The best coastal town to live in?

[Bookaholic73]

DH and I are considering a move. We’ve both lived in the south west, in a small market town that we love. But we would love a change.

I WFH and he works in healthcare so could find a job in most places.
Ideally we would be coastal (but not still in the south west) with good train links to a city.

I know that sounds very vague, but we are just curious at this point.

Port Stewart

@Eve @GiveMyHeadPeaceffs when does Barry's reopen. To my shame I've been back in NI 10yrs and have never taken DH despite spending part of our honeymoon in portstewart

@BadEyeBri but Portstewart doesn't have a good rail link to a city. It is nice though but I still prefer Portrush.

Not keen on seaside places, pretty on a summer's day but pretty dire in the winter. And a lot of places have a nice seafront but are grotty a couple of streets in, Brighton and Torquay spring to mind.

Deal is massively overrated in my view though DH likes it.

Chichester is nice and close to the coast. Rye is also nice and close to the coast but not right on it (anymore) and it is relatively easy to get to Canterbury by train (via Ashford).

Cardiff is on the coast and a great city to live in.

If you have always lived in the south-west moving to Edinburgh or north-east England might be a bit cold! I'd second Formby or Southport as options, although I've not been to either for years. Formby has red squirrels though, which is enough of a draw for me .

@BadEyeBri I think it's being sold 😞

Whitehaven is lovely and very near Carlisle. Also St Bees is very, very nice.

@GiveMyHeadPeaceffs a great idea for a gofundme if I ever heard one. You up for it?

Whitby is lovely but the train link thing is off with most Yorkshire coastal towns! They’re miles away from big cities and the trains are always extortionate and pretty useless.

Whitehaven is awful . St Bees is nice, nothing there at all though.

@BLACKTUESDAY1

Jaywick

You first!

West Kirby or Formby are on the coast and only a short train ride from Liverpool

Leigh on Sea, Thorpe Bay, Wivenhoe, Aldeburgh, Penarth.

Forgot Frinton-on-Sea.

Deal, Kent.

Jersey

Arnside

@SuziQuatrosFatNan

Blackpool

You made me spit out my cup of tea. Good joke.

Leigh on Sea (again) Thorpe bay Shoebury garrison.

Morecambe. The Eden of the North. Wouldn't live anywhere else - the views and sunsets are stunning.

Salcombe

Another vote for Deal.

Christchurch or Lymington!!

I don’t like cold wet weather so I would be heading more South East as I tend to think it’s a bit drier and often warmer.

East Kent is drier and sunnier than the SW, I think, but can be very cold - easterly winds that slice right through you, and it's not unknown for bits of the county to be cut off when it snows.

But there is lovely country and coast, and when the weather is good, it can be very good. And I think the public transport probably compares favourably with the SW.

Deal is nice, but it's a long ride on the train to London, and it's not even on a direct line to Canterbury.

Another vote for Portobello, Edinburgh.

I came on to second Portrush. Or am I thirding it now?