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!!

I've lived in Cornwall all of my life. Yes there isn't much work that's why I do accounts from home . A GP would be very welcome here as our local guy wants to retire. As regards parking I have a garage and a drive. Sometimes let tourists park on my drive though.
Here's a nice house bit pricey but wouldn't mind it.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-40405023.html#

Very curious reading other people's critique of your home. I wouldn't live anywhere else, but then i like the outdoors and simple pleasures, and am quite happy to be a long way from the rest of the world.

Me too

It's way out of my budget even here, but what would something like this cost you in London? www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-50405284.html

No idea about London but have fallen in love with that house. I wonder how much mine is

Very odd bigoted attitudes in some areas which was very unpleasant to witness on multiple occasions

Can you elaborate? In 30 years ive never experienced this.

On our way home this week I noticed something that may change a few minds - they are opening a Waitrose in Truro!

MatildatheCat is spot on about retirement. I used to do care work and you wouldn't believe the number of people I cared for who had retired down here away from all their friends, only to have their husband/wife die on them shortly after before they had time to make new ones and were now completely isolated in little villages with no car and shit public transport. Retirement is just the time of your life when you need to be near civilisation, not move away from it!

I agree with SisterViktorine up thread about Dorset. I lived there for a good few years and both the coast and the countryside inland were heartachingly beautiful. The part of Dorset that runs into Devon is quite empty and is stunning. Honestly, check out Dorset.

Om actual fg at the hideous solar panels on that beautiful house VelvetGreen. I could almost cry! How could anyone DO that?

We moved to Plymouth (so nearly Cornwall) for two years when DH worked in local television. The tv channel employed a new weather presenter, a young black woman, and a really shocking number of racist complaints came in. Horrible! We couldn't wait to get back to civilisation .

I have rarely if ever come across any hostility to 'outsiders'. Our village has it's fair share of people from 'abroad' and i don't think a single one would say they felt anything other than welcome. There's the occasional conflict where new folk sometimes equate getting involved with the community with wanting to change everything - usually borne out of frustration of how long it can sometimes take for anything to happen. I lived in West Devon for some time and tbh found that far more judgey and bigoted than here, which on the whole is pretty non conformist and tolerant.

What's the thing about Cornwall that attracts you?

If it's the thought of some nice countryside and a much bigger house for the price of your London one, just pop up North. Although it shocks my relatives to hear it, we have cities and jobs here too!

(my relatives were surprised we had fkin broadband, so forgive me I get a little bit miffed off if people give it the ol' 'wow you're so civilised there' angle.)

My friend moved from London to Cornwall with her young children. She has her own business that can be run from anywhere really, and he has a local job. They've never been happier, and they have a much better life for their kids now with tons of space, beaches, etc.

Agree with most of the above. Teenage transport thing hits anywhere: I should have considered before moving to a village in the Shires with 1 irregular bus and no train. Brilliant until DC was 11. Then anything from going to the seaside, sports, parties, cinema, seeing mates, sleepovers (pre18) required a taxi service from me or DP, both working. And Lymm is right - if you choose the hospitality business you either (a) end up working through school holidays and half terms or (b) paying for cleaners/managers which needs to be factored in, and the more remote you are the harder they are to find, or if in a honeypot, ditto. IT jobs might work well but still a bugger to get to the fast train at Exeter for face to face meetings in London or wherever - still necessary despite Skype.

Dorset looks absolutely beautiful too. Thanks so much for all of the wise words on this thread.

I was brought up in Devon but my parents worked as GP and teacher. As a teenager I found it very boring. Now as an adult I like to go back and visit. But after I finished University there were just no suitable graduate level jobs to be found in the area.

There will be numerous positive and negative comments, for any area in the UK. Me and my husband are currently in the process of moving down to Cornwall, all things well in 3 weeks, and my daughter has already gone down, funnily enough she has transferred to the New Waitrose branch.
My MIL used to live in Weymouth, and I'm sorry but the boring beach just didn't do it for me, they are not as dramatic as the SW beaches esp on the north coast.
Devon is lovely, I could have quite easily moved there, but I wanted my daughter to have some work, so the Truro transfer came just in time.
I do wish I hadn't read this thread, as it has some very negative view points, but I am of the view that it is what you make it. At the end of the day my daughter would never be able to afford a home where we are now, but she stands a better chance down there

We did it (SE to Cornwall) last autumn and are very happy. I've PMed you Music.

We live on the Isle of Wight as a compromise.

I live in Cornwall and would you believe it Waitrose delivers to my house... As does Riverford and the local box scheme.

We live in a small coastal village. About 50% Cornish and everyone else is from all over the place. From abroad and elsewhere in the UK. We have felt as welcome here as we have everywhere else in the UK we have ever lived. It's friendly and normal.

And it's not over run with tourists in the summer because it's not a major tourist destination, despite being right on the coast.

I work in Plymouth. It takes me 25 minutes to get there. I drive along the coast road and hop on the ferry. It's a lovely commute.

Plymouth has a lot to offer. Wonderful waterfront restaurants at Royal William Yard and Barbican. Good theatre scene. Artsy enough here and there. High street usuals if you want them. Outstanding sporting facilities. Excellent schools. Career prospects. I have a wonderful job in Plymouth that I absolutely love.

The Tamar Valley, also on our doorstep, is beautiful too. Bike trails, kayaking, art and music at Calstock and Pentillie. The Port Eliot Festival at St Germans in July.

Our summer evenings are spent bbqing on the beach after school with friends or taking the foot passenger ferry over to Royal William Yard for dinner.

On Fridays, fresh fish straight off a boat from Looe arrives at my doorstep.

Honestly I would never ever return to London for anyone's money.

But I also appreciate this life isn't for everyone and recommend you do your research and plenty of trips in all seasons before you decide what to do.

My brother lives there and loves it, I find it OK but I miss a bit of diversity.

I send bags of samosas down with anyone visiting or if he comes 'up country'.

There are no motorways - I find that incredible, I know there are duel carriageways but no motorways!

I lived in London in the early 1990s and he would phone and say 'Tesco are trying an experiment, they are opening until 10pm' and I would say 'er my local one is open 24 hours'

Expensive housing, low paid jobs and limited jobs in things like health care.

Our 24 hour Tescos has samosas!