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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?

OP posts:
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12
memoirsofatrespasser · 31/05/2023 10:43

@Matildatoldsuchdreadfullies i think we may live in the same place. M or R? Either one, MN hates them. The only acceptable Kent coast town is Whitstable which is almost suffocatingly twee and overpriced, imo (and has a pebbly beach).

I started a thread ages ago when we were thinking of moving here, and basically got told I had lost my mind. It certainly has its insalubrious bits, but I love it here!

I have just had to rescue my hydrangea pot which has fallen over in the wind, though 😉

RufustheSpecuIatingreindeer · 31/05/2023 11:16

Sartre · 31/05/2023 10:32

I think they’re great if you don’t have kids or they’ve flown the nest and you’re a bit older. I don’t think they’re ever amazing places for kids to grow up because there’s never anything there for them to do when they get older. The closest big cities with actual activities are always an hours drive away which isn’t ideal.

Im a bit confused about the activities and ages

do you mean late teen children nightclubs etc

or early teens with swimming, cubs etc

cos nightclub wise we are probably 45/60 minutes away but we’ve never struggled for other activities as there are other villages and towns near us

Hellocatshome · 31/05/2023 11:21

Sartre · 31/05/2023 10:32

I think they’re great if you don’t have kids or they’ve flown the nest and you’re a bit older. I don’t think they’re ever amazing places for kids to grow up because there’s never anything there for them to do when they get older. The closest big cities with actual activities are always an hours drive away which isn’t ideal.

It depends which beach you live near though. I live 5 min walk to the beach but also 15/20 minutes walk to a big city with nightclubs/major shops etc. My sons have countless sporting, cultural and social opportubities on their doorstep as well as the beach. Not all beaches are remote.

Matildatoldsuchdreadfullies · 31/05/2023 11:26

@memoirsofatrespasser
At least M has aspirations of edginess. I live in HB which
(a) has a stony beach, and
(b) is considered irredeemably boring
Still love it though.

I like Thanet’s beaches. Minnis Bay is fabulous for paddle boarding.

Libre2 · 31/05/2023 11:30

I feel like I have the best of both worlds. I live in a city by the sea. We have stuff for the kids to do at all ages of their development, clubs, sports centres, museums, theatres, cinemas, shops etc and we have the sea - and we have the moor as well - all within a 20 minute drive. This weekend we had family come to stay and we absolutely made the most of living where we live and I loved it. Each morning this week I have run down to the sea (30 minute run), met a friend, swam, had coffee all before starting work at 9am - can't beat it.

Wheresthesundude · 31/05/2023 11:33

I live 20 minute walk, 5 min drive from the sea in a little coastal town and moved here 10 years ago to raise a family. We love it here. There's about 8 different beaches within 20 minutes of us, locals stay to the more secret ones in summer which are always sure to be almost empty or you'll know people there for late night beach fires, paddle boarding, bodyboarding, swimming, kite flying etc. We get a lot of Americans here, it's baked in history and has a gem of an independent high street.

I grew up in a city and it's so different here, slower paced unless your kids have clubs every night, even then we'll skip at times to go toast marshmallows with friends, there's always stuff to do here or we live 20 mins on train to a big city. We'll get chippie on the beach, do something in the community (there's tonnes of clubs for all ages), go for walks in the woods (we are part of the well known and sought after trail so there's miles to explore). I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be.

Tourists don't really bother us, the kids make friends and we can easily avoid them if we want a quiet beach, the queue at the ice cream shop is out the door but aside from that it's still lovely. There's also something really calming about going to the sea after work when it's hot. I'd say to anyone go for it.

Allblackeverythingalways · 31/05/2023 11:36

I've lived by the sea my whole life and honestly, I never go down the seafront.
I seek out countryside and rivers for leisure.
I tend to walk down there in winter when the crowds are gone, but during warm weather I avoid like the plague.

EvelynKatie · 31/05/2023 11:37

Lovethatforyou · 30/05/2023 21:39

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

I used to live 5 minutes walk from this very same view! I miss it loads. Living by the coast is amazing.

memoirsofatrespasser · 31/05/2023 12:01

Matildatoldsuchdreadfullies · 31/05/2023 11:26

@memoirsofatrespasser
At least M has aspirations of edginess. I live in HB which
(a) has a stony beach, and
(b) is considered irredeemably boring
Still love it though.

I like Thanet’s beaches. Minnis Bay is fabulous for paddle boarding.

Oh I rather like HB! It's unfairly maligned imo. But yeah, Thanet beaches are superior 😁

LittleBrownJug · 31/05/2023 12:04

Matildatoldsuchdreadfullies · 31/05/2023 11:26

@memoirsofatrespasser
At least M has aspirations of edginess. I live in HB which
(a) has a stony beach, and
(b) is considered irredeemably boring
Still love it though.

I like Thanet’s beaches. Minnis Bay is fabulous for paddle boarding.

Ha well I live in Whitstable and now I hate it for reasons mentioned up thread. The best fucking ice cream shop has stopped selling ice cream to sell more tourist tat and awful anodyne motivational posters about sea swimming etc. That’s the mentality of this town in a nutshell.

Everyone who has moved to HB seems pretty happy though …

CruCru · 31/05/2023 12:26

It’s glorious being by the sea but I sometimes think our houseguests get more out of it than we do at times. Mainly because, while they are definitely “on holiday” and want to pack lots in, we still have stuff to do - online meetings, emails to write, food to shop for, beds to make.

I used to work somewhere with a view of the Tower of London. Did I fully appreciate it? No! I had spreadsheets to work on and emails to write.

Your real life (the dull stuff that keeps the show on the road) won’t disappear even if you live somewhere very beautiful.

