Do I want to live in Eastbourne or Hastings?

[IWillAlwaysBeinaClubWithYouin1973]

Well, do I? Looking for cheaper areas, I've got £270k max, one DD is in Brighton - can't afford that - and I need to buy freehold so began looking further afield drawing a map on Rightmove from Eastbourne to Hastings and few mile inland. Seems to be a lot of choice for my budget (I put in £280k to give a good overview); but I've only been to these areas once on a long weekend. I work in London one day a week. Is this going to be an option for me?

Who lives in Eastbourne/Hastings and is having a fab time of it? Should mention I am in my 60s so not wanting schools or stuff for kids, but it also means I cant keep moving round. I don't want to be in a"gods waiting room" type area either!

No it’s not. Herne Bay is a lovely area, Hastings is rougher.

With respect, you don’t seem to know any of the places. Instead of guessing or asking on mumsnet, I’d be visiting the areas (more than once!).

Also with Lewes, people spend half their life on the A27 as a necessity to going anywhere else.

Meh maybe in 10 years I was there last year and some very dodgy areas and towards Hastings. Deprived seaside vibes with a few trendy parts . Eastbourne felt safer.

You won't get more than a 1 bed flat in lewes for 270k.

Eastbourne is lovely, you'll get good value for money and be about an hour from Brighton. Hastings you'll be two hours away. It's the traffic!

Look at Hailsham, Horam and Heathfield too, not by the sea but near enough and easy reach of Brighton (45-60min)

Very true!

I live in a road off Seaside, Eastbourne. Seaside is not as run down as some people are making out - at least my road and the surrounding ones, anyway. Susans Road and Pevensey Road are a bit more run down.

The good thing about Eastbourne is that everything is close. I live a 5 minute walk from the sea, 15 minute walk to the main shopping centre, and a short drive to big shops like B&Q and so on. It's also possible to cycle everywhere. I think that Eastbourne has everything! Lots going on and easy to make friends. Do let us know what you decide :-)

So I'm seeing areas called different things now like "Old Town", "Seaside" @GBooArt, "Little Chelsea" - how would I know which ones are ok?

Lewes is expensive

Hastings is in the top 10 deprived towns in the whole country. Some nice bits though. Eastbourne is fairly nice, but it is Gods waiting room

I think Hastings is getting a bad rap here , a lot of people are moving down from London and it’s changing . Yes it has its grotty areas but so does everywhere . There’s lots to do , the old town is lovely , coffee shops artisan baker , arts crafts etc . I wouldn’t dismiss it OP without visiting and you’ll get a lot for your money .

Norman Road is the nicer area of St Leonard's but the prices are now ridiculous, after a quick glance at Rightmove.

I’ve never lived in any if the places mentioned. However, we’ve had day trips to Hastings and Bexhill-On-Sea, and from the people we see walking along the promenade, Bexhill has by far the nicer people. . There seems to be more down-and- ours on the Hastings seafront than Bexhill. Just an observation.

Eastbourne is great although the decent areas are not cheap. I would avoid Seaside but old town, meads and Upperton are lovely and all relatively near the station. I will be honest though, I, not sure how far your budget will stretch. Eastbourne has problems but only like the rest of the country. The town centre is decent, there are lots of cafes and restaurants and of course the bandstand and theatres and Towner art gallery.

Hastings has a beautiful park and lovely woods. Lovely beaches and there are things to do, a good creative scene, and a really good music scene. It’s way better than Bexhill and Eastbourne. People go to Bexhill to retire basically and Eastbourne has very very rough areas. Check Hastings’s out before you make up your mind. It not perfect but way better than people are making out on here.

They are both exceptionally grim. I did District nursing in both before moving to Somerset. I've seen all the worst bits.
Try Bexhill. It's much safer and you've still got sea.

I can comment well having lived all over London and Brighton too. Can confirm Worthing is a great place if you want:
-A lovely quiet beach
-Beautiful countryside and walking nearby
-Friendly safe community, quite diverse and queer friendly
Very good cafes restaurants pubs and bars (both traditional and also natural wines bars and small plates etc, craft breweries for Brighton vibes)
-Good schools
-Leafy parks
-Decent town centre with walkable shops
Three train stations(!) and an easy enough commute straight to Victoria/East Croydon/Clapham, and Brighton of course
-Decent parking (especially compared to Brighton)
And affordable homes! I bought my three bedroom house in a good area for only 30k more than my one bedroom flat in Brighton- and for the price of a one bedroom flat in Zone 3 London.
For us it's been a no brainer and we love it, we're in our 30s and lots of our friends are following suit.
-Best areas: Check it out in person. Personally we're near the station on a leafy nice street, Tarring (West) is also desirable. But the best way to ascertain is to go and walk around.