To want to move to Cornwall so badly

[Musicinthe00ssucks]

It's an impossible dream though. DH and I both live and work in London we have DDs 2 and 4 and grandparents around the corner. We have an average income in London (probably good everywhere else) and our own home. I just can't get the idea out of my head and I feel like we would have such a fantastic standard of living down there. Only problem is lack of jobs, too far from family etc.

Someone please tell me I am being totally unreasonable and that Cornwall is actually a crap place to live - please!!

Earth - that's interesting - I dream of living somewhere quiet and am okay with same level of job (probably older than you though).

I'm curious, 18 miles to a supermarket, but were you able to get deliveries or was it too off the beaten track?

Cornwall is a beautiful place to live. Leave it to the Cornish.

Thanks everyone. A lot of food for thought here. In reality I don't think I could do it - even in the next few years. I think it's a nice dream for retirement though just got the next 32 years to wait

I moved out of the big city to live in the South West. Our standard of living here is way better than it would have been had we stayed where we were. We have a big house that we couldn't have afforded in a million years in the city and jobs whereby we can work from home, so no wasted time commuting and fretting about parking and all the other stuff.

The downside for me is the lack of culture where we are - no theatre, no gigs (unless you count the type of bands that feature a melodeon player ), no cinema, and without wanting to sound harsh, I miss the sense of humour and quick wittedness of the people I came across in a city.

On balance I am happy with the choice we made, and frankly when I go back to visit friends I don't envy them their lifestyle at all. Equally I am sure they don't envy me mine. It is awful to be unhappy where you live though OP, I felt like that for a good few years before we moved. I would not underestimate the impact of moving away from family though.

I think I must be the only person that went to Cornwall and didn't fall for it!

The parking would put me off

Why don't you work out what it is that attracts you to living in Cornwall ? Then investigate how you could find that elsewhere in the uk .

Although, on second thoughts, you could always entice your family to move down with you. I know several families who have done that.

We quit 'real' life last year and moved from Essex to Devon. I couldn't take one more day working in London so my husband and I quit our jobs and moved to a new community. We've gone from a very good income to barely making it into double figures but I still think it was a great decision. DH is a teacher and gets a decent amount of supply work. I've started my own writing business but haven't had the time to devote to it properly so don't know whether it will take off. The positives are:

We are happier. We have more time together.
The kids love it - lots of space and nearby beaches.
Made loads of lovely new friends and neighbours.
Feels so much safer.
We have lots more days out.

The downside:

I miss my Mum and Dad hugely. We don't have a support network here (picked it mainly based on childhood holidays!) and we really feel it when either me or DH are ill.
We're a lot poorer (the staff in the co-op even get the yellow sticker fruit and veg ready for me in the mornings!)
I sometimes miss my work colleagues i.e adult conversation everyday

Overall we took a big risk and it took me a year to decide to do it but the alternative was staying in a grey cubicle for the next 40 years. No regrets! You only get one life...

Also my cousin lived in Cornwall for many years and it was FULL of Londoners who had moved down there pretending to be artists or running health food shops so you would have plenty of company if you got homesick.

Music, I'm the same, except my idea is any half-decent coastal area. I think living in London plays a massive part of it, because it's so built up and horrible, it makes you long to be as far away as possble!

For me, I was set on Somerset... Why, I don't know haha!

You could try a holiday there first, living cheaply like the locals to give you a good indication of how life would be. Keep an open mind cos it may all be this big fantasy in your head ;) I know because I'm obsessed with homes under the hammer and similar programmes.

Could it be that you like the tranquility? As there's beautiful places JUST outside of London, so you could still be within a commute to grandparents etc? :)

YANBU to dream about it. It's a wonderful place in lots of ways. But (since you're asking for the downsides):

• difficult to find work, especially non-seasonal well paid work
• really poor public transport. Be prepared to drive everywhere at great expense. We get through so much petrol when back visiting.
• patchy, sometimes difficult to access, healthcare
• time consuming and expensive for friends and gps to visit/you to leave and visit them
• often difficult to break into village life, locals not necessarily well disposed towards outsiders
• it's one of the most deprived areas of the UK. Lots of social problems, especially away from the wealthier coast
• personally I dislike surfer culture (as opposed to surfing). I find it quite intolerant and exclusive in its own way and would not want my teenagers getting involved
• not very diverse
• really poor access to culture, especially in comparison to London!
• overpriced housing except in grey, drab inland villages
• long, long, grey winters
• quite a difficult place to grow old if you don't have family nearby
• fewer opportunities and not much for teenagers to do if they aren't outdoorsy. You must be prepared to ferry them everywhere.

