Topic:	re-locating to cornwall from Essex!
shars Posts: 20 Posted: 17.Sep 2006 - 11:47	Hi everyone. Just need some advice really. My husband is looking for jobs in Callington and therefore we are looking to relocate. I have 2 girls aged 2 and 6. I would love to move to somewhere like Padstow, Wadebridge but also looking at St Austell or Looe but I don't really know these areas at all. I'm very undecided at the moment so any advice would be a great help.
Egloshal Posts: 565 Posted: 17.Sep 2006 - 12:18	Can he crimp pasties?
shars Posts: 20 Posted: 17.Sep 2006 - 12:39	FUNNILY ENOUGH! no but it is working for a food industry which is what he does now in Essex. Where are you from in Cornwall.
shars Posts: 20 Posted: 17.Sep 2006 - 13:47	Hello, anybody elso on line who can give me any advice on relocating. Thanks very much
kenwyn Posts: 376 Posted: 17.Sep 2006 - 18:50	Why Callington? That's not proper Cornwall!
troll Posts: 567 Posted: 17.Sep 2006 - 18:54	It's the right side of the Tamar! Have a look at http://jobs.thisiscornwall.co.uk/ if you haven't already found it.
fancyabrew online Posts: 1342 Posted: 17.Sep 2006 - 19:20	Quote Why Callington? That's not proper Cornwall! Here we go, why's that then? Not far enough West for you I suppose?
kenwyn Posts: 376 Posted: 17.Sep 2006 - 19:36	Lighten up fellas it was just a bit of banter. And fancy if I go much further West I'll get my feet wet.
fancyabrew online Posts: 1342 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 09:02	Just annoys me Kenwyn, everything in Cornwall is West bias
48Crash Posts: 221 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 11:34	I know I've moaned about this before but try coming from the north coast, bandit country. We don't count as Cornish, we don't count (and don't want to count) as Devon. I struggled with this as a child for years, that we weren't 'proper' somehow. High time that sort of thing stopped, methinks.
fancyabrew online Posts: 1342 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 11:45	totally agree SE Cornwall doesn't get much of a look in
48Crash Posts: 221 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 12:07	Hasn't the Eden Project helped redress the balance a bit? I have to admit we also enjoyed some reverse-snobbery about not being south coast, but we needed something to cling to (other than the cliffs).
cledry_maid Posts: 1347 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 13:01	Why cornwall?
fancyabrew online Posts: 1342 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 13:40	Quote Hasn't the Eden Project helped redress the balance a bit? I have to admit we also enjoyed some reverse-snobbery about not being south coast, but we needed something to cling to (other than the cliffs). nah not really, and thats more Mid-Cornwall than SE
48Crash Posts: 221 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 15:53	In that case - oh well. Shame. Can't say the Arthur Industry's really helped up here, neither. I have a friend who grew up in Londonderry, and they have a similar problem; not 'proper' Irish, not hardcore Northern (i.e. Belfast). No matter how much trouble they caused, it never made the telly compared to whatever happened in Belfast and they grew up thinking they were second-class terrorists. Now it's not quite as serious here, but I do think it's a good opportunity to nip this tendency in the bud. So good for you for pointing out that the whole 'if it's not west of Cambourne it doesn't count' posture is counter-productive. We're the right side of the river, and surely that's the measure?
fancyabrew online Posts: 1342 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 16:12	couldn't have put it better myself. I was in Delabole at the weekend didn't popin to Arthurs though!
shars Posts: 20 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 16:29	Callington is the only place where there is the same work available. Although I would rather live in Looe or Padstow or maybe Tintagel. Only because we have been on holiday there several times. I don't really know Cornwall and so if anyone could tell me where the "best" place to live is. i.e for young families. We already live in a very small village and would quite like to do the same in Cornwall.
shars Posts: 20 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 16:31	p.s Thanks Troll, I have already been on This is Cornwall website and Up My Street but I think it's beeter to get an idea from people who actually live in Cornwall. My head is like scrambled eggs at the moment. HELP!! Ha Ha.
kenwyn Posts: 376 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 16:42	Sorry if I have offended anyone but I truly intended it to be light hearted banter. I can assure you that, because most of my working life was spent in England, that every time I visited my family I knew whether travelling by rail or road, that I was HOME as soon as I crossed the Tamar.
cledry_maid Posts: 1347 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 17:02	How can you seriously be asking people where you should live? Don't you think it would be a tad more sensible to actually spend some time in the duchy before you commit to living here? Plenty people move down here mistakinmg the postcard images and happy holidays as reality and then a kernewek winter hits them like a ton of bricks.
