To move to Cornwall?

[Ansumpasty]

Name change as this is very outing for me!

I have the opportunity to move to Cornwall. My parents moved there a year ago and love it and I've fallen in love with the place. I understand that summer in Cornwall differs very much from winter there but have taken this onboard and looking at the bigger picture.
DH works away most of the time and so I'm largely alone in a distant part of the UK from Cornwall. His job is based in Holland so it's irrelevant to him where we live. It is slightly more difficult for him to get flights into Cornwall but not a massive issue. I have 2 DC, one who is 6 and going into year 2 soon and one who is 3.

Having both my parents close by again will be amazing for both me and my DC and part of me feels like this is an opportunity that cannot be missed. However, AIBU to take oldest DC out of an amazing school (best in the area) where he is very settled and happy and put him in a school that might not be very good, uprooting and unsettling him incase it all comes crashing down? I am a SAHM so my job isn't an issue.

I also worry that I won't be able to get youngest DS in the same school. He will be starting reception in a year and so I will have to be applying for his place soon, which complicates things even further.

We currently live in a large city, with plenty of jobs and prospects. There is the risk that if we settle there permanently, DC will struggle getting work as adults as I'm aware work is hard to find. I'm taking giant leaps here, though! Housing is also a hell of a lot cheaper here. We will be able to afford to buy there, albeit a smaller house.

Has anyone been in this position or is from Cornwall and can offer any advice? How is it to raise children there and settle in as an outsider? How welcoming are other school parents to outsiders, especially if in a smaller village?

We are looking at the Truro/Falmouth area...is there a particular village/school that you would recommend or avoid? Forums online seem to slate Redruth but I personally don't see anything wrong with it and the houses are much more affordable.

So basically, AIBU to uproot DC's entire lives and good education at the 'chance' of a better life and grandparents around?

80% of my friends left Cornwall for uni and returned in our 20s - all working, all happy, rain or shine. Do it!

The NL isn't an option for me, myself and DC don't speak the language and DH wants to settle back here again eventually. It probably sounds very selfish to some but it really isn't the place for me and I get down and feel very out of place every time I go.
I'm leaning towards going for it, in regards to Cornwall

Are schools in Cornwall generally under subscribed?

Just go for it! Cornwall is my spiritual home and I've been there (to that area) more yikes than I can count since being a child. Yes, the weather can be bad but it's dramatic and summer days by the sea or doing coastal walks are wonderful. I live in the South East and I'd love to get away from all this 4x4, flat cap wearing fuckery and be somewhere where we could get back to basics! Don't let this opportunity pass you by - it sounds as though that's what you want in your heart. Your children will be fine (I say that after moving my dd 3 hours away in Year 2.) Go go go!

*times not yikes!

I'd say go for it too. I too don't get all the "the children will leave". Both of my children have left where they grew up, and we live 80 minutes from London! They went to uni and have stayed in those cities. As have many of their friends!

This is the best age to move your dc. If you and your Dh like Cornwall and can find somewhere near your parents, just go for it. My Dh worked away for 5 years and I would have lived to have been near my parents.

I will follow this thread with interest as it is what I am thinking about too. We are looking at both Devon and Cornwall. I have children in year 3 , year one and just starting nursery in a lovely school so I'm torn because of schools too so similar to yourself.?Also what worries me is flooding. Does all of Devon and Cornwall flood or just certain parts and the towns that flood is it just the town that floods or does it go into the residential areas too? I keep saying we will probably go in two years or so but it would probably be best to go when children are as young as possible and it's only the fear of change stopping me.

In your situation I would definitely do it as you will have family nearby.

"Are schools in Cornwall undersubscribed?"
"Does all of Devon and Cornwall flood?"
People do realise Cornwall is a rather large place with hundreds of different towns and cities. It's not one big, homogeneous place.

Move to Bristol instead - easy to get to Cornwall and your oh can fly direct from the airport there to nl
Best of city and country life

What would be the point of moving to Bristol when her parents would still be hours away, and the OP would still have no support. Housing costs in Bristol are also very expensive compared to parts of Cornwall.

Really?! Took me 5 hours to drive to Cornwall when I lived in Bristol!

