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Thoughts on moving to Cornwall
Comments
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This thread has come at a great time for me personally, so thank you to everyone for your valued contributions.Your story matches mine very closely, @ForeverAddickted. Your current age, and the challenges with the kids are extremely similar!
I say go for it mate. We are very close to doing the same!3 -
Where are you thinking of heading to? - Agree... Finding everyone's contributions really usefulRylo said:This thread has come at a great time for me personally, so thank you to everyone for your valued contributions.Your story matches mine very closely, @ForeverAddickted. Your current age, and the challenges with the kids are extremely similar!
I say go for it mate. We are very close to doing the same!1 -
We’re going for Hayle. It’s somewhere we’ve visited for the last ten years (in all seasons, even the wet and windy ones) and have a real sense of connection to that area. We have also made a couple of friends there over the years, so it doesn’t feel like we’re starting from scratch.ForeverAddickted said:
Where are you thinking of heading to? - Agree... Finding everyone's contributions really usefulRylo said:This thread has come at a great time for me personally, so thank you to everyone for your valued contributions.Your story matches mine very closely, @ForeverAddickted. Your current age, and the challenges with the kids are extremely similar!
I say go for it mate. We are very close to doing the same!My wife is a teacher, and currently retraining in primary education after being a secondary school teacher for the past twenty years. I would continue to commute to London for my shift work and ultimately (hopefully) end up transferring to Cornwall when vacancies become available.We can’t move until next summer due to my wife’s current work contract, but that’s the plan. It’s a real mixture of excitement and also being completely terrified!2 -
Hope it all works out great for youRylo said:
We’re going for Hayle. It’s somewhere we’ve visited for the last ten years (in all seasons, even the wet and windy ones) and have a real sense of connection to that area. We have also made a couple of friends there over the years, so it doesn’t feel like we’re starting from scratch.ForeverAddickted said:
Where are you thinking of heading to? - Agree... Finding everyone's contributions really usefulRylo said:This thread has come at a great time for me personally, so thank you to everyone for your valued contributions.Your story matches mine very closely, @ForeverAddickted. Your current age, and the challenges with the kids are extremely similar!
I say go for it mate. We are very close to doing the same!My wife is a teacher, and currently retraining in primary education after being a secondary school teacher for the past twenty years. I would continue to commute to London for my shift work and ultimately (hopefully) end up transferring to Cornwall when vacancies become available.We can’t move until next summer due to my wife’s current work contract, but that’s the plan. It’s a real mixture of excitement and also being completely terrified!1 -
I would definitely find somewhere to rent in Cornwall first and then rent out your place. Last thing you want to do is sell up, get down there and 6 months in realise it's not for you.
No idea where you currently live, but depending on the area you might even make some extra money if the rent is cheaper in Cornwall.
But i'd absolutely at least give it a try. If you don't like it, you can just move back. But if you don't do it, will you be forever wondering what the move would've been like?4 -
Assume you live close to your parents now?1
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30mins up the A2... I'm in Strood, they're back in the place I grew up in, in BexleyheathHastingsRed said:Assume you live close to your parents now?1 -
OK so that's fairly close (though traffic can be a pain up there)......if your parents are OK with it then go for it while your still young....maybe your parents could always come down latter if the circumstances are right for them, you and your wife and son....good luck, we moved out of SE London/NW Kent and never regretted it and would never consider going back up there.ForeverAddickted said:
30mins up the A2... I'm in Strood, they're back in the place I grew up in, in BexleyheathHastingsRed said:Assume you live close to your parents now?1 -
Thank you, you too! More than happy to give you advice on Hayle and the surrounding areas if you need it.ForeverAddickted said:
Hope it all works out great for youRylo said:
We’re going for Hayle. It’s somewhere we’ve visited for the last ten years (in all seasons, even the wet and windy ones) and have a real sense of connection to that area. We have also made a couple of friends there over the years, so it doesn’t feel like we’re starting from scratch.ForeverAddickted said:
Where are you thinking of heading to? - Agree... Finding everyone's contributions really usefulRylo said:This thread has come at a great time for me personally, so thank you to everyone for your valued contributions.Your story matches mine very closely, @ForeverAddickted. Your current age, and the challenges with the kids are extremely similar!
