Relocating to Cornwall

[Vickivicster]

We’re seriously considering moving to Cornwall and I’d really love some honest opinions from anyone who has actually done it, particularly with children.
We’re a family of three currently living in Sussex where I grew up. We love where we live in a lot of ways, but we’re increasingly drawn to Cornwall for the lifestyle – being closer to the coast, beaches, walking etc and it reminds us of the lifestyle we had when my husband and ai lived in New Zealand. Additionally we feel we are being priced out the area here and property prices in our area are becoming unattainable.

We’re at the point where we’re actually looking at houses, rather than it just being a vague idea, so it’s starting to feel like a very real possibility.
The thing I’m most worried about is schools.
Our DS is 9 and will be heading towards secondary school age, which makes me slightly nervous about moving now. He would be going into a mainstream secondary school and is generally doing well, but obviously changing schools, leaving friends behind and starting somewhere completely new feels like quite a big thing at this age.
For those who have moved to Cornwall with children around this age, how did you find it? Did your DC settle in OK and make friends? How have you found the secondary schools generally?
And what about actually living there long term? Did you buy a house before moving, or rent first? Did you feel you knew enough about the area before buying? I’m conscious that looking at an area for a weekend is very different from actually living there year-round.
I’d particularly love to hear from people who moved from elsewhere in England rather than people who have always lived in Cornwall. Was it what you expected? Do you still love it? Anything you wish you’d known before making the move?
We’re not expecting it to be perfect and I’m definitely interested in the negatives as well as the positives. I think I’m just trying to work out whether we’re romanticising the idea of Cornwall or whether it really could be a better lifestyle for us.
Any experiences, particularly from families with school-age children, would be really appreciated.

If you're into surfing then North Devon is a much better choice than Dorset.

We made the move down to North Devon about 5 years ago and absolutely loved it! I've never regretted it.

My kids are growing up surfing and spending loads of time of the beach. This summer has been absolutely amazing 😍 last day of term everyone went to the beach, it was so much fun. We basically we spent the whole of the summer there.

I absolutely love living here. Feel free to PM me if you want to chat.

North Devon will have many of the issues of Cornwall. It is v cut off. Exeter and surrounding towns / villages are v popular as you have amenities and good schools plus easy access to moor and coast. That said the North coast is best for surfing - the south and east coast are better for general beach

I grew up on the coast in a rural idyllic place. It was shite as a teenager, I mean awful plus go and stay in a place like that in the winter and see how it feels to you.

There will also be where you settle, where I grew up outsiders are very much disliked. I haven’t lived there for close to 40 years but will still be waylaid in the local High street by loads of people I know. Then there is healthcare, it’s a helicopter for any serious life threatening stuff or your dead as no major hospital close enough and an ambulance with the best paramedics in the world will still be too long getting there.

My friend has retired to Cornwall but her DH is Cornish, they also have a lot of money. The house is nice but my God it’s over priced.

My brother moved to Cornwall in his late teens, he has since married and brought up his children who have all now left.

Obviously I have visited, I could not live there.

The lack of diversity, I was walking around Truro thinking, "what's 'off' here?" nd realised everyone was white.

On schools, my brother and his wife had a choice of two secondary schools, neither had a VI form so there was one choice for A Levels / FE.

The lack of diversity means there is a lack of diversity in food, not just deliveries as someone upthread said, but restaurants and grocery shopping. I'm used to buying samosas for 30p that are still warm from a sweet centre, where my brother is the nearest thing to a samosa is made with filo pastry and sold in Marks and Spencer's for £5.

My brother loves the place, and he was in the police for a couple of decades so has seen the grimier side of things.

We did it when our children were 8 and 10. We both come from cornwall and had moved away at 18. So we had parents here (though to be honest had zero help from them!) who we were able to help look after as they declined.

All our London friends warned our children would be bored. They weren't. We live between two villages, and all it meant was that at 17, in contrast to their city peers they cracked on and learned to drive.

I had to do a lot of driving - between hobbies and commitments and school, so taht was a bit of a nuisance.

