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Original poster

Is living beside the beach every thing you hoped it would be?

107 replies

kippymcquick · 30/05/2023 18:57

We live in the city and have busy lives here but we have a caravan in a seaside resort which I absolutely love. I adore the easy going lifestyle of being in a costal town. I mentioned to my DH about possibly moving there once we are older and the children are no longer living with us ( long way off atm)
He said surely it wouldn't be the same if you lived there permanently. Maybe that's true ?

Have you made the move and if so do ku have any regrets?

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BlackAmericanoNoSugar · 30/05/2023 20:43

I think often if you go somewhere for a break from your life, it would feel different if that became your life. Especially in a holiday resort type place which might be very empty, grey and dreary in the off season. It might be great or it might not. You'd have to do a bit of investigation into what it's like in the off season, are there activities to fill up your day once you're retired, ways to make friends (because probably most of the people that you know from there are also holiday makers and not locals), do the restaurants and cafes still operate or close when there aren't any tourists etc. Cities have huge energy, facilities and choice, it might be hard for your DH to settle somewhere quiet even if he likes it for short periods.

Nothingbuttheglory · 30/05/2023 20:51

I like it. I also love it in the off-season when the beaches are wild and empty. (Except Christmas and New Year. Everyone and their aunty goes for a beach walk then)

SnappyDragony · 30/05/2023 20:56

I was born and still live in a costal town. I can enjoy the summer sun and the bustling nature of the tourist season and still appreciate the grey winter harshness because I enjoy the seasons. The sea is just as beautiful as summer still blueness as it is when it is storm tossed grey and silver froth with the waves smashing against the rocks as opposed to gently seeping in and out.
There is a wonder to seeing all sides and tides. Just wrap up warm and get a good waterproof

Hawkins0001 · 30/05/2023 20:58

I think id prefer a coastal town, for the sea and sand, but then prefer the city, for its museums etc

Octomingo · 30/05/2023 21:17

But is it easy going because you're on holiday? How peaceful would it be if you were in work all day and rarely actually had time to go to the beach? We're about 30 minutes away from a beach, but rarely go because it takes forever to get there in the summer.

peachypudding · 30/05/2023 21:19

Yes, it's wonderful. I live right by a beach in a gorgeous town. I'm incredibly lucky.

Doyouthinktheyknow · 30/05/2023 21:25

I live less than a mile from the sea. I do enjoy it but don’t visit the sea more than once a week. I’m trying to go sea swimming regularly but this is a work in progress. Wouldn’t move inland ever.

I still like to visit the seaside during weekends away or day trips. Definitely feel at my happiest by the sea. We went to the Kent coast this weekend and loved it, beautiful sandy beaches on Thanet coast.

OrangeBananaFish · 30/05/2023 21:25

I was thinking the exact same thing at the weekend when I was walking by the sea. Would I like it as much if I lived there? Currently live about an hours drive away from the nearest coast so its certainly doable for a day trip, but not close enough to walk by the sea every day.

Idratherbepaddleboarding · 30/05/2023 21:34

We live in a rural village by the sea and it’s lovely. We don’t get crowds of tourists though and can walk the dog on the beach all year round. We can get to a number of seaside towns if we want to and we’re less than an hour from the Lake District. The downside is it gets very windy and we never get any snow!

Ihaventgottimeforthis · 30/05/2023 21:36

Yes it is - we're ten minutes walk from the coast and I visit the beach most days on dog walks, we spend days there in good weather, children meet their friends there on weekends to swim and pier jump (the horror).
I can't imagine ever being tired of it.

The only downside is busy holiday seasons, but you work around it. Finding quieter places and so on. It's what keeps the villages alive for the rest of the year.

tonyhawks23 · 30/05/2023 21:37

It is really awesome living by the sea,I find it really hard living far from it and it is definitely the best lifestyle for me.

