Hastings vs Folkestone, DH needs to commute, which would you chose...

[SarfEasticatedMumma]

DH will need to commute to work at Vauxhall, I will work locally. DD is nearly 8. I like Hastings, I find it interesting, quirky with lots of nice countryside around and art galleries too - plus the lovely Alexandra Park. Commuting time is 1hr 40 mins. Folkestone is near where I grew up, so am a bit put off by teenage memories, but better to commute to the smoke at 55 mins.
There are plans for a high speed rail link to Hastings but it's not a done deal and won't be for ages.
We have a budget of about ??360k

[SarfEast1cated]

I went to college in Rochester Allbymyselfagain so have seen some sights! The first night I worked behind a bar in a pub in Rochester, some blokes came in, got into a row and one headbutted the other at the bar breaking his nose. it ended with them saying that they were all "farking mates" and getting another round in. Those were the days!

[Allbymyselfagain]

Ok serf getting scary now, if you say art school or Rochester girls I'm running for the hills! I did a few shifts in city wall before moving to a Maidstone bar instead. And yy to Rochester nights out, I kind of miss them sometimes but I'm too old for casino rooms and they turned Amadeus into a bloody bowling alley (although I'm def too old for there) afraid to say now I prefer a good and chat instead.

[QOD]

Pokey = folkestone soz

[SarfEast1cated]

I went to the art college all but it was in the 80's so probably before your time! We spent most of our time in the Nag's Head tho...

[Callmecordelia]

Nearest Waitrose - Hythe, under ten minutes drive.

No sandy beach, but there's a fabulous walkway next to it, and if you go towards Folkestone you hit the Lower Leas Coastal Park pretty soon. It's a lovely walk in summer, or with visiting friends. Park at the Sandgate end, walk to Harbour, Old High Street for lunch, back along the Leas, down the zig zag path if there are pushchairs or the metropole steps if there aren't, and BOOM! everyone wants to move to Folkestone.

Nearest wide sandy beach is Dymchurch to St Marys Bay, about twenty minutes away, but I have a lot of time for Folkestone's little sandy beach, the sunny sands. If you go to the harbour, keep walking, past Rocksalt and the Stade and it's there. We go for breakfast or dinner when it's not busy, but even when it is busy, I don't mind.

I'm going to try and upload a photo I took of the sunny sands one morning in June last year, from behind the Folkestone mermaid. Never done this before, do hope it works!

[Callmecordelia]

I forgot, there are rock pools on the beach opposite Mermaids Bar in the Lower Leas. The bar is signposted, and is near the wardens office and loos. We took DD this summer.

[QOD]

Dont forget the coastal.park!
To be honest, your budget is high enough that you're going to be fine.
if you were paying £135 000 for a 3 bedhouse, you're in the East End which is rough
we do go over to France åeast once a year too for the day

[Duckdeamon]

Not RTFT but in considering commuting time remember to look at the whole journey and train times - what looks like an hour on paper could be longer. And the number of stages, any crowding issues, tube stations that often get closed through overcrowding (eg Victoria). IMO 1 hour 40 is a very long commute.

(we do 90 mins each way and it's terrible, real negative impact on our life!)

[SarfEast1cated]

Thanks callme. I was just pretending to be a typical MN'er in my last post. I have (of course) done exhaustive research on beaches and fine food emporia :). Thank goodness it's lovely day. Last time we went down to Folkestone it was during the Trienniale, and it was pouring with rain and blowing a gale. I had one of those 'seaside town dread' experiences in that massive carpark along the front and vowed never to return! Today will be good.
demon good point on travelling, hopefully DH can work from home one day a week and stay in town one evening. That should make a difference I hope.

[Callmecordelia]

Should have posted when more awake!

You've picked a lovely day for it. Enjoy yourselves.

[Allbymyselfagain]

Yep it's a bit cold but beautiful today, happy house hunting!

[SarfEast1cated]

We started by having a look at Wear Bay Road, and had a look at the harbour from the clifftops. It was a beautiful, twikling sea and blue skies. Went straight to Sandgate and walked along the front It's lovely there, beautiful wooden clad houses, similar to Whitstable, and very quirky. We walked up to look at Sandgate School, then walked down by the Saga offices. All lovely. Walked to the house and the road would really nice. House was incredibly tatty outside though, so would need complete repainting. We really liked it form the outside, but it's already at the top of our budget, so don't have a huge amount of dosh to pay for renovations. It would make someone a really beautiful holiday home, but not really right for us. Surrenden Road house was a bit dull tbh. Nice, but a bit blah. It was really noisy with traffic in the garden too, so not what we wanted either.
We did have a really lovely day though, so not wasted at all.

