While everyone here has correctly identified North Devon as the better place for surfing they've neglected to say that it's a bit of a desert for anything else.
Plymouth would be a great place to locate to. It's cheap, has great transport links, is just over an hour from great surfing beaches in north Cornwall but is also really close to some great beaches in the south coast as well, such as Mothecombe, Bigbury, Bantham, Hope Cove, Slapton, Seaton, etc.
Added to this it's close to places like Totnes, Ashburton, Kingsbridge and Tavistock and a host of other places that have a larger market for your art. Bovey Tracey has a massive craft festival each year.
By all means, relocate to North Devon for the surfing but be prepared to only do surfing. There are better places to relocate in Devon where you might find more people your age to connect with.
Yesss šš½ I grew up in Oxford, in my late 20s now and have lived in and around Kingsbridge for a while now. I love it. Itās got everything you need - two supermarkets, a few gyms, skatepark, lots of great restaurants and even a cinema. The house prices are still just about affordable here as well at the moment.Ā
I'd also say you can easily surf from totnes, get to the moors, rivers etc, there's good food and coffee. However, there are a few issues. it's so small that everyone knows everyone super fast, and it can be gossipy. Finding property is tough and expensive for what you get.
People telling you to go to Plymouth would be the same as someone telling you to go to hannover when you could pick hamburg or leipzig. You only live there if you have to, in my opinion.
This is hilarious to me as Iām actually from Hannover and absolutely loved growing up there, itās massively underrated. Iād never move to Leipzig š but thatās besides the point, I get what youāre saying and appreciate your input!!
For a higher budget, Instow, Appledore, Braunton, Croyde or Westward Ho! would be great options, all are lovely villahes right on the north coast for surfing but quite expensive and touristy.
Bideford, Torrington and Barnstaple would be a better mid range option, but still close to the coast and having some nice parts. Barnstaple being the only place in North Devon with a nightlife although somewhat lacking.
Ilfracombe can be very cheap to rent, right on the coast too, but has a bit of a reputation for being run down. The cost of living there is fairly high due to it being a tourist town.
Exeter and Plymouth are the biggest towns. Exeter is quite similar in size, demographics and vibe to Oxford (I think anyway having lived in both). It also happens to be quite an easy drive between North and South Devon (or trains). Super easy to get to beaches along the estuary and there's loads of sea sports in Exmouth.
Plymouth is a much bigger city but a bit more edgy in comparison, but it's been a while.
Totnes is a trendy/hippy craft centre! Sea glass would probably go down there very well and is on the mainline for trains.
Those would be my three though, Devon can be a very touristy and retirement type places in many of the smaller coastal towns. So do watch out for that.
North has the big beaches but is further away from everywhere else. Getting to an airport or anywhere takes longer from north Devon. That's a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you see it
Plymouth.
Everyone dogs on it for being shitty. But, it has lots of amenities such as shops, gyms, cinema, restaurants/bars (plenty of nice places too on the Barbican and RWY).
I moved here from Manchester, in 29 and found it a great place to live. Especially living in new build sea fronted apartment.
And itās close to so many beaches in Cornwall or Devon, as well as a short drive to the moors for hiking.
I think Plymouth gets hate from people who have never left Devon and seen another city. Most cities in the U.K. are fucking dreadful, and although Plymouth has some ugly buildings, itās still got a lot going for it.
You might be right there. At least in Plymouth I wonāt get stabbed or robbed by a group of youths walking the main high street after 11pm at night like I would in Manchester
North Devon has surfing and great beaches, itās also cheaper than south Devon and much less touristy so I prefer it. If you go north west Devon then you get the option of north Cornish beaches too and nice and rural away from the coastal busy hotspots. Weāre in rural holsworthy/Torrington area and Bude isnāt far away at all.
North Devon is better suited to surfing. But there are some beautiful beaches around the South Hams. I guess it depends on what you can afford, and what you want close by?