I agree education can be a problem. The issue is aspiration. It's low. Or was when we moved. We came from an area of high expectations, and fortunately those stayed with our children. We too had high expectations and never let them forget it! They remained state educated and ended up at Durham and Cambridge respectively. So no harm done. But yes, I do admit education can be hit or miss.

Health care too is a bit iffy. There's a sense of being the end of the line. If I'm honest I worry about being old here.

Culturally London friends felt we were going into a black hole. Again, not true. Plenty of theatre happens here in the summer in particular, and I think we make more effort to see things because we don't take it for granted.

Regarding fitting in, I really think that's up to the individual to get involved. Plenty of opportunities to get stuck in, and locals appreciate that. Remember locals aren't just people born here, they're people like us who moved back, or moved because we fancied it.

My children are now in their late twenties and ironically back in London. But they love coming back and consider themselves Cornish. There's a real Cornish community in London - we seem to find each other!

I live a rich life here and have no regrets. I walk daily with my dog in world class scenery, I spent the summer in the water, I play my favourite sport twice a week, have a big garden and bigger house than I could afford in London, and lots of lovely people as my friends

Why not consider somewhere like Falmouth? I do think the south coast is nicer than the north (where many communities are hollowed out by second homes). It's a problem too on the south coast, but I do think the north is worse. Ot Looe - which is close by train to Plymouth and therefore the rest of the country

It depends on location. You would have a very different experience moving to Falmouth than you would moving to St Dennis.

I am interested in this thread as we have been thinking of retiring there. Would be useful if people said the area in which they have the experince in. I am from cumbria originally and here are places therev that you could describe as bleak and drug addled and places that arent. Saying Cumbria has no jobs and the kids have no job prospects only applies to certaim areas.

My close friend did this moving from Surrey to Devon/cornwall borders when hers were around 7-10. They’re grown now and I’d say like PP it’s a mixed experience.
They had a wonderful childhood in many respects. Bigger house and lots of beach time. Schools were bad. Friend and her DH really struggled to break into friendship groups and used to joke that all their mates were Londoners as everyone else was too different.
Now the DC are grown they went to uni and one lives in London and hardly comes home because of the distance. The other graduated but can’t find a decent local job and got very depressed and now works in a coffee shop.
My friend said she didn’t believe me that my (Surrey) DC don’t take cocaine. Says they all do!
Sussex is lovely and not far far away from everything. If you want to be on the beach or somewhere lovely in Cornwall or Devon that’s practical for regular surfing it would cost loads anyway.

I'm from Cornwall and moved back after working in London for 15 years - slightly different situation, as I had to fulfil caring responsibilities - but I did plan to move back at some point.

There are elements of life here that I find incredibly difficult - despite being from here, I'm very isolated - partly owing to circumstance. It's a wonderful environment for children - but long, rainy winters are difficult, with very little in the way of undercover activities.

I would also say that it can be stifling & limiting for young people, and parents have to work extra hard to create opportunities& feed aspiration. Many young people want to stay in Cornwall, and get stuck in seasonal work. I would agree that the drugs scene here is like nothing I have seen elsewhere - it's very normalised. And it seems many people never grow out of this - lots of our middle aged friends are currently experiencing the breakdown of their relationships as a result of prolific drug use.

Having said that - it can be wonderful, with a vibrant art scene in some towns, and lovely community groups. I would strongly recommend looking at towns - or at least somewhere close to a town, and check the number of second homes etc - as some villages can feel like ghost towns in winter.

We relocated to Cornwall from the midlands in 2010 for DHs work. Dc were aged 8yrs to 9mths. We bought straight away without renting as dh spent several months ‘commuting’ so we knew where we wanted to be.

We live within walking distance of the town centre and beaches in Falmouth. Because of the uni, Falmouth/Penryn are probably better than many places for entertainment etc. without suffering from ‘seasonality’. However the downside is that house prices are high and there is a limited pool of rental properties.

We didn’t struggle to make friends, possibly because we both volunteered in the community, and both work - although dh has worked remotely for a non local company since Covid. It could be a Falmouth thing, but I’ve not experienced any incomer hate that some have.

