South coast bolt hole

[whattheactualfuckery]

I have come into a bit of money, it's inheritance. I'd like to buy a bolt hole on the south coast, within walking distance to the beach. I'll be travelling by train from London and no more than one change, preferably none. Budget up to £400,00.
Anyone have a nice little seaside bolt hole area they can recommend? I've been looking at Brighton, Bournemouth, New Milton so far

If you seriously intend to travel to London, you must live in a town with a direct train.

IoW will not do.

If you want a walk from the station it still be near the sea look at Broadstsirs. Lovely beach, sweet town. Better value than Whitstable and even Deal now, less edgy than Folkestone or Margate.

Although I’d you want somewhere that should hopefully see good capital growth go for Deal. It’s the new Whitsable.

Or Hastings but the old town bit.

Swanage, Dorset.

Small seaside town on the Jurassic coast. Has a nice beach but is also close to Studland, Bournemouth, Weymouth, Lulworth cove and Durdle Door.

You can get a train from London Waterloo - Wareham then a bus to Swanage. There is also a direct coach from London to Swanage daily.

Does anyone rate St Leonard's in sea.. keep looking there too lovely cheap properties there

What a fantastic opportunity. Good luck with it.

Any opinions on Eastbourne?

Eastbourne is lovely, but a long commute.

Have you thought about Kent? Whitstable? Westgate on Sea is a lovely village with a station as is a Birchington

We like Eastbourne. Lots of older people, theatre, cafes etc. Lovely walks over the Downs and train line to Lewes, Brighton and London so well connected.

Would also look at Deal and Folkestone.

Rye, Broadstairs, Deal or Whitstable are all worth a look.

I am going to add IOW back in, but Ryde. Not direct train, but close enough direct train to Portsmouth harbour at end of platform is the Cat to Ryde, you can either walk the half mile down the pier or get the train to town station.

St Leonards is pretty much an area of Hastings. Some lovely houses in parts of St Leonards but Hastings is very marmite. There is a developing arts scene and it's quite quirky in some ways (Pirate Day, Jack in the Green/May Day and Bonfire Night are big annual events). The Old Town is lovely but the town centre is unappealing and overall there's a lot of deprivation.

St Leonards is cheap compared with some other towns nearby because it's basically Hastings.

Another vote for the very lovely Emsworth - it's on the horrendously slow train from Victoria (or you can get the much faster one from Waterloo to Havant and then a short bus/taxi). It's about 2-2.5 hrs from central London, although can be quicker on a good day.

This is pretty and there are lovely walks around the harbour and two nice pubs in the village. Langstone High Street, Langstone, PO9
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-69547446.html

This one's 30 seconds from the water West Street, Emsworth, PO10
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-64469394.html

These are mad but iconic Mill Quay, Emsworth
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-73697482.html

Think about journey time. It will be a massive factor in how much you use it.

What's Newport like in the Isle if Wight?

Southbourne, Bournemouth, lovely community.

Newport is not a big place I would choose for bolt hole - no seaside for a start. If you went from Portsmouth you would need to get a bus from Ryde to Newport.

Eastbourne is lovely, me and my family go there a few times a year, rain or shine! Broadstairs is super quaint though and we go there once a year to visit friends, you can easily get a train there. Where do you live now?

Newport is like any other small-medium town. It has M&S and Morrison's and a nice coffee shop. It's not really a holiday/relaxing place.

Scrap anywhere that doesn't have direct train transport to it. Needing to take a ferry or an extra bus will stop you using it so regularly. Journey time and ease is so important. It is increasingly important if you want to go for weekends in the autumn/winter when it is dark early - you will find you are easily put off if the journey is tricky or longer.

Ideally you'd be able to walk from the station or get a quick, cheap taxi easily. Anything beyond that turns the journey into a marathon and won't be appealing if it's cold and dark.