Lovethatforyou · 30/05/2023 21:39

Love living by the sea through all the seasons… I took this yesterday afternoon (north east coast, uk)

Is living beside the beach every thing you hoped it would be?
CC4712 · 30/05/2023 21:40

After 20yrs living of living between zone 1-2 in London, we made the move to a coastal town 2yrs ago. It depends where you are moving from and too, but these are the things I've noticed:

  • In London, I walked to 99% of my shops, whereas here I drive 99% of the time (and getting fat!)
  • Our new area feels either elderly, or young families. We always get junk mail adverts for funeral homes, incontinence pads and death insurance!
  • Public transport is awful here
  • Less job opportunities- again dependent on what you do
  • We now have a massive garden and a dog and can walk to the beach in 15mins
  • I love hearing birds and seeing them in the garden and I feel the slower pace is good for body and mind
  • The one thing that annoys me is all the tourists vising 'our' beach in the summer 😂
Letsdance8188 · 30/05/2023 21:41

I live a few minutes drive from the sea (it's walkable too) and I grew up in towns and cities. I love it and always feel so grateful to live here. Yes you have work and school runs and all the same old shit, but the other day I went for an early morning walk on the beach before work, and I can pick my child up from school and then go straight to the beach for a swim. We're surrounded by beaches and beautiful walks and nice little places for a bite to eat. And in the winter there is nothing better than blowing away the cobwebs with a stroll along an empty beach, or walking down to the sea front to watch the waves crash in on a stormy day.

Arewehumanorarewecupboards · 30/05/2023 21:44

We live right above a beach and I do love it. I can smell the sea, hear it and watch it from my kitchen and bathroom.

I can’t think of one thing that I don’t like. Obviously it’s a bit busier in the summer (although ours is very pebbled which puts a lot of people off and there’s bigger more touristy beaches just along the coast) and it’s quite isolated in the winter but that’s my favourite part.

Thesunwillcomeoutverysoon · 30/05/2023 21:47

It was perfect until October 2021 when some thoughtless people started a sea swimming club. Screaming, shrieking from 6 am 7 days a week.. Apparently they didn't know noise carries. Now they do know they don't give a fuck. Even the police admitted if it was reporting a group of teens they could take action...
Bring back the relentless foghorn.

Hellocatshome · 30/05/2023 21:52

I live by the beach, it isn't everything aI hoped for as I didnt hope for anything. It just happens the city we live in is on the coast and the house we could afford and had the right number if bedrooms and decent schools nearby was a 5 minute walk to the beach.

Its ok, you soon get used to it and it just becomes normal. But then also slightly annoying as I walk the dog on the beach everyday apart from now I cant until October because dogs are banned over the summer. Also as soon as its slightly sunny the world and his wife descend and I can't park anywhere near my house.

I think if you have never lived near the coast you might get more out of it than someone like me though so if you fancy it why not give it a go.

Tinkeytonkoldfruit · 30/05/2023 21:55

@Lovethatforyou - Roker? My MIL lives there, just got home from there today, was running along the pier this morning.

Lovethatforyou · 30/05/2023 21:58

Tinkeytonkoldfruit · 30/05/2023 21:55

@Lovethatforyou - Roker? My MIL lives there, just got home from there today, was running along the pier this morning.

Yes :) Seaburn/Roker. The best beach in the north imho!

Hope you enjoyed your run :)

weebarra · 30/05/2023 22:00

My PIL ( and a lot of DH's relatives) live right on the harbour of a seaside village in the highlands. It has a beautiful beach and they haven't tired of it. It's a very special place.

gogohmm · 30/05/2023 22:01

We love living by the sea, ok it's more estuary here but this weekend being warm it's like being on holiday, living right by the marina, 2 mins to (stony) beach, it's great.

But you have to accept that people want to visit your seaside haven. The tourists in Waitrose can ge very annoying

gogohmm · 30/05/2023 22:03

Ps i have the best of both worlds as the city is only 20 minutes away!

Pekkala · 30/05/2023 22:04

I lived 2nd row from the beach for 5 years - l used to do a 3-5km jog most mornings as the sun came up; it kept me sane through Covid. I loved it and am missing it terribly now I'm slap bang in the middle of a huge ugly landlocked city. And I can't be arsed to run as there's no nice views so I am also fat. Bugger.

gamerchick · 30/05/2023 22:06

I was born and live still in a seaside town. Visit the seafront a handful of times a year, even though it's only a few miles away. I would like to live right on top of it I think. Sea views everyday is good for the soul.

I like knowing it's there.

faffadoodledo · 30/05/2023 22:08

Was born near the sea and lived inland for 20 or so years. I struggled being away from it.
I returned at 40 and love it in all seasons, even in that short 6 week period of madness in the summer.