Good areas to live in East Sussex

MortgageMamma

Hi All

May be moving to East Sussex from Lancashire in Spring and need some help with areas to live. Need to be no more than a 20 min drive from EastBourne/Hailsham and in a semi rural or quiet residential area, nowhere near cliffs (young kids and terrified of heights)

Any suggestions? (I will be renting)

Cazza

Hiya! You won't be too far from me - I'm a little further west! If you're looking for semi rural, head north in the county, I don't that part of the county VERY well, but I often drive through and it is beautiful.

Heathfield, Maresfield and Uckfield are all lovely and nice areas too. Maresfield is probabluy about as far out as you want to go if you want to be not too far from Eastbourne.If you want to be nearer the sea, Bexhill is great too. I have been told that Hastings isn't so nice, but I have no personal experience, so if anyone here is from Hastings then please don't hate me! Good luck!

MortgageMamma

Oh brilliant thanks for that - and you are a mortgage adviser too even better!

I was looking at a place called east dean near beachy head, I think I've driven through it in Feb this year and it looked ok. Its a bit daunting to be moving there from Lancashire, I mean, I couldnt really get any further south if I tried and I've heard you don't do gravy at yours chippies?!

EdInvestor

Useful thread:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=448640&highlight=Hastings

There's also a long recent one about Hastings if you search the forum.

It's very nice down here, beside the seaside

davsidipp

hiya mm i can vouch for hastings as we visit their alot and dont think its as bad as some people say alexandra park area is really nice and house prices are going up very quickly like all areas you get good and bad but on the whole its a mixture of people other nice areas are battle a little bit pricey and robertsbridge but the good thing with hastings is lots of big stores near by good luck in your choice.

MortgageMamma

how long to drive from hastings to hailsham or eastbourne in rush hour?

MortgageMamma

EdInvestor wrote: »

Useful thread:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=448640&highlight=Hastingsd

There's also a long recent one about Hastings if you search the forum.

It's very nice down here, beside the seaside

Thanks for that Ed, I read through the thread. I live rurally now but want to live semi rural to perhaps a quiet suburban area. The only criteria we have is that the area is not posh but not grotty, not in a traffic bottleneck, within the catchment area of a good primary and high school, and is near a beach which is acessible without going near cliffs (me and the DH petrified of heights and we have a 3 year old who we have difficulty in controlling)

So far we are struggling. I'm going to take a week off work in Sept and go down and have a good nosey about.

Thanks also David I appreciate your help. I will look at hastings but the other thread says there are some scummy areas, but i guess you get that in all towns really.

Cazza

Definitely no gravy with chips I'm afraid! I'd never even heard of it until OH got post to Hull when he was in the Army! Still can't quite get me head round the idea, but then I am Sussex born and bred!

Debt_Free_Chick

MortgageMamma wrote: »

how long to drive from hastings to hailsham or eastbourne in rush hour?

Nightmare!!!!!!

East Sussex is, I believe, the only county in the Country with no motorway. If, like me, you live here and value peace & quiet, then it's ideal. Travelling North or South through the county is fine e.g. A21, A22, A23 etc. But travelling East or West is hideous, with the A27 between Eastbourne & Brighton being "bearable".

However, the A259 between Hastings & Eastbourne is two-lane i.e. NOT dual carriageway and passes through numerous villages (with speed limits) and roundabouts. But as it's the only route, then it carries all traffic between the two places. There has been talk about extending the A27 from Eastbourne to Hastings ..... but I wouldn't hold your breath! Part of the proposed route would go through an SSSI near Bexhill and it might also go through the High Weald AONB, so I would think it's a non-starter (unless another route was proposed).

Train service is the same - N/S fine; E/W horrendous (rather like Thomas the Tank Engine! :rotfl: )

But you could consider living along the A271. Although that's not a trunk road, it goes directly in to Hailsham and from there you pick up the A22 into Eastbourne. Everywhere along that road is pretty and semi-rural. Those North of the A271 being even more rural - Bodle Street Green for example just has a pub! And a rather nice one at that. (I live off the top right hand corner of the map).

I love where I live and don't want to move - ever! East Sussex is a beautiful, quiet rural county - but transport infrastructure is dire. Employment is a problem in rural areas, but doesn't create the same problems that seem to exist in cities & large towns.

Post again or send me a PM if you want anything further.

HTH

seven-day-weekend

We have friends living in Seaford (next to Newhaven).

Seaford is a nice little seaside town that has managed to avoid the worst of the ravages of tourism and I don't think it's too pricy either.

Debt_Free_Chick

MortgageMamma wrote: »

Thanks for that Ed, I read through the thread. I live rurally now but want to live semi rural to perhaps a quiet suburban area. The only criteria we have is that the area is not posh but not grotty,

Not at all posh, but in no way grotty. The East of the County is largely in the High Weald AONB

not in a traffic bottleneck,

Avoid Bexhill, especially the road out to Hastings. Although the County is quiet and relatively sparsely populated, the main routes can be jammed - especially, as I said in my previous post, the main E/W routes. The minor ones are not so bad.

within the catchment area of a good primary and high school,

Can't help with that one, sorry - but let me ask around.

and is near a beach which is acessible without going near cliffs (me and the DH petrified of heights and we have a 3 year old who we have difficulty in controlling)

Definitely NOT Eastbourne then - have you not heard of the Seven Sisters :rotfl:

Although, once east, you are onto shingle beaches like Normans Bay with no further cliffs until you reach Hastings. However, the beach at Hastings is below the cliffs, if you see what I mean. You only end up on the cliffs if you deliberately go up there.

So far we are struggling. I'm going to take a week off work in Sept and go down and have a good nosey about.

Hopefully I can help - you have to spend a week here poking around, but make good use of Rightmove before you do and search within a 20 mile radius of BN27 (Hailsham).

You can always Google for a placename and look to see if the village/town has a website. Many Parish Councils do.

HTH