

We so far like Tenterden, Goudhurst, Whitstable (bit random that one), Frant, Horsemondon.

Im hoping you can help us reduce our time in the car. Its hard work looking for the right village with a 6 and a 7 year old in the car.....

:)

Oh. We'd like 4 bedrooms, large private garden and have about 600k to spend.

Tonbridge
Tunbridge Wells
Crowborough

Mayfield
Cranbrook
Sissinghurst

Lovely thanks guys. I will immediately investigate. Flexing fingers as we speak!

Mayfield?

Mayfield, East Sussex !

Tonbridge, t wells and Crowborough are def not villages!

Rotherfield might suit

And robertsbridge

Headcorn

I wasn't sure there was much if anything in Robertsbridge? Tho lovely and rural. Have I got that wrong? Headcorn is nice. What is Crowborough - not sure how big or small that is?

There are 25000 people in Crowborough! Robertsbridge has amazing community spirit, good friendly pubs, some shops and a great butcher. There is a school although I don't know what it is like. Rotherfield has a good primary but the secondary is the beacon in Crowborough which has not improved a bit since I left nearly thirty years ago. Rother field also has a few shops and pubs etc

There isnotmuch in frant either. What about wAdhurst? A small town, but less towny than Crowborough. And a better secondary school.

Steyning, West Sussex?

Ok! Sorry for radio silence.

We were sidetracked by Whistable....?!

Crowborough seems to have all we need. It has cricket, beavers, football clubs, leisure centre.....

Does anyone know what its like to live there?

We like the idea of living rurally but are realistic that we actually need amenities for our children. So Im looking for a house that's not particularly overlooked/private garden!

I lived in Crowborough fir thirty years. The problem with it is there is nothing there except houses. The town centre is dying - when I was a child there were lots if shops but now we have good supermarkets but nothing else. If you are thinking about Crowborough I would recommend you pop down the road and take a look at uckfield while you are there. Similar size and house prices but more facilities and a community spirit.

Also bear in mind the secondary school in Crowborough. Although 11+ and a grammar in t wells in always an option

Do decide whether you want comprehensive secondary schools or grammar/secondary moderns for your children. We didn't want to put ours through tutoring and selection at age 11 so Kent was ruled out. The Kent/sussex border is the worst of both world for schools because the very smartest kids get creamed into grammars but the smart-ish kids won't get a place if you live on the sussex side of the border. It wrecks the comps as a result.

I'd consider picking a village with a secondary school because it will make your kids life so much better in due course. They exist in sussex: steyning, Cuckfield, uckfield, etc...

Tenterden and Rye.