I say go for it mate. We are very close to doing the same!My wife is a teacher, and currently retraining in primary education after being a secondary school teacher for the past twenty years. I would continue to commute to London for my shift work and ultimately (hopefully) end up transferring to Cornwall when vacancies become available.We can’t move until next summer due to my wife’s current work contract, but that’s the plan. It’s a real mixture of excitement and also being completely terrified!1 -
That's a good point.HastingsRed said:Assume you live close to your parents now?
The only regret I had moving to Cornwall, was that it is a long way for my Mum to see her grandchildren.
Being in my 20s at the time, married with a baby daughter, I didn't realise at first that it was such a wrench for her not to see her little grandaughter as often as she had become used to.
My son was born here, and mum would come to stay every few months and I would take the kids up to see her whenever it was possible, school holidays, etc.
Mum never complained, but now I can see it from her point of view.
Anyway, best to take into account the effects of your move with close family, etc4 -
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Is the Bucket of Blood still open?Rylo said:
Thank you, you too! More than happy to give you advice on Hayle and the surrounding areas if you need it.ForeverAddickted said:
Hope it all works out great for youRylo said:
We’re going for Hayle. It’s somewhere we’ve visited for the last ten years (in all seasons, even the wet and windy ones) and have a real sense of connection to that area. We have also made a couple of friends there over the years, so it doesn’t feel like we’re starting from scratch.ForeverAddickted said:
Where are you thinking of heading to? - Agree... Finding everyone's contributions really usefulRylo said:This thread has come at a great time for me personally, so thank you to everyone for your valued contributions.Your story matches mine very closely, @ForeverAddickted. Your current age, and the challenges with the kids are extremely similar!
I say go for it mate. We are very close to doing the same!My wife is a teacher, and currently retraining in primary education after being a secondary school teacher for the past twenty years. I would continue to commute to London for my shift work and ultimately (hopefully) end up transferring to Cornwall when vacancies become available.We can’t move until next summer due to my wife’s current work contract, but that’s the plan. It’s a real mixture of excitement and also being completely terrified!
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It is! Nice people, good food. And they’ve added a lovely raised deck at the rear of the pub which has some lovely sunset views.HastingsRed said:
Is the Bucket of Blood still open?Rylo said:
Thank you, you too! More than happy to give you advice on Hayle and the surrounding areas if you need it.ForeverAddickted said:
Hope it all works out great for youRylo said:
We’re going for Hayle. It’s somewhere we’ve visited for the last ten years (in all seasons, even the wet and windy ones) and have a real sense of connection to that area. We have also made a couple of friends there over the years, so it doesn’t feel like we’re starting from scratch.ForeverAddickted said:
Where are you thinking of heading to? - Agree... Finding everyone's contributions really usefulRylo said:This thread has come at a great time for me personally, so thank you to everyone for your valued contributions.Your story matches mine very closely, @ForeverAddickted. Your current age, and the challenges with the kids are extremely similar!
I say go for it mate. We are very close to doing the same!My wife is a teacher, and currently retraining in primary education after being a secondary school teacher for the past twenty years. I would continue to commute to London for my shift work and ultimately (hopefully) end up transferring to Cornwall when vacancies become available.We can’t move until next summer due to my wife’s current work contract, but that’s the plan. It’s a real mixture of excitement and also being completely terrified!1 -
My Mum's Cornish and my nan lived there so we used to spend summer hols and often easter and occasionally Christmas there. I love the place but I would really recommend that you spend a week there in Winter before deciding.0
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Just looked on Google Map....it's still going strong.HastingsRed said:
Is the Bucket of Blood still open?Rylo said:
Thank you, you too! More than happy to give you advice on Hayle and the surrounding areas if you need it.ForeverAddickted said:
Hope it all works out great for youRylo said:
We’re going for Hayle. It’s somewhere we’ve visited for the last ten years (in all seasons, even the wet and windy ones) and have a real sense of connection to that area. We have also made a couple of friends there over the years, so it doesn’t feel like we’re starting from scratch.ForeverAddickted said:
Where are you thinking of heading to? - Agree... Finding everyone's contributions really usefulRylo said:This thread has come at a great time for me personally, so thank you to everyone for your valued contributions.Your story matches mine very closely, @ForeverAddickted. Your current age, and the challenges with the kids are extremely similar!
I say go for it mate. We are very close to doing the same!My wife is a teacher, and currently retraining in primary education after being a secondary school teacher for the past twenty years. I would continue to commute to London for my shift work and ultimately (hopefully) end up transferring to Cornwall when vacancies become available.We can’t move until next summer due to my wife’s current work contract, but that’s the plan. It’s a real mixture of excitement and also being completely terrified!1 -
One more thing, the accent, prepare for it to get annoying after a while, but you'll get used to it
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Horses for courses.
