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

[kippymcquick]

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?

I grew up in/around a seaside town, and at one point we lived practically next to the beach in a quiet village a little way up the coast - just walk up our street and you were on the sea front - and it was idyllic. Quite a scenic drive to get to it, too. I loved it, and it was definitely all it's cracked up to be. (We did seem to find that relatives who couldn't be arsed keeping in touch over the winter would suddenly decide to 'have a little ride out' to our village and 'drop in for a cup of tea' with no notice as soon as the weather turned sunny, mind you. 🙄)

I live in the Midlands now and we're way too far from the sea for my liking, I'd move back in a heartbeat.

I'm surprised - we've lived in Brighton for almost 30 years and it's just amazing. Yes the beaches are pebbly but still lovely.

Almost everyone I know here found lockdown one of the best years of their lives as the seafront (and countryside 15 minutes drive away) offered so many opportunities.

I grew up next to the beach and after spending a decade in the countryside I'm moving back to the coast.
As soon as I'm by the beach I feel at home, my whole body unclenches and I feel happier. It's definitely seems really important to the friends that I grew up with, almost all of them still live by the sea, it gets into your soul!
I definitely think that it's a whole different lifestyle.

@SquaresandStarlings I think I realised I'd prefer either London or somewhere much more wild. The beach was always busy and loud and it felt like lots of people out drunk in the evening rather than it feeling like an escape. This was about 8 years ago so maybe it's quieter and more chilled nowadays.

Surely the where is a factor. North Scotland here and we don’t have rammed sea fronts even in holidays. No extra traffic or high car parking charges.
i live 30 mins from the sea and visit each week. Moved here a year ago from landlocked midlands!

@Rampantukulele Brighton definitely hasn't got quieter!

I guess it's the antithesis of what most people are describing on here.

@SquaresandStarlings I think there are lots of things about Brighton I do like and I enjoy visiting, good food and coffee, it's close to Lewes and the countryside but I think it wasn't different enough from London for it to be worth not living in London if that makes sense. I like the beaches where it's just wild behind the beach, dunes or nature reserve. Otherwise I genuinely enjoy sitting by the Thames as much as I do being on Brighton beach.