What's it like living in Cornwall?

[flippetyfloppety]

I live on the coast in the south east in a city I love love love. We want to buy a house but it's just eye-wateringly expensive.

I've always quite fancied Cornwall as houses are (more) affordable and it's beautiful and by the sea. It also has a personality (I grew up in a dull commuter town).

For those in the know, what's it like living in Cornwall? We have a toddler and I like to go to baby groups and to the park and the beach a lot. I also love cafes that have a good selection of vegan food.

I've just viewed a tiny house in a rubbish area nearby and come home and cried at how we can never afford to buy where we're currently renting!

[Snowmonster]

I lived near Liskeard.
Difficult to get a job actually and hubby had to commute into Plymouth.
We found the winters difficult as very foggy and moist rainy a lot of the time!
Summer time full of tourists and parking a nightmare.
It's ok if you are used to rural life and things being shut on a wednesday.

[onanotherday]

Yep .. beautiful.. great if you have a young family..or teens into surfing etc.

But my two have flown the nest for uni and don't intend returning.

Im on my own and thinking how little there is for a single mum . I miss the theatre and culture. Buzz etc and don't get me stared on OLD🤪

[amandacat40]

I’ve lived in Cornwall all my life bar 4 years away at uni.
There are big variations across the county in house prices, local people’s attitudes and in relation to access to beaches or to jobs/a city depending on what you’re after.
The south east areas of Cornwall are close to Plymouth meaning more jobs and access to shopping etc but in these areas you don’t have beaches in walking distance but you can still drive to a beach in 20-30 minutes. The house prices in these areas are cheaper than other parts of Cornwall, maybe 170-190k for a 3 bed semi. I currently live in south east Cornwall and feel these parts are more welcoming to ‘outsiders’ my husband is from up north and has never had any issues or negative comments from locals. We have good access to cities so can be in Plymouth in 30 mins or Exeter in 1 hour. We don’t get as much tourism or traffic issues here not being directly on the coast.
As you go deeper into Cornwall, the house prices get more expensive and you are further from civilisation but you get the nicer scenery and beaches. But I find the further into Cornwall it does get more insular and racist. People I work with who live even in Bodmin make comments to me like ‘you’re not really Cornish’ due to the fact I’m 10 miles from the Devon border!
What I like about Cornwall: lovely beaches, countryside, low crime rates (although varies on area) hardly ever have to de ice your car, rarely goes below freezing, no traffic (again varies on area but where I am there’s never traffic queues) nice community feel. No anti social issues eg no kids on corners causing trouble.
What I don’t like: it rains a lot and gets bad winds a lot. Doesn’t get as hot as other parts of the UK in summer. Water rates are high. Poor bus services, hard to get a taxi, a lot of dark roads at night, if we do get ice or snow on the rare occasion then gritting is poor and lots of accidents, can be boring in the winter, lack of takeaway deliveries, not many restaurants locally where I live, people can be narrow minded, poor job opportunities unless you want to work in the care or hospitality sector and most jobs are minimum wage.
Despite my love of Cornwall I’m leaving next month, I want to live nearer to job opportunities and shops/restaurants etc. we are moving to a much nicer house for the same money. I will miss the beaches and low crime and traffic and will likely return when I retire but for the next 25 years I want a little more from my life as during the winter I am literally at home most of the weekend as I’m so far from everything.

[CornishArtist]

Great for rich people or people who can work from home and earn a good wage. Housing is massively overpriced in all the "idyllic" areas and the council amenities such as transport generally suck. Jobs are few and the pay is bad. Most people who come here are rich or retiring, for anyone trying to build themselves up and get a career, they leave.

I've been here a long time and I will never afford a house here. Just not possible unless I win the lottery. Almost no chance of council housing either, even as a local. Since the jobs are so few I've had to improvise and start my own business, but Covid and the recession will probably put paid to it next year. Landlords are extortionate here etc etc.

It's a "beautiful craphole" as they say.

[roarfeckingroarr]

Just found this thread because DH and I are considering a big move from London to Cornwall. A great job has come up in DH company and I could work remotely when I return from maternity leave.

What's it really like? Are there good schools - both state and private? I want a more innocent and outdoorsy life for DS (13 weeks) and the houses are so beautiful for the price. COVID has made us reevaluate what matters and I want nothing more than to buy a beautiful place for our children to grow up and where friends can visit for weekends.