P.S. I would consider Devon though. Far less isolated and more job opportunities!

I have a friend there. They say there are not many jobs at all. So if you moved there you might be shooting your chidlren's life chances to pieces just so you can look at cows. Might be better to look at the cows on youtube instead or on a few holidays there. Of why not just buy a holiday place down there in due course or rent one?

Come to Northumberland! Weather not as nice, but there are beautiful beaches and countryside within commuting distance of Newcastle, where the job situation isn't as dire as Cornwall. And 3 hours on the train from London :-)

Its great, theres nothing I dont like.

people saying about scenery - yes, finding work is an issue but if you can...one of the things that I realise is getting me down about London is that nowhere is pretty any more. I live in an outer burb which lost the local green spaces and trees (apart from a park which is just a sort of walk your dog, kids playground type of park) to blocks of flats. So there is nowhere green and pretty in walking distance anymore and I find that has an effect on my brain tbh.

if someone had the facts on their side and could work, I'd always say go for it - but I don't go to gigs and things so I wouldn't miss those. I mostly stay home because I can't face going out in such a busy place, I try to get friends over here rather than go out.

Northumberland is better than Cornwall, in every area, except the weather. I used to love going to Cornwall when I lived in Bristol, but now I have been to Northumberland several times , I can see Cornwall is over-rated.

I second Devon, or even perhaps looking at Dorset or Somerset? I live in Devon and eve I consider Cornwall remote!

We are a plumber and a GP and periodically consider making the move, I'm guessing we would be OK for work?
I know people who have gone for it and loved it but moved out once kids get older. Nothing has to be permanent, you are right OP life is short.

I don't live in Cornwall but I wonder whether it is similar to the Isle of Wight? Utterly GLORIOUS in summer but often rather bleak in winter. Out of season (season is from Easter to 2 November), all the tourist stuff shuts down.

If you really would like to move there, visit for a fortnight in the middle of January. After Christmas and before half term. There will be a lot shut.

The thing about opportunities for kids - dh and I will consider our job well done if our children grow up to be confident enough to move away to follow their dreams. I would say this wherever we lived though.

Paradoxically, most of the people I know around here run their own businesses or are self employed in some way because there are fewer actual 'jobs', whereas most of the people I know back home work for someone else, because it is more usual to just go out and look for a job. So it's not necessarily a case of fewer opportunities = unemployment. Necessity being the mother of invention and all that.

My parents have had a life of two halves almost. They brought up us lot near London, dad running a small building business. Then when we were young adults ( very young, I was 22) they moved down to Devon.

They did their research, went whilst still of working age and took my granny with them. She was developing dementia. My eldest brother sort of migrated after them soon afterwards and has raised his family in an idyllic village. Mum's sister and dh also moved down so they aren't isolated from everyone. However,mits quite a long way for visits so we don't see them as much as we'd like and all visits are for days rather than a few hours which can be hard work.

They have no regrets. I'd strongly advise to NOT retire somewhere like this, working enables you to become part of the community . Lots of retirees end up lonely and regretting their move.

Hang on to the dream. I agree about low wages and limited opportunities so do your homework and prepare ahead.

You are looking for Dorset.

Jurassic Coast is (IMO) way prettier than Cornwall. Low house prices outside of the 'second home' ghettos. 2 hrs to London from a mainline station.

Less civilized than a South-Eastern city but far more civilized than Cornwall. Lovely laid-back way of life. We moved 2 years ago and my DS is a different child. I don't actually know where he is right now (he's 6). Imagine being able to do that in London.