Do you live near the sea and a city?

[ShutUpAlex]

If you do, where do you live? We want to uproot and start new somewhere as we’ve had enough of Cornwall. I love big cities and my partner loves the beach so trying to find somewhere that has both!

Sorry not really an aibu but wanted a big range of answers so we can explore properties.

I live in Exeter. 15 mins from the city centre,15 mins from Dawlish, 25 mins from Exmouth and Torquay. 25 mins from Dartmoor. I love it here!!

Plymouth

Sadly not in your budget OP but I'm dreaming of leaving the smoke for this Swansea property
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/67975293#/

Stubbington

Boscombe

Hove

Bournemouth, Poole, Southampton, Portsmouth, Southsea. I live in one of those places but hopefully will settle in Devon or Cornwall soon.

I have a home in Brighton and I love it but as beaches go, ours is pretty crap. I was raised in London and Brighton was my first experience of the seaside and I can remember being mystified that I couldn't make sand castles like I'd seen people do in books. If I had little kids I'd want to near a beach with sand and rockpools, not pebbles. Also Brighton can be hellishly busy in the summer, property is very expensive and parking is a 'mare. Apart from that it is perfect.

@ShutUpAlex I know you said nowhere with a strong accent but if he’s a surfer, then Scotland or Ireland are great options (although he’ll need to toughen up probably 🏄🏻‍♂️🥶 🌊😆). Your money will go a lot further, sooooo many unspoiled and quiet beaches where he would literally have the waves to himself a lot of the time, great cities that are not as busy as those further south... and of course we’ve just got much better craic/ patter 😜 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🇮🇪

Exeter has more of a town feel than a city. Bristol is a bit more vibrant.

I live in Brighton

Galway is great for surfing

Stubbington : 3 bed but space to extend
easy walk to the beach
easy access to Portsmouth, Southampton and then London
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/85599556#/

Where on earth do you go surfing from Glasgow?? Genuine question, I can't think of anywhere close. Edinburgh- well you'd struggle to get a 4 bed house for 400K anywhere with half way decent secondary schools, and does your OH really want to surf in the North Sea? I swam
in it as a kid, never again!

Barcelona. Well you didn't say it had to be UK and I fancy retiring there in a few years.

Barcelona. Well you didn't say it had to be UK and I fancy retiring there in a few years.
How will you comply with the residence rules?

@RaidersoftheLostAardvark 5mm wetsuit absolute minimum requirement! 🥶🥶🥶

Blackpool?

Canterbury for City, Deal for rural seaside town... best of both!

I get you re the inward looking, racist and homophobic attitudes. I couldn't bring my children up somewhere like that, even if there are beautiful beaches. Proximity to cities does seem to improve diversity and attitudes, in my experience.

Southampton was the first place that came to mind - and neither Salisbury nor Winchester are far away. Winchester is pricey though.

Prices in Exeter have gone up a lot and Cardiff is quite expensive, too but both lovely cities.

Otherwise you can't beat the beaches of Northumberland. Cold though and I don't know what the surfing is like - and as a pp said - North Sea? Probably not :)

Wirral here as well! Prob the nicest place I've lived bar home in Ireland,

@mongoosebaby

Southsea in Portsmouth is fab- loads of quirky shops and bars, near the beach. Solent is great for sailing and water sports, quick ferry to isle of Wight, direct train to London. Good south coast weather if you are used to Cornwall!

This, with bells on

Cardiff would be fab;you've got some great stuff there to do with the kids;the National museum and st.fagans are free so good for days out;there's the designer outlet nearby and as well as Cardiff bay it's not that far from the beaches if you drive;porthcawl is a 30-40 minute drive away depending on where you live

Vale of Glamorgan here

I don’t think anyone who comes from Cornwall could happily live in Scotland just because of the climate - it always seems to be cold, wet or midgy. Brighton or Bristol?

@emsyj37

We live on the Wirral and have a sea view. Just about to go for a walk on the beach now! It's not the same as a Cornish beach on a summer day tho Liverpool is 20 mins on the train, Manchester is in reasonable travel distance although I wouldn't like to commute there every day - a few times a week would be ok.

I live on the Wirral too. The west side of the peninsula is on the river Dee and looks across to North Wales. The east side is on the river Mersey and looks across to Liverpool. I live on the west side - both Liverpool and Chester are around a 25 minute drive away, (different directions). I can go from open countryside, to a beach, and to Liverpool or Chester, in the space of a couple of hours.