The DC have all done ok in education - Truro College claims to be one of the top 6th form college in the country and the travelling there no worse than when I did A levels! DC1 went to uni up country but is back in Cornwall working now and long term plan is to come back to Falmouth. DC2 and 3 are both doing apprenticeships, 1 locally that will enable them to work anywhere, and 1 up country.

Growing up they all surfed, sailed, climbed as well as doing the usual Scouts/Guides type stuff. Hall for Cornwall in Truro gets a lot of the touring shows and big comedians. Falmouth has a thriving live music scene (tends to be smaller local groups but the occasional big name turns up too). I know DC2 dabbled with drugs when they were younger but nothing more than I saw at uni.

Transport is crap if you’re used to big city transport links, but as a frequent visitor to Cambridge (flying from Newquay), it’s not much worse than buses there! Driving out of county can take forever if there’s an accident or roadworks. Driving in county also makes journeys longer due to the nature of the roads, eg DC1 lives less than 40miles away but it takes 90mins to get there!

I know a couple who moved to the Devon / Cornwall border. They did it for the surfing and so far their teens love it. They to a small and good school in Exeter. So far no drugs issues as they're all very in to healthy living.

People from home don't visit much though as it's such a trek to get there.

Thanks everyone for all the comments and different perspectives — it’s really helpful, even if it’s given us even more to think about!
We currently live half hour away from Brighton and have been thinking about moving for a while. We like where we are, but the combination of house prices being so high because of the London commuter belt and the ongoing sewage/water quality issues along the coast has made us question whether it’s where we want to stay long-term. We’d love to get somewhere where we can afford a decent family home and have more of the outdoor/beach lifestyle we enjoy.
We were originally looking quite seriously at Crantock, as we absolutely love the area and the idea of being able to walk to the beach. We’re a surfing family, so being close to a good beach is a big part of the appeal for us, rather than just wanting a pretty rural location.
Our biggest consideration is still our son and, in particular, secondary school and what life will be like for him as a teenager. He’s doing well where we are now but doesnt love school, so we don’t want to move purely for the lifestyle and then find we’ve compromised too much on his education, opportunities or social life. Some of the comments about teenage life and schools in Cornwall have therefore been really useful, even if they’re obviously individual experiences.
The move is fairly realistic for us work-wise too. My husband is a telecoms engineer, so his job is transferable and he could relocate, and I work in the dental industry, so I’m not particularly concerned about the availability of NHS dental care for us as I work within the industry anyway.
We’re also going to have a proper look at Devon, as we hadn’t originally considered it as seriously. If anyone has lived around the North Devon/East Devon coast with teenagers and has any experience of the schools and general family/teenage life, I’d really appreciate hearing about that too.
We’re definitely not ruling Cornwall out — we just want to make sure we find somewhere that works for all three of us, not just somewhere we love visiting! 😊

If you are into surfing then you really want the North Coast. A lot of places on the coast can become completely dead in the winter. I have friends who live in Bude and really like it there, but they don't have school age children so I don't know about schools.

I have been visiting Cornwall all my life and have lived here for 30 years. It is a poor part of the country and it shows. Facilities and things to do are far rarer here than elsewhere and often close completely for most of the year. The north coast of Devon is also noticeably poorer than the south.

Im sure you understand that living here is not all like Doc Martin, but it really can be bleak, and can involve a lot of driving on terrible roads and in awful conditions.

The other thing to consider is how long it takes to get from place to place. Truro to Exeter (around 90 miles) normally takes 2 hours, but it took me 100 minutes to do 30 miles up the A30 last month. It can easy take an hour to do 30 or 40 miles (at bit like the A27 from Shoreham!) but people often assume they would be able to do stretches like Crantock to St Ives or Padstow in about 20 minutes.

North Berwick - all of the upsides and none of the downsides.

