Kent—the best town/area to live for London commuting
- Thread starter Fely06
- Start date
Another thing I've always enjoyed doing (pre-COVID) with a group of friends is to pick a designated driver and then drive around exploring little villages in Kent/East Sussex and having a nice ale in the country pubs. Great in summer but equally nice in winter given a lot of the old pubs have roaring fires.Sorry, pressed the button too soon
Yes, i have enjoyed Kent the whole summer. Nice seaside, beautiful farms, what not to like ?
I have been looking in TW, unfortunately my budget limits me to the highbrooms side of the town. Much knowledge of that side?
Soldato
- Joined
- 29 Jul 2013
- Posts
- 8,607
If I'm honest it's not great. The houses etc are fine, but there isn't really anything going on and it's probably a 25 minute walk minimum into town so it doesn't feel like you're living in Tunbridge Wells. The train is close by if you're commuting and I think it very much depends on your family situation (single/married with kids) as if you're single you might find it boring.
Soldato
- Joined
- 30 Dec 2004
- Posts
- 4,681
- Location
- Bromley, Kent
True. My gran lives near Bowles Outdoor Center in Eridge, just outside TW. It's perfect for her between TW and Crowborough, but its not exactly got a thriving vibe to it if you're under 70
- GP
Soldato
- Joined
- 29 Jul 2013
- Posts
- 8,607
I was 24 when I bought here and was also single at the time. I lived in the middle of nowhere with my partents previously, but the options for somewhere with rail links and stuff actually going on, it was either here or Haywards Heath (which I didn't really know). I work near Uckfield so couldn't be too far out.
If I could live anywhere in Kent with no constraints it'd probably be Rochester - beautiful town, loads to do (more relevant outside of pandemic times), good connections on the high speed line, within walking distance of Chatham which is a bit better equipped in terms of shops and such.
Soldato
- Joined
- 30 Dec 2004
- Posts
- 4,681
- Location
- Bromley, Kent
Depends on what you want really. Certainly rail links aren't bad - Eridge goes through East Croydon to London so you cna certainly get places
- GP
I'm in Broadstairs we have a lot of dfl's moving down this way for the same reasons you have stated if your commute is driving you can get to the o2 in just over an hour not rush hours that is
if you use the train they are building a new station at cliffsend (thanet parkway station)its going to use the ashford line i think that will get you to stratford in 69min or you can get the high speed Ramsgate to Canary Wharf in 63min or normal 75min you can add a few min if you use the Broadstairs or Margate station
also houses are cheaper this end of kent
if you use the train they are building a new station at cliffsend (thanet parkway station)its going to use the ashford line i think that will get you to stratford in 69min or you can get the high speed Ramsgate to Canary Wharf in 63min or normal 75min you can add a few min if you use the Broadstairs or Margate station
also houses are cheaper this end of kent
Rochester
Far far worse places than kent, Hull, Stoke, Birmingham, I could go on... Kent isnt even in the top ten worse places. Also, you're in Essex, pot kettle springs to mind.
Are sure you want to live in Kent?
Far far worse places than kent, Hull, Stoke, Birmingham, I could go on... Kent isnt even in the top ten worse places. Also, you're in Essex, pot kettle springs to mind.
Hi,
This is from the local newspaper in Maidstone.
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/maidstone/news/stabbing-was-latest-in-a-string-of-incidents-238848/
The comments section makes for interesting reading.
Please note, I am a Maidstone resident, and am not just "dis-ing" the place for the hell of it. But rather to help OP.
This is from the local newspaper in Maidstone.
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/maidstone/news/stabbing-was-latest-in-a-string-of-incidents-238848/
The comments section makes for interesting reading.
Please note, I am a Maidstone resident, and am not just "dis-ing" the place for the hell of it. But rather to help OP.
Soldato
- Joined
- 18 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 8,305
- Location
- Aranyaprathet, Thailand
Kent suffers from having one of the UK's most deprived areas - the NE of Kent used to be mining and fishing. Too far for easy commuting to London and nothing else to do. Housing is being bought up as holiday homes in the nicer seaside areas like Whitstable so the locals can no longer afford to live there.
The south coast is just one huge retirement home - not only Kent but Sussex too.
Commuting mostly involves old lines going in to Charing Cross and Cannon Street through hideous pinchpoints like New Cross.
The best areas are unfortunately then not great for commuting. Go into the Weald and you'll find great schools, pubs, villages but hardly any stations - Pluckley, Staplehurst for example cover a huge area. And if you're having to drive to a station in the morning, no after work drinking
Maidstone has always been pretty dire, Ashford can be nice, TW is nice. Orpington maybe for your budget?
The south coast is just one huge retirement home - not only Kent but Sussex too.
Commuting mostly involves old lines going in to Charing Cross and Cannon Street through hideous pinchpoints like New Cross.
The best areas are unfortunately then not great for commuting. Go into the Weald and you'll find great schools, pubs, villages but hardly any stations - Pluckley, Staplehurst for example cover a huge area. And if you're having to drive to a station in the morning, no after work drinking
Maidstone has always been pretty dire, Ashford can be nice, TW is nice. Orpington maybe for your budget?
Hi,
Sorry but much of this I don't think is accurate...
Not sure the NE of the county has been known for fishing and mining to be fair, and the commuting to London isn't an issue from most of Kent. Mining was more central and Southern areas such as Tilmanstone, Aylesham etc which are nearer to Dover.
