Should we move out of Cornwall?

[funbagsandgubbins18]

Dh and I are Cornish. However we met at Uni and lived in London for several years.
When DH got offered a better job in Cornwall we thought Woo hoo! Beaches, family, fresh air, cider and sailing.

A few years later and it is cold, wet, bleak, jobs are ok (nothing amazing), salaries are about £10k lower than anywhere else, rent is really high. The quality of some rental properties are disgusting. Buying a house is unlikely.

Should we move? Where else in the UK offers beaches, paddling, sailing, excellent schools, plenty of jobs, and rental properties at a reasonable price. Currently paying £950 a month for a skanky rotten 3 bed.

I miss the culture, galleries and shops from London but we need space and fresh air too! My son is 6 months

Help me!

Oh and the decent jobs for DH and I are north of Bristol

It really depends on your line of work but apart from that, Crosby or (neighbouring, cheaper) Waterloo in Merseyside offer everything you mention.

Have you got DCs? I hear all the things you say and after a long run of wet years we ordered if we had done the right thing. It also took me a few years to find a job on my career path rather than shop work.

But... I am glad we stuck it out.... There is something very special about a Cornish childhood. And even having lived in a family friendly part of London I found Truro the best pace to be with young DCs. Now they are older we have the choice of 2 fab secondaries...well resourced and brilliant opportunities. And beaches on either coast 20 mis away, fab restaurants, top notch cheap local produce from farm shops/markets.

Would not be anywhere else.

We moved out of Devon about 10 years ago as we were fed up with the endless wet winters & length of time it took to get anywhere else.

Slightly different circumstances from you in that we are both retired but have happily settled in East Sussex, about 4 miles from the coast. Just love it, easy access to London, Gatwick & France!

PM me if you want more details - I don't want to out myself!

You can buy 3 bed houses with a mortgage at well leas than that a month.

Look at the new-build estates with the New Buy schemes (or whatever they're called now) where you need less of a deposit.

Of course, it depends where in Cornwall.

If you have work, friends and a lifestyle in Cornwall, think hard about leaving. It's difficult to find those things again later.

All very valid points. Thank you. I have a 6 month old son and I currently live in Truro.

We looked at an affordable housing scheme locally and you have to have strong local connections. My in laws are in Redruth and I don't wish to live there. My grandparents live near a beautiful affordable housing scheme but apparently grandparents are not a strong enough connection.

I grew up in West Cornwall and I found it very hopeless. Nobody wanted to travel, learn or even want careers. But that was because of the area I grew up in. I am the only female in my secondary school class to have a career (there were 11 girls in my class).

I am worried about leaving family. Especially my mum.

My job is ok. I work with people who tend to be afraid of travelling to London to win new business. It is very frustrating and I worry for the future of the company. I work in design. My DH loves his job ( digital media ) even though the salary is a bit shit.

I just feel like it is such a depressing place to be. More paddling, Cornish Yarg and cider required!

Northumberland with Newcastle as your work location. Stunning area.

Work in Newport, Bristol, Cardiff but live Monmouthshire. Although the sea will be a drive still but the gower is doable.

Could you move to a cheaper part of Cornwall? Nice three beds here can rent for around £650-670 ( places like st.austell and Redruth/Cambourne can be affordable)

Sorry missed your last post.

I think the problem is that the reason people move to Cornwall despite the downsides (miserable sometimes out of season, million miles from anywhere, few jobs) is that you can't get what it has to offer elsewhere.

Sure there are vibrant coastline places such as Brighton, peaceful coastlines such as east Sussex, good beach within stone's throw off city (formby/Crosby), stunning coastlines that are cold (Northumberland), BUT none are the Cornish or Devonshire coasts.

Wherever you go you take yourself with you. I live in Cornwall but have lived in London, devon, Scotland, bristol and New Zealand and have felt affection and frustration about all of those places. It just kind of depended on my own mood. And everywhere was fabulous looking back, compared to wherever I happened to be living. I guarantee if you decide to move away you will yearn for the low crime, clean air and laid back loveliness of where you are living now.. I get very nostalgic about Bristol but I think that is mostly because I lived there when I was young, and I am nostalgic for how I was, not where I was

It is funny you say that, Alkemi. We were discussing Bristol last night. We felt that perhaps a good mix of city and countryside would help. However you speak perfect sense. I read your post to my husband and he said it sounded spot on to how we felt.