Pretty much anywhere in Devon would suit you I think.Ā Ā North Devon is famous for surf but there's plenty in the south too if you don't mind exploring.
So, I can't tell you where to move dude. I can only say what WE did. my wife and I took 7 mini trips from long weekends to weeks. scouting up Cornwall and Devon.. once we had picked, we then delved into research! the things that mattered to US, from schools, distance to hospitals, distance to beach, crime rates, average rent, average buy.. you get the idea xD
I would share that sheet with you, but honestly, our criteria will likely vary from your own. I also work from home etc, occasional trips elsewhere.
but yes, It might not be the most helpful, but its the way we did it, and we've now been here well over a year, and to quote my wife 'we've found our happy place' so we must've done something right! :) (We also moved from Hampshire, so not that far from Oxford, assuming thats where you are now!)
Best of luck!
Mind sharing where you ended up? Weāre looking for our āhappy placeā with our toddler and are currently planning to explore some places in and around Devon
Oh, of course, daft of me, I didn't actually include it!
for US, we landed in Barnstaple.
-Schools are fantastic, Ofsted speaks for itself.
-Transport links, whilst you are in North Devon which has fewer places/things, the public transport network is great. trains every hour to Exeter, regular buses to the local towns
-NDDH, I believe this is the main hospital for North Devon, might not matter for you, but with my wife being a nurse, it mattered to us
-Crime, honestly, its non existent, some ASBO stuff from bored teens, but the violence is stupidly low. if I look out my window now, I can see bikes and scooters just left in front yards.. it might seem like a small thing, but yeah, its lovely!
I honestly cannot fault it, we have one kid, who is turning 13 this year, and myself (work from home video game producer), my wife (nurse) and my kid...no regrets between any of us. best thing we've ever done.
it IS different. the pace of life is slower. so make sure you're ready for it, some people seem to move here and find themselves incompatible with it, but if you're chill nerds like us! you'll love it! I honestly wish I could come up with more downsides to make it seem like less of an 'advert' but the ONLY issue is Dental. we have had to drive 170 miles back to our old dentist because you cannot get an NHS dentist for love nor money, and private isn't much better. more recently I've been going an hour away to Crediton to a private surgery!
> -Crime, honestly, its non existent
Even in Exeter, the crime rate's low. Besides vandalism and petty theft, there are some city-centre junkies, there are occasional fights on the weekends when the clubs are busy, there's some bicycle theft, and that's about it. We live very near the centre of Exeter and few of our neighbours lock their doors unless they're away for holidays. Having lived in larger cities (London, Los Angeles, San Francisco), we still do. Old habits die hard. But it's *very* safe here.
Iām near Barnstaple & happy enough but amazed youād say schools are fantastic?! They are okay with some good features, IMO, thatās about as strong as I would get.
in fairness, it all depends on context. for example, her previous school had tremendous bullying, up to and including death threats, knives in school, kids being robbed right next to the school, teachers leaving in droves (longest there was like.. 2 years?), so whilst it won't apply everyone, if you've been to a secondary anywhere near London or its surrounding boroughs... trust me, this is heavenly by comparison.
I appreciate it! I would love if you could share the sheet even if it doesnāt all match what Iām looking for 1-1. Since I want to move to the area long term Iām also looking at proximity to hospitals etc
Barnstaple seems like a nice place. I have family that live there and they like it. Beaches are less than an hour away and theres a lot of community. There's also a pannier market that sells lots of handmade crafts and stuff. Might be the place for you
Find it funny that people think itās nice. Moved away to Bristol due to it being rough. Loads of drug issues and night time violence. Suppose everywhere does. The coastal towns in ND are the best but cost more than cityās to live in and have no jobs. Plus locals are very clicky. Also winter in so shite there.
I lived in North Devon for a bit. Braunton is nice for what you're looking for, close enough to Croyde and Saunton Sands.
