Am I mad to want to relocate to Cornwall?

[salviapages]

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?

We live in Cornwall. You work around the tourists, it's useful to think of it them as a crop. Watered & fed for profit. They are often boorish but they are on holiday, messy, leaving litter and burying BBQs on beaches. They can be a bit fighty and bring crime. Lockdown was amazing here, so many of us are feeling that there could be another way. They are on holiday but often feel ownership/entitlement because they spend the same two weeks a year.
So find an area with community for the kids,for work, for your school. Would your DH join the RNLI or volunteer firebrigade for extra money/ building roots?
Energy/fuel costs will be a factor if you need to head up country often. Hopefully it will rocket, reading second homes back into the community.

You’re right OP; Cornish house prices are nowhere near as high as Sussex. In our village it’s impossible to get a 3 bed for less than £500k.

I’m a primary teacher too and we did consider this about a decade ago, but the difference is that the in laws and my dad all live in our village and we need their support with the children. If you have support there then it might be the better option!

Re teenagers, I don’t think that’s just Cornwall. I grew up in rural Lincolnshire and luckily was into horses, because the only other entertainment was drinking. PPs are right though in that your children might not stick around in such an area; even if they enjoy the rural life, they might still need to be closer to job opportunities.

@HewasH2O

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.

That's only the greedy sells faults though not the buyers from up country

Been here 20 years now, live out in the sticks on Bodmin Moor. I have loved being here but there are very much ups and downs:

Ups: the scenery is lovely and if you like the outdoors there are plenty of things to do - walking, swimming, surfing, sailing..We found the Cornish to be very friendly but we have got involved in the community and we are learning the language and history. We are also blessed with super fast fibre broadband so can work from home easily. The local meat, veg, fruit and fish is wonderful.

Downs: the winter weather has been awful the last few years - relentless rain. Public transport is appalling, it does take a while to get anywhere and you can forget going to your favourite beaches in high summer as they are rammed.

With regards to health care, just been in Treliske and couldn't fault them but they are horribly overstretched. The staff were unfailingly cheerful but talk of people waiting hours in ambulances is common. Cornwall desperately needs another hospital. NHS dentistry is more or less nonexistent.
Scraped money together to send both kids private for secondary school, so can't speak for state sector.
There are quite a few dog trainers already - I'd be looking at second strings to the bow. If you live in SE Cornwall the jobs market in Plymouth will probably have more opportunities.
As pp have mentioned property prices are through the roof. It is becoming a two tier society- there's a huge amount of poverty and food bank use whilst places like Steins and Nathan Outlaw charge ££££ for tasting menus.
Do your research well and look beyond all the glossy TV programmes.

I grew up in Devon and I'm afraid I left as soon as I could and have never wanted to return. Others will of course have a different experience.

As a teen I found it insular, suffocating, remote with a slightly dark edge. I can't really explain it.

Finding a teaching job then finding a suitable property within sensible commuting distance may be very challenging. A friend in Cornwall recently recruited a skilled employee who was keen to relocate with his family but they ended up not coming because they couldn’t find suitable accommodation despite a good budget, or school places for their kids.

[quote MrsLargeEmbodied]@LindyLou2020

the op is @salviapages[/quote]
SINCERE APOLOGIES 😫😫😫
Got my wires crossed!

I live in Cornwall, not by choice but birth. Cant wait to leave which will be happening this year 🤞🏻. I have raised two kids here, two to go and I am leaving to give them opportunities they wont have here.
Real life isnt like the holiday pics, pretty much zero further education/work options for when your child grows up, no public transport, no ethnic diversity or culture to speak of, one VERY over stretched hospital.
Rain. SO MUCH RAIN. The places near the coast are nice, most of the rest is a shit hole, very deprived in most of the inland towns with all the social chaos that entails.

Grew up here, moved away to London, then came back to look after elderly parents. I can't wait to move back to somewhere less remote with more culture and restaurants that don't close at 10.30pm.

Definitely do a winter here before committing. The weather is absolutely dire - snows once a decade and you can guarantee that while the rest of the country has a heatwave, Cornwall will be covered in freezing sea mist. The climate sits between 13-18 degrees all year with 90+% humidity.

On the plus side, knowing that if they want to escape to somewhere better, they have to work hard and pass their exams is a good motivator for my teens!

We did it a few years back with small DC. Absolutely amazing. Beach is lovely to have on our doorstep. More laidback and natural life. There are loads of teaching jobs near us. We had jobs we could do from anywhere so jobs weren't an issue. I haven't experienced poverty in our area. We are all so much happier.

Ah I see a lot of people mentioning it's dire for teens but I have a lot of family who grew up here and loved their teen years. Surfing, bbq's on the beach. Hanging by the river. There are towns like Truro and Plymouth (depending where you go) they have good shops/ nightlife. There are a lot of festivals ... it's a way of life here.

I grew up in Cornwall. Couldn’t wait to leave tbh. It’s beautiful, in places, can’t deny that. But as pp’s have said, not many opportunities.

A relative came to stay with me for a week and was thrilled we had a Nando’s not only that but they delivered! (Via deliveroo). She said there are so few options like that in Cornwall. Ok people can live without takeaways but you lose a lot of conveniences you might be used to.

