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?

My family live in Cornwall and its worth considering that there are many deprived areas, infrastructure isn't great, services are hugely stretched and the attractive parts are extortionate priced and full of tourists. They live on a farm island which is quieter. The roads are terrible. However there's something very appealing about Cornwall which I can't put my finger on. We holiday there at a friend's cottage and know the quite beaches accessible by coastal path only. Beaches with car parks are overrun with people.

Does it have to be Cornwall? Could you relocate to somewhere else ( Yorkshire? North West? North East?). There would probably be more jobs and a mix of city/ countryside.
You would be away from both sets of parents though

@Invisablewoman

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.

My experience too.

Please watch the Simon Reeve documentary. Someone finally made a programme about the real Cornwall. Yes it is beautiful, but there are real pockets of deprivation, lack of community and opportunities.

I've been here for nearly half my life (18 years) and love it, but there are elements that I really dislike.

I think I'm still hankering afte the Cornwall of 20 years ago. So much has happened in my little town since I've been here, but I guess it's happening all over the place.

What I hate is people coming down and wanting a slice of Cornish Life - buying a house and then only living in it for 3/4 weeks of the year. Those idiots break down communities. There is no reason for anyone to have more than one home, it is pure greed. The rich/poor divide down here is huge.

I think it really depends what you want out of life. Personally I couldn't give a shit about Nando's or shopping malls. I appreciate that is important to some people though. We live quite an outdoorsy life I guess. I sea swim all through the year, we have picnics on the beach most eves in the Summer. My 12 year old loves it. He's not into cities though. I'm really pleased I decided to stay and raise him here. He's had an awesome childhood.

Oh and tourists are a bloody pain in the arse, but aren't they everywhere? I love visiting new places and being a tourist. The problem is that we just don't have the infrastructure to deal with the huge influx of visitors every year. I work in hospitality and love meeting the tourists that visit. Some are entitled arseholes, but that's just people.

Visitors need to realise that it's not Cornwall Land and real people live and work here (most people do not work in fields relating to tourism). It gets really frustrating when a 15mins car journey becomes 45 mins to an hour in the Summer.

It's bloody beautiful though. I love it even when it rains (which it does loads). Can't beat standing on a cliff in January getting smacked in the face by the wind and rain. It's bleddy 'ansome.

@StrongerOrWeaker doesn't have to be Cornwall no, we can't afford sussex (where we grew up) and want to live in the countryside, so I'm researching different country areas across England that would be affordable for us. I'm looking at cornwall right now as MIL is there but it's just an option.

I don’t have any strong views on whether Cornwall would be a good place to move to - I went there for a wedding over a decade ago but that’s about it.

It’s far away. I remember (years ago) a poster came on to say that her parents were in Cornwall and complained bitterly that the poster lived in the Home Counties. They kicked off whenever the poster went anywhere that wasn’t Cornwall (so they hid it when they went on holiday).

How much would it annoy you if your children end up living somewhere else and can’t / don’t visit all that often? For some people Cornwall is heaven, for others it’s so far that getting there is a chore.