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Rural living

Looking to relocate to the countryside? Find advice in our Rural Living forum.

Raising family by the seaside

84 replies

Spanieljoker · 05/05/2026 12:41

I live in London and have two daughters (3 and 1). Will possibly have a third in the future.
I have always loved the idea of living by the seaside. My husband loves the countryside and his craving for a big garden and some land. I love the countryside too and traditional cottages.
We are planning a move, anywhere in the UK. Should be close to the seaside and rural. I have been looking to places like Devon and Cornwall for example. Our budget would be max. £1.2 million.
where would you go if it was your choice? We want to raise the children in the nature but their academic future is also important for us.

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Hatty65 · 05/05/2026 17:07

Dalgety Bay is a really good shout because you are not that far from either Edinburgh or Glasgow.

Devon/Cornwall are poverty stricken and bloody miserable out of season with closed up shops and cafes in many places and a long drive to a hospital or large town.

Blondiebeachbabe · 05/05/2026 17:17

You'd save £60k in Uni fees in Scotland. 😜

Spanieljoker · 05/05/2026 17:20

mondaytosunday · 05/05/2026 17:07

Isle of Wight. My kids grew up there it was lovely and met (and still have) some great friends. You could get something fabulous for your budget.

can I please ask you about the primary/ and secondary schools ? Were you satisfied

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queenrollo · 05/05/2026 17:28

Lincolnshire is worth exploring. Countryside Fens are flat and not to everyone’s taste but the Wolds are beautiful. Really beautiful coastline.
Schools are varied, as they are everywhere but we still have the Grammar system.
If you choose carefully you can be reasonable driving distance to a main line train station.
My husband commuted 4 days a week from Grantham. We are a 45 minute drive from there, but it’s absolutely worth it for the quality of life we have.
And you will get plenty of house and garden for your money if you look in the right places.

But with any rural purchase, check the broadband provision. It’s still atrocious in lots of areas!

Leguminosae · 05/05/2026 18:05

Blondiebeachbabe · 05/05/2026 15:44

I live in the kind of place you describe. It's Dalgety Bay, near Edinburgh.

For £1.2M here, you would get an enormous 5/6 bed house with a swimming pool and a sea view. In fact you'd possibly have change. Have a look on Google maps, at a street called Donibristle Gardens.

We have 2 excellent Primary schools, and a brand new state of the art High School is currently being built to replace the existing High School. We have a couple of excellent restaurants, about 5 take-aways, Asda, Tesco, all the amenities you'd need. It's very family friendly, with regular Gala's for the children. We have 5 lovely beaches.

Also, within very easy reach is South Queensferry, which is also on the seafront, with a long cobbled street lined with bars and restaurants.

There are lots of other villages towns, and up here each town has it's own Gala day in the summer, and Highland games days - brilliant for kids.

The train into Edinburgh is about 20 minutes, and of course you have everything you could possibly need there. Lots for kids like the Science Museum, regular museums, the festival every August.

Closer to home is Dunfermline, with everything you'd need for kids, like bowling alley, cinema, swimming, loads of child friendly restaurants.

We don't have the immigration problems that you have down South. Also, if your kids go to Uni, it is FREE up here. We moved here from England in 2003, and both of my kids had free Uni - absolute huge plus imo!

Hospitals are much better up here. Never long waits. I would never move back to England.

But the trade off is the weather.
And that's a big trade off.

Spanieljoker · 05/05/2026 19:38

Blondiebeachbabe · 05/05/2026 17:17

You'd save £60k in Uni fees in Scotland. 😜

Well they’ll have to go to St Andrews then 🙂

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Blushingm · 05/05/2026 20:30

Vale of Glamorgan

Horsepoor · 05/05/2026 20:30

Try somewhere near Lewes. I’d move near a private school as back up if the State options turn out to be dire.

JohnofWessex · 05/05/2026 20:45

My brother looked at Lincolnshire

Going into pubs where he and his wife were the only customers with a full set of limbs and the normal number of fingers put him off.

Dont forget all the issues associated with coastal towns - deprivation, poor transport links etc

Clevedon might be worth looking at close to Bristol & the M5 lovely pier and occasional paddle steamer trips

Nickelouch · 05/05/2026 20:53

Fife in general is a good shout. Dalgety Bay is ok but very commuter as so across the water from Edinburgh. Fife is really the sweet spot of rural but a stone throw from Edinburgh and also Dundee and Glasgow. Lots of tiny villages and bargains in the middle of nowhere.