Many of my more distant friends moved "to the seaside" and we rarely see them now.
If you don't like going into London for gigs and theatre and everything else it has to offer then you won't miss London.
If you don't have family & friends that you would miss, then you won't miss them.
If you don't want to support Charlton (as in go to games) it won't be a problem.
What happens if you lose your job?
Don't have a baby - the nearest hospital is now Exeter in Devon according to midwife shortages on the news this week. They are giving instruction in how to give birth in a car.
In short, if you have no ties to the London/Kent area that would be calling you back, then fill your boots.
If you do then think long and hard.
Personally, I can't see me ever wanting to leave all my friends, family, gigs and everything London has to offer, but it's a personal decision.
Good luck.6 -
Neither of us particularly like driving so that has always been an obstacle to moving to the country.0
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St Austell is a dive IMHO. Cornwall has some lovely bits though.
We moved to rural nw Devon, but we have had our doctor's surgery removed and the post office. Barnstaple hospital, an hour north has just closed its maternity unit, so everybody has to go to Exeter. We love the village and wont be moving, but no useable public transport to these services.
Take a look at Taunton or Wells, or east/south Devon.
We would never consider moving back.0 -
Swerving off topic, so apologies, but this IS a hill I would die on.Oggy Red said:Hi Forever,
As you know, I've lived down here in Cornwall for quite a long time now.
It's a very different mentality from London and Kent, you'll need to adapt and muck in with the locals - sense of community is still strong in Cornwall.
Second home owners are despised, buying up houses that would otherwise be homes for young families.
The buying of second homes is killing villages ....the plethora of these houses empty for most of the year, are causing the village shop to close down, then the pub and school.
Cost of living can be quite high and wages low, you'll see a lot of people struggling to make ends meet - especially in towns like Bodmin, St Austell, Redruth and Camborne.
Maybe take a look around Saltash or Liskeard, 30 minutes to Plymouth (city of 250,000) many more work opportunities, facilities, shops, etc.
Truro is the capital city of Cornwall, population 20,000.
Treliske hospital in Truro is the only A & E for much of Cornwall;
Derriford hospital in Plymouth covers E and SE Cornwall.
First responder local service is good, ambulance and air ambulance helicopter covers the rest.
Doctors and dentists in Cornwall, much deteriorated since COVID. Be lucky.
Don't underestimate the distance, Cornwall is a long way from London, no motorways and the main roads are of variable quality, gridlocked on summer Saturdays.
Only one main railway line, Plymouth to Penzance, though including direct through services from Paddington, Cardiff, north of England, etc ...west of Exeter, the journey quite slow and time consuming.
Be aware that Cornwall can feel very different from England.
People here are very proud to be Cornish, proud of their heritage and culture, language even.... it's definitely not the Home Counties.
And it can rain a lot - when it starts, it never bleddy stops.
But when the sun shines, it's God's Own Country.
Me? ....Cornwall my home.
I can't ever imagine moving back up the line. To me after more than 40 years in Cornwall, Kent now seems like a foreign country, even though I still have family there.
Algarve made the very best suggestion - rent first and see how it works for you. It's great advice!
Whatever, you will be welcome to drop me a DM.
Good luck!
Natives who sell to second home owners are should be despised, buying up selling houses that would otherwise be homes for young families.
The buying of selling to second homes [owners] is killing villages ....the plethora of these houses empty for most of the year, are causing the village shop to close down, then the pub and school.
We hear the same moans here, nobody is forcing grandma to flog her cottage at top dollar to a posh couple from the city and move to the Costa Brava (in a wonderful turn of irony). But it is always the purchaser who is the baddy, not the seller.
It takes two to tango.
Right, off me soap box, back to the plot...4 -
I haven’t read all posts so apologies if this has been suggested.
could you switch your mortgage to a btl and rent it out and then rent in Cornwall?
it would buy you some time to adjust and find the exact part of Cornwall for you.
the downside could be that in coming rent my be less than outgoing tent
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Absolutely nothing is selling in our area, plenty of bargains to be had.
Like Argarve, I dont agree with second home owners, although Gordon Brown made us technically second home owners as thats what we are with an annexe now, despite not being able to sell it separately. It did us a favour as we set up a holiday let business, but it severely restricts our matches.
