Ashford Kent

Alan2020

kramer89 wrote: »

Basically the way i'm looking at it is I can afford a 3 bed semi detached house with garden in Ashford but the closer to London I get, the less I get. I know this is the oh so common conundrum but..... I've looked at Kennington and Kingsnorth on Rightmove which both look nice (if you like housing estates as oppose to period properties). Does anyone know if these areas have any corner shops, cafes or the like or are they purely housing estates with a Tesco Extra a car drive away?

If you want a decent place with access to Tescos, pubs, restaurants, Wilko, B&Q etc and just about 50mins from London, then I recommend you check Rainham Kent.

For your budget you can get something like this
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-38521333.html

In fact you can get a semi for less than that;
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-38285248.html

Hope it helps.

PS use the http://www.police.uk/ crime map to check out the area.

longtimelurkersam

Personally I would take the extra 15 minutes commute and move to the seaside and go to Folkestone and surrounding areas. If you are happy to cycle to work you shouldn't have an issue getting somewhere and its right by the sea. Don't knock it until you've had a lovely sunny day (yes we do get them).

neverdespairgirl

My parents moved from their London house to Kent in December, and my Dad's commuting daily via the HS line from Ashford. Previously he went from Blackheath / Greenwich border, so very similar to your two suggested journeys.

He does find the journey tiring, but then he works long hours, and is in his early 60s.

Ashford itself is pretty dull, apart from when it gets nasty in certain bits.

My parents live about 10 miles from Ashford.

kramer89

Once again many thanks for all your advise. I may be wrong but my experience of the Medway towns in general isn't great and Ashford seems to be a little more rural with more space and accessible countryside. Thanks neverdespairgirl for your advise as it seems your parents have done just what I plan to do. The commute will definitely be more than my current 40mins door to door but I just can't help thinking that an extra 30mins each way will offer a better quality of life than Deptford currently offers. Ashford High Street surely must be better than Deptford High Street and walks in a semi rural area must be better than wandering the council estates here?

Hillbilly1

I would visit it several times before making a judgement....

In laws live there. Been visiting for 15 years. Its a total hole. The town centre is dying. You will need to have a car to access the nicer parts people describe such as out of town shopping and nice villages.

Its the only place I have ever been exicted to see a Starbucks. It suggested some basic level of civilisation.

josiebabie

I've enjoyed reading this thread as I lived in Ashford for most of my teenage life. I would never move back there, EVER.

When I went back a few years back and read a local newspaper a violent crime that would be front page news here were relegated to third/fourth page in. Hopefully it's improved rather than declined further!

arthurdick

[QUOTE=kramer89;60738423The_commute_will_definitely_be_more_than_my_current_40mins_door_to_door_but_I_just_can't_help_thinking_that_an_extra_30mins_each_way_will_offer_a_better_quality_of_life_than_Deptford_currently_offers._Ashford_High_Street_surely_must_be_better_than_Deptford_High_Street_and_walks_in_a_semi_rural_area_must_be_better_than_wandering_the_council_estates_here?[/QUOTE]

i thought the same around 18 ys ago., i used to live off the loam pit vale in lewisham, work in sayers court deptford, so i knew deptford and lewisham pretty well, i moved out to bexhill on sea, then maidstone, i now wish i stayed where i was, or at least much nearer to london then i am now. but maybe thats just me, i love moving around, but i regret that i can never afford to move back if i wanted to..the price gap is just too much and gets bigger every year... don't get me wrong, it is nicer and a bit cleaner down here, but over the last 18 yrs it seems to be getting a lot more "chavvy"...but, if somebody had of told me that yrs ago, i would not have listened, because i had it in my mind to move down here anyway...so, go with your gut feeling, as long as you are really sure that you won't miss the london feeling in years to come......

good luck on whatever you dgo with.