To reconsider living in a national park?

[LetSophieGo]

Mid 40's single.
Have opportunity to move to the Lake District (southern, windermere area) after having lived for years in a fairly depressed urban town.

Am self employed and able to afford it as a renter so no financial concerns. I am happy to continue renting as I like the freedom and simplicity of it, so that's just a personal choice. Curiously, many of the properties are much nicer and somewhat cheaper than my urban area, so it would be win-win in that regard.

However, I have been working on creative projects in this area on and off for years, I absolutely adore the place and fit in well there. Most of the time I have spent there has been in winter months, so not at the height of tourism. I have been very open to the possibility of moving there full time for a while.

But now the time has come and I can make the move, I am having a few doubts. I wonder if the tourism and constant traffic, crowds, etc might get on my nerves full time. Any summer experience I have had there has admittedly stressed mea little but thought it might ease off on me if I got used to it.
After sating in Ambleside for 1 month a few summers ago I was relieved to get out of there! Every day was a constant crush and it always felt like there were far too many people for the size and infrastructure of the place.

I absolutely LOVE this part of the world and can work so well there as an artist, I enjoy walking and the whole mountain/outdoorsy thing. I am happy other people love it too, and don't blame them for crowding in to enjoy it.

Anyone done this and regretted it? Would my life become an endless crush into Booths hoping my fave foods havent sold out for the weekend? Would I never get any privacy or get away from noise? Living alone I would prefer not to live too far out in the middle of nowhere so would have to keep relatively close to a town like windermere, Ambleside, etc.

Like I said I have more or less lived there for 4 years but only between Nov-Feb.

Would you do it or is it best to leave it for holidays?

I have had family in Kendal all my life and honestly I would never live on the a591 north of Kendal south of thirlmere. It’s just grid lock in summer.

Quite like Kendal though - the west / up the hill side.

thanks.
yes I'm quite fond of kendal, a decent little town. close to everything but not as hectic.

I'm sure windermere/bowness/ambleside would drive me mad, but I love it so much!

I can go anywhere at this point - a big change for me, no responsibilities, decent savings, so maybe I ought to look elsewhere?

I do want to stay north west-ish though. and not too keen on moving somewhere I have never seen.

It sounds brilliant OP I would do it - what have you really go to lose?

@Tuesdaysintheazores

It sounds brilliant OP I would do it - what have you really go to lose?

Potentially? My sanity

I love the Lakes I'm in Manchester so go there and Peaks alot during the nicer weather, I don't think I could live there though. If you want to be close I'd look at Ulverston or Kendal. Avoid Barrow (no offence to any one that lives there)

Could you try it out for say 2 years and have a plan b if you don't like it there?

thanks:)

true, I could easily move if I didnt like it.
I am interested in whether others would do it. I am so close to the idea that an outside perspective is helpful.
I actually think the tourism is excessive, the towns are very small, and it is truly difficult to get around and access some stuff for about 9 months of the year.

I was reading about issues between the councils and local business - obviously they want to pull more visitors in, this makes sense, but they are in a stalemate regarding the future (infrastructure and pollution mainly) where council and business can't agree on a solution.

Apparently they expect something like 4 more million to be arriving every year from this point, which will bring challenges.

how it will feel to live slap bang in the middle of that as it increases......I don't know.

Like living in the Cotswolds, Cornwall or Lyme Regis it will have a very different feel between the quiet times and tourist season. You will likely feel compromised half of the time and a bit annoyed, but that goes with the decision.

Different area I know but I live in the Dartmoor national park and right now it's a nightmare. You can't get anywhere for tourists not knowing how to drive down country lanes, cyclists riding around in packs, and people with double pushchairs walking down single tract lanes. I'm a self employed carer and my regular route took over an hour longer this morning due entirely to difficulty moving around. I'm ready for them all to bugger off again. Come back lockdown!

I'd be more worried about the horrendous drug scene and crime in Windermere/Bowness than tourists.

Ambleside is horrific

West lakes never get that full

Consisting is pretty but I
Imagine a nightmare in the summer

There is something I do like about the tourism - it enlivens the place, keeps it diverse, the place is taken care of and people love it.

Still, I am an introvert, and whilst I like socialising I do like my peace and quiet to dream. I know it will be worse since covid but it is pretty hectic every year.

My best friend is in Pwllheli/Gwynedd and says it is dead most of the year until tourism shakes it up, but it has noting on the south lakes!

Arnside?

check out broadband and 4/5g provision.
flooding
snow services on the routes.

