Cornwall

[Sundayroastallday]

Who lives there? What is life like actually living there, especially for kids?

We have a 4 year old Dd, originally from the North but live abroad.
My family now live in Cornwall…we’re thinking of returning to the U.K. and not sure we can live away from the sea now.
Is it easy to integrate there? As a new mum , could I easily make friends at the school gate or are friendships mainly formed from youth and people not that open minded?
Dh surfs, so I’m guessing he’d fit in?

Thoughts on Cornwall?

No one lives there 😂

It's probably because they don't have internet yet 🤭

@stbrandonsboat Oh god 🙈that bad 😬😅

I grew up there - it was fine. It’s a bit far away from London - museums, theatre etc. It’s a bit behind the times in fashion and things like that!! Maybe not so much now with the internet? I guess people keep up with trends now?

For surfing you want access to the North Coast - not that easy to get across Cornwall, particularly in the summer.

Beaches are some of the best in the world. I would say it’s lovely for younger children. Not so much for teens, but do teens ever love where they grow up?

Some areas are very deprived - there’s not much industry.

My sister lives down there with her young kids and is enjoying it.

@lilsupersparks But what do teens do? I have visions of hanging out at the beach, surfers, skaters etc…? Sounds at least a bit better than hanging around the shops drinking in my youth 🤣

I live here! Moved here ten years ago from 'up country'. Have a 5 year old. Made lots of mum friends. No issues there. Genuinely don't know what teenagers do here though so I do worry about that (SE coast)

@sittingonacornflake Were they friendly and open with you? Are most people there Cornish and lived there all their lives?

I was fairly tame as a teen - I was in Guides and the local Brass Band and did a lot of reading!!

But I think there can be problems with underage drinking and drugs. Perhaps that’s overhyped?

I was not near the coast. I think my friends who grew up there spent every weekend drinking in the holiday places 😬😬 my town was pretty dead tbh. We did have a train station though so we could get to the city for shopping!

I lived there for a year, personally I hated it. It’s beautiful in summer but the other ten months of the year were bleak. Don’t even get me started in trying to drive anywhere in August…

My sister moved back to Cornwall, but not to the same place we grew up. I think she has found lots of Mum friends. I don’t think that would be a problem at all.

Agreed about it being bleaker I particularly love it in the cold, grey, quiet months - it was the only time we would visit the touristy places - and I love the moors and the mist and rain. I am in the minority!! It’s certainly not all sun and surf!

@Sundayroastallday no most people have moved here just like me. Some are born and bred but they are few and far between where I a, Everyone is very friendly. Big sense of community here.

Do you have lots of money? Property is very expensive as so many houses have been bought as second homes/Air BnBs and locals can't afford to buy. They can't recruit NHS staff in Truro because they can't find affordable housing for staff. My DSis (NHS keyworker) would love to upsize from her tiny 1-bed flat to a 2-bed place but there's no way she can afford to.

Be prepared that in the summer it will be very busy with tourists crowding the beaches, restaurants and roads. In the winter it will be very quiet and you can have the beach to yourself but prepare to get rained on/feel the icy wind blowing off the Atlantic!

I was a teenager in Cornwall. Teens who like the outdoors, nature and sport are better provided for than teens who like nightclubs or cultural stuff. Most teens aim to learn to drive a.s.a.p. as there's not much public transport to help them see their friends.

Some of the scenery is stunning but it's a very different place to the one where DSis and I grew up. A land of extremes from very poverty stricken areas to places with super-expensive restaurants for rich second-homers.

Cornwall is lovely, I have family connections there and have visited regularly for pretty much all my life so I'm very fond of it. And a bit biased, I dare say.
it can get very crowded indeed in the summer months when there is a large influx of visitors and prices are high. It's also very expensive to buy coastal properties ; these are very popular with people from outside the area buying second homes for themselves and also for letting out to seasonal visitors.
A lot would depend on the area, of course. There are areas inland which have been somewhat deprived in the past and are quite a bit cheaper.
I suppose it will also depend on where your family is and how close you want to be.
It's a long way from anywhere else in the UK, and a bit of a slog to drive down from London, even more so from the North and East of the country. Mind you, we go down to the eastern tip of Cornwall, to the Lizard peninsula.
The internet has been fine for a few years now. But you will definitely need a car.

I live there. There are loads of non Cornish people living here. I think it's easier to integrate in small towns and busier places. Villages can be a bit 'who knows who' and gossipy and small minded.
Cornwall can be quite racist if you're used to living somewhere more multicultural.
Teens definitely don't spend all their time at the beach 😂 Mostly hanging round town, parks, going to cinema or the skate park etc.
People from upcountry can be viewed with some weariness because they are seen as taking homes and jobs from locals. Both of which are in short supply down here - it's a very impoverished bit of the world and there is so little work. But if you are nice, pleasant and normal you should have no issues integrating and most people are extremely friendly. It's second home owners and Air BnB owners who are viewed with real dislike, and there are parts of Cornwall where locals are completely priced out of their own communities which is really sad.
I guess it's a mixed bag, like any place. My advice would be to try visiting in winter when it's blowing a gale and most seaside towns are deserted and depressing, and see if you still love it 😁

moved here from midlands around 5 years ago. 2 toddlers at the time now happy and settled in schools.
amazing if you are used to / happy with a simple and outdoorsy life, we walk a lot, great if you like surfing (north coast) and take up sea swimming, very good for you.
If you are very used to /love metropolitan life, shopping complexes, huge cinemas, chain eateries etc not the place to move to.
some teenagers will move away .. but the cornish ones we know are keen on skating and surfing, they hang out at the beach.

