Relocating to Cornwall!

[Coastaldreamer88]

Hi All,

I'm after some advice and or experience from others who have moved to Cornwall or born and bred Cornwallers Cornish! (My bad! 😬🫣!

Me & DH have been together for 15 years and nearly 13 years ago we very nearly made the jump to move to Cornwall. We absolutely adored everything about Cornwall. But 22 year old me, allowed my parents selfish views to make me question our dream to move and we never did!😟
We also always knew we wanted children and basically i was guilted into not leaving. And because of this, I convinced myself that staying would be essential for any prospective children to have a relationship with my family and be near by!

Fast forward to now, we have 3 boys under 7 and over the last year to 18 months, I've slowly come to the realisation that actually the reason we stayed (family support) is flakey at best and I we feel very let down at their lack of interest in us or our children.
My lovely sister is the only consistent "support" we have and if I'm honest she's the only reason I feel tethered to where we live now.
During this period of realisation, the urge to escape and follow our dream has got more evident and I've finally come to terms with the fact that it is something we really do want and would benefit us and it's time to put our "wants" over everyone else's, before it's too late and our DS's get older and don't want to move!
As my sister is emotionally our only anchor to where we live now, we've spoken to her about our potential plan to move and she is very much thrilled at the prospect of our exciting new future and the idea of free holidays for her & her children 😅!

So, I'm essentially here asking for advice on locations and considerations that we may not have thought of!

We want to move somewhere coastal-ish.... no more than 15-20 min drive away, that has a community we can hopefully integrate into and be a part of, as we don't know anyone there! We like the N/W coast (roughly Redruth up to Bude).
However, super touristy, busy places in the summer aren't really our thing, we tend to actively seek secret gems when we visit, but easy enough access to them if we wanted to go to places like this would be nice. We'd much prefer to find the quiet places away from the summer busyness where we can explore with the kids and dog (we love the ourdoors).
Due to having young kids, we do want some amenities near by and good schools, but we're not interested in big city vibes.

My husband is a remote worker with the view that he only has to go the office on occasions and I'm a wedding florist, so we need to be somewhere that I can access wedding venues and locations for weddings up to an hours drive away give or take!

(Wow! That's a right shopping list! 😅)

Any thoughts, advice or considerations for us to consider would be muchly appreciated!
X

We moved to Devon 6 years ago. We moved back after 18 months. I appreciate you’re wanting to move to Cornwall and out of the two I wish in hindsight we’d moved to Cornwall instead but it’s not all roses & unicorns. We found the people unfriendly, the Derriford hospital hard to get to, and if you hire tradesmen to do work and you come from Sussex area they think (we’re certainly not) you are made of money and rip you off terribly! the airport doesn’t do Gatwick flights anymore so it is at least 3/4 hours travel to Bristol airport before you begin your holidays. You will find everyone tell you before you move they will visit, trust me they only visit once and the long 5/6 hours journey puts them off of repeating the journey we found. We have friends who live in Cornwall and their main complaint is getting to see a Doctor/ Dentist when required.
they have lived in Cornwall for 20 years and still find it difficult to mix with the neighbours etc. I don’t want to put you off but it cost us a lot of money to re sell our property and move back, in fact we lost a lot of money and couldn’t afford to move back to the City we had moved from. I wished in hindsight we’d had rented for a few months before making the move. My advice would be if you are really going to do it to rent first for a year and don’t move to Devon. Have you thought about having a look around Dorset, that’s a similar place to Cornwall and not such a long drive for visitors? Good luck.

We lived in Liskeard for five years. There’s a good selection of three and four bedroom properties in your price range in the town and also in surrounding villages. There’s a mainline railway station with trains to London Paddington via Plymouth and Exeter and the other way to Truro and Penzance. There is also a branch line to Looe if you want to go to the seaside without trying to find parking! It’s also close to Bodmin Moor which has loads of interesting places to walk and explore. When we were there, there were two primary schools (one CofE and another) plus a good comprehensive. There are branches of major supermarkets, a sports centre, a library and lots of independent shops. Also not much in the way of tourists there as they tend to head to the beaches.

My parents moved to north Cornwall after retiring. Something my dad had dreamed of for years. My mother didn't want to go.
One thing they both noticed was the ongoing hostility from locals towards them as incomers. It continued for decades, despite my dad being outgoing, chatty and friendly.
After my dad died, it took us ages to get down and back from London at weekends to support my mum. She moved back to London after a couple of years.
Our kids absolutely loved the 3 times a year holidays we had though and my parents loved our visits.