Thank you

There are some fabulous opportunities for parent support in Truro. And MN Local is going from strength to strength with a bit more chat, good local ideas and events.

The meet upsarescheduled for first Fri of the month if you're interested?

local.mumsnet.com/cornwall/things-to-do

I hear what you say about work, DH and I are in similar sectors and sometimes it feels like we are disconnected to the rest of the country.

As my DCs are older though I am really glad we have stuck it and that we live where we do. Their childhood seems to have stretched longer than our city dwelling friends for one thing. Cornwall is changing and living here in the town rather than perhaps a deeply rural or isolated community we are finding plenty of older kids with career aspirations, visions that will take them out of county.

There are some interesting deals to purchase new build houses and places just out of town, like Shortlanesend are affordable but great to live ther, good school etc.

I don't know if you should move or not, but I do know DH has never stopped missing the sea.

And since DMIL died, I miss visiting Cornwall regularly too.

Yes it's wet, windy and pretty grim out of season and full pesky tourists when it's nice, but it beautiful coast gets into your soul.

It's wet windy and grim everywhere out of season!! Except for where my sister lives (Portland - Dorset, which seems to have its own weather system).. Fabulous Jurassic coastline, lots of sailing, lovely beaches around Weymouth - but not sure re jobs in Bristol if it would be any good to you

We recently moved from South Gloucestershire (Bristol/Bath borders) to 20 mins outside of Truro.

Plenty of peoply obviously love living in Bristol, I hated it.
A 6 mile commute would take an hour, traffic is horrendous, cost of living really will make your eyes water, city centre always felt like a fight waiting to happen, secondary schools are utter shite unless you can afford to go private.

We are now renting a large 4 bed detached bungalow in a fairly large plot for £750, £50 more per month than our ex council three bed massively overlooked semi up country.

The cost of living in Cornwall makes my eyes water already. Rent, water rates are a joke, council tax is ridiculous, buses rarely show up so no chance of getting stuck in a traffic jam... oh wait we're surrounded by tractors on the A30!

How about the north Kent coast/Thanet? Great beaches - low housing costs - lots of sunshine - near to London and all the cultural stuff...

My Dad was from Cornwall and I often think about moving there... Thanks for your post! I don't think you should leave Cornwall - you'd regret it. How about looking a bit nearer to the Devon border, then you could get easy access to Plymouth for city life and the trains to London.

Bristol is very expensive and the traffic is appalling.

I'm quite a bit North of Bristol and I can assure you this winter has been very long, very wet and very grim and I kept having to detour round the stupid river Seven and it's tributaries.

Tractors, crap and getting crapper bus services, high rents and shut shops here too.

I think everywhere is depressing at the moment if you let it be.

Reasons to be cheerful..kayaking on the helford, enys bluebells, beerwulf books ( I mean, seriously, how many towns have brilliant little pubs with a poetry and art specialist bookshop in a dedicated room off the bar? ) the general buzziness of being around young creative people based at the university of the arts and surfy culture that balances the vibe of retirees, kneehigh theatre, the walk from Carbis bay down to st Ives at any time of the year, but preferably off season, and porthminster cafe flat whites, the newlyn fish festival, the ferry to st mawes, nandijzal and pedn vounder that is EPIC by world standards.....Cycling around the penrose estate...tall ships and gig racing, sea shanties and the Falmouth park and float.. Mylor sessions... And the port eliot festival... Summer is around the corner.. Hang on in there...

Getting the cobwebs blown out on the North Cliffs. Wandering out to Cape Cornwall. Wondering about the mysteries of the Zennor moors.

Swimming in the sea!

Alkemi, you star. Just reading that makes me happy!

We are staying.

I'd love to move down there. Yes I know all the downsides but just to be able to walk that coast path and be minutes away from the most beautful beaches would be enough.

Mind you I think I'd be alone...

Second the idea of Northumberland with Newcastle as work hub.