Here at Vivo, we understand that living in London isn’t for everyone. It can be busy, expensive, and often quite stressful. As a property buying company we meet lots of people looking to sell quickly in London and relocate to quieter climes, with seaside destinations often a hot favourite. There are many benefits of living by the seaside, with its slower pace of life, natural beauty and of course the fresh sea air, which has been proven to help you sleep! As we buy property in areas such as Greater London, the Home Counties and the South East of England we always come across quaint villages and charming seaside towns which are beautiful places to live. If you are fed up of London and are looking to move soon, here are our favourite 7 coastal locations near London, you never know they may be for you!
If you’ve decided that you’ve had enough of The Big Smoke and want to sell your home fast, Brighton may well be the ideal place for you. Away from the hustle and bustle of London, this smaller city is well known as a hub for the environmentally friendly and sustainability conscious. While its iconic pier and pebbled beaches have been the setting for numerous films and television shows, there is a great community atmosphere in Brighton. We particularly love to spend time looking around the quirky shops and activities found at The Lanes. With its trendy character, Brighton often feels like a natural choice for many who choose to sell their homes in London, often making a great commuter town. With great transport connections, you can easily return to the capital in under an hour by train too, or if you fancy something different, you can take a ride on Volk’s Electric Railway. Built in 1883, it is the oldest working electric railway in the world!
Frequently dubbed ‘the new Brighton’, Hastings is rapidly becoming a popular location for many to buy a house. While it can now rival its bigger brother Brighton for transport links into London with a new 90-minute express service going straight into Charing Cross, Hastings also has an equally quirky railway in the form of the East Hill Lift. As Britain’s steepest funicular railway, it takes you straight to the Hastings County Park, a 660-acre green space featuring ancient woodland and exposed cliffs. While Hastings rose to prominence in 1066, the town had been argued to be looking rather tired in recent years. However, there has been substantial development in this town. We love the addition of the award-winning Jerwood Gallery, a museum showcasing contemporary British art. With film festivals and farmers markets now commonplace here at Hastings, the area has been boosted with the recent competition of the Pelham Place renovation, part of the Hastings Adventure Golf project, costing £450,000. Finally, with its wonderful landscape, Hastings was also the location to one of our favourite television shows, Foyle’s War.
Used as the setting for the classic Carry On Follow That Camel film, Camber Sands is just up the road from Hastings and only four miles from the town of Rye. Often viewed as the best-preserved UK medieval town, Rye’s cute cobbled street will make you want to sell your London property ever so quickly! What makes Camber Sands such a beautiful area is its wonderful sandy dunes, the only of its kind in East Sussex. Lined with marram grass, its fine sandy beaches are simply stunning, perfect for spending time relaxing with loved ones. You couldn’t be further away from the business of city life!
If you crave coastal climes but do not want to feel too cut off from the rest of us, Southend-on-Sea may be the ideal location for you. Just one hour by train to central London, this location is also perfect for quick European getaways too as you are just a stone’s throw away from London Southend Airport. When we are in the area, we love to casually meander around the beautiful Priory Park and visit the medieval Prittlewell Priory Museum. Founded by Cluniac monks in the twelfth century it is a wonderful Grade I listed building with tremendous original features and a fascinating history. Perhaps the most famous feature of this area is Southend Pier, which is the longest pleasure pier in the world. Full of fun, this Grade II building extends an impressive 1.34 miles into the sea! With an abundance of green parks and piers, Southend-on-Sea is a fantastic place for outdoor living enthusiasts, boasting seven miles of coastline too!
On the subject of seven, Broadstairs in Kent is blessed with seven wonderful beaches and coves which saw it become a favourite holiday destination of none other than Charles Dickens! The legendary author spent time at Bleak House and this area provided inspiration for the character of Miss Betsey Trotwood in David Copperfield. Such is Dickens’ connection with this seaside town there is an annual Broadstairs Dickens Festival as well as the Dickens House Museum, a fantastic destination for any literary aficionados. Overall, there is a wonderful vintage feel to Broadstairs, we love visiting the retro 1950’s ice cream parlours, and it is a great place to live if you are looking to sell your house in London. One of the benefits of buying property in this area is its wonderful scenery, with striking chalk cliffs and cute bays. Additionally, this location is also becoming a popular place to learn surfing and can also boast of two blue flag beaches in the form of Botany Bay and Stone Bay.
If you love sand between your toes, there is no better place than Littlehampton, home to the UK’s longest beach! At 1,000 feet long, both Littlehampton’s east and west beaches are regularly awarded the Blue Flag of beach quality excellence. Furthermore, the family-friendly East Beach is home to the award-winning East Beach Café. With spectacular beach-front views, its quirky design was created by architect Thomas Heatherwick. When we are here, we love taking the Littlehampton Ferry over to Littlehampton’s unspoiled West Beach. As a local nature reserve with an area of scientific interest, it is a perfect place for long walks and quiet afternoons.
Moving slightly further away from London takes us to our favourite spot in West Sussex, West Wittering. Similar to Littlehampton’s West Beach, this area is relatively unspoiled thanks to the efforts of a group of locals in 1952 that bought the beach and surrounding area to ensure that it was not over developed. Now home to internationally recognised wildlife and birdlife, West Wittering is a popular choice for families buying property in the Home Counties. Blessed with a blue flag awarded beach, the area features a variety of interesting rock pools, grasslands, and fun activities to boot. Its fantastic location sees it close to the historic cathedral city of Chichester and the open spaces of the South Downs. If you want to sell your London home, this area is popular with property buyers, with Rolling Stones’ Keith Wood even purchasing an estate here.
With the quirkiness of smaller locations and outdoor life you may crave, we really recommend these areas in the South East of England if you are looking to sell your house quickly in London. If you’re looking for a quick commute, check out our Commuter Guides focusing on Kent and also Surrey. Alternatively, if you like the open space afforded in the Home Counties or Greater London but still want to stay in the capital, you may find that East London is the place to be.
Vivo Property Buyers is the trading name for Potrell London Ltd, The Ashridge Business Centre 121 High Street, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, HP4 2DJ.
