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I want to move south and live near woods, where can I afford?

279 replies

Neednewwellies · 22/01/2020 14:07

We live in the North. It’s cold and damp and I’ve come to hate it when I used to love it. We have 3 children, one in senior school (y10) and two in junior school (Y3&Y1). Our eldest is very academic but also easy going so would happily move somewhere else for Alevels. So my biggest issue would be looking for catchment for an excellent senior school for all 3. We are very urban here with not much greenery and for health reasons I want to take a step back from work and get a dog. I’d really love to be walking distance to woodland or if not then maybe some coast but not a commercially built up seaside town. Ideally I’d like to be in Hampshire or Sussex but open to ideas. We need 4 bedrooms and DH would need to get to London 2days a week. I don’t want to be somewhere too build up so just what we have here but further south if that makes sense. I crave more space around me but I also know with a teenager, we can’t be in the middle of nowhere. Our absolute max budget would be 700k but ideally no more than 675k. Is any of this doable? Is my head in the clouds? Where we live is expensive and that gets us a good size 4 bed but I know it’s far more expensive in the SE. Any help appreciated and we’d be looking to move when my daughter finishes GCSEs so next summer.

OP posts:
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WhentheRabbitsWentWild · 22/01/2020 15:45

Blean

Woods in Blean

Or Upper or Lower Harbledown . Woods there too.

Near to Canterbury

ChilliMayo · 22/01/2020 15:48

How about Tenterden or Hamstreet in Kent? Beautiful woodland walking (many cul de sacs ending at woods), 38 mins by train to Kings X from Ashford though you'd need to drive to the station, short drive to non-commercialised coast for a sea air top-up, choice of academy, grammar, private schools.
And when your bones really wanted a warm up, less than an hour to France then drive south a bit!

Spudlet · 22/01/2020 15:48

South Norfolk. Thetford itself is not very nice but Thetford Forest is. There are direct trains to London and the sea is only an hour or so away.

Skyejuly · 22/01/2020 15:52

Aldeburgh

mrsm43s · 22/01/2020 15:52

Heathfield in East Sussex, or one or the villages around. The Cuckoo trail is in that area for your walks and woodland. Heathfield Community College is decent enough, and property prices are actually very, very cheap for the South East.

Weepingwillows12 · 22/01/2020 15:58

My family used to live near crowthorne which is near wokingham. Have you looked there? It's a small village with a train station but dont think its direct to london so you would need to go to Reading probably. It's very woody. Lots of walks from the village.

wonderstuff · 22/01/2020 15:59

Fleet is lovely, I work at a great school there, but definitely less bang for your buck east of Basingstoke.

jellybean85 · 22/01/2020 15:59

Sort of suburban but backs onto woods and lots of local greenery...

Monarch Place, Buckhurst Hill
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-88245362.html

wonderstuff · 22/01/2020 16:02

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-86487986.html same development, short walk to woodland, easy access to London, catchment for outstanding school.

Ohhgreat · 22/01/2020 16:02

I think the same as whathappenedtothelego - look at Mortimer. This house is walking distance to woods, 4 bed, and Mortimer has a train station that is 10 mins to reading or basingstoke, with good routes in to london. Very rural village feel, secondary school in the next village over has a good reputation.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-73027186.html

JoJoSM2 · 22/01/2020 16:04

maps.cdrc.ac.uk/#/geodemographics/iuc18/default/BTTTFPT/11.576879785996013/0.2919/51.4182/

www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/compare-schools

These websites might help. I think you might find somewhere on the London/Essex boarders where you’d have Epping Forest on the doorstep and I think it’s only 30ish minutes to the coast.

You can also try the southern edge of London, like Sanderstead mentioned up-thread. While still in London, it’s very green and hilly and many houses have fab views even.

I’m in South Sutton which is on the edge of S London too. It’s very green and on the edge of the Banstead Downs (accessible countryside) plus plenty of fields with sheep and horses, lavender fields etc Good network of footpaths. If you get into the car, then you can quickly drive to fab places like the Surrey Hills AONB, Box Hill, Headley Heath etc It’s 1h exactly to get to the beach. The area really delivers when it comes to schools as it’s the number 1 LA in England for secondary attainment (combination of grammars and excellent non-selective schools) and the primaries aren’t far behind. Zone 5 for travel in London so great for career opportunities.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-67599855.html

Something like this could work with a bit of work.

If you want proper countryside rather than the green belt, then Sussex is lovely but not sure about specific areas.

Justoneuse · 22/01/2020 16:04

OP those last 3 require more of a walk .... the 90s house is very close to the senior school

FreshGreenBeans · 22/01/2020 16:05

Haywards Heath/Burgess Hill and anywhere 5/10 miles around.

Excellent frequent train link to London (50 mins to London Bridge/Victoria/Blackfriars), very near to Brighton but also in the South Downs which offers a huge area of natural beauty.

Loads of lovely villages around for the rural life and that budget should easily get you a 4 bed house.

The weather is probably the best in the country too Smile

3rdNamechange · 22/01/2020 16:05

High Street, Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK11
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-59953098.html

In Buckinghamshire, near Milton Keynes.
Lots of lovely walks and lakes.
Under an hour form London , Grammar schools , lovely small town.

Or Wendover in Bucks ?

ChicCroissant · 22/01/2020 16:06

Forest of Dean may be worth a look.

wonderstuff · 22/01/2020 16:07

Sussex would be drier than Hampshire though, Uckfield? No idea about schools though.

raindropsfallingonglass · 22/01/2020 16:09

Fleet (fleet pond is minutes’ walk from my aunt’s house), hook, Hartley wintney, basically north Hampshire. South Hampshire is also good but a bit further from London

Claphands · 22/01/2020 16:09

You’d just about get a property in Chingford, HighamS Park (Both London E4) or possibly Woodford Green (IG8) that all surround Epping forest for your budget and trains into London in 25 mins.

I used to live opposite Epping Forest and it does get damp OP, I was back there recently and forgot how damp and sodden it was compared to where I live now. Beautiful though

Sharkyfan · 22/01/2020 16:13

What about hampshire/West Sussex/surrey border area, somewhere catchment for Bohunt school in Liphook. Lots of lovely woods round there and prices are not too bad for liphook itself. Train into Waterloo in about an hour. Half an hour ish to the coast too.

SwedishEdith · 22/01/2020 16:15

New Forest - no idea about commuting or schools but lovely.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-85545863.html