shars Posts: 20 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 18:16	I would like to spend time down there and we have but only on holidays! We \re staying in Penzance soon to drive around maybe Looe, Padstow that kind of area but I don't think you can ever get more than a holiday feel unless you can stay down there for a couple of months or more which we can't do because of work & school committments.
shars Posts: 20 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 18:20	just aksing for advice really!!!
cledry_maid Posts: 1347 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 18:20	Yeah - to get the authentic feel you'd have to spend your time looking at houses that you know you'll never be able to afford.
shars Posts: 20 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 18:21	Hello cledry_maid, where in cornwall are you from? You sound a bit hostile or have i got the wrong end of the stick!
cledry_maid Posts: 1347 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 18:29	Hostile? Me? Whatever gave you that idea? Just don't buy the house next door to me.
48Crash Posts: 221 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 18:34	Hello Shars I fear you'll find that the places you liked on holiday will turn into a bit of a nightmare to live in - crowded as hell for six weeks, and everything shut the rest of the time - so you might have a better time looking inland a bit. Up this way Wadebridge, perhaps? Just a thought.
shars Posts: 20 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 18:43	Hi 48Crash, at last someone who sounds "normal" ha ha. Actually I have been to Wadebridge and it's lovely. I know what you mean about the other places being a nightmare and crowded. Need to just get down there and have a good look around. I've now suggested to hubby that we wait a while and go down to Cornwall at every chance we get so we can check out some places. Different if you haven't got kids I suppose but Hubby would be quite happy to just up and leave! Thanks for advice though, much appreciated.
shars Posts: 20 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 18:44	As for ms hostile, no I wouldn't dream of buying the house next door. The Happiness would just be too much!
cledry_maid Posts: 1347 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 18:52	Oh shove off. I hate these fekkin incomers starting threads 'Oh we want to relocate to cornwall - please help us' You know jack about the place - you've spent a little time here on holiday - you're asking about places where the vast majority of people who use this site couldn't afford the deposit. My neighbours are from essex - they thought the same as you - been coming on holiday for years - thought they knew everything about the place and haven't stopped moaning since! They're selling up.There's another couple from essex viewed the place twice and are waxing lyrical about wanting a life in cornwall. Great! I'm so pleased for them. At 600k we can't afford to buy anywhere like it, my cousin who has to show people around it can't afford to buy it and we're supposed to be welcoming you all with open arms? You're taking the pi$$. Padstow? Looe? I suspect the poeple who grew up there and have generations of family there would like to be able to buy houses there as well. Happy? I'll be happy when idiots like you start seeing beyond your own rosy glow of what you THINK this place is like. And it would be nice if your type actually took part in other aspects of the site instead of just coming straight in and asking for something. Pretty much sums up what your attitude is to moving here - what can kernow do for you instead of what can you do for kernow. What can you do for kernow?
shars Posts: 20 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 19:03	Well it just goes to show you don't know much about house prices. After searching and seeing a place in Padstow I can tell you there are properties £400k + cheqper than £600k! What are you talking about. I never said I wanted to move to a fekkin mansion! As for waht can I do, what do YOU do!!!
cledry_maid Posts: 1347 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 19:21	400k??? Oh well, wash my mouth out I used the figure of 600k because that's the price of the house next door to me and it in't no mansion. 3 beds, shared living/kitchen/diner. So, it's back to the question of what you intend to bring to the duchy? You've just come straight in asking us to help you out. Why didn't you spend a bit of time getting to know the site - getting to know the people who use it?
shars Posts: 20 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 19:33	£600k, that's unbeliveable. Here you would get a lot more so really surprised. Your right I didn't spend time looking at the site. I had a question to ask so asked it. Didn't think I would get this kind of response. If I've offended anyone by asking what it is like to live in cornwall, then sorry, but then isn't this what the site is for? As for what can I bring to the duchy, not sure yet. Me ha ha (only joking) currently help run a mother & todler group.
kenwyn Posts: 376 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 19:52	shars, You could find that Penzance and it's surrounding areas a nice place to live. There are some good schools and the countryside is amazing. It's easy to get to Truro by bus or train if you don't drive and the climate is mild throughout the year. In winter there is a lot of fog and it can feel damp but nothing like the frrezing temperatures you get in Essex. Just avoid Nancledra and you won't find yourself living next door to cledry_maid.
