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AIBU?

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Original poster

To want to live by the sea

144 replies

Petunia879 · 20/05/2023 09:46

Do other people get this feeling? did you mange to move near the sea and it is what you imagined of or do you regret it.

I did not grow up near the sea; in fact I didn't go to the coast much as it was far.

I moved to London nearly 20 years ago and it has been good in many aspects but I love the sea and we travel as often as we can; it really is my happy place, every day I wake up with this feeling of wanting to move near the sea, somewhere sunnier than England though.

I yearn for natural scenery and open spaces and sun. I feel so ready for a change and want to discover and explore somewhere new. I have been feeling like that for the last few years, but the feeling of wanting to travel more and moving near the sea have gone more intense in the last year; maybe because now I am working full time for a more demanding role, but I do prefer it than the previous part time role where I was bored to tears; or perhaps it is getting older, more tired and wanting a different life style. I feel like I want to go away every weekend and not getting stuck in a big city.

I will go back to bed and keep dreaming for the moment.

OP posts:
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LakieLady · 20/05/2023 19:57

I live 7 miles from the coast. I can be at the sea in 15 minutes, and quite often pop down for a walk. It's lovely having it so close at hand.

Maddy70 · 20/05/2023 20:00

I can see the sea from my window. It's a beautiful thing to else up to. I walk along it every single day nothing like it

LadyMonicaBaddingham · 20/05/2023 20:03

I live by the sea. It's lovely, but it brings it's own issues. Mainly caravans and motorbikes, but I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

Except in lockdown when we had a massive motorhome shanty town to cope with

GrazingSheep · 20/05/2023 20:03

We have a house near the sea that we go to in the summer months. Love city living too much to make a permanent move though!

babybythesea · 20/05/2023 20:11

I live 20 minutes from the sea. Love it. Love a cold misty dog walk on the beach in enter. Going to the beach on Christmas Day is something we all
enjoy. But then today, when the weather was beautiful, we’d done the chores that needed doing by 3 and said “Shall we go to the beach?” And we did. For an hour or so. It didn’t need to be a big deal. Threw wetsuits and bodyboards in the car and we’re back in time to do the barbecue.
I don’t mind not going to the beach in the height of summer when it’s busy because by then we’ve been loads, after school or at weekends when it’s quieter.

FettleOfKish · 20/05/2023 20:19

Childhood in Leeds, hours from the sea,

Adulthood in Jersey and I can see the sea from where I lie on the couch right this second.

After 20 years here it's a mix of 'oh look there's the sea again 🤷🏻‍♀️' and occasional moments of 'Christ it's so beautiful, we're so lucky'. More of the former than the latter if I'm honest.

Beach BBQs, sea swims and an hour of sandcastles after school are run of the mill here though and it is nice to have. Having fresh sea air and wide beaches on the doorstep during Covid lockdown was a blessing too.

On holiday now though I seek the mountains, lakes and cities that we don't have here.

MillenialAvocado · 20/05/2023 20:25

We moved recently from East London to Westcliff on Sea. Love it here. We're about a 20 minute walk from the sea, so not right next to it but that doesn't bother us too much. Would be lovely to have a sea view but you can't have everything I guess GrinI've always wanted to live in London and live by the sea so ticked both of those off now. Totally over living in London now I've had DS. (To be fair we did live in a horrible area though.)

Badbudgeter · 20/05/2023 20:28

I’d I love to live by the sea too. I’ve compromised by living 100m up a hill from a river. Very rural though so no one else around I love the quiet.

StrictlyAFemaleFemale · 20/05/2023 20:31

It's not the sea, it's the sea in combination with all the other factors. Studied at Lancaster, could see the sea from my window in second year house. Beautiful hills as the backdrop. Loved it. Studied in Brighton. Being able to see the sea does not make up for an overcrowded city full of obnoxious pricks.

Lovemusic33 · 20/05/2023 20:39

I live 40 minutes from the sea, I used to want to live closer but I have learnt to appreciate where I do live (I live rurally). I was at the coast today and actually wouldn’t want to live there due to the amount of people that were heading to the coast. I think if I lived there I would possibly take it for granted.

Doyouthinktheyknow · 20/05/2023 20:44

Oh yes, as a child I lived for trips to the sea, I can still remember the excitement of my first sight of the sea as we were driving along. I grew up 1.5 hours minimum from the sea.

It was always something very close to my heart so when I had the opportunity to go to university by the sea, I jumped at it. If my dses has chosen a university for the same reason I would have been horrified🤣

That was 30 years ago and I’ve just strolled back from a restaurant meal by the sea. We are currently a mile inland. I’ve stayed by the sea since I was 19 and still love it as much as I did as a child.

There’s some things in my life I would change if I had my chance again but moving to the seaside isn’t one of them.

We are planning to move in a few years but won’t move from the coast, just fancy Isle of Wight living.