I’d look within 30/45 minutes drive from the Tamar Bridge. Calstock, Launceston, Looe (high up out of the town). Bit further down around Tywardreath is nice, right by Par beach, and close to Fowey, but far away enough to avoid the tourist hotspots. Lostwithiel is also lovely. You are then relatively close to Plymouth which might be good for your business. Also direct trains from
Plymouth to Paddington if needed. Do not underestimate the awful traffic between April and September. It takes ages to get anywhere.

We have had a totally different experience in Devon to @Behaveyourself88. We have lived here for 15 years and have no intention of moving away. No issues with tradespeople. No issues with doctors dentist hospital etc. We have made loads of local friends and have always been made very welcome. Friends joke and say we are more local than people who have always lived here.

it probably the luck of the draw in some ways but actually renting first is really sensible advice.

My brother moved down to Cornwall to train as a nurse in the mid 1980s.

He met his wife down there and they live in Truro, they have brought up 3 children who are now adults.

Things to consider:

Truro is technically a 'city' but it doesn't feel like it. There are only 2 state secondaries, or there were when my nieces and nephew were at school. I think if you did want a 'big city vibe' you would probably need to go to up country to Plymouth where you stop being an emmet and become a grockle. I'm not suggesting you move to Truro just that you will not find a big city.

You might not have much choice of schools but that is not necessarily a bad thing.

There are no motorways and the roads can be narrow and if you get stuck behind a caravan you could take hours you need to consider this if you are planning to deliver flowers.

You need to know how to put jam and cream on scones. It is more important than you think and you will be judged if you do it 'wrong'. My brother's wife is from Devon. This can cause a diplomatic incident.

This was illustrated by Beyond Paradise.

My nieces and nephew have grown up coming home from school in summer and then heading for the beach for an hour or two. They have barely seen snow though, maybe once a year for 15 mins.

I find Cornwall very 'white', I live in Wolverhampton so I'm used to there being a mix of people and being able to buy samosas from a sweet centre for 30p each, my dad calls in to see me on the way to visit my brother I hand over a bag of real samosas and paneer rolls to take with him.

I have also sent down spices, vegetables and other bits you cannot get there, or can't get easily and cheaply

My brother's idea of a samosa is made with filo pastry and costs about £3 for two and spices come in tiny jars.

Living the dream and real life can be very different experiences, we moved back because even after countless visits over the years and having plenty of friends down there we realised it suited us better as a holiday location plus we missed our families and friends. I love Cornwall, it has a magnetic energy that grabs me every visit but I now understand why people leave especially young people.

Winter and out of season is rugged, wild, wet, sunny, cold, mild, bleak and very dark. You don’t realise the depth of darkness until you’re living there - it’s in stark contrast to the very bright spring summer months. Incredible for beach walks, drinks by the open fire, wool blankets, but it’s damp, wet and mizzly a lot.

It’s far, that drive back to visit friends and family is quite the trek. Be sure you’re ok doing this, the novelty soon wears off particularly if you’re doing it Friday nights and back on Sundays. A 10 hour round trip gets tedious even just 3/4 times per year.

‘Wealthy touristy Cornwall’ alludes to a prosperous thriving community, which in some places is the case, outside of those places you potentially face a very different reality.

Deprivation and poverty is very real and whilst you may be financially sound it can be incredibly polarising to be living amongst those who struggle to get by daily. This impacts schools, healthcare, shopping, tradespeople etc, you may live in an area with million pound homes but if they’re vacant out of season or between visits then it’s you and the locals so finding the right community to be part of is essential.

Schools and behaviour, do your research on what school options you will have when considering areas. We have friends who live in St Ives and the secondary school there is woefully bad, horrendous behaviour, bullying, high staff turnover, no respect and yet it’s a picturesque town filled with multi million pound houses.

The majority of Cornish people on the whole are great but like everywhere there can be a few not so good people and due to the distinct haves and have nots divide there can be some pushback and bad attitudes to non Cornish, some are oblivious to it but should you be perceptive and recognise it then it can be disheartening.

There’s a lot of negatives in my post and it’s with good reason because we thought we knew everything we needed to know in order to make an informed decision on a significant lifestyle change. It’s a beautiful magical place and that incredible lifestyle is possible but only if you are financially sound, to have the options to holiday outside the county as and when you please and to have a solid income that is guaranteed and not reliant on seasonal fluctuations.

Never once in 16 years have I had a single incident of “locals” being unfriendly to “incomers”. I have seen people be unfriendly to arseholes though.

