Moving to Cornwall

[Cornwallwanabee]

I live in Kent and am thinking of moving to Cornwall to give my family a more relaxed way of life. I appreciate that it's best to secure work before moving to Cornwall. We currently rent our home so would rent in Cornwall and would eventually like to buy our own home. I understand house prices are rising in Cornwall. Our dream would be to run our own tea room - is this just a dream or do you think it would be possible, or is it just what everyone wants to do. I have read that people say it's best to move to a town where there is more going on - I would dearly love to live somewhere where you can can open your front door and go for a lovely walk, without having to get in the car first. We have been to Devon and Cornwall for most of our family holidays and love that part of the country. I also appreciate that life is different when you have to work in a place rather than just be on holiday, but surely it has to be a nicer way to live. I would love to receive comments, both good and bad from people who have experience in this or anyone who would like to comment. My children are 15 and 12 so we need to wait until next summer when my son finishes his exams. I currently work in an office and my hubbie drives a taxi - there has to be more to life!

Where would anyone suggest. I understand the usual tourist hotspots would be overrun in the summer, eg St Ives. My son has returned from his school trip to Bude and absolutely loved it.

Thanks for taking the time to read my post.

Hello
I moved to Cornwall at the start of April with my family :)
We live in Liskeard which is SE Cornwall. My husband works in Plymouth so we needed to live within a 30 mins commute of there. We love it here, it is a 15 minute drive to the beach and a 5 minute drive to the moors. We currently rent a 4 bed cottage in the town centre for £600 a month. House prices around here are good value for money- up the road there's a big 4 bed end of terrace for £155k.
It is a nice town with a good selection of independent shops in the centre, spar and a co-op, Morrisons on the outskirts, leisure centre, community centre etc
There's always events on most nights of the week.
www.yourliskeard.co.uk/

I've been thinking today about the positives of living in Cornwall for me, just to balance out my negative comments yesterday, and the things that make me love living here are:

• the outdoorsy culture. People go to the beach / surf / walk / do the gardening after work, and this is normal; when I lived in the Home Counties it was considered a bit weird to want to do anything after work other than sit in your house and watch a massive telly.

• if you get time off work, you don't need to go anywhere to be "on holiday". Ditto days out- you can have a great and varied time without logistical nightmares.

• children and young people are actually liked and accepted as part of the community. Teenagers are not assumed to be feral beasts. Kids have the time and space to play and just "be" outdoors, and more parents are likely to trust their kids to experiment with potentially dangerous things like fire, knives, the sea, falling out of trees etc without panicking that they will surely die!

• tolerance / acceptance of others. People are judged on who they are, not on the car they drive, what clothes they wear or how much they earn. The response to someone who is, say, obviously mentally unwell is more likely to be "oh, poor Ethel hasn't taken her tablets again, lets try to persuade her to go home" and not " what a horrible thing, I must avoid at all costs and not expose my children to this monster".

• calmer, less frenzied approach to life than city folks. Everything will happen drekly, there is no need to rush or get all het up about things. Drives some people mad, mind you, but it suits me!

• sense of fun. Might not always seem like it but ime Cornish people like a laugh and a joke, music of any kind, festivals, feast weeks, dressing up, bizarre dances etc a lot more than most other parts of the UK!

• awareness of / respect for the natural environment. After all, you can't help but notice that it's there, and it's a lot more powerful than any human creation (this winter's storms, for example). Nothing like watching a house roof blow off like a kite in a gale to put human power in its place!

• empowering sense of community self sufficiency- if you want to do thing x and it isn't available, there's more of an assumption that you can get on and organise it, not just sit about moaning that it isn't already happening - so there are cinema clubs in village halls, loads of choirs, music groups, drama, sports, community minibus, etc .

Hope that helps to put my previous comments in a more balanced light!

Echo your third point: yesterday evening in Penzance, a group of towel-clad teenagers who'd been swimming off the Battery Rocks joined us in queueing at the fish and chip shop on the Prom. They were all polite and happy: a great advertisement for Cornish teens.

What did it cost? Swim: free. Chips: £2.

I don't live in Cornwall, but I did want to suggest that you have a good think about running a tea room. Presumably to really make a go of this you would need to work your arse off during the season. So it's likely that in the best of the weather - and during the summer holidays - you'd have very little time for going to the beach etc. I see your kids are teens so they could help out, and you'd see them that way. But having a small business is very hard work.

