One of those "where should we live" threads

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DH and I in the throws of a midlife crisis. We are in a position to sell up and move somewhere else. My criteria are:

• By the sea
• A town, so we can walk to pubs, shops etc, we live in a rural village now and don't want that again
• a decent 3 bed house for around £400 - 500k
• workwise - there is flexibility, DH can work from home, I'm up for trying something new
• good secondary schools, ideally not grammar, not too big, something for a quiet girl, whose bright, has dyslexia and has been used to a rural village primary
• not prime UKIP territory
• decent broadband

Think that's a decent starting list, where can we go??????

Preference to north south east or west? This makes a big difference to what you can get for your money....also if you want one broadband and /or virgin/sky provider over another as plenty of areas don't have full cable yet so it's sky only.

Tynemouth?

When it comes to areas, I'm not ruling anything out at this stage, Cornwall sort of feels too far from anywhere. Parents are in Yorkshire, so that's a bit of a consideration. Don't know why but I sort of like the idea of Berwick - upon- - Tweed. I do like Brighton, but it's a bit too expensive and trendy now.

At the moment we are on BT fast rural broadband and we can live with that.

Let me look at Tynemouth

What about Whitby, North Yorkshire?

Whitstable? Has a bit of a mini Brighton vibe but not as expensive. It is in a grammar area though.

if you arent bothered about weather then maybe Cornwall but there are transport issues. West welsh coast is beautiful but check schooling and language issues and never get ill.

Newcastle area could tick all boxes, climate cooler but not a rain trap like Cornwall.

Whitley Bay?

Weymouth/Bournemouth

Lincoln?

What's wrong with Yorkshire? There are some lovely towns - York or Harrogate? Or over on the west coast - Liverpool?

Moved to Folkestone on impulse last year and we love it so much! Money goes so much further - 500k got us sizeable detached with a third of an acre here! DH can still commute into London and we have gorgeous countryside and a coastline to die for. Spoilt for choice with excellent primary schools, outstanding grammars and a performing arts academy. I visited once five years ago (to come to Rocksalt) and said “well that was a lovely restaurant but the town is terrible”. Now we live here (purchased on impulse after seeing this house online), the town has had a huge influx of investment and creative input (google Harbour Arm, Creative Quarter and Charivari) and I can’t imagine ever being anywhere else...

Swanage

Waterloo?

Mumbles.

Gosport? Might sound like UKIP territory but we live in the naice part about a 5-10min walk from the beach. Good secondary and beautiful views and still affordable.
Portsmouth harbour via ferry, 10mins, then 1hr 40 to Waterloo.

Pebble beach, not over touristed. Great for watersports, sailing, kayaking plus cycling etc

Jellicoe Avenue, Alverstoke, Gosport
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-64923814.html

West Kirby?

North Berwick (near Edinburgh) - have a look at ESPC website - you'll get a nice house for that budget.

Bridport.

Thanks, I"m having a look through them all.

Having looked at a few, Tynemouth/ Whitely Bay looks really tempting, its the kind of place I had in mind. And I"m going to investigate Whistable and Folkstone. Quick trips over the channel make Folkstone seem tempting.

I have an issue with Bournemouth in my head, don't know why, but will look again.

I like Harrogate and York,but they don't meet my living by the sea dream.

Eastbourne? Near Brighton but cheaper houses - detached family homes in your price range. Perfect access to the South Downs national park. Not sure about schools but there are lots of families living there.

Had forgotten about the convenience of Europe . There are loads of FB groups on line for people moving into the area so if you are tempted by Folkestone once you’ve looked into it more then it might be worth joining one for practical advice and contacts. We Love Folkestone on FB is a good spot to gather a bit of intel on what it’s like to live here and if you do decide to go further you are always welcome to send me a message and I’ll try to help if I can. Good luck!