Join the escape to the country

Lockdown has seen all of us spending more time than usual in our homes, catching up on all the jobs around the house and in the garden, which perhaps we wouldn’t have got around to doing in ‘normal’ times.

For many of us it’s been a time to appreciate what we have and enjoy revitalising where we live.

But what if you’ve found sharing your house with your extended family has made you feel the need more space, or you have a balcony but now long for a garden? Many people are re-evaluating their lives following lockdown.

They are now thinking about moving out to the countryside, perhaps to work more from home, which may be easier now that companies are realising that a workforce who have a better work-life balance can be even more productive and they can save on spiralling office costs.

Living in the countryside is appealing on lots of levels and

Kent’s varied landscape offers charming villages, miles of footpaths, cycle routes across the whole county, long stretches of coast and the opportunity to enjoy a variety of outdoor pursuits. Good commuter links to the major London terminals, including the fast service to St Pancras, make it relatively easy for a trip to the capital if necessary. Westerhill Homes’ Forstal Mead development in Coxheath, on the outskirts of Maidstone, offers a delightful semi-rural setting in a country lane, with some of the new homes overlooking a vista of the River Medway Valley. The village is surrounded by orchards and strawberry fields but is only a short drive from Maidstone. Coxheath is popular with buyers who move there for the schools and the good range of shops including a post office, baker and butcher. Forstal Mead - an Optivo in partnership with Westerhill Homes development - is open by appointment only for viewings of its two show homes. The development is a mix of three, four and five bedroom homes. Prices start at £345,000 for The Betony, a threebedroom, semi-detached house with two parking spaces. The Moving Made Easy scheme at Forstal Mead makes your move even less stressful with agent’s fees paid and the whole process managed for you.