Nice places to live in Kent?

[Uhohmummy]

Can anyone recommend good places to live in Kent? It needs to be close to good schools (state or private). I like community and amenities (shops, pubs, etc within walking distance) and DH likes countryside - so ideally we would be in a village or edge of a town. Budget is up to £3m.
DH will be commuting to the City so that needs to be factored in to. Is Tunbridge Wells too far? I know the schools are good but is Sevenoaks a nice place to live?
We have 2 DDs (in case that’s relevant for schools).
We don’t know Kent at all so any insider info would be great.

[WalkingInTheAir13]

I agree that Sevenoaks is dull and in a time-warp.

Do look at WOLDINGHAM, Surrey - it's beautiful and has a great girls independent school. Also, school bus to Croydon High School for Girls and Caterham School is a truly wonderful school.

Journey to Victoria and London Bridge in well under an hour.

West Malling and Toys Hill, Westerham (Kent) are beautiful but I have no knowledge of schools in that area..

[7OaksDad]

Sevenoaks is a much better commute for the City than Surrey - 25 mins to LB, 30 to Cannon Street and no tube. TW is further with fewer trains but again no tube. Schools are good and the countryside round and about is IMO nicer than Surrey as well and Knole Park is stunning. Town centre has a lot of cafes and mid market restaurants but not loss in the way of shops - the usuals Oliver Bonas, White Stuff and M&S. As for the people nearly everybody works in London, and some do have a lot of money but that’s the reality of many suggestions of nicer areas, Dulwich Village cannot be describes as unpretentious have a walk around and see what suits. I can say from personal experience Sevenoaks is very family orientated and very practical for London.

[Uhohmummy]

Thank you! This is the kind of practical advice I need. DH would much prefer to avoid the tube which is why we are considering Kent/Saffron Walden. An hour commute with one train journey and a short walk is vastly preferable to an hour changing from overland to tube at Waterloo. Although I will still look at Surrey as it sounds lovely.

[seven201]

Tunbridge Wells has a better and just much bigger high street. sevenoaks has so many lovely things so close - Knole Park, the stag theatre/cinema, a beautiful nature reserve and the surrounding villages are lovely. Both great places for families.

[KoalasandRabbit]

There's two train lines from Cambridge - one to Kings Cross and one to Liverpool Street (goes via Audley End, Bishop's Stortford etc) but agree it maybe too long - fastest is 1 hr 8 mins but some trains are longer.

This may also be too far but it's a lovely house in a very pretty Cambridgeshire village - you would need to drive to Audley End (15 mins) park then train direct to Liverpool Street. Linton has very good state schools, for private you would go to Cambridge (secondary) or Saffron Walden (younger) normally.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-90625370.html

I used to work in the city (though sadly nothing like a £3 million budget, am very jealous ) and was envious of the single people who lived just outside the office so no commute.

[snowballer]

The villages within reach of the Staplehurst/Marden/Paddock Wood stations are great. From Marden to London Bridge is 47 mins and the train goes on after LB to Waterloo East and Charing X.

Villages within easy reach of those stations are Brenchley, Matfield, Goudhurst, Sissinghurst, Benenden, Biddenden, Cranbrook (more a very small town), Hawkhurst and a few others. All lovely. Good local state and independent schools. Some beautiful houses in your budget eg:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-77298244.html

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-83471537.html

[7OaksDad]

Agree TW as the bigger place has the better high street and more facilities, it’s a trade off with the longer train journey into London. We both work in town and still tend to take the kids to the museums, meet friends etc. and so opted for Sevenoaks. But if it’s one of you commuting especially with a bit of work from home and you won’t go into London that much TW may well suit better. Don’t totally discount around Tonbridge either which is less posh but does have good train links as well and good schools.

[Lobsterquadrille2]

I'm in Tunbridge Wells and although it's quiet, there's a lot more going on than in Tonbridge. The commute to Cannon Street is about 50 minutes, London Bridge slightly less, Charing Cross about the same. Schools are great - I was at the grammar and DD was too (I left for many years, worked in London and overseas and came back). Contrary to popular belief, DD had no tutoring and is not exceptionally bright.

There's a lot of green open space - the common - and a lot of nearby villages, as well as Brighton not being far away.