I agree with all of this. We absolutely love Cornwall and have family there - we go at least once a year. We have plans to retire there but I don’t think I would’ve wanted to raise my kids there. I find the people amazing and there’s a huge mix of locals and incomers, so most communities tend to be welcoming however I’d have worried about my dcs having enough to do to keep them entertained. Now mine are teens I realise how lucky we are to live somewhere with really good, regular and varied public transport. I imagine living in Cornwall with teens could be a nightmare!

Actually the internet is pretty great here (thanks EU) It is a brilliant place to live and raise your kids. However it is far away from everywhere (stating the obvious, but if you don't like driving Cornwall isn't for you) it's not hugely diverse and if your kids want to specialise in anything (except maybe rugby) you will do alot of travelling. I will never be sorry I brought my kids up here. Also my teen does what I imagine most do, hangs out with her mates, spends way too much time in her bedroom, studies and watches you tube. They have to travel for certain shows/gigs but that isn't a bad thing. People are friendly, and there is plenty going on although the housing crisis is real here at the moment. Visit in winter before you commit and be prepared to add 30 minutes on to your journey from June to October. Public transport is poor, we do a fair amount of teenage taxi but we are nearly at the driving lesson stage. If you want slightly more civilisation I think Exeter has the best of it all in the South West.

Lived here all my life, we are mostly friendly but life is getting more and more difficult. Not many of my group of friends are local anymore, the majority all come from up country.
Lots of holiday lets and we are overrun in summer with people annoyed they can't get round as quick as they'd like as the roads aren't like 'big' roads but narrower and the holidaymakers can't drive. I don't go anywhere from the end of July until September, the roads are gridlocked.
My teen spent her early teens drinking on the streets and being offered drugs every two minutes. So not much difference there. There's not much going on for teenagers.
Cornwall is underfunded by government, always has been. Internet, hmm perfectly fine in a lot of places, but there are black spots in a lot of places too. Same for phone signal. Oh the irony of years and years of having our roads dug up to take cables 'up country' but we don't benefit from any of it!
Now its full of second homes and the people needed to serve all the holiday makers can't afford to live here. Yes, we have always had holiday makers, but not the 'class' of holidaymakers we see nowadays, the ones who expect wonderful service and to order a meal and get it within ten minutes. Gone are the days of campsites and people happy to slow down and spend time being laid back and relaxed. Its really quite noticeable how the type of visitor has changed.
Wages are considerably low down here but rents and water rates are high.
As a Cornish person born and bred I'm ready to get out.

We have a lot of family in Cornwall. Honestly, the teens have all struggled. A lot of drugs. But that may be because of the parents (all very laissez faire types).

I think whether you’d find it easy to fit in would very much depend on where you were and how many other incomers there were. To put it in perspective FIL is born and bred Cornish but moved away for many years and now gets (not particularly good natured) teasing for being an incomer.

If you have family there then you probably know this but it is horrendously busy in the summer to the extent that we refuse to go visit in the summer now. Winter is… very flat. I find it claustrophobic.

I live here! On the north coast, in a village nearish Newquay. If your DH surfs then this is the place to be. I love it, love the people, the community, the landscape. Downsides ; jobs ( wages are low) and not alot happening in winter. Housing is pricey. Crime is low, schools and general lifestyle and of course the beaches are all good.

Positives: it is utterly beautiful in many places. Outdoor life. Friendly people.

Negatives: one A & E (though some hospitals with urgent care centres).
Housing - many cannot afford to rent or buy due to second home owners and lack of availability in popular tourist spots. A friend has been looking to rent in the town she has grown up in and works as a cater but cannot even find any long term rentals as many are now air bnb type rentals. The impact of this on businesses is becoming increasingly obvious. Lots of people in holiday weeks but not sure if there will be enough locals to keep places going through the winters.

My husband and I are both from there, different parts. We’ve lived in the city for a few years but are looking to move back. We miss the social life and the slow pace. We have young kids so miss beer gardens, beaches, woodland walks etc.

Lots of drugs and partying as a teenager. But I think that happens anywhere.

Decent jobs are few and far between and educational opportunities aren't as available as elsewhere so looks good on the tin but maybe not so great for ambitious teenagers; a lack of opportunity can send the best kids into a downward spiral.

I've seen too many move to the far SW, only to realize they can't earn as much as they could before, so they part-time live here and work elsewhere. Meanwhile their kids remain here with little chance of the same earning potential.

I live in Cornwall!

Have lived here since 2004.

We're in a small town as far from the sea as you can get. It's got some really poor areas and some super rich people, a really funny mix.

Lots of people who were raised here and lots of "incomers" (we're obv the latter). I agree with PP who said that if you're pleasant you'll be grand.

DD is now a teenager. She is quite outdoorsy and likes horses so has lessons when we can afford and helps at a local stable. Otherwise she hangs out with her friends at their our our house. Chats to them on the phone.

In the summer we go to the beach a lot (especially on days with less than great weather, less people then), body boarding and just mooching. In the winter we still go to the beach a lot (and it's bloody glorious!) as well as coast path, nice pubs, moorland, etc.

Downsides...it is very poor. It is tough for a lot of people. A lot of work is seasonal and poorly paid. Many people are hopelessly priced out of the housing market. Also tourism, while absolutely vital for the local economy can make getting around in the summer very tricky. You have to allow plenty of time and stay patient.

Other downside, it is very far from anywhere. We're in east Cornwall and Bristol is over two hours away. Another couple of hours from us to Penzance so if you're looking at west of the county you'd better like driving if you want to be going anywhere.