Best coastal towns in Wales?

[Unsure05]

Hello! We’re a family of 4 (myself, DH and 2 DDs nearly 3 and 12 weeks). We are looking at moving within the UK to a nice coastal town and have decided on Wales as it’s not too far from family and some of the beaches look beautiful! Can anyone advise where is best for families considering schooling, safety, outdoor lifestyle, laid back, more surfer vibes over arcades and candy floss. Also would need somewhere with access to gyms etc as we both work in the fitness industry! We are going to take a couple of weeks and have a look at a few places before we decide where to go but looking for where to check out! Any advice welcome please!

Look at Rhos on Sea / Colwyn Bay / Llandudno.

genuinly depends on your budget?

abersoch is beautiful but you need deep pockets! Rhyl on the other hand you need much less! (and i would not live there)!

The driving from S Yorks to somewhere like Cardigan would be 5 ish hours. I regularly do a similar slightly longer drive. Gets a lot slower the further in to Wales you go but it's not insurmountable if you can relax into just going 40. Chester to Cardigan takes 3.5 hours pretty much every time.

West Wales definitely a relaxed more surfy vibe but v few gyms etc. If you want to get into outdoor coaching it might be for you, definitely big community of fit people around with tri clubs, outdoor swimming and lots of cycling.

Most education round somewhere like Cardigan will be mainly in Welsh but your children are young enough that they will pick it up very quickly.

As is all of Swansea🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Hi OP I live in Pembrokeshire, South West. It would take around 7/8 hours drive to travel to Yorkshire from here. I've driven to Manchester regularly over the years and it averages a 7hr drive .

It's very laid back and slow paced here, sandy beaches, lots of surfer vibes in the less visited touristy areas. Locals avoid Tenby and Saundersfoot like the plague during summer and school holidays. Bare in mind also that amenities, shops etc are a good distance away, if you wanted a good day out shopping then you'd need to travel to Llanelli, Swansea or Cardiff (2hr drive) also, our hospitals have been stripped almost bare of services. From St Davids in North Pembs its roughly a 1.5/1hr drive to a fully functioning hospital.

Career wise, if you're looking for David Lloyd-esq type gyms you won't find any. Mainly council run leisure centres with the odd private one here and there, and cross fit clubs.

I should add, lots of Tri clubs too and Tenby holds Ironman every September.

Conwy county. Schools mostly English spoken with some Welsh. Two hours to Leeds by car. Surfing we use Rhosneigr and hell's mouth mostly. Look at big salty for wave height etc.

Lots of gyms in Swansea. You’d definitely find work. Personally I think Swansea is what you are looking for.

The reason it takes so long to drive anywhere is because there’s only one motorway and it goes east/west along the south coast. Once you are off the motorway then rural areas can be narrow country roads, bendy, up and down hills etc and tractors.

If I could afford it, I’d move to the Gower and I would spend my time hiking through the woods and paddle boarding at Oxwich Bay. We were there today and it was beautiful.

I moved to Cardigan 3 years with my youngest children aged 4 and 7
The primary schools are Welsh Medium and children honestly pick up Welsh very quickly The secondary schools are mostly bilingual
There are quite a few families that have moved here from England
Cardigan is beautiful but you really need to be able to drive here as the public transport is not the greatest and can be quite expensive
Also has plenty of cafes,pubs and charity shops but not a lot of clothes shops or shoe shops etc you would have to travel to Carmarthen or Aberystwyth for that or online shopping
But the beaches are amazing the area is stunning and people are very friendly
it really is an amazing way of life here and my children have never missed living in London

As a holiday-maker dreaming of a move, I always fancied Harlech or Criccieth, which seem to be within 4 hours of South Yorkdhire. . But that's summer, ice-cream and castles speaking to me! Not sure of schooling, employment, deprivation levels, community and cultural/sporting facilities, which is where my dream falters and I wake up!

Aberystwyth(my local proper town). There are English medium schools and a surfing place there too. Although learning Welsh is very much an advantage in jobs round here, in your line of work it wouldn't be necessary. Loads of nice beaches within easy reach. Probably would take about 5 hours to drive from south Yorkshire though.

My parents live in Pembrokeshire and there are some amazing beaches, some quite surfy too.

But the downside is it take ages to get anywhere. The job market isn't great, certainly not within commutable distance (just thinking when your dc are older) but it is a beautiful part of the country

Solva
St David's
Broad Haven
Little Haven
Newgale - very good for surfing

How about Menai Bridge on Anglesey? Beautiful little town and just across from Bangor. It even has a Waitrose😁. No problems with access as just off the A55 which is pretty good unless you’re travelling into Wales on a Friday afternoon. Good beaches all over Anglesey-surfing vibe at Rhosneigr, more trad at Benllech. And if you like outdoors, very close to the mountains of Snowdonia. We live in North Wales and there are some rundown areas like everywhere but there are also some surprisingly affluent places. But stay reasonably close to the A55 and you’re in reasonable reach of Chester as well as the wild places.

Swansea. Plenty of gym opportunities
Lots to offer beach wise we have some amazing coastlines

Llandudno or Bangor. Close to the A55 making travel easier. Plus they're on the main Chester to Holyhead rail line.

Another voice saying Swansea. Lots of council and gym chains as well as independent PTs. Easy access to beaches although traffic gets snarled up when the weather is lovely. Wide variety of housing prices too

I moved to Mumbles 15 years ago and never looked back. There's a huge market for personal trainers as there's a lot of folk with money. Lots of them do outdoor boot camp type classes which are very popular.

Housing is very expensive but dependent on budget you could look at West Cross or Bishopston.

life like in Wales? www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/4755677-whats-life-like-in-wales]]

This thread might be helpful. I'm another voice chipping in for Swansea. Plenty of fitness stuff going on here (so I'm told) - everyone and their dog seems to be training for a triathlon, lots of gyms and excellent for swimming (sea and pool). Cycle paths are plenty and there are more planned (although it is still quite car-oriented - public transport isn't great and would love to see it improved). Ridiculously gorgeous if you pick the right spots. Feels buzzy (I'm a Londoner and can't be doing with much tranquility) but plenty of places to go where - if you need solitude - you won't see another soul.

Welsh speaking not necessary - but it's on my to-do list. Compulsory as a subject to 16, but can choose between English and Welsh medium schools.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4755677-whats-life-like-in-wales?reply=124367540

Link failure - hopefully this works

Mumbles, Barmouth, Conwy.

Another vote for Swansea!

Wasn't it Abersoch where there was a beach hut for sale for £250k recently ? Someone put a thread up about it

Exactly what I was thinking - I don't live in Wales but visit there a lot - decent sized towns with good transport links and you can visit prettier beaches on your days off .

I agree. So many beautiful million pound plus houses hidden away.