Where in UK to live for a better work life balance than Sevenoaks!

[goldenzog]

We moved house 3 years ago. We live in a beautiful, 5 bedroom house in the countryside near Sevenoaks with a big garden (1/2 acre). My husband works in London and earns a lot of money but is very stressed and miserable! I don't work, we have 4 very young children. He wants to quit work, take some time out to re-evaluate his life for 6month / a year and then take a job that pays maybe 40k per year but allows him to have a life and see our children grow up.

Where could we consider moving that is still a very nice area with a similar style house and a big garden is a must for 600k or under?! We are considering moving anywhere in the country, although our family ties are all in Kent. I'd love to live by the sea but think we might find that just as expensive. He'd like to be near the hills.

We want to have access to the countryside for walks with the dog/ bikerides etc but also walking distance to a decent vibrant highstreet with cafes, restaurants, cinema, swimming pool, kids playgrounds etc..

Where oh where should we move! I don't want to make the same mistake again!

Oh dear... The commute from Sevenoaks is so quick!

If you'd like to stay in Kent then you could try the areas around Folkestone like Hythe, Sandgate, Saltwood etc. I think the area near Folkestone West station has some nice detached houses too. They are very pretty with the hilly setting similar to Sevenoaks and the benefit of proximity to the beach.
I think you'd get a detached house with a good garden but doubt it'd be 1/2 acre.

This type house/plot would come on budget:
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-72074830.html

Jeez that's a lot of house for the money! I sympathise with your husband and think it's great that you are supporting him in this change of lifestyle.

Blackpool

manxmove.im/property/detached-5-bed-family-home-on-a-large-plot-with-panoramic-hill-and-sea-views-with-peel-castle-in-the-distance/#.XRAE3CUo-Ec

Lewes? Just over the Kent border into East Sussex. Downs on the doorstep, several pools including a popular lido, lots of arts and culture, and close to Brighton for city stuff. Much nicer than Sevenoaks imo and not as homogeneous. Only sticking point might be your house budget.

Hove? I’m not super familiar with it but I know it’s nice.

The countryside around Tudeley is beautiful, we went for a drive there last week and I couldn’t get over how gorgeous it is.

Sounds like the main problem is your H’s mental health and work life balance: what is he doing to address those things? Quitting work and not earning anything is an extreme choice, with risks for the whole family.

How old is he? Is he realistically going to find a 40k job after time out with a gap on his CV?

What sort of area of work is he in? You say he wants to earn 40k, but outside of London that’s a good salary.

Look outside the middle of Sevenoaks to the surrounding villages which can be better value for money, and much more down to earth and chilled out.

Second Folkestone / Hythe areas...we did exactly what you want to do and moved to Folkestone and love it. Paid off mortgage but bought comparable (actually better) period property with huge garden, far better work life balance. DH still commutes to city for work a lot of the time, but commute is still roughly an hour door to door (as I imagine it is in Sevenoaks?) so v doable. Your husband will have v good access to North Downs for walks and living by the sea is amazing. Our kids sail and row and there’s always something going on to do so we hardly ever venture into London anymore. Plus we hop over to Europe a lot - rude not to with the terminal up the road 😁. Highly recommend it as a lifestyle 😁😁

You probably need to manage your expectations though and think about downsizing slightly.

Do you have to have such a large house? Would the plan be more realistic with a smaller house giving you greater flexibility? It is also worth investigating splitting the week so say he works 2-3 days part time and you work 2-3 days part time. You both then look after the dc but the financial burden is split and you both use your personal allowance.

Lurksnolonger, what's the crime like? I'm in East London and starting to feel a bit weary of London. Feel like a traitor!

What is his line of business? Are you looking for work too? Is it transferable? You might need to be led to where he can find work.

Certainly not like it is in London. We do have a slight issue with drugs, but that’s because until a few years ago it was a typically run down seaside town. I feel a lot safer here (and happier to let the older child roam a lot more freely than I ever would have had we still been living in London or suburbia). Honestly, best move we’ve ever made (and we did hop about a bit before ‘settling down’). Can’t see us ever moving on now as it’s perfect for us...We also have a fairly large ex-London community so we found it really easy to make friends and get to know people quickly 😁

I know DCs are small but really the most important thing is good secondary schools. It seems a long way off but isn't. And you might end up making another move. Even if they go private you don't want to be too far away from their school.

If secondary schools are of concern / interest (as they were to us - I was v worried about uprooting mine) then again Folkestone is a good move as both the boys’ and girls’ grammars are outstanding and probably a bit less competitive to get into as half the catchment lies in the Channel (😁) and most people further afield/inland opt for Ashford or Canterbury or Dover, so it is just literally a Grammar for the town.

This doesn't feel like a problem that will be solved by moving.

Where did you live before Sevenoaks? Was he unhappy there, too? What sector does he work in? 40k is still a fair chunk of salary once you get outside the south-east (and in many cases within it, too).

I could tell you you'd pick up an equivalent house in Burnley for £350,000 but it's no good if there are no suitable jobs round there for him (and you, if you plan to return to work at some point).

Is he in law? Solicitor? Wanting to move to a smaller practice, for 40k?

Like other posters, I think you have deeper issues here, that need to be addressed to give him the work-life balance you speak of.

Planning and talking now. Because if he just took 6 mths out, without having the next, local, easier job already in place, you could find yourself in a right pickle!

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-70403806.html

Not detached but looks lovely. Can really recommend the area.

Come to Yorkshire!! £600k will go a long way!

Skipton
Shipley
Holmfirth (no cinema, but loads of other stuff, and close to Huddersfield for the cinema)
Marsden, Meltham, Honley (no cinemas in these towns but all close to Huddersfield)
Penistone
York
Selby (actually, not hilly here, but nice town)
Otley
Ilkley
Guiseley
Parts of Leeds (Meanwood, Horsforth, Headingley, Bramhope)
Parts of Sheffield (Hunters Bar, Eccelsall, Banner Cross, Nether Edge, Abbeydale, Beauchief,Graves Park, Stannington, Loxley,Rivelin)
Pocklington
Beverly

In Derbyshire....
Buxton
Bakewell
Matlock

When you earn a shit-tonne if money, it can seem that £40k jobs must be easy to walk into.

Then you quit your job ‘for six months’ and find that no one is impressed by what you used to do, that competition for £40k jobs is ferocious, and six months goes by very, very quickly.

Exactly Ounce!!

I love in very rural east Essex, about 1 1/2 hours drive to family in the Sevenoaks area. Absolutely love the huge open skies. £600,000 will get you a lovely house out here. Close to the coast and between 2 rivers. Lots of locals commute though neither of us do. Definitely worth looking at- the more rural you are, the lower the property prices.