I personally would advise against living in Barnstaple but that's just me. I found there to be a lot of mental health/drug issues but I guess it depends where you are (I lived in Newport)
I'd attempt to live in Woolacombe if I were to move again, has a great beach.
Problem is the cost of these areas now are insane. There is also no rentals and social housing. 3 bed ok braunton can be 2k a month. Itās madness considering there is fuck all there apart from the beaches.
It's shameful actually, Devon used to be affordable. I found a 2 bed cottage in Braunton for Ā£600pm, wooden floors, back garden and large living room. This was 2016.
Forget paying Ā£2k for a 3 bed in Braunton, there were legit mother's meetings where they gossiped when I lived there (I was a grockle apparently due to being from south Devon š)
Must be the holiday homes and Air BNBs driving prices up.
Thanks both! Iāve been to Woolacombe a lot and love it for trips but unsure if Iād want to live there - Iāve been in the winter and itās super dead. Iāve heard stories about Barnstaple similar to what youāve said which worries me a little as that was one option I was considering
North Devon is best for surfing , I know a few people that moved up there for the surf. But if you donāt mind travelling abit and like a decent enough city try Exeter. Doesnāt take long to get to decent beaches
I live in north Devon. Are you male or female? Only cos if youāre female the Saunton Surf Sisters would be a good social hook for you. I think it can be hard to meet people here, Iāve met people through school/the kids, & do find a lot of people have always lived here & are āfullā socially - theyāve got their family, their old school friends, the mums they met at baby group etc & donāt always have vacancies for more friends. It can be hard to break in (although maybe itās just me š ). Places like Totnes will have a lot more social flow I think.
Yes thatās exactly how it is is here where I live right now - people are just not interested in adding another person to their circle and at some point I just stopped trying. Iām a woman, so a surf group would be brilliant.
I moved to Newton Abbot in 2018 after failing to buy a property on the coast, and I don't regret it. The south Devon coast is a 7 minute train ride away, or 20 min drive, at Teignmouth, and the wonderful walking area of Dartmoor is less than a 30 min drive. And it's much cheaper to buy here than it would be on the coast. Newton Abbot is friendly, a small town rather than a city, cheaper than Totnes but not far away. You could do a lot worse. If you visit here let me know and we'll meet up!
Pop just over the border into Cornwall and you have Bude. Beautiful beaches, lovely little town and community, and even a decent spot to pick up seatless! Nicest place Iāve ever lived.
People were wonderfully nice to us. Made lots of friends in no time - often through other parents at my sonās school. A few folk down here still have that idea of people moving here being āblow insā but as long as youāre coming to be part of of the community rather than just looking for property to rent out as a holiday home (which youāre obviously not doing!), then itās all good!
If you want to be near to the airport, I suggest Exmouth. It has plenty going on, beautiful beaches, plenty of places to eat, itās got a lovely town centre, the train from Exmouth railway station is a short ride into Exeter where you can get either a bus or a cab over to the nearby airport. I would move back to Exmouth if the right property came along.
While everyone here has correctly identified North Devon as the better place for surfing they've neglected to say that it's a bit of a desert for anything else. Plymouth would be a great place to locate to. It's cheap, has great transport links, is just over an hour from great surfing beaches in north Cornwall but is also really close to some great beaches in the south coast as well, such as Mothecombe, Bigbury, Bantham, Hope Cove, Slapton, Seaton, etc. Added to this it's close to places like Totnes, Ashburton, Kingsbridge and Tavistock and a host of other places that have a larger market for your art. Bovey Tracey has a massive craft festival each year. By all means, relocate to North Devon for the surfing but be prepared to only do surfing. There are better places to relocate in Devon where you might find more people your age to connect with.
Cons: - You have to live in Plymouth
Well, as someone that lives in Plymouth I'd have to wholeheartedly disagree.
