During the pandemic Nick Ede found himself falling out of love with London, the city he had called home for quarter of a century.
A staycation in Sussex provided the inspiration for his new life.
TV pundit Nick, a regular panellist on Good Morning Britain and founder of Style For Stroke, which raises money for stroke victims, and his husband Drew Naylor, a luxury public relations director, were sharing a £4,000pcm flat in Hackney with their cavapoochon dog Beverly.
When they were plunged into lockdown, the three of them crowded into the one bedroom warehouse-style rental.
Nick also started to get increasingly aware of how much crime there was going on in his neighbourhood.
“London lost its gloss during that time,” he said.
“There was a lot of crime going on — a lot of drugs, delivery drivers being mugged for meals, dogs being poisoned or being stolen to order around Victoria Park.
“It didn’t feel like the London I had been in for 25 years.”
One day Nick, 50, founder of PR company East of Eden had had enough and told Drew, 35, that he was keen to move on.
“I just one day said I think that we need to get out of here, it is so oppressive, and I am not happy here,” he said.
Drew agreed and the couple started their property search in obvious commuter locations like Godalming and Cobham, Surrey.
Then they remembered a trip they had taken to the medieval town of Rye, in East Sussex, and how much they had liked its cobbled streets and historic architecture, as well as its proximity to the sea.
The golden beaches of Camber Sands are three miles away.
“At that time there were waiting lists for houses in Rye,” said Nick.
“We put our names down with every single estate agent and saw a few places we didn’t like. Then this terribly decorated old Victorian terrace came up. We realised we could make it into a bit of a project.”
In the winter of 2020 Nick and Drew paid circa £400,000 for the four bedroom, three-storey townhouse.
Their mortgage payments come in at around £1,500pcm, less than half the cost of their London rent.
Both work from home part of the week – when they do need to get to London high speed trains to St Pancras International take just over an hour.
High speed travel isn’t a budget option, however – return trips cost between around £40 and £90, depending on the time of day.
Work on the house is ongoing. Nick and Drew have redecorated, redone their bathrooms, and ripped up the hideous aubergine-coloured carpets and tatty vinyl floors and stripped back the floorboards.
This summer they plan to sort out the garden, and they also plan to extend and remodel the kitchen.
“It is so satisfying,” said Nick.
Rye has a reputation for being a haven for retirees; according to the latest census around a third of its population is aged 65-plus.
Nick agrees that it is a bit of an oldie town, but he and Drew have made friends with everyone from local shopkeepers to friends of friends who have also moved to the area.
There have been a few downsides to the move – the loss of London essentials like Deliveroo and a supermarket within walking distance has been aggravating, and Nick now has to get up at 3am to get to SE1 where Good Morning Britain is filmed.
But he feels the benefits more than make up for the odd early start.
“Before a lunch break would mean going to Tesco Metro and getting a meal deal,” said Nick.
“Now I go to the beach, swim, sunbathe, and then go home and grab something to eat. It is so much better for you.”
