Location advice - Cornwall

Muttleythefrog

debtisnotme wrote: »

The surrounding area is very beautiful I'll give you that but the town itself is very very deprived and rundown/isolated, its also a long drive just to get out of Cornwall, its fine if you don't ever go anywhere but if you need to regularly travel in and out of the county I would imagine its hell.

Interesting you say this.. it was what I had gotten the impression of... the town itself... although that would put me off completely... I live in a really decent area of north east with some of the worst on doorstep.. it's good at night because you get free lighting from the police chopper..lol. But seriously.. yes... a bit 'out on a limb'... but the mainline rail connection keeps it alive in my mind. Your points duly noted... thanks.

loveka

Have you looked at Looe? Near the sea, yet vibrant all year round.

Have a look at houses with mundic block (concrete mixed with debris from the old mines) Houses are unmortgagable so up to 30% cheaper.
And most are perfectly sound.

Muttleythefrog

cajef wrote: »

Don't rule out Redruth and Camborne area, although they are older mining towns they are gradually being modernised and housing is considerably cheaper, a big plus is that they are both on the main rail line and A30 plus convenient to both the north and south coasts and central for Truro, Falmouth, Penzance, Hayle, St Ives, Portreath, Newquay and several good beaches.

Yes... I think the only thing that dropped them from the top was the lack of immediate access to beach... although of course it's never far away. But the rail links and central nature meant it was never ruled out.. and the cost of housing there meant it always had to be considered. We'll keep them on list. Thanks very much.

Muttleythefrog

loveka wrote: »

Have you looked at Looe? Near the sea, yet vibrant all year round.

Have a look at houses with mundic block (concrete mixed with debris from the old mines) Houses are unmortgagable so up to 30% cheaper.
And most are perfectly sound.

I have... there was a beautiful house.. my wife asked why it was so affordable... and I pointed her to the bit about subsidence.. lol. Wandering around Looe on the map..lol... I did find it incredibly quaint and attractive... rail link not ideal but there.. I did feel a sense of claustrophobia... I can only put that down to the fact in particular east Looe seemed very compact and hilly with houses almost on top of each other along narrow lanes. It's clearly a beautiful place and seems almost affordable.. options do exist there.

So I move to your point that is interesting to me on the mundic block concrete which I've read a bit about after (as you will imagine) having seen reference to it in many properties on sale in the county. We won't need a mortgage so if the potential degradation is not serious and significantly compensated by discounted value then figures such as up to 30% become very meaningful to me. It's obviously a beautiful place... kept on list... not least because you confirm suspicion it remains quite an active place.

Ladykernow

I'm Cornish. Came up to Oxfordshire 2 years ago due to my partner. He got a graduate job up here in Engineering. Not a waste for him to go to Fal uni...

I would say Cornwall is a lovely place, some areas aren't as nice as others. If you are after shopping and nightlife, it's not going to be for you! But if you are after peace, quiet and a slower way of life then yes, it's a good choice!

Also, if you don't have a car, don't live anywhere in the sticks! Buses are rare. Truro is nice if you like to be near the city. Redruth is a good place as it's cheaper to buy than Truro, although again depends where you buy in Redruth. It also has some pretty areas such as Tehidy country park and very close to the beach. Falmouth is lovely, one of my favourites to go, but if you don't want to be around rowdy people, don't live in the town. However, I do suggest Devoran which is inbetween Falmouth and Truro.

cajef

Muttleythefrog wrote: »

Yes... I think the only thing that dropped them from the top was the lack of immediate access to beach...

The only thing I would say is that generally in Cornwall the near to the beach you go the dearer the properties, I live near Redruth and can be on the beach by car in approximately ten minutes.

Muttleythefrog

debtisnotme wrote: »

I was brought up in Par/St Blazey/Tywardreath and all my family still live there.
....
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Feel free to PM me if you need anything else.

Oh gosh... thanks for the post... I'll start bottom and go up... as the vicar said to em.. well his wife I hope. Very kind offer...you may indeed hear from me in future message. I had sort of hoped a member would have lived extensively there...so I've gotten lucky. Right.. back to the top.

Postal service good (for online shopping).. that's actually pretty important to us.. my wife's future business... and the way we live anyway.

St Blazey... that's very interesting... because I did wonder if the busy road (I see it as A390?) through influenced house prices and then maybe the people who lived there. I did note a month or so ago there was a nice looking house on that road.. pub almost opposite and with adjacent road off straight to Eden project.. I imagine that'd have seen a lot of road traffic explaining it being maybe 20k less than I would have otherwise expected as with perhaps other similar properties on that street.

Wetter isn't ideal... warmer (winters) definitely will help wife... but in terms of wetter... we rarely get out.. so probably would be more picky as to times we are out... probably it would concern me more in terms of house maintenance .. sick of moss here..lol.

Middle of Par... flooding.. your parents... interesting again... because that area is the sort of ideal part to tick all boxes except the flood risk... if that has been addressed historically and with other measures I think being taken it probably then becomes more an insurance issue I guess... or looking for a house 2 foot off the ground like I have here..lol.

Positives.. duly noted... Newquay not for you then haha... too much Blackpool I am guessing...lol. The airport just a bus ride from the rail station there is definitely consideration effectively making Par air accessible for us or visitors.