My relative is struggling to afford to keep her car on the road at the moment but she knows without it, life will be so so hard so she’s stuck. Public transport is pretty terrible.

And yes the big one is the hospital. Another relative of mine died because they didn’t get to hospital in time. We can’t know for sure they would have survived had it not taken as long, but they would have had a better chance. A good few years ago I actually worked for the health service ombudsman and the mortality rate for things like heart attacks was much higher in very rural areas like Cornwall.

Another view of Cornwall for teens....mine love it! They always have lots of offers for jobs in school holidays due to tourism, they sail, surf, skate, play rugby and paddle board. They spend evenings on the beach from Easter to September with their friends. As parents, we lift share alot with other families to take the teens to parties, clubs etc. They can get a train to Plymouth for cinema and theatre. Their school is excellent too.

Two peeps I knew who moved to Cornwall moved back.

I grew up in west Cornwall. I think if you’re serious about it you should watch Simon Reeve’s Cornwall if you can find it on iPlayer. It’s very accurate when it comes to the lack of opportunity for young people, and the need to leave for education and work. That’s what happened to me - left for uni and never went back. Teaching is competitive because it’s one career option open to Cornish kids with reasonable pay. Doesn’t mean you won’t have a great family life and your kids won’t love their upbringing, but the schlep home means I rarely see my parents these days!

Schools are not great in Cornwall. My nieces find it boring as they’re not outdoorsy types and my sister has to drive them everywhere.

I live in the Cornwall/Devon borders, which for teaching gives lots of opportunities, including it being commutable to Plymouth, Launceston, Tavistock and Liskeard, plus there are several primary school around locally. True, there is no IKEA closer than Exeter, but you can get most things you need here.

Commuting to Plymouth is OK, and there are jobs there. Derriford in Plymouth is our local hospital.

We moved to Cornwall 20 years ago. Both of us are teachers and we bought when prices were much lower. Our local schools are mainly good/outstanding and we have the choice of 4 secondary schools. Our local FE college is also outstanding. It is a totally different lifestyle - you need to forget about shopping, theatre, nightlife..there is no 'buzz' - but if you want those things then you wouldn't be considering it in the first place. We moved at 40 with small children. I wouldn't move teenagers and I would not have wanted to move here myself as a younger person.

I live in Cornwall and am bringing children of various ages up here. I was born here and moved away and came back.

I don’t recognise the Cornwall that some posters are describing! A previous poster said “so much rain”. Is there?! It rains but it rains everywhere I have lived. Maybe around the clay pits, there are areas there where it always seems to be dark and raining!

My DC love it. Surfing, skating, long days at the beach and evening barbecues in summer.. we have a dog and enjoy lots of long walks and picnics and family days out. We do live in a lovely area though and close to some beautiful beaches, not in a deserted little village in the middle of nowhere.

If you like going to big shopping centres at the weekend, Cornwall probably not the place for you. We had a relative who came down and complained bitterly that “there are no shops”. Well, there is Truro about 20 mins about away (and there are enough shops there for me, plus refurbished hall for Cornwall which I think is lovely) but it does take about 1hr 15 mins to get to Plymouth if someone is determined to go to a “proper shopping centre”.

Going on holiday means around an hour and a half drive to Exeter airport or 3 hours to Bristol. I don’t really think about that though, it doesn’t seem much of a price to pay in other to live somewhere so beautiful.

I don’t mind the tourists either, just the traffic for the main season is annoying, with Boardmasters week being on a whole other level for being able to drive anywhere!

I like that it is a laid back lifestyle here. Generally, people are far less materialistic than when I’ve lived in cities, happier to drive old cars, not so bothered about “dressing up” to go out or status and money in general.

Again though, it could be argued that there is a lack of ambition and that there are limited career opportunities/low wages etc. Depends where your priorities are really.

Lots of good points here. We're not into shopping/theatres/nightlife etc and prefer an outdoor lifestyle. Sounds like best plan is to be careful about the area and stick commutable to Plymouth or Devon

That's so funny one person in Cornwall disagreeing about the rain. It's a fact. It is far west, in the gulf stream, mild, grey and wet.
I grew up in Cornwall. It is beautiful. It is grey. When the sun shines there is nowhere better. But there are fewer hours of sunshine than the east of the country for a fact. I used to suffer with SAD there as a young person I'm sure.
I absolutely hated it as a teen. Everyone knew everyone and their business. My parents were teachers and so every teen knew my whole family. It was suffocating.
I do wonder about moving back but fear that grey, stuffy feeling.
Where we live now lacks coast and I miss it so much. But we can get to London in 1.5 hours, are 30-45 minutes from various university cities, can get to Devon, Dorset and Wales in a couple of hours.
If I moved back I'd be 4 hours from anywhere, so would need a weekend to do anything.
I would rather be in Devon I think.

@Notdoingthis - I have just asked Google, and Truro (which is our nearest city) comes up as the 5th wettest city in UK… however, Glasgow is wetter still, which is one of the places I was comparing to, who knew? Maybe that’s why I don’t find it unusually rainy though

Were you in West Cornwall? We are on the North Coast, by the sea, and I honestly don’t know about the grey place you describe. There is so much light, in fact.

Yes, West Cornwall!

I agree north coast of Cornwall seems to escape the greys and the perma rain.

Clays and far west don’t!