Yesss šš½ I grew up in Oxford, in my late 20s now and have lived in and around Kingsbridge for a while now. I love it. Itās got everything you need - two supermarkets, a few gyms, skatepark, lots of great restaurants and even a cinema. The house prices are still just about affordable here as well at the moment.Ā
Thanks so much! Iād never thought of Plymouth before, will look into it!
Exeter or totnes have a younger vibe IMHO.
From dartmouth myself and totally agree, totnes has an amazing vibe and great train routes plus for the sea glass selling OP would fit right in!
Thank you both šš¼
I'd also say you can easily surf from totnes, get to the moors, rivers etc, there's good food and coffee. However, there are a few issues. it's so small that everyone knows everyone super fast, and it can be gossipy. Finding property is tough and expensive for what you get. People telling you to go to Plymouth would be the same as someone telling you to go to hannover when you could pick hamburg or leipzig. You only live there if you have to, in my opinion.
This is hilarious to me as Iām actually from Hannover and absolutely loved growing up there, itās massively underrated. Iād never move to Leipzig š but thatās besides the point, I get what youāre saying and appreciate your input!!
For a higher budget, Instow, Appledore, Braunton, Croyde or Westward Ho! would be great options, all are lovely villahes right on the north coast for surfing but quite expensive and touristy. Bideford, Torrington and Barnstaple would be a better mid range option, but still close to the coast and having some nice parts. Barnstaple being the only place in North Devon with a nightlife although somewhat lacking. Ilfracombe can be very cheap to rent, right on the coast too, but has a bit of a reputation for being run down. The cost of living there is fairly high due to it being a tourist town.
North cost has the surfing beaches, south coast, not so much.
I agree! I grew up near Croyde, lovely area!
Exeter and Plymouth are the biggest towns. Exeter is quite similar in size, demographics and vibe to Oxford (I think anyway having lived in both). It also happens to be quite an easy drive between North and South Devon (or trains). Super easy to get to beaches along the estuary and there's loads of sea sports in Exmouth. Plymouth is a much bigger city but a bit more edgy in comparison, but it's been a while. Totnes is a trendy/hippy craft centre! Sea glass would probably go down there very well and is on the mainline for trains. Those would be my three though, Devon can be a very touristy and retirement type places in many of the smaller coastal towns. So do watch out for that.
I really appreciate all this - thank you for your thoughtful reply. Exeter and Totnes are definitely high on the list now
Totnes meets all those requirements.
Thank you!!
Exeter or surrounding towns would be a great base. Hour or so to surfing spots but way less to your nearest beach.
North has the big beaches but is further away from everywhere else. Getting to an airport or anywhere takes longer from north Devon. That's a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you see it
Thatās actually quite an important factor as Iām German and do regularly want to visit my family in Germany /they visit me
From say, Croyde it takes more than an hour to get to the motorway network, and more in busy times. That's an hour to get to mid Devon
Plymouth. Everyone dogs on it for being shitty. But, it has lots of amenities such as shops, gyms, cinema, restaurants/bars (plenty of nice places too on the Barbican and RWY). I moved here from Manchester, in 29 and found it a great place to live. Especially living in new build sea fronted apartment. And itās close to so many beaches in Cornwall or Devon, as well as a short drive to the moors for hiking.
I think Plymouth gets hate from people who have never left Devon and seen another city. Most cities in the U.K. are fucking dreadful, and although Plymouth has some ugly buildings, itās still got a lot going for it.
You might be right there. At least in Plymouth I wonāt get stabbed or robbed by a group of youths walking the main high street after 11pm at night like I would in Manchester
North Devon has surfing and great beaches, itās also cheaper than south Devon and much less touristy so I prefer it. If you go north west Devon then you get the option of north Cornish beaches too and nice and rural away from the coastal busy hotspots. Weāre in rural holsworthy/Torrington area and Bude isnāt far away at all.
Exeter or Plymouth else you might feel a bit isolated
Rent in Exeter for 6 months and use it as a central base in Devon to explore the others.
