Ramsgate? Deal? Broadstairs? Moving with young family

[Readyforroots]

Hi all. Looking for some moving advice.
DH and I are looking to change our lives this year and move from Berkshire to the coast. We need to be within reach of London for DH commute to work, so have been strongly considering the Ramsgate area but keen to understand if there’s anywhere else we should look at.

We have a nearly 3yo DS and are looking to move before he starts school next year. Our budget is around £500k and we ideally would love a Victorian/interesting property with space to grow our family/have grandparents come and stay.

We’ve got a trip booked in a few months to go and explore the area, so want to get a hit list together and make sure we’ve done our research. Current contenders:

Ramsgate - we love the properties and they are so tempting, but we do have concerns over it feeling ‘dodgy’. Are there any ‘nicer areas’ or roads to avoid when buying? How are the schools? I’ve read so many old threads for/against Ramsgate but keen to get a 2025 read!

Deal - people say it’s lovely, is it sleepy or bustling? Can’t afford as much here so would want to make sure the area offered everything we wanted!

Broadstairs - again seems like a nice area, but right between Margate and Ramsgate are there any areas not to buy/look in?

In terms of what else we need, we just really want outdoor space with beaches and parks, nice pubs, interesting foodie scene and cafes etc which this whole area seems to tick off.

Any thoughts or advice welcome!

PS. We have seen a lot of chat about Folkestone which we will also go and check out, but train connections not as good for DH work and can’t afford as much there.

@Stirabout totally agree-

Like everything in life there will always be personal preference. I loved London during my time there, I enjoyed Thanet better with the children. I still go to London regularly as have lots of friends there. I wouldn’t like to go back to rural living and Thanet seems to offer a good mix between the two. I like Canterbury, but would not move to live there. I love to visit Canterbury and do often. I am also a sucker for a sandy beach and my older children do go to the beach with their friends after school when the weather is warmer. they really enjoy summer. Herne Bay/Westgate seem to have more issues with sewage closures of beaches than Ramsgate. Ramsgate is also more centrally located so quite easy to get to all places from. My favourite place in East Kent is the walk over the White Cliffs of Dover.

Deal is lovely but trains to London very disappointing.

I live in Deal, have teenagers who were born here.

It is a small town with the main things you need, small supermarket, several schools (primary) and local comp.

Nearest grammar school Sandwich or Canterbury or Thanet

(I would recommend researching the grammar system if I were you)

House prices have rocketed

Hospital and GP surgeries are overwhelmed

Lots of local independent shops

In the week local folk

At the weekend many people have weekend properties

Commute to St Pancras 1hr from Dover
and 11/2hrs from Deal

Job prospects here are limited and poor

Retirement area

Does that help?

@Coffeebean987 yep I can see that if you like beaches- we had some good times down there too , I'm not particularly a coastal person though in all honesty-- I like shops and parks and proper nice countryside and trips to coast - live in Bath so I guess I get all that. There are way worse places out there definitely if you do like the coast

I have lived in Broadstairs with my 2 kids for 3 years. I would really recommend the area. Broadstairs is the most expensive of the three Thanet towns but they have the best schools. We live on Gladstone road which is fantastic area - 9 mins walk to the station/10 mins to shops and most importantly 5 mins walk from two outstanding schools - one infant and one junior school. If I were to do the move again I would properly choose Cliftonville as you get more for you money and I love the alternative/queer/arty scene there. Cliftonville is a good 30 mins walk from any station though...Broadstairs compared the London, has a very home counties vibe that I personally don't like. But it is by far the safest and cleanest of the towns. I notice someone had posted that it was the area that voted for Farage. Yes but that was a good few years ago. Its now safely Labour (I suspect from all the DFLs). Margate has an amazing choice of restaurants and cafes. Broadstairs has some good restaurants and cafes - Forts is one of my favourites but if you don't like seafood or Italian you are scuppered. Cliftonville also has a lovely plastic free shop (The Grain Grocer) and the amazing International Food Store which has ingredients for any recipe you can possibly think of (Bonito flakes anyone?). It also has the Turner Contemporary, Tom Thumb theatre for interesting theatre productions and Walpole Tidal Pool which is a massive tidal pool. Also Faith in Strangers is a bar which does really great live music (Goldie in Mar) etc. Thanet basically has a town for everyone...😀

@Readyforroots OP did you visit Thanet/Deal yet? Any thoughts on the move? IMO @Mewthree map of “desirable” Ramsgate is accurate, would be interested to see if it tempted you!

Hey @KingMungBean so much valuable stuff here, lots of food for thought! We are visiting over the Easter weekend, looking forward to putting some of these recommendations into action!

If you have time get a coffee at Staple on Reading Street, St Peter’s is a bit different and worth a look. A little more expensive than Ramsgate but a really nice area.

As someone who grew up in Broadstairs and went to school in Ramsgate, these threads are fascinating

Dont leave us hanging......

Hi all,

I live in Lordswood, Kent with my family and would like to love nearer the cost.
We are quite a chilled family so not looking for a Croydon by the sea. Also need a good secondary school for my son.

Would really appreciate some honest recommendations.

Thanks
😀

@Eusabio1980

Maybe worth starting your own thread, as people will only click on this thread to give views about the places mentioned in the title.

Schoolboy error there lol

Would love to know what Croydon on Sea signifies.

@Readyforroots I'd recommend having a look at Birchington. It has a villagey feel, links with the Pre-Raphaelites, nice beaches and you get some bang for your buck. Best primary a short drive away in St Nicholas, still cofe I think.

The one draw back in relation to East Kent is sub optimal hospitals/health care.

Canterbury is a University town, so the range of activities , cafes and restaurants is wider. Good transport links as well. Deal is lovely, but I think you might outgrow it in a few years, and looking ahead I doubt there is much going on for tweens and teens.

Good fish and chips and access to a wide variety of recreational drugs?

I have a few friends who live in Faversham. It’s not too far from the coast but you don’t have the downsides of lots of holidaymakers, but there is a nice creek and countryside and it always seems a really buzzy little town with lots of nice places to eat and drink

A friend of ours bought in Margate a good few years ago.

He thought the house they bought would be ideal for them, room for lodgers if they were broke, home office for both him and her, the only downside to it the garden wasn’t huge, but including the attic rooms and basement rooms it’s a five storey house, and just over an hour o the train to London.

Any updates on the move OP?

Heya! We went down and looooved the Thanet area, thanks so much for all your advice. Also popped to Rye and Camber Sands, our LO loved the beach there. I think each area has it upsides - Margate is great for a visit but don’t think we’d live there, whereas Ramsgate and Broadstairs felt like we could ‘see’ them as places to move to.

Sadly, we’ve had a change of circumstances with jobs since my original post which means this move might not be feasible anymore. Still working through it but I’ll be sure to update you all if we do take the leap!!!! Thanks again for all the incredible advice.