East Sussex is cheaper than West Sussex, slightly more awkward to reach by car and by train, but it is richly rewarding. Once you leave Kent and the smart shops of Tunbridge Wells are left behind, you thread your way up into the High Weald and towns like Wadhurst, Mayfield and Battle weave their charms.
Towns in East Sussex which offer lower house prices include Uckfield and Crowbrough but Eastbourne and Hastings right on the sea are also good hunting grounds.
The star town of East Sussex is Lewes, full of cobbled streets, arty shops, hillside houses with views of the South Downs and the biggest annual Guy Fawkes night in England. Trains are slow and rattle into Charing Cross and Cannon Street, or Victoria, but people put up with it because they know they are living somewhere special.
They savour the sheep-studded hills, statuesque chalk cliffs and the summer spectacle offered by international operatic stars picking their way across the cattle grid to perform at Glyndebourne. They can always pop into Brighton for good restaurants and clothes shops.
It is served by the A21, A27,A22, A26, all liable to clog. Gatwick Airport is easy to get to.
Neighbouring counties include West Sussex, Kent, Surrey.
Stations in East Sussex:
