Having grown up in London, I moved to Brighton to go to University and absolutely fell in love with the seaside city. It had the liveliness of a big town, the serenity you get with the sunset over the sea, while it had creativity in abundance.
But after 15 years, it was time to buy a home and Brighton prices were astronomical. I’m sure that resonates with some people reading this, even more so if you’re based in London and looking to move out somewhere cheaper.
We decided upon Burgess Hill for a number of reasons. It was on the main London to Brighton trainline, it was considered a safe area, it offered nice countryside while still having access to key facilities, while people were very friendly.
So let’s dive into everything you need to know if you’re thinking of moving to Burgess Hill. Also, I apologise for the constant dog photos, but I can’t help but take a few snaps of my dogs while walking around.
Pubs & Bars
Ok, for the main area of pubs, it’s on a completely straight line, connecting to Burgess Hill station, making it ideal if you want to go on a pub crawl.
You can start at the top with Top house, which has an amazing atmosphere, while it also has a huge beer garden. They sometimes have DJ’s here on the weekend and stay open relatively late.
Next along the line is the Railway, unsurprisingly opposite the station. Being a Greene King pub, they tend to have consistent options in regards to food and drink. This pub also has a beer garden, not the biggest and it’s alongside a car park making it not the most attractive, but it’s functional and always a good atmosphere here.
One minute further along is Quench Bar, which used to offer a ‘cheese platter’ of deep fried cheeses (think jalapeno poppers, halloumi bites and mozzarella sticks) along with roast potatoes, it was an absolute guilty pleasure. They have some great craft beers on tap, something that always tempts me in as I love a good IPA.
Another 2 minutes walk along is Block & Gasket, which is the closest this town has to a nightclub, considering it stays open till 2am on weekends and has a dance floor. They also apparently have bottomless brunch, but I haven’t tried it yet.
Some say it’s not a real town if you don’t have a Wetherspoons, it’s hard to argue with that! The prices are phenomenal, so even though I don’t necessarily like the owner, my morals go out the window when I’m in there. It’s useful having the app, as it means table service and you don’t have to get up at all.
The Wetherspoons is really big, with a huge amount of seats, tables and booths. One negative is that the toilet is several floors up, making it quite a trek each time.
The final pub along that line is the Signalbox, an independent micropub brewing their own pints which change regularly.
The key highlight for Signalbox is their Sunday cheese offering, they setup a free buffet of cheese, sausage rolls and quiche at the side of the bar to entice people in. It’s the little things that work on me and they’ve managed to persuade us in quite a few Sundays for a few cheeky pints.
Looking further away from town, you have the Watermill near Wivelsfield station. This pub has a pool table and a darts board, it plays the football with multiple screens and has a decent beer garden, while the staff are all really friendly.
Nearby is the Windmill, but this may change soon as it’s for sale, so I might need to update this soon.
As you head along West Street, you’ll find the Cricketers, while you’ve also got the Woolpack at the right end, which has an amazing beer garden with a huge parking area. While the roast dinner wasn’t great at the Woolpack, I can promise you that the staff are incredibly nice, they have the best beer garden and they’re dog friendly.
Slightly out of town to the North is the Oak Barn. This is easily the poshest option, often chosen for birthday parties or anniversaries. The food is quite pricey, we had a steak, however the building is gorgeous with the big fireplace, so you can’t help but feel happy when you’re in there, especially in the winter months.
Restaurants
There are some great Thai food options, while we’ve falled in love with Bangkok Brasserie, which we always order as a takeaway but they do have a nice restaurant in town which you can visit. You also have Green Mango, newly named but still offering the same great food, which we visited with Raquel’s dad and partner.
Next door to Bangkok Brasserie is Gurkha Spice, an amazing Indian restaurant which had really nice and friendly staff. It was fully booked but they managed to squeeze us in for an hour, so it’s definitely worth booking beforehand.
If you are craving an Indian, you’re seriously spoilt for choice, it’s my favourite so this is a big win for me! To the right of the station is Flavour, a nice big Indian restaurant with some great tasting options on the menu, while it’s never too crowded when I’ve been.
Naasta is certainly a more unique Indian street food restaurant, meaning it won’t have all the dishes you come to expect, which is great when you want to mix it up and the quality is exceptionally good.
If you’re after an Indian takeaway, we do love Hot & Spicy, the Tikka Masala from here is the best we’ve had in Burgess Hill.
If you’re craving an Italian, then my nice neighbour Simon talks about how incredible Buon Appetito is. I’ve seen they’ve won an award for their pizza and they’re most definitely a local favourite, but I have to admit I haven’t yet been there.
The final option I’ll highlight is Yaprak, a Turkish restaurant with a huge seating area, however I’ve not yet been, but everyone I’ve met speaks very highly of the food here.
Dentists
Firstly, if you’re hoping to get on NHS, it’s virtually impossible now, but that’s not purely a local issue, that’s in every city, but I just want to state this to avoid any disappointment.
There is actually 3 in a row just a 2 minute walk from town on Station road, being Burgess Hill Dental, Gateway Dental and Dentalessence. I’m not sure why they’re all in a row, but I go to one of these and I’m a very happy customer so far.
1 minute closer to town is Queens Crescent Dental Practice, I can’t say I know too much about this one or know anyone that’s been so I can’t give any feedback.
Along the main highstreet on Church road is Neyo Dental Specialists, which has a very modern feel and appearance, I was contemplating going here and if I ever need to switch I’d probably give this one a go, but for now I’m happy where I am.
You do have a few others which are a bit further from town, ideal if you want something local to your home, with Elite Dental Smiles on West Street, however there is nothing around the Wivelsfield station area. Having said that, town is so small, you can easily walk over to the other dentists in just 15 minutes.
Where’s Best To Get A House?
This largely depends on what you’re looking for, such as whether you want to be in a close proximity to a school or whether being near a gym is important to you.
Two of the nicest streets in Burgess Hill are Crescent road and Park road, both close to St John’s Park. A lot of the houses are large and detached, however they don’t get listed very often.
The Leylands Road area around the Worlds End post office is a bit run-down, so you may want to avoid any of these houses, they’re not in great condition unfortunately.
If you’re looking for a 2-bed, there are a number of nice options just off Valebridge road, such as down Valebridge drive and in this area.
In general, finding a house between Burgess Hill station and Wivelsfield station is ideal, as it means you can easily get off at either station and have a short walk home.
Transport Around Town
It’s just a 23 minute walk from Burgess hill station to Wivelsfield station, so if I miss one train, I often take the other.
For example, if I’m coming back from Clapham Junction, I could catch the Brighton train, which will stop at Burgess Hill and sometimes will stop at Wivelsfield, whereas if I catch the Eastbourne train then that one stops at Wivelsfield. I can therefore pick based on what’s coming first and what’s more convenient, but the Eastbourne train tends to be less busy.
There are a number of buses and bus stops around town, but in general you don’t have a massive need for them (I don’t want to stereotype as I know some may be less physically able).
The key issue is parking in the centre of town. If you were to be a short 10 minute walk from the main highstreet, then you can easily park almost anywhere for free and with plenty of spaces. But if you want to park in town, they charge a fortune.
The issue here is that it is affecting how many people shop in town if they live on the outskirts. For me, I love walking everywhere, so it’s not a massive inconvenience, but I am just a 12 minute walk from town, so it’s easy for me to say that.
Things To Do
On the first day we moved here, when we needed a break from unboxing, we opened up Tripadvisor and went to the highest rated activity, which was the Mill Pond Waterfall at Valebridge.
It was a little tricky to initially find, as you begin exploring the Bedelands, a huge wooded area which is ideal for dog walks. The Bedelands made us truly feel like we were far from Brighton, not having to take the dogs to a park and instead having them run free through the woodlands with a river running along.
Eventually we reached the waterfall, which was beautiful and completely empty, making it feel like a hidden gem, despite it being high on the ‘to do’ list for the area. I guess locals have seen it enough that it’s lost its magical aura.
I’ve never quite seen a football match at the local club, but I’ve been really eager to go watch a game, as being a Liverpool fan means it’s a bit pricey to head up North for a match.
I’ve written a complete guide on the best things to do in Burgess Hill which I recommend having a read of.
Where Can I Go For A Coffee?
If you’re looking for a new local option then Mnesic is in town. It’s not dog friendly but the coffee is apparently really good here, I’ve still yet to go in but people keep telling me how nice it is so it’s high on my list to visit.
You also have the big chain option in Caffe Nero, which has some cosy seats and tasty food options.
I’m longing for the day one opens up closer to Wivelsfield station, so I can get a coffee on my way to work!
Gyms
The main gym in Burgess Hill is PureGym, based on London road and with a parking area outside the front. The gym is a decent size and is easily the most popular in town, but that also means a few queues for the most popular machines at peak times.
There is also Phx gym, which is in the South-West in the Business Park, ideal if you end up working or living near here, but I’m the other side of the town so a bit far for me.
There are also some mini home-style gyms which have been setup by personal trainers, a cool concept and ideal if you’re looking for a one-to-one service.
Is Burgess Hill A Good Place To Live?
For me, absolutely yes! I love living here. If you’re part of the Burgess Hill Gossip Facebook group, you would think it was an apocalypse zone, but this is the same as Facebook groups in every town and city across the country.
The people are so friendly; it’s such a local connected feel with people saying ‘good morning’ as you walk past, it always makes me smile.
The crime is low, you’re not going to experience a mugging or anything of that nature, however the number of bike thefts has sadly gone up. Being a small town, everybody here knows the culprit, but unfortunately the courts keep failing to lock them up and so they just re-offend all over again.
The Martlets shopping centre is pretty depressing, I believe it was meant to be being financed for a big project that fell through and now it’s just a dump. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not even looking for shops, as that’s going against the reality of online shopping and the trend globally. But to have some form of entertainment in town would be nice!
The house prices are very low, we looked all across Sussex and it was the best price for a well-connected town, you can pay less if you’re willing to go completely off-grid, but for a town based on the London-Brighton trainline, it was the cheapest option, with Crawley the closest in price, which has a much higher crime rate. Lancing was also a cheap option, but with not much going on here and Worthing has shot up in price over the past decade, while it also has issues with crime rates.