Wineiscooling · 20/05/2023 20:50

I’ve always lived by the sea. I love it. I’m currently about 1 mile from the sea. I don’t go down the beach every day or even every week but I love it when I do. We have the most spectacular sunsets here on the west coast - the winter sunsets really warm my soul ! I love a dog walk down the beach or a little run. I love a sea view wherever I am on holiday and the sound of the waves. I definitely need to retire somewhere warm with sea views !

Thesunwillcomeoutverysoon · 20/05/2023 20:55

A dozen steps from our house to the beach... My mental and now physical health has been continuously shredded since October 2021 by a group of sea swimmers... Did you know it was a loud intrusive hobby? Well it fucking is..
I wish I lived in a wood. Or even a town. Or even the moon. Be quieter...

bluebeck · 20/05/2023 21:18

I live a seven minute walk from the beach. I absolutely love it and couldn’t live away from the coast.

It’s so good for my MH

tinytemper66 · 20/05/2023 21:19

I live by the sea and can see the sea from my house. Would hate to be landlocked.

YourUserNameMustBeAtLeast3Characters · 20/05/2023 21:28

I love living near the sea. There’s always somewhere to go for a walk and some fresh air. It looks different every day, depending on what the sky, waves and tide are doing.

ChrisPNoodles · 20/05/2023 21:31

Having spent a lifetime in the city I moved to the coast a couple of years before lockdown. I chose a small town I knew well. It's on the coast in a national park and an hour to the nearest big town. Absolutely loved the sea and the beach. I cycled to the beach in 5 minutes from my house and swam every day during the summer.

That was is. That was all there was to do. I missed the city, the arts, transport links, culture, museums, shops you didn't have to drive an hour to, restaurants, multicultural society, cinemas, the buzz, the energy. The local people choose to live there because they like the quiet remoteness. Incomers are either elderly, people who seek isolation. Many of them are retirees. The second home situation means many houses are empty mush of the time and many are air bnb so either empty or busy with transient people.

I summer are ok - the place comes to life, but I couldn't stand it. The winters were bleak - I cannot stress how hard a winter is in a small, windlashed town and I say this as a very outdoorsy person. I'm back in the city and there has never been a more grateful city dweller. If I want a swim there's a lido a bike ride from me. Visiting the sea is VERY different from living by it.

EnthENd · 20/05/2023 21:32

Trouble is if it's a town, most of Britain's seaside towns are really deprived now. And if it's rural, the likely isolation and lack of nearby amenities isn't for me. And in some of the country the sea might decide it's having your land!

DinaofCloud9 · 20/05/2023 21:32

I'm ten minutes from the sea and I love it. It's not in a tourist area so doesn't get overrun in summer but I still prefer it in the winter when it's cold and forbidding.

Deadringer · 20/05/2023 21:37

I have always lived within a mile or two of the coast. When I go away I always feel strange if its an inland place, and don't feel quite right until I get a glimpse of the sea again, no idea why. I don't go walking along the shore or swimming in the sea, in fact i don't give it a moment's thought when I am at home, but still I like to know its there.

Pinkpears · 20/05/2023 21:46

I live by the sea on the South coast. The beach is 10 minutes walk away. It does get really busy but I love it.

Lovethatforyou · 20/05/2023 21:55

Live on the North East Coast. I love it. I find the sea and beach magical.

To want to live by the sea
Cakeorchocolate · 20/05/2023 22:01

I've always felt this way.
I would absolutely love to live by the sea. Seeing the ocean, preferably with a large expanse of open ocean, no other visible coasts, absolutely soothes my soul.

I'm a few hours drive from the coast but would gladly go for the day even as often as I could. Sadly DH doesn't get it and thinks it's a waste going that far for anything less than a week. Meanwhile I dream of taking off for the day or a weekend just to get my fix!

anniewaitsforthelasttime · 20/05/2023 22:02

YANBU - it's wonderful.

Spent most of my adult life living in big cities, some with an edge on the sea but never in sight or walking distance from my home.

Moved to a small coastal town a few years ago, sea views from my attic bedroom are so calming and can walk to the beach in 3 minutes. Like someone else said it's stunning in different ways in all weathers, and it's fantastic to have on the doorstep. I am now approaching 50 and really don't miss the city pace of life that I once needed. Plan to stay here for rest of my days. I don't even mind the tourists or seagulls that much. Easy enough to avoid the peak times and areas.

CJat10 · 20/05/2023 22:08

Tonight I'd had bad news and I walked the dogs to a local cove with no one else there, sat on a rock and listening to the waves. So calming. I love it most in winter; stormy seas, fewer people. I swim all year round and love the winter more than summer.

I'd really miss it. Not really getting the mouldy house, seagulls and bad weather experience but I suspect that's seaside towns. Seaside towns are not great.... villages, coves, coastal path are all great. The towns ...no