Reigate, Sevenoaks or Tunbridge Wells?

[Nooyorknoooyorkkkkkk]

Quite like all these places but no one is winning over the other. Any info or insider opinion about which place would suit best?
DH needs to commute pretty much daily to the city. Long hours. I'm freelance but may need to be in as well 1-2 day a week.
Two young preschool kids.
£1m budget.
State primaries. Prefer good state secondaries but would consider private.
Need to be somewhere with some character and life. Friendly community feel. Lots to do both for kids and us.
Prefer period do-re upper home.
Hmm think that's it!
Thank youuuuuuu.

It would be great if there was one actually in TWells, I have happy memories of going to the old one in the middle of town as a teenager.

For people in villages on the right side of Tunbridge Wells you can drive out to the Kino Cinema at Hawkhurst People who like to walk to things would find it a bit of a trip, but when you live in a village and have to get the car out anyway, a few miles is neither here nor there really.

Peaceandloveeveryone Yes about feeling protective of Tonbridge

Yes if it's the Knight'sPark cinema then yes it is closer to Tonbridge. Short hop on A21 and you are there.

Sorry I've offended the tonbridge people, that was rude of me. It's just I know the area really well, brought our DCs up in and around tunbridge wells, and always found tonbridge rather drab in comparison. But I do apologise though I won't be apologising to any Sevenoaks people though

i always thought it was Tonbridge that had the micro climate, and it was caused by being at the bottom of a valley with a river in the middle of it. I'm sure Sevenoaks and TW have the same weather, I used to live on the top floor of a block of flats in TW and I could see all the way to Sevenoaks. I'd watch clouds working their way towards me from there.

Grudgingly accepted

And actually the odeon in Knights park is a ghastly, soulless place where you can often hear the action film in the next door screen while you're watching something quiet and contemplative. But if you've got young children there is Frankie and Bennys next door and bowlplex too, great for dc parties.

I feel at this point I need to admit that I no longer live in TW, and wouldn't go back to live anywhere in the crowded, traffic-ridden, angry and stressed South-East for all the tea in China! But I have already brought up my children and can live where I like now!

God it's so nice to be on a thread that's really unlikely to be a troll thread

Squeegy to be fair I'm a bit further south still, but DH and I have real time comparisons and home fares a lot better.

I find the whole of Knights Park/North Farm pretty horrendous at the moment and the A21 there too, gridlock isn't even in it. Things will improve though when the works are all finished, same as with the commute once London Bridge station is all sorted out.

Cor thanks everyone my head is going to explode. This is all fab info/opinions. Not sure I feel much closer to an answer but think if commute from TW improves that could work. It bothers me as not quite sure of how two parents working in London will pan out particularly at school age.
I am nervous about making a move from beloved London and not settling to a different sort of lifestyle tbh. We did contemplate rural living but I just need people and cafe culture around, though I do like countryside about! I want it all!!!
So much helpful info though to ponder over.

Nooyork.
If it helps. DH, the DC and I moved out of London to Tonbridge. I had lived in London for 25 years! And london was the only place I had lived in whilst living in the UK (from Nordic region).

I was very worried about leaving London. In fact I chickened out twice. Once in 2008 and again in 2011.

But we did it and a year. I absolutely love it!

I'm in Tonbridge and the people are fantastic. So lovely and helpful and nice.
The area is fab. The DCs are at an amazing school. And we have a huge fabulous house.

I was so worried about leaving London as I thought I'd miss it. I don't. I work from home so unlike DH who commutes in I don't get a regular London fix. But I don't mind at all.

I was also worried the locals might not take to me not being British etc (where I am from, as soon as you leave Copenhagen, foreigners are not welcome). But it hasn't mattered at all.

On Easter Sunday we were at our neighbours who had all their extended family around and us. Easter hunt for DC and long lunch. we are very much part of the area.

I meet parents from DC school in local shops/coffee shops. And people are so helpful.

Would I like to have stayed in London? Meh. I spent 25 years there and loved it. Perhaps I was over London far more than I realised.

And you're commuting in a couple of days a week so will get a London fix. I honestly don't think it's an issue for you, whichever area you go for!

I'm a bit clenchy about Tonbridge too, and I don't live there. I was there this morning though and smiled, like this -> . It's sweet.

I'd love to know where you live now Fantastic. Obviously Tunbridge Wells wasn't so fabulous you couldn't leave it

Blimey, that took me ages and x posted with the last couple. Shall now read them

I made that move from London 22 years ago exactly. Moved from Stoke newington to a pretty little village near TW. Had one dc and was 8 months preg with the next. HUGE change. Rang to register with doc and got one of those receptionists who thinks it it is her business to have an opinion etc. she said "you've left it very late if you're having your baby next month" I said (quite crossly) well I've only just moved here and am having my baby at home so perhaps I can do without the doc. She nearly had a fit! Said 'well this isn't London and you may not be able to have a home birth here you know' I said 'I'd like to see anyone try to stop me..' God I was shocked. But this was a long time ago. I remember thinking God what have we done? I can't live among people like this. But it turned out great, met some fun and lovely people, and was a fab place to bring up the dcs.

Think the same receptionist is still going fantastic

I loved living in Bidborough, that's a very nice village.

She was an absolute witch and had a reputation for it. Also, at the time, (a looong time ago) the actual doctors at the village surgery were an old married couple, a pair of drunks who luckily retired soon after we got there.

Ooh, the view from Bidborough ridge...

Can't say where I live now Through or everyone will want to move here because it is bloody lovely!

Fantastic buttocks, can I have an apology? I live in Sevenoaks but I don't vote conservative and we certainly aren't rich. I like Sevenoaks. To be fair further up I did say I'd have picked tw but my husband drives his van to London every day so would have taken too long.

seven, I'll apologise about being slightly rude about Sevenoaks. I think my views re snobbishness are coloured by having spent a miserable adolescents there feeling out of step amongst the Jontys and Arrimintas.

Thanks squeegee. I don't even know what a Arrimintas is! After bonfire night we were walking home and near the cricket pitch there were loads of teenagers snogging. I thought it looked quite fun for a teenager! I grew up in a tiny village where there was one bus a day and the only vaguely social spot was by the telephone box, so maybe my view is skewed!

Ok, Sevenoaks is perfectly dull nice, but I've spent a lot of time there and I personally wouldn't want to live there. But some of it is very pretty and knowle park is lovely, there's an excellent Chinese restaurant. There was a (ultra casual, easy-going with an artistic feel ) country club I used to go to a lot many years ago with my first DH, but it became polished and popular and far too full of rich, loud, brash sods with shiny ugly new cars Sorry that wasn't exactly an apology

Haha!

Lived in Reigate for 4.5yrs pre kids. Always felt we'd made a mistake and should have been in London or Brighton but did like the look of TW too. It may be ok with kids if you are not expecting too much but i suspect you will struggle if you are coming from a more lively/cultured place. It always felt a little "transitional" to me so in the end we transited out!