A Perfect Landing Place — Extended Stays for Families Relocating to East Sussex
There is a particular kind of exhaustion that comes not from a long journey, but from the accumulation of decisions.
When you are relocating — whether from overseas or simply between chapters of your life — every day brings a new list. School applications. Solicitors. Rental viewings. Banking. And underneath all of it, the quiet work of settling a family who have been uprooted and need, more than anything, to feel at home somewhere.
We built The Ashdown Escape as a private retreat. A place where people come to exhale. And over time, we have come to understand that for some families, it serves a particular and important purpose — as a beautiful, stable base during the weeks or months when home is not quite ready yet.
Private grounds at The Ashdown Escape — a peaceful landing place for families in transition
What makes The Ashdown Escape work for an extended stay is, in some ways, what makes it work for any stay. It is private — entirely yours, with no shared spaces, no other guests and no neighbours visible from the gardens. It is spacious — five bedrooms sleeping up to ten guests, which means that multi-generational families, families with live-in help, or simply families who need room to breathe, will find it here. And it is genuinely equipped for life rather than just for a weekend — a full kitchen, a washing machine, a tumble dryer, high-speed broadband, and outdoor space for children who need to move.
The property sits in Coleman's Hatch, a quiet village on the eastern edge of the Ashdown Forest in East Sussex. East Grinstead station is four miles away, with direct trains to London Bridge in 55 minutes. Gatwick Airport is 18 miles. Brighton is half an hour by car. For a family managing a relocation while still keeping professional and personal commitments alive, the location works.
Open-plan living designed for gathering — The Ashdown Escape feels like home from the first evening
The Ashdown Forest itself is worth a word here. It is six thousand acres of ancient woodland and heathland, the largest area of publicly accessible open land in the South East of England. It is also, famously, the landscape that A.A. Milne walked with his son Christopher Robin — the hills and pine trees that became the Hundred Acre Wood. For children who have grown up in cities, or who are processing the strangeness of a new country, there is something quietly restorative about having this on the doorstep. Space to walk. Somewhere to be outside without a plan.
For families waiting on school places, the location is particularly practical. Within twenty minutes of the property sit several of the region's finest independent schools: Brambletye (preparatory, Forest Row, 3 miles) - and where our children all attended. Ardingly College (3–18, 8 miles), Worth School (11–18, 10 miles), Michael Hall Steiner School (Forest Row, 4 miles) and Cumnor House Sussex (preparatory, 8 miles). The state schools in the surrounding villages and towns are also well regarded, and the area attracts families who have made considered choices about where their children are educated.
Extended stays at The Ashdown Escape are available from two weeks, depending on availability, and we are happy to discuss flexible arrangements for families with complex timelines. Check-in and check-out can be arranged to suit your situation. A welcome hamper is included. And if there is anything specific your family needs to feel settled — high chairs, extra beds, a particular setup — we will do our best.
We do not offer a hotel experience. What we offer is closer to borrowing a well-loved family home for a while. The kettle is where you would expect it to be. The garden is entirely yours. The forest is is literally outside the gates.
If you are navigating a relocation and are looking for somewhere to anchor your family during the process, we would be glad to hear from you.
Contact us about extended stays
The Ashdown Escape, Coleman's Hatch, East Sussex. Sleeps 10. 70 minutes from London. Extended stays from 2 weeks — enquire directly for monthly rates.