Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

would you leave Birmingham for the West Country?

35 replies

Freddofrog1983 · 28/06/2017 14:42

Just that really. I have wanted to be by the coast for years and now I am in a position to do that as I have no family ties and nothing keeping me here apart from liking the primary school my children attend.

I am morgage free with a budget up to £250,000. I am thinking about the Isle of Wight or West Country, mainly Devon,Cornwall area. I hate the thought of only seeing the coast a couple of times a year. What is it like to bring up children in these areas and would you leave Birmingham to do it?

OP posts:

MrsOverTheRoad · 28/06/2017 14:44

I would but you have to consider what it will be like for them when they're older...not a lot to do for teens in the West Country and job shortages too.

Baalam · 28/06/2017 14:45

You won't get much in Dorset for 250k

Original poster

Freddofrog1983 · 28/06/2017 14:54

Mrsover, I have thought about that and it does bother me to be honest. I was looking at maybe Exeter area even though I like North Devon.

Also if you are relocating do you find the house or the job first? The trouble with me is I don't like taking risks in case I regret it but I'm not happy where I am and I have always been drawn to them areas and not just as a holiday ad i have been at different times of the year.

OP posts:

MrsOverTheRoad · 28/06/2017 14:58

I think you need to find the job first...no use taking on a new life with no safe income!

What about Wales? There are beautiful coastal areas and it's commutable to more lively areas if you want.

MrsOverTheRoad · 28/06/2017 14:59

Or...if you're mortgage free what about buying a cottage for holidays? Letting it will help pay for it?

Baalam · 28/06/2017 15:03

Taunton is quite a lively city and cheapish. You'd have to drive to the sea though

Hammybear · 28/06/2017 15:03

I live in Devon (Plymouth Area) and love it here. It so nice in the Summer having the choice of what beach to go to. We even go to the beach in the evenings for dog walks.

Exeter is lovely too, I have a few friends who live there and love it.

My brother in law is from Birmingham and has moved down here, he loves it. His parents have visited a few times now and they are looking at moving down too.

StormTreader · 28/06/2017 15:05

The job will be the main thing, there arent nearly as many in the west country as there are in the midlands. Theres a pretty high chance your kids will move away at some point for uni/work - I went from somerset to birmingham!

It can also be a bit limiting for kids as their friends will likely not be close by, expect to do a LOT of driving back and forwards.

Its also pretty much 100% white still, if you are not white then you may find you become a "known face" in your local area, and it depends how comfortable you are with never really being totally "a local".

SequinsOnEverything · 28/06/2017 15:06

I live in Taunton amd i would describe it as a dying town not a lively city! I would recommend moving near Cardiff myself.

Baalam · 28/06/2017 15:07

Oh that's a shame sequins

MissBlueskies · 28/06/2017 15:12

I would definitely leave Birmingham. I'm from their originally and would never go back. Interestingly my grandparents moved away from Birmingham to the isle of Wight and then later on to Devon. I had holidays with them and never wanted to go home. You'll have a better quality of life there I reckon and will regret it if you stay in Birmingham.

witsender · 28/06/2017 15:28

We live on the Isle of Wight, and have lived in Hants, Dorset and Kent. And spent a lot of time in Cornwall. I would make this move very happily.

What would you be doing work wise? The Island probably has the cheapest availability of housing, and is a lovely spot to be. You would need to consider whether you would need to commute, as that may mean you want to live closer to one part than the other, and would have a cost consideration.

Original poster

Freddofrog1983 · 28/06/2017 16:01

Missblueskies, that's what worries me, regretting staying in Birmingham but I'm also scared of change. Once I have moved I will probably wonder what took me so long.

Workwise it would be education/NHS based. I don't think I would consider other areas such as Wales as I would love to visit many places in Wales but the areas I have mentioned I feel most at home.I have many happy memories as a child and as an adult.