cledry_maid Posts: 1347 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 19:56	Fair do's I do get offended when these threads start up. It rubs salt into the wound that is unaffordable housing. Too many people see the place in Summer and think that's it - the sun is always shining and the ice cream flows free. Us happy bumpkins with our rosy cheeks and lazy pace of life lean on the gateposts with a cheery word for all. Then you wake up and realise it's been foggy for the last 6 months, the local school, post office and shop have been shut down and the interest rates have shot up and you're left with a deficit of 50k
cledry_maid Posts: 1347 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 19:57	QuoteJust avoid Nancledra and you won't find yourself living next door to cledry_maid No, but it still looks like I'm going to be lumped with another pair from essex
shars Posts: 20 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 20:02	Fair enough but actually that isn't how i think it will be to actually live in Cornwall. I live in a small village at the moment which is quite slow paced, small school, 1 shop, 1 butchers and 2 pubs. I'm involved in raising money for the school and help out when I can. Weather is fairly shite anyway. Sorry you've not had a good experience living next door to Essex people but believe it or not were not all the same. Thanks for the advice Kenwyn. I think I will avoid Nancledra though as she dosen't seem very favourable on "outsiders".
cledry_maid Posts: 1347 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 20:05	You're sharp aintcha?
shars Posts: 20 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 20:06	WHY BOTHER REPLYINF IF I PI$$ U OFF SO MUCH. Any way night to all as putting kids to bed.
shars Posts: 20 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 20:09	just like to say you haven't actually given any advice so why reply! Bye!
cledry_maid Posts: 1347 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 20:11	Oh dear - the essex girl's starting to shout. It'll be white stilettos at dawn. I'm replying because the subject pisses me off so much. You don't piss me off - I don't know you. And I've given you plenty advice. Just not what you wanted to hear Where do I think you should relocate to? Devon
shars Posts: 20 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 20:59	couldn't resist signing back on again. Whats wrong with white stilettos!!! Your right not what I wanted to hear but it is quite entertaining that I can put your back up so much. Shame we could have had a proper conversation instead of just bitchin. Never mind I wont be living near you so don't worry, just worry about the other essex pair! You never know you may be the best of friends. ha
shars Posts: 20 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 21:01	definately going now, don't loose sleep over it buy the house next door.
cledry_maid Posts: 1347 Posted: 18.Sep 2006 - 22:01	How does someone who is a stranger to grammar manage to find herself in a position where she can buy a 400k house? There is no justice in the world
Diane Posts: 789 Posted: 19.Sep 2006 - 01:27	Quote Didn't think I would get this kind of response. If I've offended anyone by asking what it is like to live in cornwall, then sorry, but then isn't this what the site is for? Hi Shars, you haven't offended me, only cledry, she's got a persecution complex, has done ever since she's been here. Don't take any notice, you'll make mistakes, we all do, but please don't think we're all like cledry. Most of us enjoy life and make the best of things. I don't live in Cornwall, but spent my childhood there, I do intend to look throught rose coloured glasses, and things have changed a lot since then. Perhaps you should spend some time in Cornwall in the winter, to see the other side of things.
48Crash Posts: 221 Posted: 19.Sep 2006 - 06:39	Dear Shars It's worth bearing in mind that while it may be very pretty, Cornwall is one of the poorest parts of the UK. There are precious few jobs, and what there are don't pay any too well, and to grow up here means to sit and watch holidaymakers turn up, rent the house you always fancied, go surfing with nice wetsuits and fancy surfboards on what feels like your waves, fill up your pub, and then go home and leave you to pick up their litter. And watch it all shut again for the winter. The experience can leave one a little twitchy about the whole thing. So as 'incomers', you would have to be aware of that. You'd need to make sure those around you understood that you weren't here to re-live some childhood dream, that you were serious about the place. Otherwise it can come across as patronising, however well-intentioned. And if you've put up with all the stuff above, to then feel patronised about it can leave one very twitchy indeed. But I thik you might have to compromise a bit if you want shops/pubs etc, on somewhere the size of Wadebridge if not the palce itself. Anywhere smaller and the shop's likely to close, and then you'd be stuffed. Best of luck!
cledry_maid Posts: 1347 Posted: 19.Sep 2006 - 08:10	Persecution complex! I'm a very happy bunny Diane - you mistake vitriol for misery.
fancyabrew online Posts: 1342 Posted: 19.Sep 2006 - 08:49	You mentioned Looe, well I live in Polperro and my dad was from Looe, so I know Looe pretty well. It still has quite a good large local Cornish population, fishing is still VERY big in Looe second only to Newlyn, but apart from that there isn’t much. The shops are dire, a very small Somerfield no butchers several bakeries but it still has 3 banks (might be 2 now). It has quite a good bus service to Liskeard and to Plymouth and it does have a pretty good train service. Nearest supermarket is Liskeard 14 miles and that’s a crappy Morrisons otherwise its Bodmin, St Austell or Plymouth (both 25 miles). If you’re after any form of entertainment nearest cinema, theatre, decent shops, etc Plymouth. Looe school is VERY good, ranked third in Cornwall only the two public schools in Truro come a head of Looe.