[luckylambchop]

Hi, how is your house hunting going? We're moving to Hythe next month hopefully after going through a similar process. I just wanted to warn you that school places are not plentiful! We have only found one school with a place in a 3 mile radius of our new house (this is Year 2, other years might be different).

Anyway I just though I'd mention that in case it's helpful in your decision process! It hasn't put us off but did put a chink in our rose tinted view of our new life a bit, as the school with a space isn't one we would have chosen. But beggars can't be choosers.

Good luck with it all! :)

[SarfEast1cated]

Thanks for your post lambchop! Good point about schools, I had wondered that. I guess at least it means we don't have to buy in a catchment area? How did you decide on Hythe? Do you have family there or did you go through the same selection process we're going through? It's hard narrowing it down. We're kind of thinking about Hastings old town again! Have s weekend planned in Folkestone soon where we will be looking at Hythe too.. It's the commute which will be the deciding factor.

[HortonWho]

Out of curiosity, how did you get 1.40 min from Hastings to Vauxhall? I only see the line to Victoria with a change at Clapham junction or the line to Charing Cross with a change at waterloo East and walking to Waterloo. Both over 2 hrs and that's just train station to train station. Add another 10-20 min on each end for door to door (and hopefully that's walking not another transport).

The Hastings line to Charing cross is notorious for delays once the train splits at tunbridge wells (from a colleague who lives down that way). I recall a couple of winters ago I think, there was a mudslide and it took weeks to sort with the train stopping somewhere past tunbridge. Her husband had to drive half hour each way to fetch her from station every morning and evening. I can't remember which town it was, so not sure if the Victoria line was also affected.

[SarfEast1cated]

Well Horton, I rather rashly approximated that my DH would walk to Vauxhall from Waterloo east in no time at all! The journey time on trainline estimates it as 1hr 40mins from Hastings to Waterloo East.

Vauxhall is pretty close to Victoria and Waterloo so hopefully he can walk from both to work.

[Salmiak]

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-54823409.html

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-54886085.html

2 canterbury properties. It's such a lovely city, we love living here.

[HortonWho]

Try city mapper app to see fastest routes- but that's a good 20-30 min walk to Vauxhall bridge. At rush hour, it takes me about 10 min just to go from a Waterloo East platform to a Waterloo platform - but maybe he's a fast walker and better dodger :-)

[SarfEast1cated]

Oh Horton you and your steely logic! It's like you and DH are conspiring to stop me living a life of gracious indolence on the coast!
I am just hoping that the high speed link does happen and then all will be well. Folkestone to St P would be ideal if he worked near Kings Cross.
I need some kind of time machine...

[QOD]

Waving from Hythe to lamb chop!

[luckylambchop]

Hi SarfEast1cated, we arrived at Hythe through a similar process to you. We knew we wanted coastal and commutable (although we are slightly freer on that as DH only goes in to London twice a week and I work from home). We'd heard good things about Hythe and when we went there it just blew all other towns out of the water, for us. It just seemed like the right place, if that isn't too hippyish!

We have no family here but the inlaws are moving here too, a mile down the road (this is a good thing. I am blessed with lovely babysitte...er, I mean inlaws).

On the schools thing, no I wouldn't bother with primary catchments in Hythe although we have made sure to position ourselves within catchment of both the state secondary and the girls grammar in Folkestone, to cover our bases when that time arrives.

Have a lovely weekend when you do visit. I love Hastings as well by the way but DH wasn't keen.

QOD, waving back! :)

[MrsBarlow]

Sorry only just replying - we discounted Sandgate mainly because we like the variety of shops in Hythe high street, the feel of the place etc and thought it had more to offer for us and like lamb chop said came out too compared to other places nearby. We complete on our house next Thursday so can tell you what it's like to live there then!
waves at others in Hythe I know no one in Hythe so bit daunting moving there!

[SarfEast1cated]

I wish I had the money to live here!

[luckylambchop]

We know nobody in Hythe either, MrsBarlow. I'm considering turning up to my daughter's new school wearing a t-shirt that says LIKE ME I AM NICE. Good luck with the move :)

[SarfEast1cated]

What's the commuting time from Hythe ladies? Is it Sandling? And do you get to St P?