You're going to find some areas of Cornwall will be out of your budget and some areas that will get you quite a bit within it.

Camborne/Poole/Redruth is definitely budget friendly for you but I recommend looking on the outskirts - Tehidy, Illogan, even further west to Hayle. This area is way more accessible for the rest of the county having the A30 nearby.

I suggest looking at Helston/Falmouth/Penryn but that might be pushing your budget and the roads get very busy during summer. Central Falmouth will be outside of your budget but there are some lovely villages around you could consider like Mawnan Smith or Mabe.

You'll need to consider schools as well, make sure to research both local primaries and secondaries. Truro has a great selection of schools and you could find a home within your budget but again, the roads can get very congested.

I'd suggest avoiding the Lizard/Mullion area, it's just so far from everywhere else, it takes forever to get in and out, particularly in the summer when Europeans come in their campers for the holidays.

As a wedding florist, you'll be all over Cornwall once you get settled so I don't think you should make the location decision based on your job 🙂

@AlphaApple me neither, and it’s been 30+ years for me ( Cornish only if you’re born here!) there are so many non cornish folks in the county, the reality of unfriendly locals has never actually been a thing in my experience.

People aren't unfriendly as such but you'll never be in the 'inner circle' if you pick a village or smaller place. You won't notice it in larger towns (as an example of this I'm from an 'old family' but have lived away for 26 years now so am not so easily recognised. Once I name drop who my dad is in the pub, everything changes- until then I'm just some emmet).

It is worth thinking about things like schools- you can't just change if it doesn't suit as the next one might be 15 miles away. It is also very monocultural. This podcast is very good and explores a lot of the contradictions of a complex place:

https://open.spotify.com/show/5TLe9BgoJtIlucNoS9npY6?si=XDT9RsPGQfev-sgc_Rs89Q

I live in mid Cornwall & would consider Wadebridge myself if we weren’t established here. Friends who have lived/are living there say it’s lovely with lots going on.

this one a good position to drive to north coast, very close to the moors, Roughtor and some lovely walks. It is on the main rd through the town though I think. My friend wasnt happy with the senior school but that may just be their experience rather than overall.

A bit further down but Hayle would be my go to.
Right on the A30, not too far from bigger towns, hospital in Penzance, 3 mile beach that is never overcrowded. Supermarkets ASDA, Lidl/Aldi and M&S, Boots. Not far to St Erth train station. Easy to get to Penzance/St Ives.

Look up the new developments in Copperhouse if looking for a new build.

I lived my first 18 years there and couldn't get out quick enough. It is nice to visit, but is far from everywhere, and the grey weather is so depressing.

I live in Cornwall with primary aged kids. I’d think about Newquay area as a lot of kids activities are based around there. Like the zoo, trampoline park, Camel Creek, Oasis swimming park, soft plays for example. There is lots for kids to do (which isn’t the case in other parts).

It is easy to entertain them in the summer but in the other six months of the year when the torrential rain is coming down you won’t want to be at the beach. Look into what there is to do on rainy days wherever you choose to go.

I would think carefully about Newquay but my experience is based on my brother's experience, he was (after a career change) a custody Sargent in Newquay.

It might be great for young children but I'm not sure it is so good for teenagers.

@sashh I see what you are saying but I’m not sure where in Cornwall is good for teenagers? If they can get into some good activities that might help. Like I know of a friend’s teenager who goes to a surf life saving club

I moved to Cornwall 10 years ago. I think it helps if you work in a team and have kids in primary as that helps you meet people. My village is super friendly to newcomers and there is so much going on - pub theme nights, walking group, book club, panto, sports clubs, loads of fundraisers in the village hall. We’re about 15 minutes out of Truro and 10 minutes to the a30. Probably more like 20 minutes to the coast but I think that makes it a much more stable year round village with very few holiday lets. Kids at secondary in Truro and thriving.

The biggest downside is being so far from friends and family upcountry, the rain in the winter (and summer most years but not this one!) and overseas holidays having many extra hours travel time to reach the airport.

Partner and I both grew up in Devon & Cornwall, so well aware of the downsides for teenagers, winter weather, etc. We both had to leave to go to Uni, and then for jobs. But now able to WFH and moving back.

Can I suggest you write a list (or a spreadsheet) of what things are priorities for you? It might be transport, social life, towns with GPs/dentists, sports clubs, Park Run, seaside, water sport, good shops, farm shops, broadband speed, whatever. Then start scoring all the places that catch your eye or take your fancy. House prices permitting?

