Relocating from Birmingham to Cornwall help..........

loubie1

Hi All,


My Dh and I hoping to up sticks and take our family to live in Cornwall this summer, our house is going on the market next week ! thankfully dh can relocate with his job.


I have been looking at moving near or around Truro or St Austell, we have been on holiday a few times to Cornwall but St Ives way.


We will be renting for a while until we get a feel for the areas, can anyone help us with our search !!


Ideally we want :


within 30 (ish) mins drive from the beach


Not too far from the main roads for Dh who will need to travel once a month or so back to the midlands, Lands End would be out !!


We would like a nice town / village where we could walk to the nearest pub/restaurant


Good Junior and secondary schools


Near to a large town for the children when they are of an age when the want bigger shops, bowling and the cinema. This could be 30 mins drive away or a train ride.


I really liked the look of St Austell but then read some bad reviews, anyone know of what areas to avoid ? Redruth/Cambourne seems to get rough reviews too ?


Can anyone give us some ideas on where to start our search ?


Lou x

deejaybee

Did the move from Brum to South West around 7 yrs ago.

Didn't go down as far as you are planning - we are in Kingsbridge in South Devon ( South Hams )

We are quite impulsive and the first time we actually came to Kingsbridge was to find a rental property

I had a job transfer as well, which helps with references for the rental etc, although we have actually bought a property now.

I absolutely love it here, wish I had done it sooner,, there is a brilliant community spirit, low crime, close to loads of beaches & coastal walks etc, but it is a proper working town with most things you need locally.... probably would seem quiet for someone coming from a big city though.
Good schools ( our youngest started primary in the September after we moved, and has thrived - its a fantastic place for kids to grow up )

Another reason we chose it is that its not too bad getting back to Brum to visit family ( about 3 1/2 - 4 hrs ) and for our elder kids who are scattered about, they can train it to Totnes ok.

Sorry gone on a bit of a ramble, and I know you said Cornwall, but maybe consider Devon if job transfer flexible ?

CWSmith

We are about to move from Surrey to Cornwall (Bude).

We love Bude - it's a great town, not too big and not too small, with all amenities, including great shops, the beach, a sports centre etc etc. It's also only just inside Cornwall, so doesn't feel too isolated. House prices are good there also - well they are compared to Surrey anyway!

You are quite right that the towns you mention do have their rough and ready areas, but don't worry too much about that - from our experience, the rough end of Redruth bears absolutely no comparison to the rough end of Croydon!!

Good luck. If you're anything like us, you will be nearly wetting yourself with excitement.

Maybe that was too much information.:D

tumbledowngirl

We holiday in Cornwall every summer - an area South of Truro (across the River Fal) called the Roseland Peninsula (near St Mawes). THE most beautiful place, IMO - little sheltered beaches and country lanes (and very middle/upper class in the height of summer).

In Truro, you are easily within 30 minutes of beaches and Truro itself is a good town for facilities - it actually has a Marks and Spencer, which is quite something in Cornwall!! It also has a theatre that is visited by touring companies and shows, and the Royal Cornwall hospital, among other things.

In that area, you are close to the villages of Mylor (big sailing area) and Restronguet (Google the Pandora Inn - very famous, fabulous riverside pub!).
Another big town to consider is Falmouth, with its great facilities and beaches. Nearby are Flushing and Penryn. Falmouth has quite a big (uni) student population, I believe, so all the usual teen facilities and bars and eateries, plus main high street shops mixed with lovely independents. (and Rick Stein's!!)
Obviously I can't comment on the schools,but I'm assuming the areas near both Truro and Falmouth have the usual choice of schools.

Redruth and Cambourne are some of the most disadvantaged areas in Cornwall. I used to holiday there as a child and went back a couple of years ago, while staying near St Mawes - just to see if they were as I remembered. They weren't - these days the area looks very down-at-heel and actually a bit depressing. I think it has employment problems.

Hope that helps - I absolutely adore that part of Cornwall and have considered moving there myself.

tumbledowngirl

CWSmith wrote: »

We are about to move from Surrey to Cornwall (Bude).

We love Bude - it's a great town, not too big and not too small, with all amenities, including great shops, the beach, a sports centre etc etc. It's also only just inside Cornwall, so doesn't feel too isolated. House prices are good there also - well they are compared to Surrey anyway!

You are quite right that the towns you mention do have their rough and ready areas, but don't worry too much about that - from our experience, the rough end of Redruth bears absolutely no comparison to the rough end of Croydon!!

Good luck. If you're anything like us, you will be nearly wetting yourself with excitement.

Maybe that was too much information.:D

I'm an ex-Surrey resident myself - lived there until I was 29 from birth.
Never been to Bude but love Cornwall with a passion - hope you're very happy in your new life!!

ian103

we moved from the midlands 2.5 years ago, no regrets, i've been back up country twice, don't miss the midlands one jot.

less money now but a vastly better life, safer, easier, different values, just wish we'd done it many years ago

tumbledowngirl

ian103 wrote: »

we moved from the midlands 2.5 years ago, no regrets, Ive been back up country twice, don;t miss the midlands one jot.

less money now but a vastly better life, safer, easier, different values, just wish we'd done it many years ago

Couldn't agree more - I remember being on holiday in Cornwall when the riots were going on in London...it felt like being a million miles away and completely detached from Westminster. I remember seeing the photos on the front pages of every newspaper and simply not being able to comprehend how it could be happening.

loubie1

Thank you all, lots to consider !

deejaybee

One thing that worries me is that with every man and his dog wanting to escape back to England from the big cities, they will end up having to concrete over much of the beautiful countryside...

marmitepotato

We would love to move to Cornwall, we are regular visitors and it feels like home when we get there. Wadebridge would be my choice, not far from the A39/A30, in the north of the county, not far from the sea, a nice town, loads and loads to do nearby.

Lucky you OP.

patricia..xx

Good luck with the move! Where in Brum are you? I'm looking for a house right there you see - could do an MSE sale