I'll do a double check on water rates (since I know exactly what we use here) to make sure it still remain in the ballpark of reality..lol. Standstill traffic of summer... saves me stopping it when I jaywalk (which will be if wife not holding me..lol)

Locals... interesting... I get the impression you'll get more of a hard core like that in Cornwall generally than say Geordie-land... subtle and less subtle suggestions out there. 40 years though crikey... I haven't got that long to convert locals... I'll have to use lubricant from the local hostelry. But you're right no doubt.. good and bad everywhere... and this next move for us may well be the last in our lives... so we will be community committed... at least until I am psychiatrically so...lol

Areas around Truro noted... the lizard I keep seeing aerial shots of.. I'll look into that. Area between St Austell and Mevagissey.. I haven't as such.. but mainly because of the 'off rail' position. Gorran looks beautiful... just looked... I'll dream of spending a day there..lol. But I can see that part of the coast does look very attractive. I suppose the one great thing about Cornwall... you can't live in all of it... but it's not big... you can probably experience all of it... and in a sense that's why Cornwall seems attractive to us... it's a place we may well feel we can conquer and enjoy in the decades we hopefully have left... without that rush of feeling we're on holiday yet while also sampling and sharing the excitement of a holiday county... or at least not suffering for the demise of such out of season...lol.

Thanks for all your points... valuable information indeed... maybe one day will bump into your parents... I certainly wouldn't rule that out. But it's nice to know with confidence I seem to be thinking along the right lines on location.

Zeni

I live in south west Cornwall (and have all my life bar 4 years at uni) and agree Falmouth is lovely. It is a great town if you want to live somewhere where there is lots going on with festivals and events, loads of fab restaurants (I joke to my OH we could prob try a new place every day for a month just walking around the main town and its not far wrong!) it has good supermarkets - big Asda just on the outskirts in penryn, sainsburys, lidl and a tesco extra in town as well as lots of smaller shops and good transport links and car parking. Only downside is it can be pricey as we've looked a lot there and were just priced out of it. Plus is has good beaches close - gyllynvase beach and swanpool are nice.
I'd give a vote for camborne/redruth area too, as you can find some really nice areas on the fringe which are near beaches and get a bit more for your money than in falmouth house wise and redruth train station is on the direct train link (Portreath is a lovely beach not far out).

In regards to deprivation, I think people are surprised that there is some really poor areas in this county and ive always found the biggest differences in the most popular tourist places like st ives for example and over seaside towns/villages. Living in Cornwall i have never experienced a huge amount of crime and only find most people friendly but then again i live in a more rural town than the bigger ones.

Muttleythefrog

Ladykernow wrote: »

I'm Cornish. Came up to Oxfordshire 2 years ago due to my partner. He got a graduate job up here in Engineering. Not a waste for him to go to Fal uni...

I would say Cornwall is a lovely place, some areas aren't as nice as others. If you are after shopping and nightlife, it's not going to be for you! But if you are after peace, quiet and a slower way of life then yes, it's a good choice!

Also, if you don't have a car, don't live anywhere in the sticks! Buses are rare. Truro is nice if you like to be near the city. Redruth is a good place as it's cheaper to buy than Truro, although again depends where you buy in Redruth. It also has some pretty areas such as Tehidy country park and very close to the beach. Falmouth is lovely, one of my favourites to go, but if you don't want to be around rowdy people, don't live in the town. However, I do suggest Devoran which is inbetween Falmouth and Truro.

I can tell by the name haha... do you think my Spanish native speaking English fluent wife will be able to pick up Cornish?..lol

Pleased his time at Uni wasn't a waste..lol... but shame he dragged you out of the county haha. I'm one of those people who is just very odd... so I hate being in isolated quiet places... but for me a beach at night with nobody around will feel very alive... full of people. I'm intensely psychological and what I experience is often only prompted by what is around. What is for sure I hate shopping so I won't miss that... wife might a bit.. but a nearby town or Truro would do. Nightlife.. probably past it..lol.. but a couple of decent pubs important nearby. All in all peace, quiet and slower pace of life sounds okay to me... as a butterfly enthusiast I realise Cornwall is hardly Peru... but it's a damned site better than Newcastle.

Yeah we'll be avoiding the sticks I think... anywhere with less than 2 pubs is a desert and all...lol. So car would be bonus on top of what we plan. Buses yes disappointed a bit... from study... but probably won't have massive impact while they're only likely to be used infrequently as available (if available..lol)

Redruth.. duly noted regarding the area specified. Falmouth... consistent opinion it seems... we don't mind a bit of noise... don't get much here but we've lived in noisy places before... her in a city with about 40 times the population of Cornwall and with international airpoirt in middle... so this will be interesting..lol. Devoran.. let me mark for looking later... thanks for the advice...very kind of you.

Muttleythefrog

cajef wrote: »

The only thing I would say is that generally in Cornwall the near to the beach you go the dearer the properties, I live near Redruth and can be on the beach by car in approximately ten minutes.

Yeah seems to be the way... has an effect here (north east) too but probably less so. You drive your car on the beach?...lol... sounds more like Hartlepool haha. Anyway just kidding.. I'm a brisk walker... as long as there's footpaths a 10 minute car journey is replicable for me... so perhaps I shouldn't be too hasty to ensure the beach is visible from the bedroom.