Living in hastings?

[RollingThunder]

What's it like? Are the schools Any good? Areas to avoid living in?

We are seriously considering moving from London, any advice or opinions gratefully received.

[BaldricksTurnip]

It's a bit of a toilet to be honest. Massively high crime rates and unemployment. Some parts are nicer than others like the Old Town, but on the whole I'd say look to the outlying areas as the surrounding countryside is gorgeous. Schools are fairly poor but there has been some investment into the college. There are much nicer places to move to if you want to relocate.

[lidlqueen]

Hastings is vile, full of petty crims and drug addicts and cursed by Aleister Crowley on his death bed.

[RollingThunder]

Baldricksturnip, we could be mortgage free there though, which would give us lots of options, which is why it's so tempting!

[RollingThunder]

Also, any places around there that you would suggest then?

[JingleBel]

We looked into moving there and discovered there are reasons why houses are so cheap there.

I still like to visit but the social problems and poor schools put us off.

[BaldricksTurnip]

We live in Rye which is about 25 mins away with a good rail link to London via Ashford. Rye is very pretty, although probably much more expensive house price wise. There's lots of smaller rural villages which are very nice like Stone or Appledore. Your best bet would be to stay down here for a weekend and have a proper look around

[Busyoldfool]

Friends of mine recently relocated there - no kids though. Old Town v nice. Beautiful period properties, good walks. It seems to be coming up and has had a fair amount of investment but what others said about crime, drugs etc is also true.

[ticklemyboobsofsteel]

Rye is lovely. My mother-in-law lives nearby in Winchelsea and we often drive into town for a wander. I would imagine house prices are quite high. I'm not totally sure how much there is for kids to do there though. My other half used to help run the one youth club in Rye but it's long since closed.

But it is lovely to be in such a pretty town with countryside and Winchelsea beach/Camber Sands a stone's throw away.

I've heard that Eastbourne is another area that is on its way up - not sure about how expensive property is there though. I don't know the area but thought I'd throw it out there as an option.

[eastbourner]

I've name changed for this.

I love a visit to Hastings but I would not want to live there - too much crime & drugs. I certainly wouldn't choose to bring up children there.

I live just outside Eastbourne - have spent 8 years here & have lived all over the UK from Scotland to Cornwall & lots of places in between. Like this better than anywher else I've ever lived.

[janmoomoo]

Most of Hastings is a bit of a dump, there is a reason why it is cheap. The old town is nicer. Transport is tricky as the A21 is dire and the train to London takes forever. Last time we went there we had our car broken into.

[BedHog]

I don't know what the people above are talking about. Hastings is lovely. I've lived here most of my life and have experienced very little crime in my social circle - it's mainly confined to specific areas such as Hollington, Ore, Central St Leonards, Town Centre etc. There is far, far more crime and social deprivation in London, unless you live in one of the posh bits. I have many friends who have moved here from London and without exception they are all delighted they made the move. The only things they miss are the shopping and the nightlife!

There are good schools and bad schools, as with any town. And because Hastings is supposedly 'deprived' there is a huge amount of investment and grants available, so lots of free clubs and activities for children which you don't get in other towns. There's also a large arts community which makes it a more vibrant place, and big events like the carnival, bonfire procession etc.

Good areas to start looking are lower Clive Vale and the Old Town (although parking is a nightmare in the Old Town), Blacklands and Upper St Leonards (between The Green and London Rd). There are lots of other nice pockets too so let me know if you see any properties that look interesting and I'll tell you what the location is like!