Puffinshop · 31/05/2023 12:37

We have mountains and the sea. No trees, though, I suppose you can't have everything. I cycle the coastal path several times a week and it is endlessly beautiful and enchanting all year round.

Is living beside the beach every thing you hoped it would be?
LacewingOrpington · 31/05/2023 12:39

We moved to our holiday location - mountains rather than the coast for us - everyone said the same but we love it here everyday. It’s been nearly 20 years now and it still feels amazing! Yes we have normal life here too now but nothing beats the drive back home! If things are feeling tough, I pop out into the garden and soak in the view. It also means that because we live in the rural countryside with sheep for neighbours, I can cope with noisier neighbours and cities for holidays and I know I’ll be going home to where I love best.

caringcarer · 31/05/2023 13:04

My dh grew up in a seaside town. He misses the sea even after 17 years of living in a big town close to a large city. I grew up in Deven quite close to the coast and went to the sea every week at least. We'd like to retire to a seaside town. We both love it best in the winter with crashing waves and you can walk your dogs on the beach.

BarrelOfOtters · 31/05/2023 13:11

I llive on an Island, so lots of beaches to choose from, we're a 20 minute walk from a beach - it's not great for swimming but good for dogwalking, walking along the promenade, cycling etc. There's always people out along the prom.

Then a 30 minute drive from some excellent clean beaches. Some are set up with ice cream shops, bars etc, and get v busy on a nice day - others are as quiet and deserted as you could ever wish.

I moved here 25 years ago and love the countryside. We've got great hills too. I love the fact that 20-30 minutes after leaving work, after a nice drive, I can be up a hill or swimming in the sea.

We've also got cinemas, theatre, gigs...

Travelfan2021 · 31/05/2023 13:18

This reply has been withdrawn

Removed at poster's request due to privacy concerns.

Gettingbysomehow · 31/05/2023 13:21

I've lived by the beach and in two national parks. I can't imagine ever living in a city - I only feel alive surrounded by nature.

FavouriteDogMug · 31/05/2023 13:22

I've always lived on the South Coast and to be honest if you were born here you can sometimes take it for granted. Also some areas are quite run down. Having said that I think if you retired to an area you love you would enjoy it, especially if you have a good public transport network in case you don't have access to the car as you get older.

FavouriteDogMug · 31/05/2023 13:22

I've always lived on the South Coast and to be honest if you were born here you can sometimes take it for granted. Also some areas are quite run down. Having said that I think if you retired to an area you love you would enjoy it, especially if you have a good public transport network in case you don't have access to the car as you get older.

Giselletheunicorn · 31/05/2023 13:22

@Lovethatforyou

My Nan lived near Roker beach. I have such happy memories of that beach as a child 🥰

Frenchtoadt · 31/05/2023 13:25

I grew up by the sea but have been at least 2 hours from it most of my adult life . I craved the sea for about 20 years , and have always found it very comforting - though it’s less now

icebearforpresident · 31/05/2023 13:34

Allblackeverythingalways · 31/05/2023 11:36

I've lived by the sea my whole life and honestly, I never go down the seafront.
I seek out countryside and rivers for leisure.
I tend to walk down there in winter when the crowds are gone, but during warm weather I avoid like the plague.

I could have written this exact post.

Apart from a few years where I moved away after graduating I’ve always lived in a coastal town. I didn’t come back because I missed the sea, I came back because my husband and I both grew up here, our parents are here and quite frankly we needed help with childcare when we had kids. If it wasn’t for that we wouldn’t have came back (although I admit I can’t imagine living anywhere else).

The sea and beach are just something that’s there, I give it no more thought than I do the lamp post at the end of the street. We go down for a paddle with the kids a couple of times a year at most and keep well clear of the beach on really hot days, because it’s packed with teenagers from the nearest city getting drunk and rowdy.

SquaresandStarlings · 31/05/2023 14:31

We live in Brighton, so a city by the sea, and love it, but I can't imagine living in a smaller, quieter place when it's out of season.

My friend moved from Brighton to Seaford ten years ago though and much prefers the quieter pace of life, but she also has beautiful countryside just a few minutes drive away (plus Lewes!).

LeevMarie · 31/05/2023 14:38

icebearforpresident · 31/05/2023 13:34

I could have written this exact post.

Apart from a few years where I moved away after graduating I’ve always lived in a coastal town. I didn’t come back because I missed the sea, I came back because my husband and I both grew up here, our parents are here and quite frankly we needed help with childcare when we had kids. If it wasn’t for that we wouldn’t have came back (although I admit I can’t imagine living anywhere else).

The sea and beach are just something that’s there, I give it no more thought than I do the lamp post at the end of the street. We go down for a paddle with the kids a couple of times a year at most and keep well clear of the beach on really hot days, because it’s packed with teenagers from the nearest city getting drunk and rowdy.

Show quote history

100% agree.

I'm not from the UK originally, but we moved to the coast to be near to DH's parents (...to somewhere on one of the pictures on this thread!). I thought I'd love it, having spent lots of time on holiday on the beach as a kid.

The reality for me is that, especially at this time of year, the moment the weather improves, every weekend we go as far away as possible to somewhere that is more peaceful.

I'm done with the traffic, noise, people, pollution and seagulls shitting on my car every morning and finally looking to move to the countryside!

To balance my post, however, I will say that on cold days in the winter, it really is beautiful to walk along the beach.

Napmum · 31/05/2023 16:05

I think you really need to pick your spot carefully. I really liked walking group by the sea in all weather and seasons when I was really close to the sea. It was peaceful where I was because the tourist places were in the main towns, not my village.

However, the cost of living was high, not much to do except walk (that's ok for me). And we got grid locked during sunny bank holidays. That was hard when we were nowhere close to the beach

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