ADVICE want to move to coastal town/village ... Dorset, Devon, Devon, south Wales,

[CB1988]

OK so dh work from home, we have an 8 month old and I will be wfh.
We are stuck on where to move to as so much choice , any recommendations greatly appreciated !!!!

Our budget is 500k£ we want a min 4 bed house with decent garden.

Nice town shops cafe ideally if weekly market
Must be on the coast, with njce sandy beach on doorstep
Good primary school
Great community
Ideally swimming pool
Safe nice area not a drug problem please!

I live in Bideford. We considered Ilfracombe but decided it wasn't for us... too isolated. Although I have to say I love visiting...

I love westward Ho but we decided on Bideford as it's given the kids more independence. We don't need to be taxis as they can walk most places or get the bus fairly easily.

2 of the kids have moved away for more opportunities which is a consideration as they get older... there isn't a great deal here for young adults with ambition. They need to move away then come back tbh.

@CB1988 That is a sensible approach and I understand what you mean.

Don’t discount pebble beaches.

i moved to the coast for a trial retirement a few years ago. I wanted a sandy beach but ended up overlooking a pebble beach for a better view. I was at the beach almost every day, and the lack of sand was a godsend in hindsight. My house wasn’t full of sand all the time, and the beach was much quieter.

I was a bit sniffy about the pebbles to start with, but looking ahead to real retirement now, I will be aiming for pebbles.

Having grown up in the arse-end of nowhere, I echo all posters saying that you need to think about DC having independence, once in their teens. It really is miserable for all concerned, if you have to drive teens everywhere.

But, as your DD is a baby, you could do this in two steps. You will get more for your money now, if you're further from a station, and you can move again in a decade.

If you’re wanting a decent sized garden for your budget don’t look mumbles but better off Langland/Bishopston or further into the Gower. Bishopston is a really good school

If you're thinking Swansea op, i'd definitely be aiming for Bishopston Comp. However you need to be careful with areas because all of 'central' Mumbles and parts of Langland are out of catchment...and it's oversubscribed every single year, you'd be very unlikely to get a preferred placement. I know people who moved to Mumbles and made the massive error of assuming they'd get dc into Bishopston comp because it's actually the nearest to their house but not so (catchments are a bit odd here).

Personally I wouldn't want to live in Mumbles vilkage itself...like others have said, the main road in and out can be chaos in summer, plus it's out of catchment for the best school.

There's a happy medium between 'Mumbles' and 'rural gower' though. West Cross, Mayals, Bishopston, Kittle (little bit further than Bish village).

West Cross and Mayals especially if you want to be closer/walking distance to Mumbles although again caution needed for catchment in bits of West Cross. You can drive to Mumbles in 5 minutes (non summer peak!) from either or walk there along the front in 10-30 minutes.

You'll get far more for your money in West Cross than any of the others because there are very nice bits and some not nice bits which puts some off...all of the others are exclusively 'naice' and hence pricier.

@TheNinthLock I can't claim that everywhere would be welcoming, particularly in some of the coastal villages where locals are completely priced out, but our town is very friendly. Lots of 'outsiders' live here, run businesses and get involved in the local community.

I think it's more the second homeowners who locals don't really want. They come here for a few weeks of the year, don't really integrate, then go home again.

@FannythePinkFlamingo , thank you 😊
We would certainly not be second home owners, would live driving distance to coast but not on it (out of our price range) and would love to be involved in the local community.

That house looks like it needs an enormous amount of work…

@NNoNewUserHere are you from Swansea? Interested in what would be the areas to avoid? What is Mayhill like?

Surprised no one has mentioned the iow or Southbourne yet !

Doer upper - will you do it yourself? I live by coast and do does my family (different places) both so over run with second homes you can't get builders or workmen as they work for £££ on the holiday homes and refurbishment.

@Ohmylovejune .
Family

Where do u live @Ohmylovejune anywhere nice ?

I second Weymouth. There are drugs in the town but aren't there everywhere?
You should be able to get a 4 bed for £500k or just over.

@onlyconnect totally. But some areas are worse than others. I'm going to explore Weymouth. X

CB1988 I don't think if you walked round Weymouth you'd notice a drug problem. I only know because people have told me, not because I've seen any sign of it.
The problem with Weymouth is low wages. If your work means that doesn't affect you, it's a good place to live.

Is there a reason you're set on the West of England and Wales? There are good beaches on the East Coast as well, plus better weather.

like this for example

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/130516091?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_BUY

There were riots there a few years ago, so some parts of Mayhill are certainly to be avoided. https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/mayhill-swansea-riot-crime-youths-20735667

@lavendermouse another Swansea local here. I would also avoid Mayhill but nearby Townhill has improved. I would also avoid Bonymaen and parts of Penlan. Decent but less expensive areas include Brynhyfryd, Manselton, Cockett, Treboeth, St Thomas, parts of Landore, Llansamlet, Waunlarlwydd. Swansea West - Sketty, Dunvant, Killay, West Cross and into Mumbles and Gower lovely but pricier.

@FaFatCatatPaddingtonStation thankyou for the reply ☺️ il keep that all in mind when househunting.

Kingsbridge

You'd be almost a neighbour :) But this house is in a v busy road which gets gridlocked on sunny days.

I would also avoid Mayhill but nearby Townhill has improved. I would also avoid Bonymaen and parts of Penlan

Yes, this @lavendermouse . Although personally I'd avoid all of Mayhill and Penlan.

Basically, anywhere West of the City Centre is the most sought after area for very good reason (and pricier). East of the City Centre and it's a mixed bag...far cheaper housing but you really need to have a look round yourself.

People are very protective over their local area here ime. If you post on a Swansea Facebook site and ask what xyz area is like you'll get 100 posts telling you it's fabulous and I've lived here for 20 years and the community is wonderful...even when the area you're asking about is the worst shithole in the County. So I'd be very wary and would definitely look myself!

gower prices have rocketed. I wouldn’t buy there at the moment since I suspect they’ll drop back down to more normal levels.