Tell me about moving to Cornwall?

[Seasider6]

My DH’s family is from Cornwall and we spend a lot of our school holidays there. DH is now talking about moving (working from home is now standard in his company) and how good it would be for the kids.

There’s no doubt the kids would love that lifestyle, but I don’t know what it’s really like to live there! although his family is from there, he didn’t grow up there either (they moved around a little and then back when he was growing up).

Did anyone relocate from London to Cornwall?

What is it like for kids? Teens especially? Which areas would you go for? I’m drawn to places like St Ives, but perhaps that’s because they’re lovely to visit?

I don’t know how it’d feel going from London to Cornwall, although we do have a lot of family there. Anyone got any experience with that?

And I’m concerned that as an “outsider”, I’d never properly belong...

Dh weekended for years...I think we did 4 on the trot. He lived in the Mess during the week, and came home at weekends. Got a tad more complicated from Brussels to Cornwall.

DH did that from west cornwall to London for a decade. One week working in cornwall then one in town. We kept a flat there for the purpose and selling it was the best day. It meant we could live together in one place!

@scentedgeranium any regrets at all? We’re thinking of a similar move and I’m nervous!

That still happens now! My mum has worked away in the week for a lot of the last 15 years and my brother has also. Loads of additional costs, but there just aren't the employment opportunities for professionals.

I love a good Cornwall thread. I grew up there but now more than 20 years away. There's not much to add really, but a couple of thoughts:

The cost of living is high as well. Things like eating out, museums and galleries all cost loads more. Not many playgrounds or things to do that aren't the beach- and in my experience the fantasy of being on the beach every night is hampered by things like work, school, endless rain, tides.

There is a lot of racism. My nephew is mixed-race and has been on the receiving end of some appalling 1970s style racism at school. Likewise some family friends of a sibling tried moving down from the Midlands and swiftly moved back after being subjected to racist abuse in the street, repeatedly. And that was in Truro. Lots of casual racism about Eastern Europeans, Muslims. If you only hang out in naice Falmouth maybe you won't get to hear it (disclaimer: I am obviously not saying everyone in Cornwall is racist)

SEN provision is pretty patchy and a key factor is if you're in a rural area you can't just move schools if it's not working. Hospitals are also rubbish. Appointments will take you most of the day because it is inevitably miles away. I don't think all the schools are rubbish at all, but be aware that some of the secondaries are actually very big because they draw from a big area, and your child's best mate will inevitably live a 15 mile drive away down dark lanes.

I'm amazed by people saying it's not competitive- it absolutely is but in a different way- there's massive snobbery about cars, houses, clothes (and I'm from not a well-off bit). Lots of other people in your business.

It is beautiful though and I miss the sea immensely. Not enough to move back though!

@confused232 no. None. It was hard at times, but now the children are gone and we're nearly retired and we met lots of people through having school age children. We're both from here and always thought we'd retire here. But had we waited for that time I don't think we'd have bedded in as we have. It's home now. And I can't imagine being confined in London again

@scentedgeranium do you think the fact that you’re both from Cornwall originally (if I’ve read your post right) has made a difference? We’re not from Cornwall and I’m worried about not making friends and being outsiders.

@confused232 that's a hard question. I could easily do my job over the bridge (social worker) but I'm worried about ripping the dds away from their friends and structure when I would leave my own support behind because I wouldn't bother unless it was far west Cornwall.
My mum is lostwithiel now and loves it. Amazing community with loads of activities and thighs for her to get involved in even as a single lady in her 70's! She's coped well during covid even the corner shop delivers!

Pp comments about snobbery are true though - we are knee deep in transporters here and it's all about surf brands!

@confused232 that's a really good question. It certainly gave us a head start because we could reconnect. But thinking about it there's only on family now, 12 years on who we are still v close to who I knew in childhood. Everyone else is from elsewhere. There is also a terrible disadvantage to returning as a prodigal daughter - everyone knows your family and thinkls they know your business!
Definitely having primary age children helps. Our kids were musical and joined a local brass band (big thing down here!) and I met more mums that way than at the school gate tbh. Other hobbies of my own helped.
It's not true that there's nothing to do down here. There's plenty.

@confused232 if you want to PM me you can. We're not a million miles from PZ. We're certainly well west of Truro! Although my children are now young adults so I can't advise in detail on schools.

@almostautumn

much of rural cornwall doesn't even have gas pipes fitted to houses for heating

@CornishArtist you make it sound like something unusual or exclusive to Cornwall. No gas pipes isn’t just a Cornish thing - it’s quite normal in rural areas.

No, I am just telling for people who don't know much about Cornwall, as per the original question or I doubt they'd be asking. Any other intent inferred might be yours.

[quote confused232]@scentedgeranium do you think the fact that you’re both from Cornwall originally (if I’ve read your post right) has made a difference? We’re not from Cornwall and I’m worried about not making friends and being outsiders.[/quote]
I'm not from Cornwall either and that is just something you will have to deal with. Any where people are who have been there longer then you have an entitlement or sense of being more native, that's just how it is. Cornwall is full of non-Cornish though and there is some animosity towards that because some of these have contributed to 2nd home ghost towns and otherwise making locals feel non local in their own areas. That's natural I suppose. You will probably make friend if you approach it as a person should always approach being the new kid on the block, be friendly, humble and helpful and people will like you (hopefully)

It also helps if you use local firms for things; as it spreads money around the local economy. When I had a lot of work done on the house in 2014, one of the guys told my son that it was good to see that I hadn't gone with a big firm from Plymouth, but had used people in the village, and the next one. That helps with good will.

I'm having some external work done, and the bloke comes highly recommended locally, and in fact is doing my work, next door but one, and over the road. Might take longer and be a tad more expensive than a bigger firm, but that is fine.

We’ve been totally ripped off by using local Cornish trades people. Lots of people we meet are closet racists and that’s why they like Cornwall. They don’t see anyone who doesn’t look like them. It’s a retro County in many ways. The coast and river villages are very different to going a but inland but you seriously don’t need £1m!!! Basic family houses are much cheaper even in very nice locations! Eg Wadebridge!

Resurrecting this thread as it covers some of the issues I have to think about. My dc are 7, 5 and 3. I am from Penzance and moved away the minute I could, never to look back! But now I find myself missing the sea terribly. I am seriously considering moving the family to Cornwall. My main concern is secondary schools. I currently teach at a top grammar. I want to avoid the grammar system but also aware I could be doing my kids a disservice to move them away from brilliant schools here. So does anyone know which schools are considered best in Cornwall? This would probably drive our decision over which area to start looking in, if we take the plunge.

Wow! What an incredibly negative thread. I’m Cornish and moved back 12 years ago to raise our family. I teach in a wonderful, forward thinking school where we won awards for our lockdown teaching provision. My kids are busy and active with every activity they could wish for available to them.

Great thread for those of us who love living here and are worried about our overstretched health service and the fact that local people can’t afford housing. In fact, I’ve heard that London is a really great place to live…

Think really carefully, moving from a city to Cornwall is a complete lifestyle change. A friend of mine considered moving to Cornwall, having spent many happy summer holidays there, she had the foresight to visit in winter, totally changed her thought process, she decided the move would not be beneficial for her.