Moving from London to seaside (East Sussex vs Kent)

[nitz84]

Hi Everyone.

We are a family of 3 (6 yo) + expecting a newborn in April 2022. So will be 4 of us soon enough.

We are planning to buy our 1st house - first time buyer (at least 3+ beds), so we are looking which area the best for us to start new chapter of our life that near by water. I'm fully WFH now, might need to go once a while (1x montly/quarterly) to London, so direct train to London is one of the tick box but not the top priority. For my husband he will look for a new job in the area which should not be a problem (he's in Logictic/Warehouse job)

We would like to have life that near the sandy beach but also have a good school, slow and quiet but not too quiet or dead town (hope you know what I mean :)). Basically ideal for family who love to be near the water.

We are now looking between
Kent (Ramsgate, Margate, Broadstairs, Deal, Herne Bay,Folkstone)
OR
East Sussex (Hastings, Eastbourne, Seaford, Bexhill, Newhaven, Peacehaven). Brighton might be the popular answer but for us is too busy and we prefer it's neigbour rather to be in the Central Brighton, but hey it's a choice but not in our top choice.

Would like to get opinion and experience for the local that live in those area I've mentioned above the pros and const or any other suggestion are welcome.

Thank you for reading this far :)

Ramsgate is a much better bet than many people would have you think Thanet does have its issues, undoubtedly, and you have to choose your area in Ramsgate carefully but it also has lots and lots of positives. It's got a great community feel and there are improvements and investments becoming visible all the time. It's a little overlooked gem, imo - much nicer / prettier than grotty Margate and much more laidback than twee, up-itself Broadstairs!

Gorgeous sandy beaches around a much more sheltered, south-facing harbour (compared to the north-facing pebbly beaches of the north Kent coast!), lots of cafes, restaurants etc. We don't have young kids but I know lots and lots of families around town and they love it - there is plenty going on for families. You do have to do the Kent test for secondary but it doesn't seem to put people off and there are some excellent grammars in central Ramsgate.

You will definitely get a decent family house for your money. We bought a 3-bed, 2 reception, large kitchen-diner detached house with garden for a lot less than that earlier this year, 10 mins walk from the beach one way and 10 mins walk to the station the other way. There are also many stunning period properties even closer to the seafront. The hi-speed train will get you into central London in 1 hour 15 mins.

Just take into account the transport issues around “ brexit lorry park “ things. If it really gets going you may not actually be able to drive far

You're not going to get much for your money in Kent or East Sussex. £400k is a pretty low budget for a detached 3 bed house there. Especially given the sandy beach requirement. Given that you only have occasional travel into London, you'd be much better looking at West Sussex, Devon or Norfolk.

How serious is the sandy beach requirement given that your latest list OP is mainly pebble beaches?

Ryde, Isle of Wight has a huge sandy beach
You'll easily get a house in your price range there and its 20min on fast cat to Portsmouth harbour station for London trains. Lots of people commute to mainland

"...there are some excellent grammars in central Ramsgate"

Well, one (which was historically two single ed schools which have merged into one). And if you don't get in, there's always the Ramsgate School to fall back on (which has a long and troubled history of being bottom of national league tables).

Sorry, but the education system in Thanet is not a fair or equal one, and I hate people glossing over this. There's lots of positives about living in Thanet, but the school system isn't one of them.

Fair enough, @ApplePippa, as I said it's not my area of expertise as we don't have school-aged kids so perhaps I was a little flippant. I will stand by my point that it doesn't seem to have been an issue for the families I know, but perhaps they all assume their kids will get into C&C!

Thanks again. all of the suggestion started got me think every aspect. :)

If we can find house that we really like in area with pebble beach we will definetely consider and take it, for example Eastbourne as it is just a short driving to Camber sands and it's not like we go everyday to the beach with the English weather. Having a calm and peaceful feeling close to the sea and enjoy the sea view is more we after. Sandy beach is a bonus for kids to play during Summer time.

Now, it got me thinking for Norfolk and West Sussex as well!

Please do share your experience which area in Norfolk and Web Sussex that great for family living.

Thank you very much!

We relocated to Norfolk, best move we made for our family, our DS’ are 20 and nearly 19. Property is much more affordable, you would get a fab house for £400k in Norfolk. People are much friendlier, than the south coast. More relaxed way to live. The beaches are just amazing, many are unspoilt. We live just outside the city, but easy drive to the beach. We go most weekends. No regrets.

@Roselilly36

We relocated to Norfolk, best move we made for our family, our DS’ are 20 and nearly 19. Property is much more affordable, you would get a fab house for £400k in Norfolk. People are much friendlier, than the south coast. More relaxed way to live. The beaches are just amazing, many are unspoilt. We live just outside the city, but easy drive to the beach. We go most weekends. No regrets.

This sounds what we are looking for. Just look at Great Yarmouth Beach. Oh my dear, haven't been there but google maps show us that it looks like very nice sandy beach and you are right the house is cheaper then the East Sussex and Kent area. What is your recommendation of Norfolk area that has nice area to live with Family and young kid? Thanks

Sandy beach - Why? The kids won't be building sandcastles forever! Sorry just don't think it's a good basis to move into an area. I'd be looking at schools, crime rates, countryside, traffic, houses with gardens etc. Buy the kids crocs so that they can walk on the pebbles or buy near a river/lake with water sports etc. Sorry just think you restricting your search unnecessarily (although that of course is entirely up to you1). I have a lovely jar of pink Bermuda sand you can have btw.

Also look at train prices and travel times to London even if you need to go infrequently. The differences between various areas can be huge.

Margate is def up and coming but it’s still pretty grim at the moment and has a way to go.

Thanet has better beaches than Brighton etc but also doesn’t have the South Downs which is also something to consider