Scout

DH and I were talking over the weekend. When & if the economy starts recovering in a year or so, we hope to sell up and buy a flat along the coast somewhere in England. The biggest question is where? We would really prefer a coastal village and we want good rail conections so we can get to Gatwick relatively easily for flights to Europe. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Bevm

We've just been checking out the SW. There are trains that link to Heathrow through a bus from Reading. That line runs down to Exeter and on to Exmouth, and another branch to Dawlish, Teignmouth and Torbay. East of Exmouth there are no trains to the coast for quite a while. There are also trains into Cornwall, to Penzance and Falmouth.

Don't know what you'd consider a village. I think the population of Dawlish is about 14,000. Lyme Regis is about 3,000. From there, the nearest train is Axminster. Bournmouth has an airport and, I think, a train.

Exeter airport has quite a few flights to Europe. Unfortunately it doesn't have any connectors to the London airports.

Bev

dunroving

I don't know if you watched the program on Rain a few days ago (fascinating!), but the SE gets a lot less rainfall than the west side of the country.

Aw shucks, I forgot you live in the Valleys, you must be impervious to the wet stuff ...

dunroving

OK, I guess I should also post a serious reply. During my time in S. Wales, I helped a friend in Somerset drive around for two days, meeting up with estate agents at various properties (she was selling up and buying). I was gobsmacked at just how many beautiful villages there were in Somerset, and also how reasonably priced many of the houses were.

My brother is considering the SW (Devon) when he returns from Dubai so I'll be doing some house-hunting with him in the summer. I think my main reservations would be (a) distance from London airports, and lack of easy/regular public transport to airports (I'm assuming this, please correct me if I'm wrong, anyone), and (b) the mad traffic situation I hear happens every summer. Dang tourists! :curse:

Scout

I am pretty sure we would only want villages that have rail service to London so that we can get to Gatwick or Heathrow (and I personally prefer Gatwick since the airport is smaller and easy to manage). I don't care much for buses to the airports since I'm 5'11" and no coach I have ever been on has enough leg room for me.

I have been browsing around on line a bit but I am hoping someoe here can give some hints for some really great places. We had planed to drive over to Cornwall this past weekend and nose about but we were both mucky with colds and I was afraid I'd have a coughing fit while crossing the Severn Bridge

ann m

Quick and easy links to Gatwick would be in the south Surrey and East and (some of) West Sussex corridors; look at villages within striking distance of the A23, M23 and A22, right down to the coast from Brighton and Hove round to Eastbourne and Bexhill. Any further east or west in either direction would mean a change on trains, but that is not too much of a hardship if it's just occasionally.

lisa67

my parents live in Braunton, North Devon....gorgeous place but a pain in the back side to get to.
My Aunt lives in Bexhill, not such a gorgeous place but a lot easier to get to.

rugbymatt

I wouldn't go to Devon, its a bloody hell hole, its full of tourists, bugger all else to look at really and it rains almost every day, horrible place.....................

Sally Redux

My Mum lives in Eastbourne and I think it's lovely round there, it has become much more modern over the years and the trains have improved.

TheArmChairDetective

Tourists, sheep, sheep farmers or grockle boxes.
They all look lovely in the rain

rugbymatt

Horrible place, I personally think everyone should stay away from here, oops sorry, I mean there, bloody horrible place......................

TheArmChairDetective

I have to agree, the beer is horrid !

rugbymatt

Cider is filth too.........

TheArmChairDetective

God, you certainly know how to drag up the old public health and safety prosecutions. !

Tolly

There are some nice villages in Hampshire - you can get to heathrow - in less than 1 hour and Gatwick in 1.5 hours by car - trains into London in about 1hr - would need to change to get to Heathrow/gatwick though