move to cornwall..

Stevepage

Me and the Mrs bought our little flat in Watford nearly two years ago and we've come to the realisation that we fecking hate this area. Properties are far too much for what they are and we don't fell safe.

The plan is to move to a house this year though we're not sure what area to move to next. Our dream is to move to Cornwall though we couldn't do that move just yet.

However it's a dream we desperately wish to have in the future. Has any one else done a big move down to the west country?

I work as a gardener/landscaper (not much landscaping though) and she works in retail but wants to get out of it. Is there a decent amount of work down there for gardeners?

Any advice is welcome.

blueskunk

Depends on what sort of gardening , i believe there's a lot of nice erb them ways.

Good luck man.

guitargeek62

My advice, don't. (i'll expand on this later)

Strat_a_tat_tat

Life's too short...

... and Watford's too Watfordy.

VimFuego

define decent? I do some gardening/odd jobbing work. I wouldn't be able to pay a mortgage or rent on what I make, but I live in about the least densely populated part of the SW (NW Devon/NE Cornwall, about 12 miles from the Tamar). Because of the distances involved I only work locally (within a 5 mile radius) as it's just not worth going further. The south coast is a lot more densely populated and generally you get more moneyed people living there, though TBH, I find it a lot like Hertfordshire (we moved down 4 years ago from Shenley). It's not just distance, the roads here are twisty and slow, so the 9 mile trip to the supermarket actually takes me about 15 mins. And it is wet down here, seriously wet, and this limits the number of days you can work. However, it is doable and IMO the quality of life more than makes up for the lower income.

suspiciousminds

My daughters down in falmouth uni.
It normally takes us about 6 hours drive to go visit her but its worth it - milder weather, seems very laidback.

Loobs

I can't really think of any reason to be in Watford

Strat_a_tat_tat

VimFuego raises a valid point.  It is seriously wet.

I have a friend that retired to Cornwall (from home counties) about 7 years ago.  Weather fine for first two years... then crazy amount of rain for the past 5-ish years.  Enough to make him look at moving away from the area.

blueskunk

Loobs;476969" said:

I can't really think of any reason to be in Watford

Unless u love smack and crack.

Bit like my way

ToneControl

suspiciousminds said:

My daughters down in falmouth uni.
It normally takes us about 6 hours drive to go visit her but its worth it - milder weather, seems very laidback.

A common miconception
Cornwall winters are warmer and wetter
summers are cooler and wetter

hottest and driest summers are on the east coast,
also coldest and driest winters

Stevepage

Well were in Watford as it's close to her parents in Bushey (nicer area) and away from my home town of Hatfield (shit area). We Don't earn a lot of money (under 40k between us) so house prices are becoming more of a problem. We're already paying a lot for a way of life we don't want in an unsafe area.

We're also thinking of trying for kids late this year or next so eventually we would want a good start for our family in a place the whole family could feel safe.

Sassafras

I've had some really good biking tours around that part of the country, it's beautiful, relaxed and friendly but that's during the holiday season. I'm not so sure it's great in the slow seasons when there's not much work around.

Lovely place though. If my family weren't close by I'd move down there like a shot.

Loobs

blueskunk;476977" said:

[quote="Loobs;476969"]I can't really think of any reason to be in Watford

Unless u love smack and crack.

Bit like my way

[/quote]

And mine! Hadn't seen anyone actually shooting up before I moved here.

thumpingrug

Lived in Truro for a couple of years in the 90s until the project i was working on came to an end and I had to move to Dorset for further work.  Love it down there and go back at any and every opportunity.  The difference between the crowds in the summer and the quite during the winter have to be experienced to fully appreciate the difference.

The problem is that house prices/rents are stupidly high and jobs, if you can find one, are poorly paid.  Hence the reason we had to move when the funding for the project I was working on ended.

Yes its a very long way to get anywhere but the isolation is part of what gives it its culture and identity.  That and feking great pasties.  

VimFuego

ahem, it is generally acknowledged by the Cornish that the best pasties actually come from Devon.

Strat_a_tat_tat

VimFuego said:

ahem, it is generally acknowledged by the Cornish that the best pasties actually come from Devon.

OMG... run for cover!

VimFuego

a Devon pie company did actually win the best pasty a few years back. There were... recriminations.

suspiciousminds

ToneControl;476981" said:

suspiciousminds said:

My daughters down in falmouth uni.

It normally takes us about 6 hours drive to go visit her but its worth it - milder weather, seems very laidback.





A common miconception

Cornwall winters are warmer and wetter

summers are cooler and wetter



hottest and driest summers are on the east coast,

also coldest and driest winters

Well maybe, but coming from mid wales where we have more than our fair share of rain, we noticed a big difference.

ToneControl

suspiciousminds said:

ToneControl;476981" said:

suspiciousminds said:

My daughters down in falmouth uni.

It normally takes us about 6 hours drive to go visit her but its worth it - milder weather, seems very laidback.





A common miconception

Cornwall winters are warmer and wetter

summers are cooler and wetter



hottest and driest summers are on the east coast,

also coldest and driest winters

Well maybe, but coming from mid wales where we have more than our fair share of rain, we noticed a big difference.

mid Wales is not ideal, but further up, e.g. Lytham, Cumbria, if you live on the coast, it's bright and dry, and then inland it's very rainy, you get some shelter from the gulf stream from Ireland, but inland, the rain comes in as the land height increases  - Preston is the worst I've seen on my commutes, and the moors East and south east of Preston

ToneControl

btw some of the out-of-town settlements east of Southend are very cheap and decent quality of life, and me saying that about somewhere down south is saying something

I thought many rich folk in London have a second home in Cornwall. My mate's daughter and BF just did a year down there renting, ended up as a cook and a waitress, moved back to Manc now
up North, Cumbrian coast and North wales offer the same kind of pros/cons as Cornwall, but with way cheaper housing
In Wales you have to go at least as far as Llandudno to get past the less attractive resorts though

monquixote

I don't know anything about Cornwall (other than a holiday about 15 years ago), but I can recommend Suffolk as a place to live (yes I know it's the opposite direction). It's got good countryside, lowish crime rates, lots of nice countryside and coast, lots of sun and not much rain, not insane house prices and it's largely rural which would suggest there would be plenty of outdoorsy work for you to do.

Also in my home town we make most of the UK's sugar, Greene King IPA, and Branston Pickle, what's not to love?