PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the Forum rules. While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.
We're aware that some users are experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. See the Community Noticeboard for more info. Thank you for your patience.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

Living and Renting in Dover

Options
2

Comments

  • littleowl
    littleowl Posts: 594 Forumite
    Hmm - doesn't sound too appealing. Do you have any recommendations for areas within easy reach of the tunnel and ferry crossing?
  • Generali
    Generali Posts: 36,411 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    littleowl wrote: »
    Hmm - doesn't sound too appealing. Do you have any recommendations for areas within easy reach of the tunnel and ferry crossing?

    If you go inland a bit there are lots of nice small towns and villages especially as you go northeast towards Deal and Sandwich or north towards Canterbury. Get in the car and have a potter around. There are plenty of good pubs for lunch and you'll soon get a feel for the area. Hawkinge is nice and there are loads of similar places.

    Kent is a great place, especially once you get out of sensible commuter range of London.
  • jimc_2
    jimc_2 Posts: 290 Forumite
    What a shame! I read the title of this thread and thought it must be a highly literary and romantic paean of praise to the delights of Dover! (It must have been the resemblance of the title to 'Love in the time of cholera' or 'Down and out in London and Paris' that mislead me.)

    So Dover's a dump now then? Anyone got anything nice to say about it? All I can remember is big queues on that road down to the docks every time I was in a rush to get to the Sealynx or Hovercraft.
  • aurorahelios
    aurorahelios Posts: 376 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture
    Unfortunately Dover has become very run down. Folkestone is better and has good road links to Dover.
  • Generali
    Generali Posts: 36,411 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    jimc wrote: »
    What a shame! I read the title of this thread and thought it must be a highly literary and romantic paean of praise to the delights of Dover! (It must have been the resemblance of the title to 'Love in the time of cholera' or 'Down and out in London and Paris' that mislead me.)

    So Dover's a dump now then? Anyone got anything nice to say about it? All I can remember is big queues on that road down to the docks every time I was in a rush to get to the Sealynx or Hovercraft.

    Hmmm. In 12 hours the best thing anyone has had to say about Dover is 'the road to Folkestone'.

    I'm disappointed. I went to Dover a few years ago and I really wanted it to be lovely. Vera Lynn and all that.

    Instead I found a racially divided place. Run down and relying on taxpayers' money for what little was there. The next BNP electoral victory I suspect (A Bad Thing).
  • littleowl
    littleowl Posts: 594 Forumite
    Thanks for all the input. I shall have to broaden my search to the inland towns although I had thought Dover itself might be thriving with the economic lift brought to the area.
  • aurorahelios
    aurorahelios Posts: 376 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture
    As far as I'm aware there has been no economic uplift to the area. It was far more economically vibrant in the 1970s and early 80s but has steadily gone down hill since. The channel tunnel is closer to Folkestone than Dover and those who use it and the ferries are usually just passing through on their way elsewhere and so don't really bring any economic benefit to the area. Even the French who used to come into Dover to buy childrens clothes now just head straight to Canterbury.

    Dover district council have been so religious about their nimbyism that they have failed to regenerate the area and Dover has just become stuck, gradually becoming more and more run down.
  • littleowl
    littleowl Posts: 594 Forumite
    As far as I'm aware there has been no economic uplift to the area. It was far more economically vibrant in the 1970s and early 80s but has steadily gone down hill since. The channel tunnel is closer to Folkestone than Dover and those who use it and the ferries are usually just passing through on their way elsewhere and so don't really bring any economic benefit to the area. Even the French who used to come into Dover to buy childrens clothes now just head straight to Canterbury.

    Dover district council have been so religious about their nimbyism that they have failed to regenerate the area and Dover has just become stuck, gradually becoming more and more run down.

    It's sad to hear that. I do know that quite a few French companies have relocated to Dover and had assumed that the economy would have seen an improvement. It seems I was wrong.
  • suzybaby2001
    suzybaby2001 Posts: 93 Forumite
    I'd go for Sandwich/Canterbury or any of the little villages in between (Littlebourne, Eastry, Wingham) - I work at a large pharmaceutical company (no prizes for guessing which one!) and there's a recruitment drive on at the minute, there's a steady stream of new starters.
    One day I will be out of my student debt, one day... :beer:
  • Dee140157
    Dee140157 Posts: 2,864 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker Mortgage-free Glee!
    Some of it will depend on what you can afford. Hawkinge is lovely, but commands higher rental prices than say Folkestone itself. You have areas of Folkestone which are better than others too. There are loads of lovely villages, it does depend what you consider easy commuting distance. I live in Ashford but work in Folkestone. Ashford is ok to live in. For me some would depend on if you had kids and schools to consider. I love Hythe which is a sleepy town (dare I say many retired people there). Not so good if you want nightclulbs etc, but fabuous if you like the sea and peace. Folkestone has lots of small apartments/flats for rent as it has lots of converted vicorian buildings. I know little about Dover, so cannot really comment, except to say I would not want to live there! If you use the ports a lot you may want to be nearer Dover, but as mentioned before the Channel Tunnel is at Cheriton, a suburb of Folkestone and is easily accessed from many villages. You could go to e.g Etchinghill or out towards Canterbury. As you travel to Canterbury though again rental proces do increase. I think it really is a case of you pay for where you live.
    Newbie thread: go to the top of this page and find these words: Main site > MoneySavingExpert.com Forums > Household & Travel > Motoring > Parking Tickets, Fines & Parking. Click on words Parking Tickets, Fines & Parking. Newbie thread is the first post. Blue New Thread button is just above it to left.
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 350.8K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453.5K Spending & Discounts
  • 243.8K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 598.6K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 176.8K Life & Family
  • 257K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.