Kerrow Posts: 282 Posted: 19.Sep 2006 - 09:32	Shars Your home sounds good anyway, you live in a very small village, I expect your daughter has already made friends at school, your husband is in work. You've many advantages - jobs will be better paid, facilities will be better, you've constructed a social network (probably), summers will be hotter and winters drier, you're near international airports and other transport links and things like shopping and sports facilities are probably loads better. Down here jobs are very short and wages low, the health service is on the point of collapse (seriously), house prices are extortionate, your kids will move hundreds of miles away when they are 18, a lot of incomers move down because they want to 'get away from it all' and are not so friendly, the Cornish find it difficult to constantly integrate more people and are ambivalent about doing so. Why not put effort and energy into where you live now? Stability is essential, especially for young families.
kernow_boy Posts: 15 Posted: 19.Sep 2006 - 11:52	I have to hand it to Kerrow a good point well made, living and working in Kernow is a far cry from the idyllic picture postcard concept. But if you really do have to move here, please stay away from North Kernow, we’ve got enough self-righteous downsizers here already. And before you say it yes I do put extra effort into making their welcome into Kernow as hostile as possible, why should I feign pleasantries to the very people making it virtually impossible for me to stay here.
cledry_maid Posts: 1347 Posted: 19.Sep 2006 - 12:12	Well said!
Masterclass Posts: 941 Posted: 19.Sep 2006 - 14:02	Have you thought about Truro? It's got about as best links as one could have, small city, good schools, I don't mind having grown up there.
Masterclass Posts: 941 Posted: 19.Sep 2006 - 15:49	Cledry, have a look here: 3 beds start at 166k.
cledry_maid Posts: 1347 Posted: 19.Sep 2006 - 16:51	Where? I'm happy enough where I am - even happier if the house next door was of a price that a local family could buy it.
Masterclass Posts: 941 Posted: 19.Sep 2006 - 19:23	I think the price reflects the planning consent and the size of the plot, more than anything.
troll Posts: 567 Posted: 19.Sep 2006 - 21:19	Perhaps the people flaming away at "incomers" on this thread should take a step back and bare in mind that Shaz & family want to move down, not buy a 2nd home. By the sounds of it, they will live in Cornwall most of the time thus supporting local shops, pubs etc. and her kids will more than likely goto a local school.
cledry_maid Posts: 1347 Posted: 19.Sep 2006 - 21:30	Planning consent? There's no planning consent on the house I'm talking about :? eta - send me a link to the one you mean - if it's the one I'm thinking of it's not next door to me but I know the one you mean - I think.
homeruleforcornwall Posts: 165 Posted: 19.Sep 2006 - 21:41	Cledry maid - would you mind not suggesting that people with money from the South East relocate in Devon? We've got our own affordable housing crisis to deal with, thanks.
cledry_maid Posts: 1347 Posted: 19.Sep 2006 - 22:51	Sorry
Emmet_Guy Posts: 76 Posted: 20.Sep 2006 - 10:00	Hi Shars Don't be put off by the hostile reception in some quarters... You've just been a bit unlucky in that this is about the worst place possible to have asked for that kind of advice! There's a lot of economic problems in Cornwall, and a lot of it is caused by rich people from "up country" buying holiday/2nd/retirement homes, which forces up the house prices so local people can't afford them, and causes perfectly good villages to die in the winter. Cornwall's changing - getting a lot busier, etc. - and many of the native Cornish blame incomers. Maybe they're right to in some cases. However - For what it's worth, I moved down from Essex 5 years ago, and I'm loving it. I've encountered this kind of response online, and in the newspaper, but never in person in the pub! (well, rarely, anyway). If you're working and contributing to the economy and the community, people are mostly OK with that. But it's not all roses. What SHOULD give you pause for thought is the other stuff people are telling you here. Cornwall is POOR. There are not many jobs. It's no picnic. Major food companies seem to be going bust all the time. For starters, if your husband DOES find a job here, he can probably bank on getting paid only about 60% of what he gets for the same job in Essex. (And the house prices here might not be much different... Depends which part of Essex you live in I suppose! We're higher prices than Halstead, lower than Chelmsford). My advice is this - DON'T move unless you're sure your husband has got a good, secure job here already. Finding work is NOT easy, and you won't be able to pick and choose... So that will give you a radius to work in, and will naturally narrow down your home search. Bear in mind that Cornwall is big and long, and the roads get slow (especially in the summer) so once you find the job you will only have a few towns to chose from - many of which (if you're looking at places like Padstein) you won't be able to afford anyway (unless your village is in the posh end of Brentwood or something). ...But don't be scared by the "Kernewek Winters". Cornish people think they're bad because they haven't lived anywhere that gets REALLY cold! They're great fun - wild and windy and wooly, but also quite mild. I scrape ice from my car as many times in a year here as I would in a February week in Braintree. But Cornwall is different. Not just another county. Tread carefully.