From our own priorities, the top few places are Truro, Penryn, Exmouth, Bideford, Dartmouth, Falmouth, Totnes. Your ratings may vary! :-)

Good luck!

It’s really interesting reading the varied replies.
As someone who moved to Cornwall when the kids were small, some of this rings true and some I just don’t recognise.

The driving to get anywhere, and issues with NHS dentists- absolutely. Lack of major shops - yes. But that doesn’t bother me in the slightest. Truro is big enough to have what we need so it’s all good.
Weather. Lots of drizzly rain. Yes. But there’s enough good weather to do what we want and when the weather is good we can pop to the beach which we all hugely appreciate.

Unfriendly locals, drug problems, nothing to do?
None of that has ever been an issue. Our area has lots of community things going on and we are fully part of it. Our village feels very safe - there is occasional crime but we’ve been here 15 years and only a handful of things have happened, mostly theft of farm machinery.

My children have both found hobbies they love, and that keeps us busy. Too busy mostly! We also see a lot of friends. Both my kids spend a lot of time either with friends here, or at their friends houses. They actually do very similar things to my friend’s kids who live in London - it’s not like her children are constantly visiting museums etc. with their friends. They go to the local park, spend time at home watching films and chatting - the same kind of things. It’s just if they want to go to the shops I have to take them, which I don’t mind doing.

When they are old enough to get jobs maybe they’ll move away.
That’s ok! My parents lived in London and I moved away - I see it as quite normal for kids to move away and do their own thing and not something to consider when you are thinking of relocating.

This is super exciting for you! We made the move from London about 18 months ago, would highly recommend and do it. It can take a little time to integrate but you will love it, its beautiful down here and lots of hidden gems of places and people.

We moved to near Hayle... which is great for a few reasons. It is pretty affordable, it has a massive beach which even in the peak of the summer is not very busy. Plus there are some decent schools near by. Also a big factor and win for Hayle is that it is literally just off the A30 and so actually although its further down the travel time down isnt that bad, its genuinely not much difference to some parts of Padstow or Newquay timewise despite being a little further.

There are loads of lovely beaches very close to Hayle, like Mexico Towans, Sandy Acres and many more. They are a little intricate to get to, if you dont know where or how but as a new "local" you will soon work it out.

Redruth you mentioned is definitely more and up and coming, and probably has more of a sense of community but does not have the beaches as close. But some super cool spots like the buttermarket!

Also if you move somewhere beautiful parents or sisters will love coming down to stay... and arguably you can have more quality time together when they do come down! Let us know... very excited for you!!!! Ride ON..... :)

I moved to Cornwall 6 years ago and don't recognise a lot of this. Personally I think it's like saying " I want to move to Surrey"- that coukd mean gritty Sutton or an expensive village like Cobham or a small town like Epsom!

I live in South East Cornwall on the coast. It's incredibly light, even in winter, because it's on the coast. I don't find winter dark awful anymore, I hated it where I lived in Surrey.

Rain- last winter nearly broke me ( 2023) but it was, I think an anomaly. This summer has been glorious, from April onwards we've had great weather.

I would say location is the key for any move. I came for the sea so it was important for me to be near the sea.

I agree that villages near Looe are worth looking at- Duloe, Widegates, Pelynt. Lerryn is lovely and on the water. Lostwithiel is great ( fab community)but is very like an affluent village in Sussex/ Surrey. Rame is fab as you have such great connections to Plymouth. There are some great villages near St Austell, eg Carlyon Bay area.

The things I hate are the journey to the airport to go on holiday. Its basically an extra day either side if you want to go anywhere exotic! The upside is travelling from Exeter where you can arrive an hour before the flight!

It can be quite insular. Where I am all socialising is pubs,or drinking at each others houses. Going to the gym is a huge long trip, exercise classes are expensive and again a trip that involves parking. However, I live in a small fishing village, if I lived in St Austell it wouldn't be a problem.

Further West is great but adds a huge amount of travel time.

Yesterday I had a day off. I sat on a terrace in Fowey overlooking the water and still had to pinch myself that I live here. I enjoy the simple life though. I would love to afford to live in Fowey but it's London prices!

Just an example 10 minutes walk to the coast,yet in a secluded area of quite a village.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/157957802?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_BUY

Just to say I moved to Cornwall in 2020 (just before lockdown luckily!) and absolutely love it. It’s a beautiful spot and a great place to bring up children.
I’m in a little village about 15 mins to Falmouth, Truro and Redruth - and also 15 mins drive to either coast. Porthtowan is my favourite beach and does sometimes have some affordable do-er upper houses for sale.
Enjoy Cornish life!