Her oh could fly from the airport there and she's closer to her parents - if you travel at the right time of day it's 2/3 hours (agreed travel at the wrong time and it's 6)
I think oh you haven't factored in your oh's commute enough to your decision - it seems like you are used to functioning without him and therefore making this move more as a solo person to get more support than something to bring your oh closer to the family again.
If you aren't bothered About your oh then def move very near to parents in Cornwall and enjoy the extra support and lifestyle change

It rains a lot. I mean, a lot. And there's nothing for young people there, I would assume they'll move away when they grow up.
I don't know. I think I'd take advantage of the fact your parents are there and spend lots of the holidays there but I don't know if I'd move. Though Falmouth is lovely and somewhere we've considered. But the endless rain and accompanying drear and having to drive everywhere, plus knowing that DD would be off and away at 18 are all pretty off putting.

I was brought up here, moved away, trained, worked and now I'm back. I love it, but you must be realistic about the change. No massive shopping centres, theme parks etc. If your idea of a good day out involves that kind of thing, maybe not the place for you! However, if you would embrace a local community, love beaches and big skies whatever the weather and think cooking up some sausages on a portable BBQ and going rock pooling would be fun then head to Cornwall. The social scene has to be looked for and you'll need to be proactive to get the most out of Cornwall.

Be prepared for the bastard never ending rain, but be happy to go out anyway.

Your kids may well leave to find work as adults. I did and most of my friends but that's ok. My mum loved visiting me in the big smoke .

I would avoid the clay areas, Redruth and Camborne and stick to Truro and surrounding areas. I live 5 miles from Truro and I feel I get enough of everything I need. There are areas of real deprivation but you'll find that everywhere.

You learn to avoid the main roads in the silly season, but the A30 temple roadworks finishing have made a big difference.

Perhaps you should rent out your house if you have one and do a year to see?
Good luck with your decision.

Also just be aware that there was something in the paper the other day about the cost of living in Cornwall. Truro was smack in the middle and they reckoned you needed to earn £12.95 per hour to live just above the breadline. A lot of places were much more expensive, some a little less, but all required a very good wage to have a decent standard of living.

I live on the Devon side of the Cornwall/Devon border. Moved back in thirties have lived away/abroad for university and work for a bit (including London). Would never live anywhere else. I don't like Conrnwall in July/August - but is lovely the rest of the year. After next weekend everyone will clear off and the beaches will be accessible again!

I'm not sure I'd go as far as Truro/Falmouth. I think I'd stay closer to the border as it does make work and education opportunities easier. Places like Liskeard/Seaton/Downderry are much more affordable than holiday cottage central as well.

Not sure about using Newquay airport though. If you lived closer to the border along either the A30 or A38 Exeter airport would become an option as well.

Lot of Camborne bashing going on here! I lived in Falmouth till I was 10, then moved to Camborne because of my dad's work. I went to Truro School & went to university in London at 19. This was in the late '80s & the universities hadn't moved into Cornwall yet, plus I wanted to see London.
My parents & sister still live in Camborne, my brother lives in north London & married an English girl. I live in Kent & work in London. I'd love to move back home but the nearest place to there where I can work would be Bristol, there are no locations further west now Falmouth has closed. My wife works for the same company but in an even more specialised area & it's London based.
If there was a comparable job & affordable housing I'd love to go back, sadly there isn't.
OP, if you have a chance to do it, research it thoroughly & if you go for it, throw yourself into it & enjoy. Just be sure in your own mind that it's for you before you commit.

We moved nearly 9years ago from a very large town in the South to just outside a national park in the north. It is very cold and rainy in the winter and sometimes almost dark by 3.30pm which the can be a bit depressing. In the summer places can become almost 'no go ' due to the influx of holiday makers. But would I move back ? No because when I go back to visit family I am surprised by the speed of the rat race. Cars everywhere, no-one wants to give you the time of the day. Move - you have your parents around you. Give your children an outdoor lifestyle with beaches,woods,creeks, etc when they grow up they will remember that much more than life in front of a screen or being taken to after school clubs in built up areas.

