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Am I mad to want to relocate to Cornwall?

82 replies

salviapages · 08/04/2022 15:34

Seems like the kind of thing people do after retirement on an episode of Escape to the Country...but surely it's not mad to actually do it?

My husband and I live in Sussex and are expecting our first baby, we've known for years we'll have to move away to be able to afford to buy somewhere (we currently rent)

My MIL lives in Cornwall, I've been looking at properties out there and they are lovely and in our budget. We've been a few times and it seems lovely. Is there a downside? Do any of you live there, can you advise me anything to consider first?

My mum pointed out that it's 'very isolated' - I suppose she means from the rest of England/London but this doesn't really bother me, I've lived close to London all my life and rarely go. We love the countryside and currently grow our own veg, do lots of country walks etc so I think we'd fit right in. Is it mad?

OP posts:
Sanch1 · 08/04/2022 15:49

Great in the winter, a right nightmare in the summer when trying to just do your weekly shop can take hours because of all the tourists. Or frustrating because the quiet little beach you love is packed. Or you can't get a table at your favourite cafe or restaurant because it's fully booked with tourists. There are the obvious upsides but people who move here don't consider the bad sides that people that have always lived here know about!

Sanch1 · 08/04/2022 15:51

Also not great for job opportunities depending on what you do? Housing might be in your budget but it's in short supply. One hospital for the whole county. Road and rail links aren't brilliant......

Loopytiles · 08/04/2022 15:53

One big downside is job opportunities / wages.

salviapages · 09/04/2022 18:40

Thanks, I grew up in a very touristy place so I don't think that would bother me too much. I'm primary teacher and husband is a dog trainer so I think we'd be okay for jobs. Hadn't even thought to look up hospitals that's a good point!

OP posts:
HewasH2O · 09/04/2022 18:51

Treliske is dire. Don't even think about moving until after you've had the baby. Whereabouts are you thinking of moving to?

A580Hojas · 09/04/2022 18:55

What jobs will you do? When I lived in the very west of Devon (admittedly 27 years ago) I had to take an excessively dull office job that paid less than half of my office job in London. Is that still the case?

GrannyAchingsShepherdsHut · 09/04/2022 18:55

Roughly where are you thinking of? Lots of advice will depend on the area.

A580Hojas · 09/04/2022 18:58

Sanch1 - how would Cornwall survive without tourists? I'm not being arsey because I live in one of the biggest tourist destinations in the world and know what it's like to have to be patient. But I always think people who moan about tourists aren't really thinking straight.

ChiswickFlo · 09/04/2022 18:59

One hospital
No public transport
Poor schools
Lots of poverty
Probably OK for small kids but teens will hate it

MNCar · 09/04/2022 19:01

All depends where tbh.

Beachsidesunset · 09/04/2022 19:02

@HewasH2O

Treliske is dire. Don't even think about moving until after you've had the baby. Whereabouts are you thinking of moving to?
Could you elaborate? I'm moving to Cornwall in June and my baby is due in August!
Littlebird43 · 09/04/2022 19:11

We moved to Cornwall with DC 1 & 3. We have beautiful views of the sea, 20mins drive from surfing beaches or moorland and 20 mins bus ride from Plymouth for everything else. Cornwall is fantastic if you look beyond the tourism honeypots.

Cornishmumofone · 09/04/2022 19:57

Getting a teaching job might be harder than you think. Teaching is one of the best paid jobs in the county, so there's not as much movement as in other areas.

If you don't live within walking distance of a town then you will spend a lot of time driving your child/ren around when they're older.

Property prices are eye-wateringly high right now and rental properties are hard to come by.

MrsLargeEmbodied · 09/04/2022 20:01

if your mil lives there that is a great start
can you perhaps try devon? bit less far out.

musicinspring1 · 09/04/2022 20:05

I was going to echo @Cornishmumofone and say that teaching jobs aren’t as easy to get as you might think - and you may need to travel quite a way across the county to get one. Definitely have a look before and you might want to factor in travel etc

2reefsin30knots · 09/04/2022 20:14

It certainly used to be the case that it was fiercely competitive to get a teaching job in Cornwall, especially in primary.

