Anyone in Cornwall???? PLEASE?????

[wobblymum]

I know a few people on here are in Devon but that's still quite a long way from me!!! Just wondering if anyone on here is actually in Cornwall (the further down the better!!) or whether I have the dubious honour of being the only one???

I take it that's a no then??? Why am I not surprised!!!!

But is it lovely? I'm thinking about moving for various reasons, what's it really like? Love the c.side - but am sure you could feel isolated??

I'm in Plymouth- that's quite close!

Where are you?

I guess you could say we are (very) part-time Cornwallers. My parents-in-law live in Port Navas, near Falmouth, and we go there in the summer. BUT as we live in Malaysia, we won't be there again until next summer, so not much help I'm afraid...

Wobblymum, I'm just outside Tavistock, about 0.5 miles from border, does that nearly count?

Are you Melly? I'm always in Tavistock.

sykes - the views, the beaches and the countryside down here are all really REALLY nice - so if that's all you're looking for definitely move down.

But I moved down from Chester and it was a big culture shock. The way the traditional Cornish do things is a bit weird. Some are normal people and some are the typical stereotype ("I got me a combine harvester". I don't want to sound like I'm stereotyping Cornish people but I can only say what I've experienced. I'd love to see some of the people who live down here forced to live in London!! They just seem to have no sense of professionalism (that made me sound far too posh!). I don't know how to explain it very well, but everything down here seems to be done any old way, forget doing what people expect you to do for them, just p**s them off if you want.

Sorry if I offend anyone who lives down here, and not all Cornish people are like this but I've met a lot and a lot are. Their hearts are in the right place but it would be nice if sometimes their brains were in the right place too!!!

If you specifically go out of your way to find people to socialise with, you'll probably be ok but yes, you can feel very isolated because there's not much general social life down here.

Also, because it's Cornwall, there's the worst shops and facilities. I don't mean worst as in badly maintained, just there isn't a big range.

sykes, move down now if you just want nice scenery and a peaceful life. Think about it carefully if you actually want to HAVE a life as well!!!

I'm just outside Truro so way, way down from all of you!! Thanks anyway, maybe I'm just the only Mumsnetter for about 100 miles!!!! Dubious privilege!

I have in laws in the northern most part of Cornwall, Morwenstow. It's lovely there.

Oh Wobbleymum, I grew up in Cornwall and all my relatives are down there still. You are funny - You just need to organise things differently, I know the shopping thing is a bit of a culture shock although if you are near Truro you have most of the shops. My mum used to take us to Plymouth twice a year to get our clothes (we really did live in the sticks although it was a town).

The funny thing is though that lots of those cornish locals who do things "drecklee" are actually really switched on. My dad and uncles are like that and they are actually really successful business men(!) I know how frustating it is that the Cornish seem to have their own timetable for things, in fact I had to go and work in Ireland for a week and was tearing my hair out - they put cornwall to shame for laidbackness! They seemed positively offended if you chased them for an invoice less than three months old and then tried to swap the debt for a donkey or something.

I'm actually down there in a few weeks, Bude, North Cornwall, but even that's a bit far from you I think.

Wobblymum, I'm also in Devon, so probably about 2 hours from you. My dad was Cornish (Bissoe, hmm) and therefore I still have various aunts and uncles down there. It does sometimes seem like the land that time forgot doesn't it? I remember going there on holiday with my dad 3 years ago and we marvelled at how old fashioned some of it seemed. I have relatives in Fowey, Redruth and Truro so we're sometimes down that way. My dad's ashes were scattered at Hell's Mouth Even from here it's a good 2 hours though, since even though it's geographically not that far, they're country miles. I also lived in a caravan in Chacewater (yuk!) for about 6 months when I was 21.

Sykes, there are lots of good things about living in the countryside but there are big downsides too for us, although it does suit some people very well. My cousin, who is from Cornwall but now lives in Surrey, toyed with the idea of moving back there a couple of years ago but then decided not to because a) she thought it unlikely her husband would get paid properly (he's a window cleaner) - she said she could just imagine the locals saying "I'll see you right next week my 'ansome, alright?" and b) she thought there was nothing there for her children as they got older. I must say, living in Devon I do think she had a point about facilities, opportunities and so on. So there you go wobblymum, dubious honour indeed goes to you for being the furthest downcountry

I think "Lucky You"...I worked down there summers and easters) for 5 years ( teeanger to early 20's). I can understand what you mean aboit the people,it's just the "cornish way".I found everyone very friendly indeed....and still keep in touch with a couple of them ( that havn't moved away). It must be 19 years ago since i spent my first summer there..sigh....

Wickedwaterwitch, whereabouts in Devon are you? I'm near Torrington, and can't imagine there are any more mumsnetters near here!!

Wobblyknicks (used to be wobblymum)is in cornwall.

Pmsl at your posts, but they have made me think. I (we) are going to be moving somewhere further south in April/May next year. We are currently stuck in Bristol (dh work contract) and I can't wait to escape this area with its white-van-man types, house/car alarms and sodding DIYers extending their pebble-dashed semis from 8am every bloody Sunday.

