Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Just a quick one

My Australian friend who is dyslexic has tried to live here for eight years and just can't get on with the language. She is selling her Manoir and thinking of moving to Cornwall: Megavissey appeals to her. Anything she should be aware of, apart from tourists ?

I have some extended family who moved to Cornwall, one just before Covid and one just after. Both have enjoyed the move; however, have found the winters can be quite bleak and have taken some of the shine off the overall experience. I cannot comment, other than when I've visited 'off-season' and I can appreciate their perspective. They have expressed that whilst the weather is the dominant force, that certain areas, especially the ones dominated with too many second homes, can feel uninhabited, which makes the feeling worse.

As I said, not my experience, but from family. I had a great aunt, who lived on the Lizard Peninsula and I spent some wonderful times there in the late 70's and 80's, so Cornwall always hold a special place for me.

Rather than buying, perhaps she could rent for 12-months, explore, get her feel for the various areas and then make a decision. Devon, Dorset, and Somerset are also worth considering.

I'm sure some of the 'local' members will have useful input when they find this thread.

I live about 6 miles from Meva and the following is my personal view which may well differ from everyone else but you did ask…..
Meva is lovely, very picturesque and has loads going on in the tourists season but although there is a small local population it’s almost dead in the winter. I wouldn’t want to live in any of the tourist hotspots because they are all pretty much the same in that they are heaving in the summer and dead in winter. Lots of second homes and seasonal businesses. The South coast, which is where Meva is is much milder than the North coast, and much better to live in all year round, rubbish for surfing though. The north coast is stunning and I regularly go for coastal walks there, when the tourists have gone home, but would only want to live on the South coast, where I am. Distance wise it’s only about 20 miles between the North and South coast although it takes a lot longer to cover a Cornish mile than in most of the country.
It does tend to be very wet but not cold. The mild climate is wonderful being neither too cold in the winter nor too hot in the summer.
I would look at a large village or small town rather than Meva itself so that there is something going on all year round and, contrary to the views of some, the Cornish people are friendly and welcoming but…
We moved down here when I retired and have had an absolutely brilliant time and it’s like being on holiday all the time. After 4 years though I am ready to go home so will be moving back to West Oxfordshire.
I will still come back to Cornwall every year as I love the place but it will be for a holiday not to live permanently.
I do feel sorry if your friend can’t settle but agree it would be better to rent for 12 months until they are sure about where or whether they want to live here permanently.

I'm another Cornwallphile and have visited once or twice a year since I can remember. My thoughts would be the opposite though - summer now tends to be hellish. It wasn't that long ago that you could spend the morning on the beach (usually Bude or Perranporth) and then head over somewhere for the afternoon (on either North or South Coast). Post Covid you can't get any near the beaches/hotspots in the afternoon - carparks rammed, ton of traffic,streets packed etc. We gave up beach life and get to the towns about 8.30am so we can park easily and escape by about 11.30 when they get unbearably packed.

Last visit was between Christmas and New Year last year. MUCH better - still busy, but not claustrophobic. You could do two or three things in a day, and I was suprised that everything touristy was still open and functioning. Speaking to some of the bar and cafe owners, they are now saying that although it gets quieter there's still enough footfall to justify staying open. We still had to wait for a table in our favourite cafe in St. Ives.......

So personally, I wouldn't live there due to the summer season, but very happy to overwinter if that was possible!

I think you will find it's the same for most seaside locations, since covid the footfall has increased dramatically. But in adddition to that you have traditional B&B's and many hotels that are now full all year round of DWP recepients and migrants, which is also changing the nature of the area and the size of the local population all year round. Rarely is there the more traditional quiet off season.

I consider myself fortunate to live in a beautiful part of the world, where people travel for hours to visit, but unfortunately it wasn't built with the intention or infrastructure to support the current levels of tourism in essence day trippers and their cars etc. The British seaside has slightly come full circle, again after decades of being out of fashion compared to the lure of the likes of Spain, often driven by economic cycles, it's back in vogue again.

The sad thing is no matter how many litter bins are placed aound the town, the visitors still think it's perfectly acceptable to dump their rubbish where ever, and others will come along and sort their mess out. As if magically when they come back again they still find pristine clean beaches and infrastucture which doesn't last long, then fortunately they leave at the end of the day. Litter picking volunters only work over the weekend and Monday, the rest of the week, there no need as locals respect their town and it's facilitities.

Tourists use, and abuse without a thought for the consequences or their impact on the environment they came to enjoy. They spend very little in the local economy, unless you count Weatherspoons and Aldi as the local economy........a few teashops do well, but most are reliant upon locals to survive..

John, it sounds very similar to Suffolk in terms of litter. When McDonalds opened after covid it was noticeable by the litter placed lovingly a few yards from a bin or tossed out of a car.


As regards Cornwall your friend needs to consider the grockles clogging up all roads etc and the lack of infrastructure as she gets older like buses , hospitals & NHS dentists. Distance to get to a mass transit hub like Gatwick or LHR.Plus if your knees are bad it isn't flat.

We are fortunate as LSA is a big retirement area, and the likes of the local NHS are geared for geriactric services, dentists are in short supply and local bus services eg require 2 buses to get to the local hospital...into Blackpool and then out to the hospital.We have a decent road and rail network, but that just causes drinking problems at night when out of towners descend on local pubs and it all gets out of hand. Some much so local people in the know, wont come into the highly desireable town centre of Lytham either to live or enjoy the restaurants, bars etc., because of the problems late at night.

Living near Meva I have to say the local GP service is fantastic, far better than my experiences in Oxfordshire, and the Hospitals are ok as well. The public transport system is excellent although that is compared to other rural counties so one bus an hour to wherever you want to go. For me that’s good but for my eldest son and his family who live in London anything more than a 4 or 5 minute wait for the next bus or tube is a disaster. Depends on your perspective. Good luck finding an NHS dentist but that’s no different from most of the Uk.
I have grown to detest July and August as you can’t move for visitors but, having chosen carefully, we are a short walk from a private beach that never gets busy, there are ways around it.
A major problem that can’t be overcome for me is how long it takes to get to anywhere else in the UK and that makes seeing friends and family difficult which is why we are moving. Great place for a holiday though, although best out of season.
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Thank you every one for a fulsome response.

I am a native of West Cornwall and have been away in Somerset now for over 50 years. Love going “home” two or three times a year, but no way would I move back, for many of the reasons already shared and certainly not near a popular holiday-spot like Meva. And…the older you get, all the more reasons not to.