Living in Brighton and commuting to Eastbourne

mr_rush

My new job starting in August will be in Eastbourne. Not too thrilled about the town, however I've heard Brighton is great.

I'm thinking about living in Brighton and commuting to Eastbourne, specifically to Eastbourne district general hospital.

It seems Eastbourne is about 20 miles from Brighton.
Does anyone do this commute?
How long does it take at rush hour?

Also, which (nice) areas of Brighton would be good to live in to allow this commute to go smoothly. From some quick research it seems Kemp Town is on the east side of Brighton and is a decent area to live in.

Any other advice about a move to Brighton/Eastbourne would be very welcome.
thanks a lot

bye bye london

chugalug

Have you checked out the prices for accommodation in Brighton? Kemptown is a great area to live (thats where I am!!) but if you're going to commute to Eastbourne Ihope the jobs well paid. Have you looked at living in Hastings? Just along the coast and some regeneration going on.

If you're set on Brighton then be prepared for a lot of traffic whichever direction you commute in. Anywhere along the front is great but very busy and also more expensive. Hove has some lovely areas but if you're going to commute to Eastbourne then you'd have to get through the central Brighton traffic to get out IYSWIM - anyway, enough rambling, perhaps someone who's more helpful will come along soon....................

mr_rush

chugalug - rent will be cheaper then london and my pay will rise a little so cash not a problem.
Kemptown seems like a good place to live. any idea of how long the drive to eastbourne will take?

danielson81

On a clear day you can probably do it in 20-25 mins max, however once took me 50 mins in rush hour.

Another area to consider is Preston Circus, the houses between the Duke of Yorks Cinema and London Road Station. Its permit free parking and not one of the most expensive areas, although it isn't cheap!

You can even get the train from London Road to Eastbourne everyday if you wished.

mr_rush

daniel - thanks for your reply. nice to get an idea of the travel time on good and bad days. I will look into the area you suggest but i think kemptown would be ideal

danielson81

Kemptown is a nice area, was going to move there last year, but the parking permit issue was a nightmare so looked elsewhere.

Whitehawk/Mouslecoomb/Hollingbury are the cheapest areas, but a google search will tell you why!

livinginhope

We used to do this commute everyday,for 3 months :eek: horrendous :eek: wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy on a good day it will take about 40 - 45 mins,BUT you will always get held up around the Beddingham roundabout,most days it took around an hour,we used to live just off the main road to Brighton in Eastbourne and DH worked just off the Falmer road in Brighton,so not in the centre.
I would say that ,although kemp Town is an ok area,personally I would rather be strung up by the neck than live there (high crime rate) you are looking at an extra 15 mins to get out of Brighton and on to the Lewes Road to get to Eastbourne.
The best areas for commuting to Eastbourne would be,Hollingbury,Rottingdean,Woodingdean and The Bear Road area,Moulscombe is in the best position,but highly unadvisable avoid it like the plague
I would echo what chugalug said about Hastings,much better commute,but if you don't mind driving and constant hold ups,you should be ok.
I used to love Brighton,but detest it now,each to their own good luck with the move

Hapless_2

If you move to Eastbourne stay away from Shinewater area of Langney, Pevensey Road in Eastbourne centre, Willingdon trees area of Hampden Park, and Old Town.
Housing is expensive there especially the Crumbles/ Harbour (down by Asda), buses are now a nightmare (eastbourne buses used to be good). Areas to go for would be Meads, Arlington road area. Otherwise if you have a car then Pevensey, Polegate or Hailsham.

Ms_Piggy_2

I see Moulscum has not changed in the 15 years since I left Brighton.

poochel

I would not suggest living in Polegate or Hailsham as they are just utter utter holes. A much better option would be Lewes I think - 1/2 way between Eastbourne and Brighton. Lovely old town with heaps of shops, restaurants and pubs. OK not as buzzing or trendy as Brighton but a good alternative. It's on the right train line for journeys to Eastbourne, Brighton, Haywards Heath, Gatwick and London. Don't know what the property prices are like there though. Or you could try Hastings or even Seaford - bit scummy but up and coming.

If you're planning on getting the train rather than driving from Brighton to Eastbourne - DON'T! The DGH is miles away from the train station and you'd need to get a bus which would add 20-30mins to your journey.

hope that helps