cledry_maid Posts: 1347 Posted: 20.Sep 2006 - 10:07	QuoteBut Cornwall is different. Not just another county. Tread carefully Blimey - very sensible
shars Posts: 20 Posted: 20.Sep 2006 - 10:45	Thanks very very much for all of your advice. Again I must stress that I really do not have rose tinted glasses on with regards to the move to Cornwall. Still not sure if it is the right thing but hubby is very keen. Bit worried about what Emmet Guy said about a lot of the food companies going bust! I would also like to clarify that this would not be a second home and we are looking to buy for about £200-250k which is possible as I have been looking constantly on the internet sites. Just out of interest, where did you move to Emmet Guy? We curently live in Horndon on the Hill. The winters sound great! Actually not very fonf of boiling hot weather!
cledry_maid Posts: 1347 Posted: 20.Sep 2006 - 10:52	QuoteBut don't be scared by the "Kernewek Winters". Cornish people think they're bad because they haven't lived anywhere that gets REALLY cold! roflmao - 10 years in NE Scotland. That cold enough for ya? Kernewek Winters are dark and damp - not the invigorating cold, snappy weather you get elsewhere. And if you're not a fan of boiling hot weather better not come down here shars as it was record breaking this year. So, the industry your husband works in isn't stable down here? Has he actually been offered a job?
shars Posts: 20 Posted: 20.Sep 2006 - 11:02	He has an interview on Friday.
cledry_maid Posts: 1347 Posted: 20.Sep 2006 - 11:07	I'd like to say good luck. But I wouldn't mean it Here's hoping someone local gets it. You say you don't have rose tinted glasses on but what are you expecting from kernow? What is there for you here that you don't presently have? Sounds like where you live is pretty nice. Why do you want to move?
Emmet_Guy Posts: 76 Posted: 20.Sep 2006 - 11:41	Cledry - with you on the dark and damp - but the wild wind and seas are fun! Shars - I moved from Chelmsford to Camborne. Quite a culture shock, but Cornwall is now home, my son was born here, and I definitely wouldn't go back. It took a long, long time to settle in and get used to it, though. (As for food companies, look up people like Furniss Foods, etc... Or search the BBC Cornwall news website for redundancies, I guess!). If you can, come down with him on Friday. While he's doing his thing, you can look around! Get a feel for what places are likely to be close enough to the new company to be practical. When I moved to Camborne, I thought it would be fine to look for work in St Austell or Bodmin... I wouldn't commute that far now, though, it would be a nightmare. (To clarify, we moved for reasons of my wife's career... so I had the whole "moving to no job" thing to do. Which was really, really hard). Both of you - if the job is senior enough to move down for, then having it done really well will mean more knock-on prosperity for Kernow anyway. So here's hoping that whoever will do the job best, gets it. Does that sound like a good compromise?
shars Posts: 20 Posted: 20.Sep 2006 - 12:01	great compromise. Coming down to Cornwall this weekend and will have a good look about. Thanks.
48Crash Posts: 221 Posted: 20.Sep 2006 - 12:04	That you're not coming down here to retire counts for a lot! edith: but I should listen to young Emmet here, who is talking with straight tongue. The rest of us probably have too much 'agenda' to speak sensibly: we may get defensive about the place, but we don't own it and you're free to come and go as you please.
Emmet_Guy Posts: 76 Posted: 20.Sep 2006 - 12:27	Cheers 48C Funny thing... I have a friend who's an English woman, working in Edinburgh for the SNP. I asked her wasn't that a contradiction in terms, and she said "Not at all. I just want the best for the place I call home." I may not agree with their policies, but I think hers is a great viewpoint. Likewise, I may not agree with some of the extremes of Cornish nationalism, but I bow to nobody in my admiration for the place, and my determination to give it a great future.
48Crash Posts: 221 Posted: 20.Sep 2006 - 12:36	Tha's awright. I think there's something about having grown up here, and having the reactions of your child-self still lurking somewhere in the darker recesses of one's psyche, that makes it hard to be objective about the place. Now that I'm older, richer and balder than I was I find it easy to forget how desperately I wanted to leave as I was growing up. Somehow a career selling plastic piskies to passing trade just didn't do it for me ...