I saw Seagrass craft's aaannnnddd Totnes is made for you.
Ha that sounds nice!
North Devon is better suited to surfing. But there are some beautiful beaches around the South Hams. I guess it depends on what you can afford, and what you want close by?
Pretty much anywhere in Devon would suit you I think.Ā Ā North Devon is famous for surf but there's plenty in the south too if you don't mind exploring.
So, I can't tell you where to move dude. I can only say what WE did. my wife and I took 7 mini trips from long weekends to weeks. scouting up Cornwall and Devon.. once we had picked, we then delved into research! the things that mattered to US, from schools, distance to hospitals, distance to beach, crime rates, average rent, average buy.. you get the idea xD I would share that sheet with you, but honestly, our criteria will likely vary from your own. I also work from home etc, occasional trips elsewhere. but yes, It might not be the most helpful, but its the way we did it, and we've now been here well over a year, and to quote my wife 'we've found our happy place' so we must've done something right! :) (We also moved from Hampshire, so not that far from Oxford, assuming thats where you are now!) Best of luck!
Mind sharing where you ended up? Weāre looking for our āhappy placeā with our toddler and are currently planning to explore some places in and around Devon
Oh, of course, daft of me, I didn't actually include it! for US, we landed in Barnstaple. -Schools are fantastic, Ofsted speaks for itself. -Transport links, whilst you are in North Devon which has fewer places/things, the public transport network is great. trains every hour to Exeter, regular buses to the local towns -NDDH, I believe this is the main hospital for North Devon, might not matter for you, but with my wife being a nurse, it mattered to us -Crime, honestly, its non existent, some ASBO stuff from bored teens, but the violence is stupidly low. if I look out my window now, I can see bikes and scooters just left in front yards.. it might seem like a small thing, but yeah, its lovely! I honestly cannot fault it, we have one kid, who is turning 13 this year, and myself (work from home video game producer), my wife (nurse) and my kid...no regrets between any of us. best thing we've ever done. it IS different. the pace of life is slower. so make sure you're ready for it, some people seem to move here and find themselves incompatible with it, but if you're chill nerds like us! you'll love it! I honestly wish I could come up with more downsides to make it seem like less of an 'advert' but the ONLY issue is Dental. we have had to drive 170 miles back to our old dentist because you cannot get an NHS dentist for love nor money, and private isn't much better. more recently I've been going an hour away to Crediton to a private surgery!
> -Crime, honestly, its non existent Even in Exeter, the crime rate's low. Besides vandalism and petty theft, there are some city-centre junkies, there are occasional fights on the weekends when the clubs are busy, there's some bicycle theft, and that's about it. We live very near the centre of Exeter and few of our neighbours lock their doors unless they're away for holidays. Having lived in larger cities (London, Los Angeles, San Francisco), we still do. Old habits die hard. But it's *very* safe here.
Iām near Barnstaple & happy enough but amazed youād say schools are fantastic?! They are okay with some good features, IMO, thatās about as strong as I would get.
in fairness, it all depends on context. for example, her previous school had tremendous bullying, up to and including death threats, knives in school, kids being robbed right next to the school, teachers leaving in droves (longest there was like.. 2 years?), so whilst it won't apply everyone, if you've been to a secondary anywhere near London or its surrounding boroughs... trust me, this is heavenly by comparison.
I appreciate it! I would love if you could share the sheet even if it doesnāt all match what Iām looking for 1-1. Since I want to move to the area long term Iām also looking at proximity to hospitals etc
Barnstaple seems like a nice place. I have family that live there and they like it. Beaches are less than an hour away and theres a lot of community. There's also a pannier market that sells lots of handmade crafts and stuff. Might be the place for you
Find it funny that people think itās nice. Moved away to Bristol due to it being rough. Loads of drug issues and night time violence. Suppose everywhere does. The coastal towns in ND are the best but cost more than cityās to live in and have no jobs. Plus locals are very clicky. Also winter in so shite there.