Spanieljoker · 05/05/2026 20:54

JohnofWessex · 05/05/2026 20:45

My brother looked at Lincolnshire

Going into pubs where he and his wife were the only customers with a full set of limbs and the normal number of fingers put him off.

Dont forget all the issues associated with coastal towns - deprivation, poor transport links etc

Clevedon might be worth looking at close to Bristol & the M5 lovely pier and occasional paddle steamer trips

😔
I am worried about this yes. For this reason, I think I don’t want to be in a coastal town but somewhere in the countryside, a rural town, but not too far from the sea? Does it make sense

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Divebar2021 · 05/05/2026 21:05

Would you be looking for good links back to France / the continent ?

Spanieljoker · 05/05/2026 21:28

Divebar2021 · 05/05/2026 21:05

Would you be looking for good links back to France / the continent ?

No that’s not a concern

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PShelp · 05/05/2026 21:30

Following as our children are the same age and we are looking to move in the next 5 years or so. We are thinking about Northumberland, specifically around Morpeth - might that fit your bill?

FoxandDuck · 05/05/2026 21:34

I grew up rurally. I now live within 10
mins of a motorway junction, more by accident than design! What I like about where I live now is that there is choice. Your child isn’t getting on at primary school - there is another option which is viable; your child isn’t enjoying their football team/ballet class/gym squad - there is another option; you don’t like the style of the Pilates class or the book club - there is another option.

RosieLeaLovesTea · 05/05/2026 21:34

Dorset is a lovely county. Plenty of rural countryside and some lovely beaches. £1.2M would be a decent budget. But probably not right on the beach.

JohnofWessex · 05/05/2026 22:12

Spanieljoker · 05/05/2026 20:54

😔
I am worried about this yes. For this reason, I think I don’t want to be in a coastal town but somewhere in the countryside, a rural town, but not too far from the sea? Does it make sense

Frome or Totnes?

garlictwist · 05/05/2026 22:41

Do not move to the Cumbrian coast. I grew up there. It’s deprived and remote. I currently live in Great Ayton in the north York moors. Lots of lovely villages, 20 mins from the coast and good schools. Trains from Northallerton and Thirsk to York, Leeds and beyond. Love it.

TheDogsMother · 05/05/2026 23:27

onyourway · 05/05/2026 21:46

To be honest, you could find somewhere in West Sussex which would make the weather situation better! https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/168738500

West Wittering is lovely.

Jenny865 · 05/05/2026 23:51

Hatty65 · 05/05/2026 17:07

Dalgety Bay is a really good shout because you are not that far from either Edinburgh or Glasgow.

Devon/Cornwall are poverty stricken and bloody miserable out of season with closed up shops and cafes in many places and a long drive to a hospital or large town.

Most of the shops and cafes dont close in winter 😂 Bet the businesses wish they could work half the year lol definitely quieter people wise in winter. Closest hosptial to me is 10 minutes away and im not in a built up area. Never too far away from a town either. Or a pasty shop 😉🥰

HeddaGarbled · 05/05/2026 23:53

Holt, Norfolk: lovely small town with countryside, seaside and Gresham school.

EBearhug · 06/05/2026 00:09

I grew up rurally in Dorset, near Dorchester, and thus near Weymouth. I miss being able to go down to the beach easily after work. We were also close to trains to bigger towns, including London, so we might have been reliant on parents to get to the station, but not further.

You probably need to narrow down the possibilities somehow. You might not be restricted by work, but what about access to public transport, hospitals (I'd discount the Isle of Wight if you have anything less than near-perfect health,) art galleries, theatres, sports facilities? Airports or ports or Eurostar?

If you want to swim in the sea, I'd look at safer beaches, and also how clean the water is.

I would also consider driving - Devon, West Dorset and elsewhere can have narrow, single vehicle width lanes. People who aren't used to this can be a bit freaked out by driving on them, potentially reversing to passing places, and at the height of a summer's day, it can get very slow with tourists. And in winter, it's likely to mean it's icy and potentially snowed in. Rural can be great, but consider the practicalities of just how remote it might be.

TallagallaPenguin · 06/05/2026 00:10

I’d head straight to Dorset. Probably Bridport or somewhere like that. Gorgeous countryside and close to the sea. Weather is great down there compared to a lot of the country. My DH grew up in Dorset and they were always nipping over to France on the ferry too.

StellaOlivetti · 06/05/2026 01:13

Suffolk is beautiful and you’ll get an amazing house for that. Schools, state primaries are fine in the areas you’ll be buying in, and there’s Ipswich school for girls from 11 …. Not sure what you’d do if your third child is male.