Relocating to Ilfracombe?

Xarain

Hi folks,

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask. If not, I apologise.

I currently live in North Cornwall, and I'm looking to relocate elsewhere within the Devon/Cornwall area if all possible. Trouble is due to my criteria (namely no neighbours living above or below me due to past bad experiences, rent under £530pcm and access to public transport), I'm struggling to find a nice place to rent. I have however managed to find a potential place in the town of Ilfracombe which I intend to view this week.

What I'd like to know is, has anyone here visited, previously lived or currently lives here? If so, would you recommend living here? I've heard quite a few negative things about the town, which has made me a little uneasy about possibly living here. Am I just being overly paranoid?

Any other town/area recommendations would be welcome too!

Cheers,

-X.

fairy_lights

If you don't want neighbours above or below then you'll need a house, and I cant imagine there are many places in Devon and Cornwall where you're going to find that for less than £530 a month. As for whether relocating there is a good idea - that depends a lot on your circumstances. Will you need to find a job after you move?

carefullycautious

I worked with someone who moved there and realised very quickly that it was totally dead in winter and no jobs to speak of. But that is only one persons perspective.

ilikewatch

I visited Ilfracombe a few weeks ago to break up the journey from St. Just to Lincoln.

It was better than expected - some nice restaurants, cracking new Wetherspoons, picturesque harbour and some nice villages within a reasonable walking distance.

Living there full time? Not in a million years - not unless you have a career which isn't dependant on tourism or leisure, I can't imagine it's much fun in the off season.

Davesnave

Assuming your work is independent of the location to some extent, there are worse places, but anywhere that's cheap, is so for a reason.

With Ilfracombe it's the slightly down-at-heel thing that affects seaside towns which formerly catered for the traditional family holiday, leading to lots of large properties now converted to houses of multiple occupation. Also it's hinterland, though pretty, has beggar-all in the way of facilities, and much of it is sea! Finally, there's the ebb & flow of a somewhat itinerant holiday industry population.

Have you looked at Mid Devon? Or, for better communications, the area around Bridgwater/Taunton, which is traditionally a bit cheaper for buying, so should have this reflected in rents.