We are retired and spend a lot of time on holiday in the UK. We have just come back from spending the whole of Sept in Cornwall and honestly, I don't think we will go again.
Everywhere we went was completely swamped. To the point of us abandoning the car and catching the train and buses to get around. Even then it was standing room only. God only knows what it's like in summer.
Eating out we found the prices ridiculous, even when compared to London pricing. We ventured into Penzance and witnessed a big fight in the shopping precinct opposite the harbour (involving about 6 people) and a lot of homelessness/ obvious addiction issues.
So sad, we used to dream of living there too when our kids were small and surfy but we are glad we stayed put.
Have you thought about buying a camper van and just having weekends away in it? Or Portugal if you are serious re pursuing surfing as a sport.

Schools and jobs are the key.

We moved to North Cornwall five years ago, during Covid. What I will say is

• Don't pick an isolated village. Go for somewhere where your future teens can meet their friends via bikes, bus or on foot. North Cornwall is dire for transport, but Mid and South Cornwall is getting better. We deliberately chose the edge of town, so we could walk everywhere without a car in summer. In summer, Cornwall's population is two or three times it's winter one. Expect traffic jams and 30 minutes added to journey times.
• Secondary schools do matter and it's worth picking carefully as there's little choice and large catchments. It's the one thing that's made me think twice about moving. The comp we chose takes in everyone, which depresses results until GCSEs and then shoots up for sixth form. Having said that, my kids are thriving, the pastoral care has been good and there are masses of after-school opportunities and clubs. We've already decided to get tutors in for any subjects the DC are struggingly with, as a precaution.
• Jobs are the other problem. It's getting better - Cornwall's opened up two lithium mines, seen a solar and offshore boom and Falmouth has new marine contracts - but it's still quieter than the rest of England. If you are a tradesman, digital nomad, nurse, engineer or agritech person, you will be fine. Otherwise, have work lined up.
• I married into a Cornish family, so I'm a lifelong emett, but people are welcoming down here when you make the effort. Newcomers who moved here came for the scenery, but stayed for the community.
• We were lucky to get into a doctor's and had to go private for a dentist. We don't often have to use the big hospitals, but the smaller community hospitals have been fantastic.
• Don't be surprised if your young adults move away. And don't be surprised if they come back to start a family.
• Housing is expensive, especially relative to wages. Labour's depressed the AirBnB and second-home owners market, but there's still high demand.

Good luck.

my mum did it - they never go anywhere in summer as it's too busy & it's pretty much shut in winter. Now they have ended up absolutely miles from anyone

i wonder where she lives? This is not my experience, and I live next to a picturesque fishing village with lots of lovely restaurants. There’s always somewhere quiet is you k ow where to look and make the effort.

we had a fab summer this year, going to places tourists don’t go - gorgeous coves and near inaccessible beaches.

I just don’t recognise this description. I live here, next to a cute seaside village with lots of nice restaurants. September was lovely! I wonder where you were?

Exactly this, I go back every year, feel at home and contemplate spending my retirement in a quiet coastal town - then remember the utter hopelessness of my teenage years.

Thank you everyone so much for all the info. We have a lot to consider.

is there anyone on this thread that recommends areas in Devon? Also a reoccurring theme through this post is the drug problems in Cornwall. Is there the same types of issues in Devon? Should I write a separate post regarding Devon? Im
new to the mumsnet world but I thank you all so much for your insights.

Op you don’t really seem to have done any research at all!

I’ve met many who have moved to Cornwall from elsewhere and then they moan about the slow trains, the lack of decent schools, holidaymakers (unless they work in a holiday company), lack of a hospital around the corner, the traffic, (which isn’t bad when compared to the M25 and Oxford!), the lack of buses, the people who own second homes, the lack of high paying jobs and the lack of theatres and airports. One wonders why they went there. Clearly crap at research.

It’s poor because good jobs are relatively scarce. There are jobs but some people don’t want to work hard - gets in the way of the beach life. A restaurant near us struggles to recruit trainees. The applicants don’t want a full time job.

Hahah my dear departed parents used to moan about the traffic here. Having lived in London I had some perceptive. It’s fine! And if it’s not it’s only for 6 weeks a year!