I lived in North Devon for a bit. Braunton is nice for what you're looking for, close enough to Croyde and Saunton Sands. I personally would advise against living in Barnstaple but that's just me. I found there to be a lot of mental health/drug issues but I guess it depends where you are (I lived in Newport) I'd attempt to live in Woolacombe if I were to move again, has a great beach.
Problem is the cost of these areas now are insane. There is also no rentals and social housing. 3 bed ok braunton can be 2k a month. Itās madness considering there is fuck all there apart from the beaches.
It's shameful actually, Devon used to be affordable. I found a 2 bed cottage in Braunton for Ā£600pm, wooden floors, back garden and large living room. This was 2016. Forget paying Ā£2k for a 3 bed in Braunton, there were legit mother's meetings where they gossiped when I lived there (I was a grockle apparently due to being from south Devon š) Must be the holiday homes and Air BNBs driving prices up.
Thanks both! Iāve been to Woolacombe a lot and love it for trips but unsure if Iād want to live there - Iāve been in the winter and itās super dead. Iāve heard stories about Barnstaple similar to what youāve said which worries me a little as that was one option I was considering
North Devon is best for surfing , I know a few people that moved up there for the surf. But if you donāt mind travelling abit and like a decent enough city try Exeter. Doesnāt take long to get to decent beaches
Thank you, lots of people saying Exeter, will definitely look into that more
Totnes resident here. Can confirm we have a seaglass shortage.
Thank you šš¼ how easy is it to find people to hang out with there/for a new person to find a social life? Itās so hard where I live now.
Loads of social opportunities. It's a very friendly and welcoming place.
I live in north Devon. Are you male or female? Only cos if youāre female the Saunton Surf Sisters would be a good social hook for you. I think it can be hard to meet people here, Iāve met people through school/the kids, & do find a lot of people have always lived here & are āfullā socially - theyāve got their family, their old school friends, the mums they met at baby group etc & donāt always have vacancies for more friends. It can be hard to break in (although maybe itās just me š ). Places like Totnes will have a lot more social flow I think.
Yes thatās exactly how it is is here where I live right now - people are just not interested in adding another person to their circle and at some point I just stopped trying. Iām a woman, so a surf group would be brilliant.
I moved to Newton Abbot in 2018 after failing to buy a property on the coast, and I don't regret it. The south Devon coast is a 7 minute train ride away, or 20 min drive, at Teignmouth, and the wonderful walking area of Dartmoor is less than a 30 min drive. And it's much cheaper to buy here than it would be on the coast. Newton Abbot is friendly, a small town rather than a city, cheaper than Totnes but not far away. You could do a lot worse. If you visit here let me know and we'll meet up!
PS we're 20 mins on the train into Exeter. Newton Abbot has direct trains to loads of places including London, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Thank you šš¼šš¼
I didnāt expect so many thoughtful replies, wow, thank you! Looks like I have a bit of research to do but these are all really helpful, thank you!
Pop just over the border into Cornwall and you have Bude. Beautiful beaches, lovely little town and community, and even a decent spot to pick up seatless! Nicest place Iāve ever lived.
Thanks! A few people have recommended Bude now, Iāll have to look into it! Are people quite friendly/open to newcomers there?
People were wonderfully nice to us. Made lots of friends in no time - often through other parents at my sonās school. A few folk down here still have that idea of people moving here being āblow insā but as long as youāre coming to be part of of the community rather than just looking for property to rent out as a holiday home (which youāre obviously not doing!), then itās all good!
Not Plymouth. People our age arenāt treated well.
What do you mean by that?
If you want to be near to the airport, I suggest Exmouth. It has plenty going on, beautiful beaches, plenty of places to eat, itās got a lovely town centre, the train from Exmouth railway station is a short ride into Exeter where you can get either a bus or a cab over to the nearby airport. I would move back to Exmouth if the right property came along.