To hate living in Plymouth

[Polarbearflavour]

I’ve lived and worked in London for most of my adult life. I’ve moved here with DP who is military. We have another 18 months left before we can relocate to semi-metropolitan Portsmouth!

I’m trying hard to like it here and being by the sea but I really can’t. We do have a lovely little house here.

1. I don’t really like my job, it’s pays half of what my London job paid and there’s not really a lot of decent office jobs here. I have applied for a few other things.
2. I don’t have any friends here.
3. It takes ages to travel to see friends and family, especially to London.
4. There’s not really much here.
5. I don’t really like Plymouth itself as a city.

A fellow military wife here, making the most of life in Plymouth/Devon. I don’t really do the married patch social life thing, just get on with my own life. I agree that job opportunities and salaries are a bit depressing - enjoy the other things Devon has to offer (beaches, moors, countryside, nice market towns) before you head to Pompey (much worse place to live in my opinion!). Have you got kids? They’re a great excuse to get out and explore a bit more of the area. As others have said, happy to meet up if you fancy a moan/a few ideas of things to do!

Oh goodness yes it rains almost every day!

DP knows he isn’t allowed to go to Faslane or Culdrose

Thank you for the nice messages, I will send you PMs

No children as yet, hopefully not too far away!

People who live down in the south west get a bit fed up about the lack of decent job opportunities down here. Transport links to London are appalling, the trains cost a small fortune, the M5 grinds to a total halt on a weekly basis because of an accident, and during the summer with the holiday traffic, it can add two hours to the road trip (they used to have an airport, but they closed it FFS).

How are they going to attract investment and economic development when it takes so long to get down here? My DH is from Plymouth and we moved down here 20 years ago when he got a good job. Within two years, the company had outsourced to India, and everyone either had to move away, or scrape a living freelancing.

Why they are they building so many thousands of new houses down here I can’t imagine, they are certainly not creating thousands of new jobs to pay for them.

IMO Portsmouth is just as bad really as is Faslane.

I stay put and he comes here on weekends.

Grew up near Plymouth and went to uni in Portsmouth for 4 years (fab time!!)- and don't think Portsmouth is that great, so I think you are unrealistic.

I agree with pp that winter Plymouth is a bit grim, but at this time of year, Hoe, Barbican, st Michaels mount, nowhere more beautiful.
Try and change your mindset.

M5 grinding to a halt on a weekly basis is bit optimistic isn't it?

As others have said the Hoe or Barbican are nice in the sun. But otherwise there isn't much. There is plenty to do outside the city though if you can get out at weekends.

One colleague commutes to Bristol for work from near Plymouth (her salary is near a London wage). Another goes to London from near Portsmouth.

oblomov Plymouth is about 70 miles away from St Michaels Mount.