OP posts:

MissBlueskies · 28/06/2017 16:26

I know what you mean about change. It is a big step but I'm sure you won't regret it. I've met many people who have left Birmingham and not one has regretted it. Your looking at moving somewhere beautiful and warm and by the sea. For many people that would be just a pipe dream but for you it's definitely possible. Go for it and it'll be the best thing you ever did!

Brittbugs80 · 28/06/2017 16:33

I got a new job, moved to Devon, stayed in a b&b till I found a rental, had a baby and moved back to the Midlands.

Just remember reality is different to holiday. Some parts completely shut down in winter, you probably won't spend all your free time on the beach and every area has problems, ours was a particularly bad drugs problem area but was hidden from the tourist area.

And a lot of people I worked with had children who all left for big cities when it came to Uni and never came home as there just wasn't sufficient jobs.

TurnipCake · 28/06/2017 16:38

Lived in North Devon for a few years, but I was ready to leave after the first. Yes it's beautiful, the beaches are great but it's dead in the winter, as soon as the Easter hols or summer hits, the tourists descend and I was shocked at some of the openly racist attitudes in the workplace.

There was one local cinema, a few bars but otherwise unless you're very outdoorsy, not a huge amount to do

Crispyturtle · 28/06/2017 16:42

We relocated to the West Country three years ago, have never looked back. We live close to Exeter, so have the best of both worlds; city, country & beach all in easy access. Exeter is quite expensive but you don't have to go too far away for prices to drop to a bit more reasonable. Teignmouth is a nice town, I have a few friends there and they really like it. Or away from the coast I think Tiverton is quite a nice little market town.

RiverTam · 28/06/2017 16:45

BIL and SIL did exactly that. She is originally from the county they moved to and has family there still which I think helped them settle in a lot. And he knew the area very well from childhood holidays spent there. They are still there 12 years down the line and have two children, but the early years were very hard. It rains a lot. Like, a lot. They put in a lot of hours in the local pub, and having dogs and then children helped a lot .

TheSconeOfStone · 28/06/2017 16:49

I live in Plymouth. We moved here because we wanted somewhere coastal and DH was able to get a job as a nurse at the large hospital here. I now work in an office job at the same hospital. Career prospects are limited but worth it for the proximity to moors and coast.

It's not the quaint seaside village or town that people dream of when heading to the Westcountry but it doesn't close down over Winter. The theatre is very good and we have plenty of restaurants, multiplex cinema and leisure facilities. Opportunities for paddle boarding, kayaking, sailing, wind surfing, swimming in the lido all in the city.

You can get a decent property for £250k.

TheSnorkMaidenReturns · 28/06/2017 16:55

Another town people speak well of is Honiton. This is what you can get for £250k.

Marmaladeorange · 28/06/2017 17:02

personally I love Birmingham! I cannot imagine living anywhere else. Out of interest, what area are you in? For a more community/friendly vibe you might be interested in Moseley/Kings Heath/Bourneville/Harborne. I would worry that moving to a rural or seaside town would be a culture shock - ie: largely white middle class, whereas Birmingham has such wonderful diversity.

Original poster

Freddofrog1983 · 28/06/2017 17:48

Sorry for the sporadic replies, I'm in the middle of preparing dinner and sorting children out. I live not far from Solihull, where I am is not awful, it's just I have lived here all of my life and it lacks that one important thing- the coast. I feel closed in being I the middle of the country.

There is alot to consider. What are the primary schools like?

OP posts:

RiverTam · 28/06/2017 17:54

I think that's something that will vary from place to place. Be aware that Cornwall is the poorest country in England and of course they currently get a lot of EU funding which will presumably dry up soon.

Autvet · 28/06/2017 18:54

We did 😀 Left midlands for Dorset - lovely rural home, £230 for four bed detached- would highly recommend it x

Autvet · 28/06/2017 18:55

Primary and secondary schools are fab and I lived in Solihull. Occasionally miss the shops but coast is lovely and so is countryside

Flip

1 2