What's a really great UK seaside city or large town to live in?

[LAHallucinations]

As the title says really. I've lived in a small town in the Home Counties all my life and I'd like to move to the coast within the next year. The trouble is I have very few restrictions/criteria for where I could move, so I'm struggling with very bad choice paralysis. Whenever I do find somewhere I think would suit me, I search for threads about the place on here, and inevitably they'll be a handful of comments saying what a shithole that place is, which just sends me back to square one (even if most other comments are very positive).

So no negativity please, just places that you think are really good to live in.

The only essentials are:

• Must be by the coast (doesn't need to have a sandy beach, just some good coastal walks)


• Must be a big town or a city (I don't drive so I want everything nearby and plenty of things to do/opportunities to meet new people)


• Mustn't be somewhere really 'rough' or rundown

I work from home, I don't have children, and I have a large budget, so none of those things are an issue.

Where would you recommend?

Clevedon, North Somerset, large town on the beach and on the m5/ near Bristol. Perfect for you. I grew up there, it’s a great place to live.

or Plymouth, again I lived there for a few years and while it’s more isolated from the rest of the country, I’d go back in an instant. Lovely vibe, lovely walks, Dartmoor!

West Kirby/Parkgate/Heswall? West Kirby has a beach, all have access to the Wirral Way for long walks taking in both coast and countryside. All within easy reach of Liverpool and Chester.

Cardiff - specifically just outside. I’m 5mins walk from open country and woodland, 10min train to city centre and 10min drive to beaches. It’s fab.

What is a “large budget”??

Southsea - or (because you say you have a big budget) Old Portsmouth. Lots of stuff to do, good variety of shops, lovely coast, good transport links, isn't unbearable in summer, still busy in winter, reasonably priced. One of my favourite places, and my top choice were I to move out of London.

Barnstaple
Ilfracombe

Why is everyone saying edinburgh?? Its a city and I've never been to the seaside there!

What about prestwick or Troon, both sea side towns with links to Glasgow.

The Wirral coastline is huge, because it's a peninsula and so close to North Wales and Liverpool and has amazing walks including out to Hilbre Island and the Wirral Country Way. It's a fantastic mix of coast, village, town and country. Public transport is comprehensive.

Also Formby, Crosby, Southport - fantastic coastal towns just above Liverpool with Lancashire and its countryside just a short train ride away. People don't realise how beach-ridden Merseyside is 😘

Op - you’re on your own. Do you have any friends or family that you may want to factor in to location?

Chichester!
nicer weather than edinburgh
lots going on but can also get up to london
lovely harbour and coast

or Southsea/old Portsmouth also good but I think Chichester is more salubrious

I’d prefer Worthing over Brighton to live. It’s just a bit less intense/crowded (and you’re still near enough to easily pop to Brighton if you want to go to something specific).
Aberystwyth is a good walkable size, but I wouldn’t consider it a large town. Weymouth’s very dense and walkable, (but it does get very crowded). Southsea would be another good car free option too.

Liverpool because there's a great mix of coast and city plus great access to other parts of the country. You can be in Wales, Lakes & Pennines in under 2 hours.

Bangor and North Wales generally are lovely, very beautiful, very pretty. But I really don't think they're what OP wants. They do NOT have good public transport and especially outside the tourist months they're very quiet. Bangor is very run down these days and the shops are really poor, lots of things have closed. Llandudno is lovely, but the pp mentioned the lovely scenery and countryside around it - OP can't get to it without a car!

My favourite coastal city is Dundee. I was there for uni and absolutely loved it. Really friendly and fun, loads to do, and small enough to walk around most of it, and then a good bus service around the wider area.

Now I love North Wales but I’m not sure it’s what the op is looking for if they want good transport and a large city!

Swansea or Cardiff would be better options - Cardiff has better transport options (more train services) and more of a city vibe but Swansea has better beaches, the city centre is currently dire but the council have attracted huge amounts of investment so I am hopeful things will get better.

I lived in Brixham, Devon many years ago without a car. Coastal walks are gorgeous. Enough in the town for the day to day basics and transport to Paignton to get a train into Exeter if you need a city.

Eastbourne

Brighton.

Really fancying a day trip to Brighton now!

Plymouth.

Big student population which means there's lots of new stuff coming to the city. Amazing food, lovely bars, great seafront and lots of live music. Also surrounded on either side by Dartmoor and Cornwall.

Brighton! I love in Cornwall and everywhere there are pockets of "roughness" and the "big towns" are just big villages. If you like shopping or big cinemas, or chain restaurants Cornwall has none of that.

Quite possibly the worst place in the world for someone who doesn’t drive - avoid north or west wales OP!

Another vote for Newcastle, the Northumbrian coastal walks are stunning 😍

Southsea 100%. Portsmouth is a great city for a non driver. Compact, flat, decent train connections.

And unlike a few of the places mentioned it is actually where the beach is. If you live in the posher/older parts, you are ten mins walk absolute max to the beach.

Has a brilliant array of cafes/bars/pubs and stuff to do.

Might well feel quite affordable depending on what you’re used to.

Completely agree with this