Ansum Guess what, I didn't speak Flemish when I moved to Brussels but English is widely and fluently spoken both in Belgium and the NL. They even teach degrees in English in both countries. I have been in Belgium since 2006,and my Flemish is enough to get by. We are returning to the Tamar Valley in 2019, but living abroad has been an experience, and I'm glad we did it. It's worth considering as the commute to Cornwall will get old very quickly for your dh. It's one thing weekending when it's in the UK, from Brussels to the Tamar Valley was 12 hours, be it Eurostar and then the train, or driving. It wasn't worth it for the time we saw dh.

Redruth is one of tge most deprived areas of the UK. They sometimes put curfews on the young people there. Avoid. I don't like Truro personally. Why would you move to Cornwall and not live somewhere beautiful by the sea!

Actually yes if there are enough flights then maybe Exeter a good option too - easy commute for OH and closer to your parents but not massive lifestyle change and loads of opportunities for the kids still

I know it's not Cornwall but I grew up.in a part of Devon not far from the Cornish border from the age of 5 until I left home to go to Uni. Would NEVER live down there again. I found it suffocating and parachoial. Because I wasn't born there I was an outsider (despite one side of my family being born/bred there).

My parents also chose to retire AWAY from the area to be closer to us children and grandchildren. I was very glad they did that as otherwise they would have been quite isolated down there into old age.

Have you considered south Devon, rather than Cornwall, so nearer to you parents, but not so far down. Perhaps consider something in striking distance of Exeter and the seaside towns and villages near there.

We've just come back from a holiday in Cornwall - I love the place very much (pretty much all of my dads ancestry is either from Cornwall or Devon, close to the border), but the roads, especially in summer would do my head in... coming from a farming background I really feel for the farmers having to move their harvesting equipment about in peak tourist season!

We moved to just outside Wadebridge 7 years ago. DD1 is now 8, DD2 is 4. The first year was tough. We moved because of DH's job and knew no-one. I felt very isolated.
Once I'd found a playgroup and started to meet people it picked up. We rented for a year and that was hard going, not in the area we eventually ended up in and I wasn't that happy. Now we live in a tiny village, and have been fully welcomed into it. It helps that we made a massive effort to attend things (village fetes, WI fundraiser coffee mornings etc). One of the first things we went to, everyone knew we'd only just moved in, but I didn't know anyone, and I was sorting out some food when DD wandered off. I had that moment of panic, and one of the old guys said "I'm watching her. She's over there, you carry on and I'll keep an eye on her". And that has set the tone - people have been friendly and helpful.
Then DD started nursery and I've made loads of friends. People who started out as just school gate mums but who are now good friends. I've had 2 incidents this year where I've needed help (no family locally) and both times I've been swamped with offers. People taking the kids for me, people rocking up with food they've cooked for me, people turning up to dog walk for me. I certainly don't lack company or feel isolated now - in fact we're running out of time to do all the things with people that we wanted to this summer.
In terms of being dead in the winter, I don't find that. But I've always liked countryside rather than cities. The Summer is a bit too crowded, yes. But in the winter, we put wellies on and go to the beach and have it to ourselves. I love that. There can be a bit of a small town mentality. I know several people who have barely been further than Devon. But DH and I have both travelled and we can give our kids a wider horizon so hopefully they will have the best of both worlds.
In terms of jobs for the kids, it depends what they want to do, and how the world has developed by then with online stuff so I wouldn't make decisions based on that. But then I moved out of London to do the job I wanted, DH moved to do a different country to do what he wanted, my sister also left London, so I don't see moving away from where you grew up to follow a job as an issue. It's the norm for me and my family. And that's moving away from a city where employment might be considered plentiful! I landed a job in my field down here and it's worked out brilliantly.
The school is great, the lifestyle for the kids is great. But, we are outdoorsy, dog walking type people so are quite happy in woods, or on the beach. If that's not you then maybe think again. Having said that, we also spend a lot of time at our local National Trust place, and go up to the English Heritage castles, and go to the theatre at Hall for Cornwall, so it's not like we are devoid of culture!
I love it here. When DH's work looked as though we might have to leave, I was gutted. Very relieved it didn't happen! Does that help?!