Allotmentgirl. You have not been here much longer then us! We live near mevagissey.

We moved down not knowing anyone at all. We had always had holidays near st ives etc but we found a house we loved near meva and went for it! We have made some good friends, but it can tend to be just dh and I. We don't mind that, but it might be too much for some.

Rain. I have never know a place rain so much!! I spend all last winter in wellies, I was never cold enough for a coat but wellies are essential!

We rented first, somewhere like what you are looking for. Middle of nowhere, we never really shut the back door never mind lock it! Surrounded by fields, lovely to hear the animals 1st thing.
Total pain in the arse if you run out of milk! Tesco was 40 mins away!

We have now bought, lovely, slightly snooty village but more central position. 5 bedrooms- 250k

We miss where we lived before. Our landlord turned out to be a money grabbing arse, and really tried to fuck us over!

We love the way of life and the pace. We will never move from cornwall, we love it here.

We are lucky that dh moved his job down here, so essentially we are on a london wage. I have found only badly paid jobs, but we can down here to relax and enjoy ourselves so my job is to pay for extra luxuries for me!

We have no family down here but dhs job takes us around the country so we fo flying visits.

Hmm.

My parents moved to Cornwall to pursue their dream years and years ago when we were young, but ended up deciding it was too far away from their ageing/unwell parents and moved back. Of course this was before the days of Skype etc.

I spent my teenage years in a rural location with beautiful beaches and countryside, but devoid of public transport and couldn't wait to escape, I was so bored!

I personally wouldn't live somewhere so remote with my own children when they are teenagers, however much I love Cornwall.

Bump

I think Cornwall is lovely, but personally couldn't live there because of the weather. Also, I would find it hard not to be within easy (1 hour or so) reach of a big city for cultural stuff. Yes, I know Cornwall is stuffed full of art galleries but I would like to see National Touring Productions of plays, major art exhibitions etc. That may not be a priority for you, only you can tell.

I agree with the poster who said you really need to think about running a tea room, and how you will be working 24/7 in the summer season, then struggling (possibly) in the winter.

I would say, weigh up all the pros and cons, and then make the decision. I would also second renting for a bit before making a final commitment.

Bump!

Cornish posters, where are you?

I have never lived in Cornwall but family members have and I have visited at all times of the year, lived 'normal life' with family members while visiting, made my way around via public transport etc.

I think it would be risky to move down there without established/skilled jobs. A colleague (teacher) moved down and was working as a labourer for about 6 months due to the lack of supply work. Seasonal unemployment is very high.

The other thing is not to underestimate how long it takes to get somewhere: you may end up living somewhere very obscure because it is cheap, but be half an hour down very narrow lanes before you finally emerge onto a road that leads to the A30.

I would not run a cafe, but rather look into utilising your office skills eg. being a virtual PA.

I suggest that you take a holiday there in November to scope out opportunities and get a realistic idea of the winter climate before buying somewhere next spring.

I wouldn't

My DH is Cornish, all his family love there, he left for college, never went back, it's in his words a dead hole...

Lovely to look at on a sunny day in August, not so lovely to live there counting the pennies and also being an interloper, you won't get the few "local" jobs going I'm afraid, and will annoy the locals to boot, coming in and taking our jobs mentality - which to be fair to them is true, it's a poverty stricken county for those native dwellers who so the seasonal stuff, it's not like that tv programme with Martin Clunes!!

Personally I'd stay in Kent. I don't know where in Kent you are but there are amazing beaches down by Maidstone and around towards Dover and Folkstone and lots of beautiful countryside. And although it's a pain getting round the M25 to go anywhere Kent has great train connections and you can be over in France in no time. And there is def plenty for teenagers to do.

My brother is in south Kent and they pop down to the beach at Camber a lot. Yes they have to drive but realistically in most seaside towns, there's a premium to live right by the sea. You could even look to run a tea shop in one of the touristy spots like Rye if that's what you really want to do.

I haven't lived in Cornwall but I have lived in Swansea which is a very similar climate. Beautiful place on the sunny days and I loved my time there but there were whole weeks when the rain and fog came in and it was grey and depressing. Just not the same kind of weather as the East coast where it's much drier.