I live in the SW. My DS does a sport that has a regional circuit. The kids who live down in Cornwall have to travel for hours even for this (which is supposed to be 'local'). Any out of area opportunity will be the same.

Personally, I'd look at Devon. Similar positives but many fewer negatives.

MNCar · 09/04/2022 20:15

It’s not as bad as some make out. There is a new birthing unit there now and lots of investment into care. There is also Penrice which was lovely.

MrsMigginsCat · 09/04/2022 20:16

Good bits: great beaches, warmer climate, Bodmin moor, lots of lovely independent shops and restaurants.

Bad bits: house prices, lack of rental properties, dire public transport, traffic in the summer, rammed with people in the summer, low wages, one hospital, pockets of deprivation.

MNCar · 09/04/2022 20:17

Treliske as the main hospital though is really overstretched. Ambulance waits really high.

cjpark · 09/04/2022 20:18

It’s a very long county OP. It can take 3 hrs to travel from the border with Devon to Cornwall, and varies widely in economic and social diversity. There are some terribly deprived areas - wages are low, jobs seasonal and yet decent homes and activities/food expensive, pushed up by tourism demands. Saying that OP, I love living in Cornwall. I was born in Cornwall, moved away to gain my professional quals and we are lucky enough to have good jobs and work hard. Today I went to the beach with friends for a swim and the family came down for bbq bacon sarnies for lunch with the dogs. My kids travel into Devon for school as there is a grammar system. Primary schools are generally ok.
It does get busy in the summer so we tend to go away in August for a couple of weeks to escape the madness. I don’t mind the isolation. I can get to London in 5 hrs by train, Bristol airport in 2hr. My teen have a very outdoors lifestyle - they surf, sail, learn to drive at 17 as public transport is rubbish!

NotMeekNotObedient · 09/04/2022 20:22

Consider what you want to do on your maternity leave...

Out in the sicks you often have the choice of one babygroup, at the church, which has no spaces.

Living in a town I have stuff to do every day!

Kezzie200 · 09/04/2022 20:28

We moved here in our early 20s, although only from Devon so not much difference!

We already both had careers - husband with a national company and I got a new job just as I fully qualified. We are still here 30 years later but...

Both our children have moved away for careers as there are not many opportunities here unless you fall into the right categories. Make sure you have the better earner in work before you move.

However my daughter recently thanked us for bringing her up in Cornwall as she now lives in teh North and works with people brought up in large cities and her school years were almost "famous five" in comparison (assuming they managed to avoid the inevitable drugs and alcohol issues that are everywhere)

Finding somewhere to live here is awful at the moment as so many properties have moved to holiday lets. That might change if foreign travel resumes and the cost of power stays eye-wateringly high - but its unlikely to happen overnight and its terrible finding a place here at the moment. If you can live with MIL to start with that might be a plan.

Schools are rather hit and miss and long travel times means you don't really get much choice, although if you are near Plymouth there are some good grammars available to.those who qualify.

It's often said there's nothing for children to do but that's rubbish if your children are active. We have dancing, theatre, music, wild water swimming, running, footie, rugby, beavers, scouts, paddleboarding, beach activities, gig rowing, kayaking and plenty of summer jobs! The kids need to want to do these things though. Some simply don't.

Cornwall is a long way from anywhere. So 2 to 3 hours will get you to Bristol where the rest of the UK suddenly becomes accessible.

You will need a car. Or two. The public transport is awful.

I wouldn't have wanted to live anywhere else really. I don't mind busy season as its what helps our area thrive.

HewasH2O · 09/04/2022 20:32

A family member went into Treliske last month for routine surgery. He's now on kidney dialysis, has sepsis and caught Covid in ICU after a never event. My DM suffered cardiac arrest during an angiogram there. On the plus side, there is a great air ambulance, as it can easily take over an hour to do a 30 mile trip to Treliske.

Kezzie200 · 09/04/2022 20:32

Ahh yeah, sailing club! Forgot that one. Honestly there's loads to do for kids that are up for it.

HewasH2O · 09/04/2022 20:35

Rental properties are like gold dust, as people get far more from holiday lets & air bnb than from long term rentals. It's not helped by people from up country deciding it would be nice to move to Cornwall from London after lockdown snatching up homes and second homes.