Move to Haywards Heath - should we do it?

[Rachx2]

Has anyone else moved out of London to Haywards Heath? We are so used to London life and the convenience of things, I wonder if we will feel the difference.

We are a couple with two babies and we really want at least 3 beds and a garden (can't afford that in London sadly).

Any advice/tips/considerations would be great.

Thanks everyone

We have a close friend who grew up there and we have visited a few times.

Strategically it's a great location in terms of transport links. Excellent access to London/Brighton/Gatwick airport.

Lots of chocolate box villages within easy walking distance and the downs are lovely.

I don't know anything current about schools or family life I'm afraid...

Not if you still want to commute into London. Trains a fecking nightmare IME.

Are you both planning on commuting to London 4 or 5 days a week? How long in time would your respective commutes be likely to be, door to door?

We moved out elsewhere and there are some advantages, eg housing costs, but two people Commuting is shit IME! Loads of women I know work in lower paid jobs than they would living closer to London or SAH partly because of the challenges of commuting and parenting.

I think it’s on quite a slow/dodgy train line, eg for strikes?

I moved from London to Haywards Heath 4 years ago. Positives- we have a huge house that we could never have afforded in London. The village school my DC go to is amazing- small and friendly and all the parents help each other out with school runs and sleepovers. The pubs and villages are lovely.

Negatives- it's a sleepy town, which I don't much care about as I'm past the stage of wanting a nightlife and I do a lot of internet shopping. The local landowners are making millions by clogging off all their land to property developers so there are trucks and temporary traffic lights everywhere. The trains can be an absolute pain in the backside when there are strikes and timetables changes. I commute 5 days a week at the moment. My season ticket costs over 5k a year.

I love it, I have a nice life. Happy to answer any questions you have.