The job is in St Austell, so we would want to buy within an hour's drive. Would you recommend any places in particular? Is it really hard to make friends? Any advice very welcome. TIA.

[Ompompom]

We're looking to move to cornwall from Kent. I've read this entire thread and am a little concerned we won't be welcome.

I'm slightly bothered about prospects for our children but actually, I don't think they would be able to afford property here either.

[WildFlowerBees]

We moved to Cornwall when I was a young child, it took years for my parents to be 'accepted' into the local community but they have some great friends and live in a lovely village. We had a great childhood lots to do, I never had any issues growing up being a perceived outsider. I moved to Devon about 15 years ago and I love it here more than Cornwall. There's less of a parochial attitude and lots of people that don't originate from Devon.

2nd home owners have made it really difficult for locals to buy their own houses in Cornwall. It's a beautiful part of the world you just have to find your spot.

[MrsPelligrinoPetrichor]

I lived in Devon for 2 years, it's the only place I've every lived where I made no friends, I've never been so lonely and I never have any problems usually and have lived all over the world. It was soooo insular and I was only just outside Exeter! I wouldn't even consider Cornwall for all the reasons TwattingDogmentioned.

[Bunnybunny1]

It is depressing and dead in the winter months. I lived there for 5 years and found that so many young women just left school and had babies because there are no job prospects down there, aside from working in hotels/ bakeries/ charity shops. Even teaching jobs are paid less.
It’s a lovely place to holiday but a desperately depressing place to live.

[Bunnybunny1]

St Austell is particularly grim. Avoid.

[Suzi888]

I’ve only ever holidayed in Cornwall but I know someone that grew up in Falmouth and moved away when they were 20 (got married). Their take was that it was very expensive, not that much to do, far away from anywhere, jobs were hard to come by, rammed in summer, dead in winter. They will never move back. Most of their friends left school, had children.

[sashh]

@flippetyfloppety

Thank you so much for these replies it's very interesting and useful. I have family in Devon (north) so know it well and always think I couldn't live there for the same reasons you've listed Cornwall as not a great place to grow up. I always imagine Cornwall to be a bit trendier and modern and accepting. I really don't know why I have that perception! It's massively important to me that my child/children grow up in a diverse environment with people who look different and have different interests. I grew up in a town where everyone looked the same and liked the same things (or at least if felt that way)! Gah so maybe it's back to the drawing board then.

Cornwall is is not the place to grow up in a diverse environment.

My brother lives there and loves it, I like it to visit but I couldn't live there.

On one visit I could feel there was something 'off', then it hit me, I'd only seen white people in the week I'd been there.

It takes ages to get anywhere, there is no motorway and the train line isn't fast.

I like being able to buy real samosas, to hear other languages in shops and see people from various cultures and to get to other places in less than a day.

[MyNameIsAngelicaSchuyler]

I would consider living there with very young children or when retired. Never with teenagers.

[Ihaventgottimeforthis]

I love it!
I'm not Cornish, but have been here on and off since my teens.
Now living here with my family and working, am welcome and accepted - in fact just feels normal!
Good if you're outdoorsy, not that great if you like culture in the winter, vegan offerings few and far between!
But I would never leave, it is in my bones now.

[FuzzyPuffling]

I've been here 6 years and we are now planning to move away. Anywhere.

[Blimpop]

I live there. I think those with bad things to say, it's more a reflection on them than Cornwall.

I think one thing people struggle with when they move here is people are honest and smile and take an interest in you. If your nice they'll tell you, If you've pissed someone off, they'll likely just tell you.
But no matter what- you can always just knock someonsdoor if you need help.
There's a saying that if you want to live alone, live in a town/city.

[Blimpop]

I think it's important you take into account what you want from living somewhere. You could go for somewhere like Truro, which is far down,but lots to do and still get the rural fix.

There are practicalities to living here- my fuel bill was high before the crisis and do need to be prepared to travel to get to clubs/facilities etc. It's not uncommon for me to cover 60 miles a day between school run and clubs. But the opportunities are there.

But- the pros for me, the sense of community, being outdoors, less stressful.

Also- the incomer argument is nonsense and a preconceived argument. Most people who live here are 'incomers'. We're 'incomers' (bloody hate that term) and have been welcomed, we didn't have to do anything special, no sacrificial ritual or anything! Just got on with our lives.