Hastings...

Fulham_Mark

I'm glad I came across this, I have friends considering moving there who have been telling everyone that its "only an hour or so on the train" from London.

2hrs is quite different, sounds like they've already started to convince themselves and ignore the facts.

If you cycle in London then you're probably the sort of person who hates being dependent on transport that goes wrong or is unpleasant to use. I'd imagine you'd hate the trains after a while.

lowis

yes, i imagine i would too...but then again, to live with a seaview, access to a beach for running, close to the countryside...maybe i am just dreaming

whitstable is too expensive now, thanks to those bloody londoners!

pocket_rocket

Hello

We have lived in St Leonards for eight years and love it. Its a fantastic place to live with superb architecture and views and lovely surrounding countryside.

St Leonards is improving daily with bars, cafes, antiques shops and the nationally acclaimed St Clements restaurant.

The Old Town is charming with much to offer including the Seafood and Wine festival in September. This includes local restaurants offering seafood and fish taster dishes and local vinyards offering tasting sessions of locally produced wine. There is a whole new crop of bars, cafes etc in the Old Town too.

The new town is not as attractive but has all the shops and facilities one would expect.

Some people always look for the negative but please don't listen. The area did have its problems, created by Thatcher, but is recovering extremely well.

All we see are beautiful views, stunning coast line and great architecture.

We are one hour from Dover and have a wealth of picturesque villages surrounding Hastings to visit. London is one hour and forty minutes away by train. Many commute and say its well worth it.

If you like to get in touch to discuss further, please do or if you'd like to meet next time your in Hastings we'd be happy to and tell you more about this great town.

Good luck whatever you decide,

Pocket_rocket

lowis

Thanks Pocket-Rocket - what a lovely post and offer!

The commute does bother me - but I work right by London Bridge station so it really would be 2hrs door-to-door

I was really taken with the Old Town and wish I had had time to check out St Leonards but ended up watching the sun go down sitting on the beach

I can really see that something good is happening in Hastings and the locale, and like you say the area DOES have a lot to offer. I remember Brighton 20 years ago - full of druggies and had pretty much the same reputation that Hastings has now...look at the difference today!

PS - Great forum name

Penelopa.Pitstop

I don't see anyone mentioning cost of commuting. It must be rather expensive to travel daily from Hastings.
I checked a town just oustide London and price was around £200 per month, so if you add time and money for commuting I'm not sure it's worth to buy something cheaper but far away. At the end total cost must be the same.

Of course it's different when only one person per family commutes.

pocket_rocket

Hello

Most trains from Hastings go through London Bridge before they get to Charing Cross. It shouldn't be two hours if you're just a short walk from London Bridge?

I think a season ticket costs £2000-3000 per year. House prices here are more than £2000-3000 cheaper than in London!

Apparently season tickets allow you to travel as much as you wish at weekends and on other routes etc and family members get greatly reduced deals. However, you would need to look into this further with South Eastern Trains.

Old Town is gorgeous and has a lovely new property cafe - ideal for espresso, croissants and viewing potential homes at the same time.

Kind regards
pocket_rocket

andrew8018

Would have to second everything pocket rocket has said really. We've just relocated close to the old town, having lived in london all our lives and it's the best thing we've ever done.

It's a very charming place, and there seems to be lots of new bars, cafe's and shops opening up all the time. It's also very freindly and full of interesting characters into art/music/crafts etc.

One of the highlights for me is the country park, about a ten minute drive from the old town with stunning views and walks of the coastline rivaling anything Cornwall has to offer. Considering all this I'm simply gobsmacked at how cheap the property is. The arcitecture is beautiful and you can pick up a 4 bedroom victorian house with sea views for less than a one bed flat in zone two in London.

The crime/umemploymet issue in Hastings is interesting. It clearly is a problem from what I hear/read but it's not as visible/in your face as it is in London. I used to live in Brixton and would be accosted 10 times between coldharbour lane and the station to be sold all manner of drugs. Add to this the gun crime and mental health problem among the populace and it makes Hastings' problems pale into insignificance.

There's loads of regeneration going on down here, much of it funded by the EU. There's a new shopping centre being built near the Station and also a wing of the University of Sussex which as far as I know will be a centre for IT and Art, amongst all sorts of other stuff.

In terms of fast rail links, I think this is a long way off. Apparently the line has about 30 odd tunnels on the way into London and they would all have to be widened to accomadate a faster route although perhaps it'll be viable one day. If you can stand the commute, would certainly recommend getting down here.....

EdInvestor

Another Hastings St Leonards resident who agrees with the above.:) The town is surprisingly lively with loads of bars ,good restaurants and cafes, music, regular theatre and even the occasional opera (Glyndbourne is not far away either;) ).Most of the main High St shops are represented with new boutiques springing up in the Old Town and various hypermarkets not far away.

A big rise in property prices in recent years (though they are still cheap) has resulted in a much imporved seafront with pretty well all property now spruced up, not very many seaside B&Bs left.Local public transport is pretty good during the day and the trains go direct to London Bridge, Waterloo,Charing Cross and Victoria on on the Eastbourne line.Some of the faster trains in the rush hours make the journey to and from London Bridge in 1h20 mins. Also regular trains to Brighton and Ashford.Some people seem to commute to Tunbridge Wells.

Hastings/St leonards is IMHO a lot like Brighton/Hove ten years ago, albeit smaller. It's developing in the same way now, but is unlikely to get as crowded or expensive because it's further from London and has a limited supply of attractive property compared with Brighton's massive choice.

Seems like it has a good chance of keeping its "beside the seaside" feel, while improving its amenities and offering more opportunities to the locals.A major source of income to the town is the summer influx of language students, mainly from Europe.They give the place a European feel, apart from spending money and generally livening up the place.The locals seem to very polite and helpful.

Definitely a recommended spot to live.

EdInvestor

Notting Hill on Sea?

Article in the Times gives the flavour.:)

Debt_Free_Chick

andrew8018 wrote: »

Would have to second everything pocket rocket has said really. We've just relocated close to the old town, having lived in london all our lives and it's the best thing we've ever done.

Come and see us in the countryside, not far from Hastings. I can recommend my local .... The White Dog Inn in Ewhurst Green TN32 5TD

No connection at all .. other than it's my local village pub. When the weather's nice, you can sit in the garden with stunning views over fields & woodlands to Bodiam Castle. Time stops still here .....