to want to live near a beach

[dragonway]

I have this dream for my life of getting up in the morning and walking a dog along a beautiful beach. Right now, we live in the middle of commuter land. No beach in sight and the nearest beautiful beach is over an hours drive away. My DH refuses to move because he says it’s a fantasy, people don’t live like that and that it’s good to dream but it’s not real life. So AIBU? Is there anyone on here who walks on a beautiful beach every day? Anyone who walks a dog on a beach every day?

We live in Hayle, Cornwall and live near several beaches plus the one in our town.

It’s a beautiful place to live but you may want to consider the bumper to bumper traffic we get every day in the summer. Sometimes we don’t go out on a very sunny day because of the traffic.

I live like your dream, but you have to like seagulls, and being overrun by people who treat the place like crap and everyone who lives there like 'yokels' when they turn up in the summer

Our beach has a stretch of about a mile where dogs are banned April to September but that still leaves a good 2 or 3 miles to walk the dog. The banned part is basically where all the shops/ cafes/ amusements are so the other 2 or so miles is really peaceful.
I've been out at 8am this morning, just a few other dog walkers about.
I love it during the winter, even if it's raining or snowing, thick fog. I just dress accordingly.

I live by the beach. So many dogs, so much dog shit on the way to the beach. So many visitors. Visitors who bring their dogs and leave their dog's shit. When there is an algae bloom the stench is like nothing else on earth. Rank!

My dogs don't like the beach.

You can have a normal non fantasy life and live by the beach. We live in Brighton so DH goes to London every day on the train and I work in an office in town. Go to the beach most Sundays (either Marina/Rottingdean or Shoreham...Brighton beach is too busy)

My friend has a pretty dream life...she lives in Dorset but drives to London to work. Shes an NHS perfusionist and works 4 days in a row. Sleeps 2 nights in the on call room and one at her nans. Then she drives back to Dorset and has three days in a row to do beach stuff.

I take my dogs to the beach at least twice a week. This one is a 10 minute drive away.

I live 100m from the steps down to the beach. Head down there every morning for a long walk before work. Absolutely love it. Everyday something different. Lots of mornings curious seals swim along as I go up the beach. Can't imagine living anywhere else now

I live by the sea, in a small town. Its a wonderful aid to mental health, to put my toes in the sand/breathe in the sea and listen to the waves whenever I need to. The kids love to rockpool/climb/dig/swim. However, here wages are low (so are house prices so perhaps they cancel each other out?) hospital services are basically non existent (think no gynae/paeds for 40miles), library services are skimmed right back, we are at least an 90mins away from a motorway on back roads, so it's quite isolating. About the same time in the car for a multi screen cinema, decent shopping centre etc.

Grew up in Inner City London with my DPs

They retired and moved to a village just outside Herne Bay . They loved it . Walks along the pier, along to Reculver (when Dad was well), drives along to Minnis Bay . Dad passed in May but Mum has been down to the pier more than once for a walk . I am just so glad they moved there and were not aging in Lewisham, the way it is now. I plan to move down one day but probably to Broadstairs or similar .

Yes!! I don’t have a dog though but I live near multiple beaches which are fab!! I moved away for about 9 yrs and I missed the sea A LOT!!

Last night after work.

I don't live by the beach but I do live in a lovely tiny town surrounded by woods and mountains, which 10 years ago I might have thought was my unreasonable fantasy life. I work in local government and DH in retail but there are some finance type jobs here too, and a lot of people commute to big cities. What I paid for my flat makes SE commuters cry - you wouldn't get a garage in London for it.

I don't think there's a single city in Scotland which you couldn't commute to from the seaside - it isn't very wide!

I love living near the sea. I can see the sea from every upstairs window and I love going to the beach or just walking along the undercliff.

I'm getting serious beach envy here. 2 more weeks and I'll be back enjoying the salty air

I have a yearning for access to the beach paths which are edged with those railings like in OneTownsVeryLikeAnother pic, when the sand comes up the path, almost drawing you in. It's often on postcards so I can't be all that weird. ok maybe I am It instantly takes me back to a family chalet holiday when I would be around 6, and the path to the dunes was like this.

