Second home, location ideas?

[goldpendant]

Finally decided that we can't tear ourselves away from London permanently, but DH and I would like to buy a holiday home somewhere in the UK, preferably close to the sea or to a river/lake, if not on it, with views of water!

Can anyone please recommend little known places where we might did something, we don't really want to drive more than 2 hours to get to it!

So, 2 hours from London tops, easy parking, lake/river/sea views, and preferably a small house or bungalow rather than apartment. £250K maximum! Would love to hear your ideas.

TIA

Your budget is too low for a small house/bungalow meeting those criteria.

So, 2 hours from London tops, easy parking, lake/river/sea views, and preferably a small house or bungalow rather than apartment. £250K maximum! Would love to hear your ideas.

That’s quite the shopping list. How many bedrooms do you need? If you only need one or two, it’s probably doable but you’ll be going up against local FTBs. If you need a family sized home it’s a big ask for all those features within two hours of London (and still a pressure on the local housing market).

It might be more ethical to rent SC accommodation in the same town periodically so that you get to know the town without putting additional upwards pressure on local house prices (or afternoon least contributing to the same). Maybe also buy a beach hut?

So a beach hut is definitely an option, as is a one/two bed holiday lodge type thing.... don't need more than 2 beds. We've holidayed for years in South Devon and would like our own second home now, but S Devon is too far.

Tagging along if you don't mind, we're thinking of doing the same thing!

South Kent & West Sussex would probably be the closest thing to South Devon that fits your requirements. Lots of holiday parks there. I’d search within a radius of Rye and look at the coastal results.

Norfolk Broads area?

Or Beccles?

Not sure if it's an option but friends were looking for a holiday home but couldn't find anything in budget. They sold their London home, bought a 2 bed flat in London & a bigger house near Norfolk.

We paid £250k for a 2 bedroom house in Dorset with sea views. However it's a bit outside your 2 hour zone, lot closer than south Devon though (which was the other place we considered and the distance was why we discounted it)

That's a tall order, given your budget! North Essex would do it... but its not that nice.

With that budget you're very limited for options I'm afraid, would you consider a property that needed work doing to it? It could save you a lot of money

We'd totally take on a project, love a project!

I think we are more likely looking at land, or a dilapidated shed somewhere that needs an overhaul, rather than a 2 bed home ready to move into.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-82951246.html

I am not quite sure why people say it can't be done...you can buy a house for this price in places like Deal, Folkstone, Broadstairs, Hastings, Margate, Ramsgate...

Or go outside the box and look at a place in Wales in a seaside town or look at France, focusing on places that could be reached by hoping on the Eurostar.

250k with a budget for doing work on top might actually work in the Folkestone/Sandgate/Hythe/surrounding villages area. The beaches are shingle but not too crowded and the coutryside is lovely. Hythe is very pretty, there are nice places to eat out + it’s very convenient from London by train or car.

Rye and surroundings are nice too (with the benefit of a sandy beach and excellent kite surfing) but not sure if a house is doable.

The one porridgeoat posted is nice, I wonder what the site fees and lease terms are like?

Also look at Margate, Royal Seabathing

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-87185642.html

That’s under offer but just an example of sth for the budget around Folkestone. It’s in a lovely village surrounded by hilly coutryside and a 5min drive to the beach.

Buy a holiday lodge. There are some lovely ones. Second homes are so damaging for so many areas.