Are there any decent, liveable seaside towns in UK which aren’t silly expensive or horribly rundown?

[Moidershewrote]

Basically that - DH and I would really like to relocate with our 2 primary aged kids to live by the sea (near a sandy beach) in either England or Wales - ideally we’d like a half decent primary / secondary schools, friendly community feel with clubs / kids activities etc and not run down/full of pound shops etc and access to train station within approx 5 miles and local buses would be great. We’d love to live somewhere that is walking distance of a beach.

It feels like we’ve looked into so many places and for one reason or another we end up discounting it - usually because either schools seem crap or no train station or no community feel.

Places we’ve immediately rejected are:

• Kent (grammar schools / Kent test)


• Brighton (too expensive / pebble beach)


• Portsmouth/S’ton/Plymouth (too big / towny feel)


• Essex/Somerset coastline (not the right vibe for us)


• E/W Sussex (not sandy😆)

Would love to hear any personal recommendations from people who have moved to another coastal town with kids / or live in one and think it’s brilliant (and why)🙏 We do love Devon, Dorset, Anglia.. Would consider Wales, or NW/NE England.

When the tide is out! This is true of most of the Channel coast TBF. I suspect we wouldn't make your "not rundown" cut either. Most seaside towns don't.

We do have the South Downs National Park which is way, way better than any beach!, a Masterchef winner's restaurant (and a takeaway from the same guy) and multiple theatres and cinemas.

But really, I'm sceptical tbh that this is more than a pipedream currently - you've rejected two entire counties coasts because they don't have the right "vibe" - what is it you are actually looking for?

We are very fortunate to live between Bournemouth and Sandbanks.
Because we are not immediately beside the sea our house wasn’t overly expensive and still only a 15 minute car journey to lots of different beaches. Bus routes/ schools/ activities a plenty.

Christchurch x

Oooh am enjoying this thread. We're in Scarborough at the moment and some of the properties are beautiful. The town centre isn't awful at all and has some lovely quirky shops but it is a bit isolated. Love the East Yorks coast (DH is from there) but it is cold and foggy in winter.

Intrigued at all the Morecambe (and Barrow!) suggestions- my great gran lived in Barrow and we were always terrified of the sea there and in Morecambe as it was 'faster than a galloping horse'.

Am going to check out Swansea.

Would a mile long Sandy beach, great area for fishing, 4 bed semi with sea view, an office already set up for you both at £450k suit you? Maybe a little fishing boat with a cabin and room for the family too? If so, I’m your girl!

Some of the north coast is lovely.

Penarth just outside Cardiff. Great schools and good quality housing. Wealthy town feel 20 minutes from a capital city. You could get something nice for your budget. Beach is sandy at low tide. Pebbly at high tide . Loads of really lovely beaches within a 20 min drive. Or outstanding beaches within an hour/ hour and a half.

Shame you’re excluding Kent, as according to this article, it has 55 beaches!

Kent beaches

(I don’t recognise the above description of Kent either)

North East - Whitley Bay. Tynemouth. Seaham is improving. Most of Northumberland.

Isle of Wight is cheap and lovely beaches and community - but schools are ok, not amazing. Wonderful place to raise a family but not much for teens.

The north east is popular in summer & for holidays. Living there is very different.
If you consider it, be aware that most ppl who move up , do so because they can buy a fancy luxury country life & frankly don't give a toss about locals or communities.
Or those who fled coz they seek more space from the hustle & bustle.....bit rural doesn't give you great amenities.
The fee that meet most criteria are very expensive.

NB The winds from the North sea can chill you most of the year....you're lucky to be in a t shirt 2 days a year, & there's a reason most northerners are big n ' hard '!
Contrary to pols comments, Whitley bay has a lot of social problems, is a prime N.E.drinking hole...& Tynemouth is actually very small.

The West, wherever, will always be less ' bitter '.

If you drive , it doesn't matter being right on coast does it ..?

North Shields is having a lot of rejuvenation and much cheaper than tynemouth!

The fish quay is lovely and can walk along to tynemouth!

Kings priory in tynemouth is one of the best schools in the north east.

What's your budget so we can advise accordingly?

Tynemouth is mega expensive but I live in wallsend which is very affordable! (And only ten minutes on the metro to tynemouth!)

Cos stony beaches are shit..

We live just over the water (literally, there’s a ferry), from Portsmouth. Gosport.

Most if the town is a bit run down, but we live in a bit called Alverstoke/Stokes Bay. Pretty village, beach. Nice schools (and ferry or 20-30 min drive to private schools).

Also a big saltwater lake/creek on our road which is lovely.

Traffic can be heavy, but that’s becoming less problematic now.

Houses are cheap here…we swapped our Victorian terrace for a gentle doer upper here, 4 bed detached with garden and drive. No regrets!

Sunderland?! Are you taking the piss??? It's an absolute shit hole!

But our beach is stony! Gotta go east for the sand. But I hate sand.

I live in Brighton (grew up here and have returned) and, while not a utopia, it and many other places nearby have many of the things you mention - even sand (at low tide)! I wouldn't overlook some of your criteria for a sandy beach so I'm going to suggest Worthing in W Sussex and Seaford or Eastbourne in East Sussex, both of which have changed remarkably in recent years as young families have been driven out of Brighton and other expensive areas.
I'm sure there are plenty of other lovely places around the country too, these are just on my patch and spring to mind.

Norfolk is great value, sandy beaches, friendly people, lovely area to raise a family.

People turn their nose up at us, but I love Alverstoke (in Gosport). I get to have a lovely big home on my crappy NHS salary, get in the sea when I want to, and have enough left over cash to enjoy my life.

Yes, there are big deprivation problems, but I love our seaside pocket, and I don’t sneer at the community around it either.

I grew up in Stubbington (near Fareham and Gosport) and loved it still visit as my best friend is still there would think about moving back but DD is now in High School

Have you been to Bournemouth lately? Has become so run down in the last 4/5 years. Was my childhood holiday destination every year but now I avoid.

Southport or Formby (I think that's more expensive though).

One thing to consider @Moidershewrote is that if you move to an area that is much cheaper than where you are now, the house prices are unlikely to keep pace with the much of the south east. This can make a move a one-way street in so much as moving back to a more expensive area becomes impossible (unless you are very wealthy.)

Also, your children are so young. You need to think about what amenities there are for them when they are teenagers and possibly adults.

Think not just about now, but the future. If you end up in some remote part of the UK, your kids may be faced with the long trek to Mum and Dad when they are adults (and parents themselves.)

I've got long distance parents, as I moved away, and it does create its own issues as they age (and you do too!)

I think as location is so subjective, you need to draw a radius around the regions you would consider, then do some day trips or airbnb stays and have a really good look around.

Yeh, Sunderland is an utter shithole .Might be ok if you intend to live on the beach
Ppl saying Tynemouth or Alnmouth are either rich of fantasising.....

Yeh North Shields is ok IF it's the right part !
Areas were burned down by council tenants, big riots...ok some time ago, but don't be complacent either.
The N.E. has a reputation for a reason !!!!
It is a LOT colder than the south / west. Make sure you can handle that & buy a warm place.

As Locketrocket said South Wales, any where along that M4 corridor, from Newport to Swansea Llantwit major is lovely but a bit pricey compared to other areas so take a look you may pleasantly surprised. Good luck