Pros and Cons of living in a popular holiday location

[itmsylifeitsnowornever]

We are considering re-locating to a seaside town (undecided exactly where yet but around Devon and Cornwall).

If you live in a popular holiday location, what are the pros and cons?

And by expensive parking I mean:

• £5/hour to park at the supermarket or elsewhere in town
• Hundreds of pounds a year for the right to park on our road (and still not guaranteed a space)
• Need to buy passes for your own family visitors, builders, cleaners etc too

And when I say busy streets, I mean so packed that we plan our walking routes to do longer detours around the worst areas, tiny alleys the visitors don't know, walking along the riverbank because the main shopping areas are rammed.

That many houses are holiday homes
The school closed
The shop closed (they do like online deliveries)
1 of the pubs closed (need all year round trade)

But hey- the selfish second home owners can pop in for a quick weekend genuine country experience. Pop their barbour and hunters on and try and buy bottles of champagne in the pub.

Having to buy our bloody permit to park on our own St

That's not really a seaside thing though is it? Most major cities in the U.K. are like this? At least in busy areas?

In the U.K. I think Cornwall would be too remote and fiddly to live for me. What about other coastal areas? There are so many that are also beautiful but with better roads and access to big cities.

@Apolloanddaphne

Falmouth?

We're planning/hoping to retire there. Our research is well underway; it's good to be mindful of some of the comments on this thread

@ifancyagreencard

Not even close. St Andrews in Scotland. Nicest place in the world!

@apolloanddaphne

Indeed, not even close. DD is at Falmouth, her BF is at St Andrews. They couldn’t have ended up further apart!

Very jealous of you; you’ve got PUFFINS!

I live by the sea, we are outside town but our beach/area is very popular with visitors (south coast).

Pro's - it's lovely for about ten months a year. Beautiful scenery, deserted beach, very quiet (which is why we moved here). There are a lot of weekend cottages which are empty most of the year, but there are also a fair amount of full time residents. The shops do stay open year-round and we've got a cinema.

Con's - for two months of the year it's hell, particularly if the weather is good. I have to go into town really early as it's hard to park there, the roads are full of motorhomes and motorists generally not knowing where they are going and parking inappropriately. The beaches are packed. I dread August.

There is no way I would live in one of the main seaside towns, but we're a few miles outside so we rarely get any anti-social holidaymaker problems. We've been here 15 years, I love it.

People trying to come into your house,

TRYING?! I had people walk right in!

We live in a small town 4 miles from the coast, east sussex. In the summer we get the train to the coast, 15 mins. Worst thing really is local pay, lack of jobs.

Having to buy our bloody permit to park on our own St

That's not really a seaside thing though is it? Most major cities in the U.K. are like this? At least in busy areas?

Yes, but if the OP is moving from a market town or village, they might not realise, my parents didn't.

A pp mentions 'air b&b party houses'. This really is something to be wary of. Friends living in a quiet rural/seaside type spot of a popular holiday county had a neighbouring large house turned into a holiday let. People down for a couple of weeks think it's fair game to have late night noisy bbq's and music/drinking sessions in the back garden, after all its only perhaps once or twice during their stay, but then the next occupants do the same, and so, ad infinitum, for all the season. They moved out. Same county, but somewhere where they have no neighbours within view or earshot.

I’m fascinated by the idea of people just walking into houses how is this a thing??

I have also lived in a holiday place (still do, but this one's not quite so busy!). Coaches on narrow country lanes. Coaches disgorging loads of shoppers. Good for business, but awful trying to get around and do your own shopping. Motor homes and caravans on narrow lanes (there a theme here).
However, my parents used to live in a beautiful part of the north Cotswolds. An American couple in a hire car broke down outside my parents rural and remote cottage. This was in the days before mobile phones were common. They asked to use my parents phone, ended up staying for lunch and dinner, and it became a strong friendship over many years, with mutual visiting. So, there can be great things to come out of meeting strangers.

Pros:
Immediacy to beautiful area when weather is great
People are happy because they want to be here and create a great vibe
You may not want to go on holiday again (we have enough adventure here for a lifetime) - saves money!
Beautiful surroundings
Great facilities for entertainment - cafes, etc.
Quietish off season - have the place to yourself
Seasonal work for DCs, meeting people from all backgrounds

Cons:
Busy busy busy busy
You almost dread great weather in the morning as you sense the hoardes heading your way
Traffic, chaos and noise pollution during peak times
Taking the place for granted as you become accustomed to it
You dread any major publicity such as filming movies, etc as there will inevitably be the crowds follow
You might end up on lots of social media stuff unwittingly!

Apollo ..I had you down for Aberystwyth lol
I live in a seaside resort in the ne
It’s quite nice. Luckily we don’t get the weather so we aren’t plagued with too many people
In fact the people you see at the beach are probably locals having a mad half hour before it’s time to get coats and wellies on and brollies up

The council slapped parking charges on the road along the sea front so locals who drive stay away in the summer and go in the winter when it’s free
Weather wise ..there’s no difference lol

Ah yes, TV and films. Blocking roads or even whole areas, so you can't get through. My building was once in a BBC drama, one whole day of working from home whilst the heroine was repeatedly murdered, loudly, next door. The council and people who own the houses get paid, their poor neighbours don't get anything.

We weren't permits until £££ were ploughed into our area and council made extra car parks. Then they realised they could make extra ££charging us also!!

On dark wet days in summer visitors wear cheery colours, smile and eat ice-cream. It is hard not to smile back and feel better.

You have a real contrast between seasons - even if the weather doesn't change much. (Summer very busy and bustling - winter quiet and reflective.)

Travel in summer is sloooooooow and has to be factored in all the time.

Not all holiday places welcome in-comers or 'grockles' as permanent residents. It can take many years to be accepted. (The belief that 'our' people are the best seems to be shared by all places.) Having children helps but you might need to defer to THE families for more than 10 years after arriving.

If you have a spare room - beware of becoming a free holiday destination for people you hardly know. As we know, there are CFs out there.

Pros: it's a lovely part of the world. The fish. The people. The history.
Cons: supposed adults wearing Hogwarts cloaks. Traffic. Mental queues at Di Meo's, Harbour chippy etc. We had enough for a small house in Amble, or a big one 3 miles inland. So we were sensible.

Car park prices increasing in the summer for everyone, not just tourists (though I guess they operate season tickets for the heaviest users).

Oh and if you go out of Cornwall for a bank holiday weekend you're going in the opposite direction to everyone else so you don't get stuck on the M5 this - or the A303. Except at Christmas when people are going both ways.

Oh, and according to my mum who just phoned today and lives in Devon, a hotbed of celebrating Brexiteers who are all having parties tonight. They invited her and she declined, not massively politely...

So if you voted to remain in the EU you may wish to reconsider. If you voted to leave, well your tribe is right there.

Crap in the winter
No where to park in summer