I'm surrounded by beaches, I have several within (white sand or black sand) half hours drive and a rocky shore 10 metres from my back door. I couldn't not live near the water. Kids have a little boat they were out in last night after dinner. It's wonderful. It's real life.

I live on the south coast and my house is 5 minutes walk from the beach. I went once last year and only because a friend was visiting.
I have just come back from dropping my son in town and already the coast road is jam packed even had to come back the back way to try to avoid bottlenecks.

I love where I live but in this nice weather getting anywhere is a pain.

I haven't read the full thread, but I lived 3 mins walk to a beach. I walked the dog every day along the beach. It isn't a touristy kind of beach so I often had it almost to myself. It was MY beach. The only time I said behind the sand dunes and didn't venture over the top was when it was really windy as I hate being sandblasted in the face. I loved that place and miss it greatly. It cleared my head, I could watch the sunset and could see for miles. Now I live inland, luckily on a hill so I can see for a long way - I get claustrophobic if I am hemmed in!!! I miss the smell. My dog loves where we are, but when we take her to the beach from here (only 40mins to be fair) she is as giddy as a giddy thing. She is a beach dog - its the sheer space. Move to the beach. We would move back if we could (well to one down here).

This was last night...
Def recommend it op. Not a beach lover tbh but mh is much better living here! Dc love it, ddogs too.
Weather isn't great but skies are incredible - winter is amazing, cold but scenic!

We're 5 minutes from the beach. It's great for dog walking as there is a promenade so you can walk along that all year and the next beach along allows dogs all year round. I miss the river lea canal & marshes and Epping forest though.

It gets busy in the summer or bank hols and parking is a nightmare.

The town is an absolute Shithole and full of junkies and alcoholics. Or hipsters. There's fuck all in the old town and not much at all on the main front. The best place there is a whetherspoons ffs. There's no where decent to go out within walking distance.

The work is non existent, it's an hours commute back to London. The wages are atrocious. Top whack for any sort of admin is 18k.

God forbid you need to find someone to do something for you, like a mechanic or gardener or handyman. It's nigh on impossible to find someone that wants to work.

Some of the surrounding towns are nice though.

We are moving. Near a beach somewhere else that is much nicer.

stayed not said....

What eatsshootsandleaves says is true, if you or kids need anything a gp can't handle hospitals are at least 2 hours away. BUT it's so easy to see a doctor, some surgeries around here you literally just turn up. So while certain services are further away, those that are here are second to none.

I live near a small tourist town and house prices are quite high... not if your comparing to south of England though. Employment is tricky. Tourism is main industry and that = seasonal wages. But if you can find work here or work remotely, I totally recommend.

Pity those of us who live right in the middle... Just about to drive 3 hours to the beach!

I couldn't bear it. We love Herefordshire and Shropshire and considered moving there when we retire, but we decided it's just too far from the coast. I don't think I could live in a non-coastal county now.

I'm 7 miles from the sea, but the beaches are shingle and not good for walking (small) dogs on. We rarely go to the beach, but if we're down near the coast for any reason (eg a trip to Halfords or B&Q) we'll often pop along to a rather charming coffee kiosk on the beach. Even in winter, we've sat at a table on the decking and drunk hot chocolate in a howling gale.

And it's cheering to just see the sea when I'm driving about for work. When I walk to the top of the field behind our house, you can see it easily - easily enough to watch a ship coming in to the harbour.

@madcatladyforever If that's where I think it is, you're not far from me, and it is a fab place to walk a dog. But if I'm right, it's also sheep grazed quite a bit of the time and my mad little fucker cannot be trusted offlead near sheep!

I live 10 mins from a tiny beach and 20 mins from some amazing ones. I probably go once or twice a week. The dogs love the space to run on the beach but they are not water dogs and would really prefer fields or woods where there are plenty of things to sniff.

Lived 20 minutes from beach as a child but spent vast majority of time at outdoor pool in summertime-the drawback is congestion and occasional hurricanes.

I grew up in a seaside town. Not a lovely one (Essex coast) but it was really good for swimming and I always enjoyed walking by the sea (on the prom when the tide was in), wonderful in winter with the crashing waves.

And it was never stiflingly hot, sea breezes - I took this for granted till the first summer postgrad in Birmingham.