However, most Kent train lines in the East of the county go to Victoria or St P.
Also, I've been in Maidstone since 1996. It has not always been dire...
Of course it's all subjective, but some of what you say isn't factual...
Kent suffers from having one of the UK's most deprived areas - the NE of Kent used to be mining and fishing. Too far for easy commuting to London and nothing else to do. Housing is being bought up as holiday homes in the nicer seaside areas like Whitstable so the locals can no longer afford to live there.
The south coast is just one huge retirement home - not only Kent but Sussex too.
Commuting mostly involves old lines going in to Charing Cross and Cannon Street through hideous pinchpoints like New Cross.
The best areas are unfortunately then not great for commuting. Go into the Weald and you'll find great schools, pubs, villages but hardly any stations - Pluckley, Staplehurst for example cover a huge area. And if you're having to drive to a station in the morning, no after work drinking
Maidstone has always been pretty dire, Ashford can be nice, TW is nice. Orpington maybe for your budget?
Sorry but much of this I don't think is accurate...
Not sure the NE of the county has been known for fishing and mining to be fair, and the commuting to London isn't an issue from most of Kent. Mining was more central and Southern areas such as Tilmanstone, Aylesham etc which are nearer to Dover.
However, most Kent train lines in the East of the county go to Victoria or St P.
Also, I've been in Maidstone since 1996. It has not always been dire...
Of course it's all subjective, but some of what you say isn't factual...
Last edited:
The Weald and areas between it and the M20 are not well served with fast trains that for sure. If you want that countryside but with a faster and infinitely more comfortable commute you're actually better off going East or South of Ashford to connect to the high speed. Commuting from Wye, Chilham, Chartham, Sandling, Westernhanger, Appledore or Hamstreet are all better than the slow line up from Headcorn or Staplehurst. In fact if I were in Charing or Pluckley I think I'd go 'away' from London to Ashford and change onto the high speed.
One of the things about the high speed, that isn't immediately obvious I don't think unless you've done a lot of commuting from different areas, is that the lines it runs on are comparatively new and have very little stock going on them. Quite a portion of the high speed is underground when you near London and only modern Javelin trains run on it. This means leaves on lines isn't generally a problem and no old rolling stock breaks down to cause delays. Thus the punctuality, frequency and reliability makes a huge difference to commuting IME. The space and legroom of each high speed seat and ability to generally always get a seat is also very nice. When my office moved to Waterloo I tried the old slow line up to Waterloo East. It was broadly the same time door-to-door as going up to St Pancras and then across town and it involved no changes but my god it was a miserable hour and a quarter stuck in a seat giving me back ache.
One of the things about the high speed, that isn't immediately obvious I don't think unless you've done a lot of commuting from different areas, is that the lines it runs on are comparatively new and have very little stock going on them. Quite a portion of the high speed is underground when you near London and only modern Javelin trains run on it. This means leaves on lines isn't generally a problem and no old rolling stock breaks down to cause delays. Thus the punctuality, frequency and reliability makes a huge difference to commuting IME. The space and legroom of each high speed seat and ability to generally always get a seat is also very nice. When my office moved to Waterloo I tried the old slow line up to Waterloo East. It was broadly the same time door-to-door as going up to St Pancras and then across town and it involved no changes but my god it was a miserable hour and a quarter stuck in a seat giving me back ache.
Soldato
- Joined
- 16 Aug 2009
- Posts
- 8,102
Yes, i have enjoyed Kent the whole summer. Nice seaside, beautiful farms, what not to like ?
At the moment, coronavirus, highest rate in the country currently...
Soldato
- Joined
- 18 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 8,305
- Location
- Aranyaprathet, Thailand
Maybe it wasn't mining, but https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/21-most-deprived-areas-kent-497851
Thanet is an appallingly deprived area of the UK. It is in the NE of Kent.
http://www.projectmapping.co.uk/Reviews/Resources/se-network-route-map-may-20.pdf shows the Kent train network. Hardly anything goes into St Pancras and most does indeed go to Charing Cross and Cannon Street. While some lines may go to Victoria, for most of Kent Victoria trains are relatively scarce
I've lived in and around Kent since the 70s and Maidstone has always been dodgy IMO. I spent my youth at school in Cranbrook and going to Maidstone was not something to look forward to back in 1980.
I mean, this just isn't true. Kent is a pretty big place and the rough parts are by far the exception. I've lived in both Surrey and Kent (grew up in Surrey) and I don't think there's much difference between them at all. Both have great transport into London giving you access to the best employment opportunities. Both have large areas of countryside alongside large and small towns. Both are generally nice places to live, albeit expensive.
I agree with you regarding Thanet, also parts of Swale and parts of the Medway Towns are deprived.
Looks like I may be around your age, perhaps slightly older?
As I said in my last post much of what makes an area "nice" or "desirable" is subjective. I was raised in Chatham so - to me - a trip into Maidstone was enjoyable. Coming in from an area like Cranbook, I can appreciate your view may not be the same.
There are still some really nice parts of Kent. Don't get me wrong. It all depends on what you're looking for I suppose. I'm happy enough here, but if I won the lottery, well...
Soldato
- Joined
- 13 May 2003
- Posts
- 8,983
@MikeTimbers Kent did have some coal mines they were all closed by the late 80's many of my old team mates used to play rugby against clubs in those villages, always said they were tough games. I'm guessing Richborough Power Station was power with Kentish coal. Not a famous coal region but there were some mines.