For your budget you would get something very nice indeed.

[Uhohmummy]

Thank you. Some good advice here. We’ll look at Sevenoaks/surrounds and TW. I also like the sound of the Cranbrook area. I hadn’t heard of it before but it sounds like it could fit the bill.

[Uhohmummy]

snowballer those houses are beautiful!

[sarahb083]

Would you be happy to get the train to London Bridge? If so, I'd consider Sussex as there are some quick trains straight to London Bridge.

[Uhohmummy]

That’s interesting Sarah - do you know which places in Sussex have trains to London Bridge?

[Redhair23]

Quarry Hill Road, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-94018220.html

This looks to be within walking distance of the station.

[DistinguishedCarrot]

I have no idea if this works with the commute but OMG I love this houses - www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-85154027.html

[eurochick]

Argh. I just lost a post with lots of links. I was saying have a look at the Thameslink lines through Surrey.

There are lots of lovely properties, eg

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-81781522.html

[Freeamigos]

Cranbrook is lovely, or Tenterden or one of the lovely villages just outside Canterbury...there are lots of them - was in Bridge at the weekend and it was just glorious to throw one name of many in to the ring. If you wanted sea, town and countryside perhaps somewhere like Sandgate, Hythe or Saltwood. West Malling is v nice (but steer well clear of Kings Hill). Also would not bother with any Medway towns or surrounding areas. With that sort of budget Kent really is your oyster 😁

[Freeamigos]

Oh and another voice here to say personally I find Sevenoaks more and more dated and overrated with every visit...

[Chicchicchicchiclana]

I don't know why you are giving yourself the headache! A professional home locator could do all this for you after a one hour meeting. And they will know about properties that aren't even on the market yet, or are discreetly on the market, which Mumsnetters will not.

[Neolara]

I was brought up in Tunbridge Wells and now live in Cambridge. Cambridge is great. House prices are ridiculous but with £3 mil you could get something lovely within biking distance of the station. You could also be very close to great private schools. The house in Linton someone linked to above looks lovely, but to get to London by train, you'd have to commute into Cambridge and then pay for very expensive parking. Driving into Cambridge is also a complete nightmare. The state secondary school in Linton has also had a not great OFSTED, so you might want to consider Cambridge private schools, but again, this would mean commute nightmare.

My parents commuted for decades from Kent to London. We lived in Tunbridge Wells. The issue was getting to the station. From memory, I don't think it's easy to park at the station as it's in the centre of town. If you have a house where you can walk to the station you might be ok. Or bike, although the station is at the bottom of various hills, so cycling home may involve a certain level of fitness. My parents used to drive to Tonbridge as parking was easier there.

[Neolara]

Actually, ignore my "you need to commute into Cambridge if you live in Linton" comments. I see above someone has said you can drive to get train from Audley End.

[nicenames]

Ha, lots of sevenoaks dislike on this thread!

To be honest, sevenoaks is never going to win any awards for being forward or edgy. There are some great independent places in the town if you know where to look, but like lots of places it is a bit chainy and a mixed bag.

Knole is absolutely lovely as is the countryside around sevenoaks. There is a reason why it has been in the Sunday times' best places to live guide for the past three years. However, I am not sure I would live here if commute wasn't a factor at all, as it is pricy and full of commuters (but on the positive side, I know lots of international families who have settled here, so it is not all old and stuffy).

T Wells is lovely from what I have seen, though I don't know it that well. Like much of the SE, traffic can be awful in T Wells but depends very much where you are.

Oxted area is nice and can also go into London Bridge, but trains are not as frequent or as nice.

[Franticbutterfly]

For that money you could ask Kirstie and Phil! 🤪

[Requinblanc]

Lucky you!

Why not expend your search a bit though with your budget?

Beckenham, although still technically London rather than kent, is really lovely and you could look at place like St Albans or Hitchin in Hertfordshire.

Leigh on Sea in Essex if you fancy a seaside town has some really nice shops/restaurants.

Tunbridge Wells would mean a longer commute though.

[katy1213]

If I had £3m, I don't think I'd choose to live in Kent.

[RunningFromInsanity]

Cobham, Shorne, Higham, West Malling

Culverstone/ Harvey is my dream destination if I had the money.