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.

Not quite the UK (but sort of is)
Alderney is very stunning: visitalderney.com

Southport isn't run down; it's having loads of money spent on it and plenty of old buildings are being refurbished too.

Yes, but that's why I told them about a few places down the coast. GOS needs to remain a secret.

Some of the beaches on Alderney

You live 20 minutes from Kent, Brighton, Portsmouth Southampton, Essex, e/w Sussex and Somerset??

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😆)

I live next to the sea but it's pebbly unfortunately. Literally just got in from an evening sitting overlooking the water. If you want seaside don't dismiss whole counties you don't know. Somerset for instance is huge, not just weston super mare

Portobello in Edinburgh ticks all of your boxes apart from the crucial one of not being in England or Wales ...

Sidmouth, East devon. But you only get sand at low tide. (There's more sand in Exmouth, but the secondary school is dire)

Cromer or Sheringham?

Another vote for the north east/ Northumberland coast. Not Berwick upon tweed though as a pp suggests as good schools are important to you. Lovely town but only one high school and it's shockingly bad. DC would have to travel for something better

Brixham. I'd move there if I could.

This might be an odd question for you @Moidershewrote but what's your employment status? Most people I know have only relocated when their career meant they had to move or couldn't move.

Do you both work in sectors where you can easily find work anywhere?
or maybe you are self-employed?

Zen, that uaed to be the case about state schools being poor in Lytham but really is not now. The state primaries are especially good. That's why the big private schools in the area have whittled down from three to one. People don't feel the need to go private anymore.

Amazing quality of life for young families there. It is a bit windy but just stay off the front those days.

Fab shops, restaurants, cafes, low crime, lowish traffic, amazing quiet paths for walks on the front and improving transport links.

I disagree. I suppose it depends upon how long you have known it.

Walberswick is lovely

Lyme Regis is definitely silly expensive!

Lytham

( the person commenting on the wind, it’s next to the sea so what do you expect? There will be wind on some days)

Buy Billy Butlins old house in Filey www.nicholsons.uk.com/property-for-sale/fcom6962

Your first photo isn’t teignmouth, your second photo has been totally regenerated and the third is a dump and has been for twelve years because of shitty tesco!

everywhere has their shortcomings but having lived here, left for some years and returned there’s no place I’d rather be.

my friend AJ takes the most beautiful photos of teignmouth and the surrounding areas
www.facebook.com/teignview

Dawlish in Devon. I think it hits all your criteria

St. Anne's or Ansdell. Lytham is lovely but expensive to buy.

I was going to say Lytham too. I live nearby and it is a great place for families. It seems opinion is a bit divided so all you can do is look for yourself and get a feel for the place OP.
Id also put a vote in for Southport.

This is more or less exactly what I was going to say.