LIVING IN DEVON or CORNWALL ANY ADVICE

[reddevilchris2018]

So, giving some thought to Living In Devon Or Cornwall.

I want to live by the coast, preferbly able to walk to beach,
budget about £375k maximum I need to be close to shops
bus routes and GP Surgery

asking a lot I know, ut advice on whether Devon Or Cornwall is people prefernce

Prefer south devon, and consider most of cornwall

So your thoughts on this are much appreciated !!

What size of property do you need for that budget?

I would go on holiday to the areas your interested in to experience what they are like and speak to locals. So many beautiful places to live in Devon. A lot depends on what you're looking for. Whether you want a busier town or quieter.

With regard to your budget it depends on size of the property you're looking for to what you would get. I would also look at onmystreet for data. Your find a lot of local towns have spotted (then town name) pages on facebook. This is a good way to get local information of anonymously ask about a local area I find.

I would go there in the middle of winter and see what you think...

Depends what you want- scenery can be beautiful but places isolated, especially if you have family elsewhere in the UK.

In Devon, Teignmouth and Dawlish are both options, friendly seaside towns with facilities. You can also get into Exeter (eg train along the coast c 20 mins) where there is a major hospital, Cathedral, theatre, big shopping centre etc.

Many parts of Cornwall are beautiful but the transport options and travel times not so good- a simple journey in Winter can take far longer in Summer due to the crowds, so that may mean you avoid places like Penzance. And to be frank in some areas, newcomers may find it hard to make friends. Truro is the county town, again has lots of facilities, theatre, main county hospital etc (no beach though) or prices have dropped a bit in Falmouth about 6-7 miles from Truro (or Devoran is in between for easy reach to both).

Both counties are lovely OP. If you want a busy town and a house by a beach for under £400k Falmouth may be the answer.

I always laugh when people say Cornwall is dead in winter. It really, really depends where in Cornwall! A fishing village miles from anywhere, yes, Falmouth eg, no.

Bring a brolly ...

We made the move to South Devon a few years' back - it was the best decision ever. We live in a small town and love it here. We have a brilliant community and just 25 mins from Exeter and 15 mins to the nearest beach. But - bear in mind that it rains a lot. A LOT. The winters always feel really long but once spring kicks back in, we pinch ourselves that we get to live here. We had a few holidays and short stays this way first, to get a feel for the areas that we particularly liked and then started house hunting afterwards.

Hello everyone

Im looking for 2/3 bedrooms 3 preferably,
Looking for a coastal village or town with Medical Centre

really big steep hills are no no sadly and i know that soundsdaft
when im looking in devon and cornwall which couldnt be hillyer.

Any thoughts on Newquay itself ?

R

Nah, don't bother, it'll just blow inside out!!

Newquay town centre is pretty grim (though there are lovely beaches and nice villages and countryside just outside). I wouldn't want to live there.
Your budget won't go far in the nicer bits of this stretch of Cornwall.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147686069

Be very aware that (and I’m putting it politely) people can be incredibly insular there. There is a lot of hidden contempt for people from else where, masked initially by their supposed pride in that county.
I would say nice to visit, but after a year there I was so glad to leave. There are other counties with beaches!
(my sister loves living there - but is a chameleon and mirrors what she lives with well. It is very much white-van-man mentality in many places, if that’s you then you’ll be fine.)

Preach. I gave up on umbrellas the day the whole top part sheared off mine and went flying down the street, leaving me holding just a stick while yelling 'look out!' at passers-by 😂

I lived in the South Hams for years and then we moved to North Devon. It’s very different here but I have grown to love it. It’s less isolated than Cornwall . I love West Devon- Sidmouth, that will be my next move.

Interesting … what have you found is the difference between South Hams and North Devon?

I second this. We've lived her nearly 30 years, neighbours are just about accepting us but too late I don't want to know. Lots of prejudice about people from "up the line" and I have got to the point where I have to laugh when new houses are being built, you know 4 and 5 bed detached and the locals all say, "they will be full of Liverpudlians on the dole." I never knew the dole ran to 4 bed detached new builds. If they decide to give Liverpudlians a break it is Brummies in the firing line but really anyone who isn't local is suspect.

South Devon is beautiful but if I could persuade my husband to move I'd go tomorrow.

Have you considered Somerset? I would say that if you have medical conditions it's worth considering the distance and also time to a Hospital as this can be quite a bit of travelling
We have a 25 minute drive to the GP and as for NHS Dentists you might as well do your own teeth. However quality of life is very good and the pace of life is much slower. Our kids are all in their late 20's early 30's and away from home but from talking to others in the village a car or 2 is essential for getting older kids around and schools all involve the school bus or cars.
As others say take the time to visit in November and February when it's cold wet and grim with crap phone signal and limited deliveries from Tesco due to the size of the stores and the stock.... think about how far you're prepared to drive to get to work and remember that WFH can be a trial due to rubbish broadband and rural power cuts.
I love every bit of living in our small Somerset Village and glad we moved but it took a while to get used to the changes from Hertfordshire

We moved to Cornwall 20 yrs ago. To be honest I have never heard 'those 4-5 bed houses will be full of Liverpudlians on the dole' - because that's such an unlikely thing to say. However the move was hard - very different and yes it is difficult to break into the cliques (even if you want to). Some people have never moved even 20 miles down the road and are surrounded by family. You also get the swimming clique, the rugby clique..new kids (if you have small children as we did) always have to fight for a place on the team..small town syndrome. Still not really settled but as I teach at a local school and have done for years people assume I fit in. Finally £375,000 is unlikely to get you what you want.

To be fair I'm not in Cornwall, the obsession with Liverpudlians on the dole might be a South Devon thing but I can tell you I've heard it so many times. It is a very bizarre obsession although recently I've started to hear East Europeans replacing the Liverpudlians so that might be changing. My husband's brown skin has certainly left us fairly isolated for nearly 30 years although we do have some good friends, they aren't locals though.

The not moving 20 miles reminded me of reading about residents of the South Hams being evacuated for the D Day rehearsals. Some were in shock at being moved to the vast metropolis that is Totnes. Knowing Totnes now it is hard to imagine what size it might have been then but it must have been pretty small.

We live in Newquay, we love it.

Two bed houses start at about £210,000 and 3 beds about £250,000 here. For £375,000 you'd easily get a 3 bed and have more choice of area. It's nice to be close enough to town to walk in but far enough that the holidaymakers don't park on your street or over your drive.

Newquay is one of the least insular parts of Cornwall in my experience as most of the people living here aren't Cornish and have moved down from other areas.

The town itself is a bit tatty and tired in places but improving with lots of new businesses opening and redevelopment at the moment, premises don't stay empty here as long as in Truro for example.

The natural beauty is second to none and Newquay has seven beaches to choose from. It also has a decent amount of permanent residents so doesn't become as much of a ghost town in the winter as some places which can be depressing.

Many many parts of Cornwall are hilly. And Devon. Not that many bits are flat. So choose carefully.

Hi! DH is from Cornwall and we are considering moving to Newquay (that was where he last lived before moving away). What are the best areas to look at for housing/schools? How do you/friends find the secondary schools? Thanks!!

Hello

I Just wanted to give you a little update, i had an offer accepted on 3 bedroom cottage with converted loft in newquay.

Im literally over the moon, I feel like im going home to be honest
having lived there 47 years ago.

thank you everyone for your messages over time, and i'll keep everyone posted.