Not suprised you can't find anyone near you Wobblymum, from my estate agent searches Cornwall really does appears to be the land of holiday homes, and they are converting/building more!

Very interesting reading about everyone's experiences as, naive as it might sound, I had never considered that the Cornish might be particularly different in their characteristics than people here. However, I do come from the Chew Valley, and have lived in surrounding farming villages (foot of the Mendip Hills, Somerset, where there are some strong family relationships, if you know what I mean).

We haven't decided on our exact destination yet, but are having a quick scout around the Looe - Liskeard area in a couple of weeks time (commutable to Plymouth). We were considering heading to deepest darkest Cornwall, but no longer sure how sensible that is. The only young Cornish person (20yrs ish) I have met escaped his native Penzance at the first opportunity. I worry about what my ds (14mths) will think of the place as he gets older. I am slightly concerned that he might develop a Cornish burr and a penchant for pasties if we end up too remote. However, I am far more worried that if we remain here he might develop a Bristolian whine. I sound like a terrible snob...probably because I am, but hey.

Also considering Devon; the area between Plymouth & Torbay so any advice/warnings gratefully rec'd.

Sorry, went on a bit, I do know you are not tourist information

Mummyalias - Plymouth is okay. We moved here 3 yrs ago and had dd 8 mths ago. Depends what you want really and how much you dislike where you currently are. My biggest word of warning about Plymouth and some other places in Devon (Torquay is another example, I think) is that they still have grammar schools so if you think yours is / are not going to be in the top so-many percent academically at 11 yrs old you will need to think carefully about where you buy/rent a house. Some of the non-grammars are very good, some are okay, but some are absolutely horrendous, trust me, I've worked in them! Also, some really bright children don't want to go to the grammars because they are single-sex or for other reasons, so you can be left in a tricky situation whatever their academic ability ... Good luck!

Helgand - thanks, I will look into the schools issue. Where to live with a lo is such a big decision. Your info was really helpful.

Hi Wobbyknicks, sorry but we have been on holiday - so joining the thread a bit late. I'm still in Saltash but have had a stressful summer, but things are nearly back to normal, so how about a meet up. Say St Austell??????? Any Plymouth or near bys willing to travel down to our 'down the bottom of Cornwall' mum??????

Hello, is there anybody there???????

mummyalias - you are so right - every other home here seems to be a holiday home and its starting to get a bit dire - any more and the local economy is going to get a bit buggered up, to be frank!!!

Sorry Oooggs, wasn't ignoring you - missed this thread before. Would be fantastic to have a meet-up - thanks for trying to drum up some support for the lost and lonely MN'er!!!!

Well as a Townie who has moved to the wilds of Cornwall I have to agree with most of what has been said. I find the 'dreckley' mentality infuriating - but over the last 6 years have learnt to live with it. All the things that drove me mad when we first moved to Cornwall are now all the things I like. As for schools, even the worst local school is so much better than those we left behind in London that I 'm not sure it matters. For the person considering moving to the Liskeard Looe area, we live not far away from there and I commute to Plymouth by train to work and my child goes to the grammar school in Plymouth.

BOOP

But boop, do you find it helps being that mcuh nearer the Plymouth area that you get a bit of city mentality draining into your area. Down here we don't seem to have that at all and so the dreckley reigns supreme. And if Truro had no schools then there would be no good school anywhere near here.

I used to live in Penzance as a kid and my sister has recently moved back there but unfortunately she doesn't have kids! Would love to live there though - I do really miss it.

taramac, we went to Penzance on holiday this year for a week and had a fantastic time (this is the 3rd year that we have been to Penzance). We've always been lucky with the weather. The beaches around there are magnificent - spent many days on Praa sands, Sennen and others. The kids absolutely love it there - they are either rockpooling and looking for crabs or building giant sandcastles. We also took Wobblyknick's (I think it was wobblyknicks?) recommendation of Paradise park in Hayle and the kids had a magnificent time - they fed the penguins and the parrots and haven't stopped talking about it.

I can see why you would miss it. The scenery is beautiful.

i used to holiday at cadgwith, nr the lizard, every year from when i was 3 to 16. we go back every few years to take a look at the place... in fact we stayed in coverack fro a week this year and spent 3 glorious days on kynance beach and didnt move off the penisula apart from going to the eden project (which is far actually from coverack!).

i loved it. but yes, winters would be bleak, i daresay. there was a cottage on the sea front road for sale, 5 bedrooms, not that big looking for £350000!!! now, how can locals afford that?

i actually find it sad that there are almost no indigenous people in the coastal villages now. as a child, the village was full of old locals but as they have passed, so their homes have been sold to rich up country folk. my step aunt and uncle lived in a prime position... was council owned but not anymore, i daresay!

my sisters inlaws live in St Mawes - the FIL isn't too bad but the MIL is sooo weird - she makes my sister walk round the garden with her picking flowers and then once inside she makes her arrange say, a table arrangement for a formal dinner party and an arrangement for the hall (bearing in mind the colour scheme). She is VILE - and they originated from Leeds!!! She also once quizzed her on her knowledge of apples FFS - I think sister told her some were green and some were red -