Will consider other areas.

I want somewhere where I would be able to take on a bit of p/t work on occasion, and where I can access some decent food (M&S, booths, little cop op) etc. I don't want to have to drive absolutely everywhere.

So not in the middle of nowhere or tiny village, but not Disneyland either

I don't know much about the Lakes though have been a couple of times.

But in terms of this as a life decision I would do it, especially as you are renting so have the flexibility to leave again. I know it sounds cheesy but there is a saying about only regretting things you haven't done.

I lived in Kendal and worked in Bowness and Ambleside. Bloody nightmare in the summer, and tbh, the tourist season seemed to get longer and longer.
I liked Kendal, was there for 16 years, but if I was to go back into the area for any reason, i would look over Cockermouth way. Easy access to the lakes, but also to the quieter, non touristy areas and Cockermouth itself is lovely.
Apart from the floods.

@Ratched

I lived in Kendal and worked in Bowness and Ambleside. Bloody nightmare in the summer, and tbh, the tourist season seemed to get longer and longer. I liked Kendal, was there for 16 years, but if I was to go back into the area for any reason, i would look over Cockermouth way. Easy access to the lakes, but also to the quieter, non touristy areas and Cockermouth itself is lovely. Apart from the floods.

yeh, kendal and 'floods' appear often in the same sentence. I am going to look into surrounding areas. Not as familiar with them though, but I do agree with you about the main areas.

I live in a pretty touristy area...

You get to learn where the quiet places are, the bits the visitors do not find.

You can also bugger off for some of the tourist period to somewhere else.

My mental health has improved dramatically for moving from grim urban north-west to pretty tourist midland 'shire - I imagine a move to the lake district would improve it even more as its FAR prettier and I do like a fairly bitter northern winter too...

So I'd go for it!

We live in a similiar situation on the coast. At present it is rammed. But we still love it.
We adjustt our day whwn possible to walk early am and then are in for the rest of the day until after tea when people often go back to holiday cottages or travwl home. There have been times when you just cannot get in your local for a quick drink pre covid at all .. you just have to adapt to that. Some locals hate the visitors as its so crowded. I think its grear to see people enjoying self. Somwtimes amd very rarley the village has ran out of basics such as milk. The only thing that bothers me is entitled visitors who think their holiday is more important than anything.. incondiderate behevoir . We call it silly season . etc . You find places to go to avoid the crowds .
Its wonderful to live in a place of beauty and if it feels.like home ,crowds wont change that.

There's only one way to find out, and that's to do it. I would.

You will be renting, so it would be easy to leave again if the place isn't for you.

thanks again:)

I think it is perhaps best to avoid the likes of windermere and Ambleside. And most of the available lettings there are in the eye of the storm, so to speak, often flats above restaurants or sandwiched between holidays lets, etc.

Perhaps a little further out would be best.
The A591 was dreadful. Spent a few months in a lovely house between Ambleside and grasmere but on the A591: constant motorbikes and heavy traffic, very, very noisy!

You lived there in winter and found rents cheap.
Are you aware that in high-tourism areas such as natiuonal parks , many peoperties are let short=term very cheap in winter and the same place is very, very expensive in summer? Can you afford summer rent?

BTGTTS< you could not pay me to live in a National Park again. It's not just the jammed nose to tail roads, and the village shops running out of basics and you can't get to the supermarket because the road is jammed solid. Big attractions and tourist car parks are a magnet to professional criminals. Take in your garden ornaments, chain up hanging baskets. Lock all the doors and windows while you're in your back garden Those big holiday lets with 12 beds are a magnet to gangs of affluent singles who have come to get drunk and get high and shriek all night on that big deck and hot tub. Don't even get me started on the incontinents barfing and shitting in peoples gardens..

@WiddlinDiddlin

I live in a pretty touristy area...

You get to learn where the quiet places are, the bits the visitors do not find.

You can also bugger off for some of the tourist period to somewhere else.

My mental health has improved dramatically for moving from grim urban north-west to pretty tourist midland 'shire - I imagine a move to the lake district would improve it even more as its FAR prettier and I do like a fairly bitter northern winter too...

So I'd go for it!

You send like me! I agree totally regarding mental health. Whenever I came back after a few weeks/months in the lakes I noticed everyone looked hunched and depressed here. It was eye opening and quite sad. It is a low income town but poverty alone can't explain the depressed atmosphere. Many people here, whatever their income or status all look washed out and fed up. I do believe environment counts for a lot, and you only get to see it with contrast.