Anyway, if you want some input from nw devon, close to the Cornish border, feel free to ask, we've owned this since 1999.2 -
Just want to provide a kids view of this from the opposite side, with the understanding it must have been really hard for your mum Oggy.Oggy Red said:
That's a good point.HastingsRed said:Assume you live close to your parents now?
The only regret I had moving to Cornwall, was that it is a long way for my Mum to see her grandchildren.
Being in my 20s at the time, married with a baby daughter, I didn't realise at first that it was such a wrench for her not to see her little grandaughter as often as she had become used to.
My son was born here, and mum would come to stay every few months and I would take the kids up to see her whenever it was possible, school holidays, etc.
Mum never complained, but now I can see it from her point of view.
Anyway, best to take into account the effects of your move with close family, etc
I had grandparents in Penzance and St Ives and grew up in Sidcup. We'd see the grandparents twice a year, in the summer and at Christmas and it made those visits extra special. I still go to St Ives every year and my memories of those grandparents are sometimes stronger and more cheerful than the more local ones. That was before the advent of things like FaceTime too which might soften the blow?
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Any idea how Cornwall is re provision for your son’s needs should they be severe enough to need specialist help?
Just a thought.0 -
Some friends of ours moved to Cornwall with their young family in search of space, fresh air and general ‘quality of life’. It hasn’t turned out to be the rural idyll that they were hoping for. They have not been accepted by a lot of people and feel a bit isolated. They could just be unlucky with where they are, but I think the idea idea that you’ll always feel like you’re holiday is not realistic.3
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I’d visit in October/November. My wife is from Devon, love visiting in the summer, not so much in the winter. If you have only visited in the summer you might want to make sure you’re good with the reality of what it’s actually like 3/4 of the year.
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Problem with Cornwall, Devon is if you are near the coast you can write off going to places like Padstow, Fowey, Looe, Mevagissy, Polperro for at least three months of the year. And apologies for anyone that lives there but places like Bodmin, Launceston, Liskeard are a bit run down in my opinion. We have thought about relocating in either Devon or Cornwall but will probably end up in Norfolk or Suffolk.
Good luck though if you do end up in Cornwall, lovely part of the country in the main.1 -
Albeit 30 years ago but my in laws moved to Cornwall. Near Bude. Quite a strange insular bunch the Cornish. Didn’t really seem overly welcoming to outsiders in my experiences of them.0
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Funny that this has come up as we are moving to Cornwall next month.I work on the railway and have a new job starting in October thanks to the Mid Cornwall Metro upgrade.Wife and I are SE London born and raised but moved to Kent in 2009. Kids are 10 and 5, daughter will do her last year of primary school in Cornwall.
We’ve been lucky with the whole process so far, things have gone smoothly (job, house sale/purchase, schools etc.).
Big move for us all but, in the end, we felt it was too good an opportunity to turn down.
Good luck whatever you decide.6 -
Mail online had footage of a machete brawl in Truro earlier. I think like a lot of holiday towns, they are pretty desperate in the winter when the holiday makers aren’t there. Nothing open and little in the way of industry.
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Go for it, mate!
I've spent my whole life wanting to move to Dorset/New Forest area. Never achieved it as i wanted to keep an eye on my parents as they got older and they refused to move; then the kids were settled in school and we didn't want to uproot them; and most importantly, I worked in London long before work from home was a thing and commuting that sort of distance was never feasible. And for reasons I won't go into here, I'm never going to do it now I'm retired.
As I approach the final part of my life - if I'm not already in it! -, the things I regret most aren't the things I've done (although Lord knows there are many things I've done that I do regret) but the things I haven't done. The opportunities I never took, the things I was too frightened to take a chance to do. Don't be in the same boat in 20 years time as me.
I'll just add 2 quick points. If your son has ADHD and a cognitive learning disorder then I would have a bet with you that growing up in the countryside near the beach would be much better for his health than growing up in the hole that much of London is rapidly becoming. Imagine how nice it will be for him and you to walk along the beach at weekends and for you not have to worry about him going to the local park and getting robbed. Or worse.
Secondly, don't underestimate just how far Cornwall is from London. It's a long way for family and friends to travel and it will be so easy to lose touch with them (although obviously social media makes that easier these days). So before you throw all your efforts into moving to Cornwall, think about other places where you can have the same change of lifestyle but maybe aren't so far away. Like parts of Dorset, for example.
Whatever you do I wish you and your family well.
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