Hmmm... Us Cornish, Cornwall-based MNers have all been at the beach... Or at the carnival, or supporting a village show or school fete. It's that time of year: busy, sunny (mostly) and filling up with holiday makers but set to be busier. And the phone reception is sparse so mobile MNing not always possible

I am surprised at the negative comments on this thread, there is so much good stuff to say about making the move.

Also, I am not sure our teenagers have any less opportunities than their up-country cousins, figures are at an all-time high for graduates failing to secure employment, for example and thats in the SE. But here there is resilience, perseverance and creativity and there are a lot of businesses growing around the increasingly popular food / local producer market.

There's a host of design agencies, marketing outfits and the specialist sectors within IT are well represented and all need office staff. Running a food business is hard anywhere, especially down here, and I would work a busy season if you could because the reality may be very different to the dream.

Truro is pricier to rent but for a good reason and because it is not a holiday let destination landlords are less grabby and like long term tenants. With beaches 10 mins away on ether coast the choice is endless. Yet I have a cinema, food market, cafe's etc a walk away. Eldest DS has freedoms and enjoys them that range from sporting activities to riding a bike all day with a picnic to taking the train to the beach. he is no longer sad that we never moved to the isolated house with huge garden in the middle of nowhere...because many of his rural friends now come here because we're in town.

We are emerging from one of the toughest winters ever. After 7 soaking wet cold and windy summers 2013 was the respite seasonal businesses needed. So many had already gone under recession hit us hard.

The storms that literally battered our beautiful beaches not only leave them forever changed and some without sand but subsequent crops and harvests are so poor we face a winter of rural poverty as the food simply isn't there to pick there is no bountiful harvest this year and prices of local goods have, of necessity, soared.

Check out the Mumsnet Local page for Cornwall, lots of honest local chat and always threads from people making the move or trying to figure out how to do it.

Yes there is weather... Belting rain and glorious sun and the extremes often occur all in the same day! Yes you have to plan things and plans always need at least 2 backups (weather) but there is no better place to live and reclaim the extra hours spent NOT commuting. My 20 minute train ride is through fields and the walk at the other end never fails to lift my spirits even in the lashing rain because the sea is in my sights.

I have some things to say about teens but this is already a long post! Will pop back with a link for local!

MumsNet Cornwall... A place of beach chat, local listings, moving stories and a Twitter feed for all things local that grab our attention!

Do come over and say hello... Especially you Cornwall MNers! There is much not traffic at the minute because we are all at the beach

local.mumsnet.com/cornwall

Please come and spill about teens thekitchenfairy

I'm Cornish born and bred and live just outside Camborne.

I know people say the area isn't great but dh and I both have great jobs, my children go to an outstanding school and are doing great and we are a 2-3 minute drive from the beach.

Oh and the reason we chose here is because it was affordable to us.

Cornish bump

I live near Tintagel/ Boscastle.

Moved here in my teens and never left. Fantastic place to bring up children although you will become a taxi service.

What is going to make your tea shop different from the others? Not being rude but you'll need to think about it! Make yours stand out!

OP this is an interesting read.

Also, you should check out this fantastic cafe. Might help you get an idea of the kind of thing that's working in Cornwall now. On Friday we tried to book a table there for Saturday night, but they were fully booked. I've never managed to eat there in the evening as they are always full, but the breakfast and lunch fare is gorgeous, as is the atmosphere and service.

Go, see, do your research!

This is really interesting (came across it in active convos) as I'm very drawn to the sea but have never considered Cornwall as an option. Mainly because it takes such a long time to get to! Now I'm following all these links (when I really should be working!)

I live in Cornwall- have done all my life and I wouldn't live anywhere else. There really is a lot of negativity on this thread which I don't think is totally fair. However, some pointers to remember. Don't move your children into the middle of nowhere where transport links can be difficult to reach they won't thank you for it.
Move to one of the towns with a good rail/bus link.
Penzance is good but right down on the end and is it takes forever to get anywhere else.
We live in Redruth - great rail/bus links fairly central and easy to get anywhere. Including the beaches. Rents are also cheaper here then elsewhere, we pay £900 for a 4 bed house.3 beds are around £650/£750 depending on the quality.
There are lots of tea rooms in Cornwall but you could make it work. I would make sure you have something else lined up though if I were you.
There are plenty of hotels/cafés/tourist attractions for summer work for your children. Lots of my childhood friends did move away for career prospects, but I love it here.
Wouldn't want to be anywhere else.