Where is a seaside version of keswick, to move too?

[steve yates]

All of Cornwall has some very deprived areas, but then so do most places.

I don't recognise that description of Falmouth, yes, it can get busy in summer (half the time due to students) but certainly isn't "dead" in the winter - unless, I suppose, your viewpoint is of some Damien Hurst wannabe poncing around between their one weekly lecture on post-modernist crayoning.

The maritime side of the Uni is flourishing, and with far less pretentious people.

To answer the OP's original question, it has to be Penzance. Not without it's problems, but a fantastic town.

I really really like Penzance, the couple of times I have been thereI reckon it would be a great place to live!

 

[steve yates]

Wales is a good idea, I like Bangor and Aberystwyth , I prefer fishguard to milford, but Jo has family around Llanelli so Pembroke could be a good call. North Wales is a bit easier to get out of mind, and is my old climbing haunt.

 

[E39mad]

Off into the Plymouth estuaries such as Millbrook, Cargreen or Calstock - probably a bit smaller than what is required but nice enough places and not bad value for the West Country.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Almost all nice seaside places have problems because visitors (a) buy holiday houses, pricing locals out and (b) disappear in the winter, As a result, locals tend to depend on low-paid seasonal work and still can't afford to live there. Cornwall gets it worst because it's such a nice place to go on holiday, but you find the same problems all round the coast.

+1 - it's generally true of all non-industrial seaside towns. During the summer they depend on visitors; during the winter they hibernate! And "winter" for a seaside town tends to mean "not in the school holidays". You might do better in places with with an active fishing fleet - Eyemouth in the Scottish Borders comes to mind, but places like that are becoming less and less common as inshore fishing gets less profitable. Eyemouth has an interesting history; being the East Coast port closest to England, it had a thriving smuggling trade, which is well-remembered in the town! Dunbar was good in the 60s, but I gather the harbour has silted up and the fishing fleet diminished since we berthed there with my father's boat.

That said, Keswick must go to sleep in the winter; the Lake District is very much a holiday destination, and my experience of it is that it is full of tourist oriented shops (nothing wrong with that!). Of course, Keswick also has the annual Keswick Convention, which probably has a major effect on the "feel" of the town.

 

[jimi]

Personally I'd stick with Keswick but moor the boat near Oban. That way you'll see so much rain you'll get used to it and it won't bother you ;-) Seriously , though, I'd give my eye teeth to reside in Keswick. Borrowdale holds a special place in my heart with teenage years spent climbing on Shepherds, Black,Falcon, Goat etc and evenings in the Woolpack or Dog and Gun.

 

[steve yates]

+1 - it's generally true of all non-industrial seaside towns. During the summer they depend on visitors; during the winter they hibernate! And "winter" for a seaside town tends to mean "not in the school holidays". You might do better in places with with an active fishing fleet - Eyemouth in the Scottish Borders comes to mind, but places like that are becoming less and less common as inshore fishing gets less profitable. Eyemouth has an interesting history; being the East Coast port closest to England, it had a thriving smuggling trade, which is well-remembered in the town! Dunbar was good in the 60s, but I gather the harbour has silted up and the fishing fleet diminished since we berthed there with my father's boat.

That said, Keswick must go to sleep in the winter; the Lake District is very much a holiday destination, and my experience of it is that it is full of tourist oriented shops (nothing wrong with that!). Of course, Keswick also has the annual Keswick Convention, which probably has a major effect on the "feel" of the town.

Keswick has a surprisingly long season, it does have the only mountains in England, so the serious walkers and climbers still come here all year round. Definitely quieter without the main tourists though, it's great to get the pubs to ourselves.

The convention is a blight, fills up all accomodation for 3 weeks with visitors who spend very little relatively. It would be ok in the winter, but a pita in the summer.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Keswick has a surprisingly long season, it does have the only mountains in England, so the serious walkers and climbers still come here all year round. Definitely quieter without the main tourists though, it's great to get the pubs to ourselves.

The convention is a blight, fills up all accomodation for 3 weeks with visitors who spend very little relatively. It would be ok in the winter, but a pita in the summer.

I know the place from both angles; in my younger days I climbed many of the Lake District peaks - indeed, I heard the results of my Finals while camping at Wasdale Head (in those days, that meant a pre-planned telephone call to a friend who remained behind!). And I attended the Conference once; again, long ago. The Keswick Conference may not bring much to the town directly, but I suspect that it does mean that a large number of people who might not otherwise think of the Lake District as a holiday destination have it raised in their awareness. And, of course, all those people who let accommodation do all right out of it; my recollection is that accommodation is at premium prices during the Convention!

 

[Motor_Sailor]

. . .And, of course, all those people who let accommodation do all right out of it; my recollection is that accommodation is at premium prices during the Convention!

Even those with accommodation to let still seem to be very vocal in trying to get the convention moved out of Keswick. Haven't heard any locals who like it.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Even those with accommodation to let still seem to be very vocal in trying to get the convention moved out of Keswick. Haven't heard any locals who like it.

The Conference is less of an event in the Christian Calendar than it once was; it's place has to some extent been overtaken by other events such as New Wine, Greenbelt and similar. The Keswick Convention tends to be more hardcore theology!

 

[Halo]

You said that it would be Tynemouth if the sailing were better. Having sailed round the UK twice and having been based for the summer in most parts I would say - what is wrong with sailing from Tynemouth ? Whenever there is a westerly wind you get smooth seas and an offshore breeze, its an easy trip to the Farnes and Whitby , you can go upriver for a great night out and have 24h access to the sea from a lovely marina with new facilities. When you want to go further you can go down the coast to the east coast rivers or across to the Netherlands or up to the Forth, Moray Firth and Caledonian Canal. IMHO The Farnes has the best wildlife anywhere round the Great Britain and is a day sail away. As far as I can see the only downsides are the relative cold compared to the deep South and the rough seas in Easterlies.

 

[CamR]

I sail out of Sunderland and live in South Shields at the mouth of the Tyne

There are Marinas at Royal Quays(North Shields), Amble, Blyth, Sunderland, Seaham, Hartlepool. Tynemouth & South Shields Sailing clubs are both Dinghy with NO yachts or moorings. I am a member at Sunderland Yacht Club where there are trot moorings available.

Tynemouth is a nice place but it is effectively an extension of Whitley Bay and doesn't have the same atmosphere as Keswick( We are regular visitors)

There are some nice wee harbours on the Northumbrian coast, such as Craster, you would need to have a bilge keel, and you could consider staying in soewhere like Alnwick or Alnmouth. You would be less than an hour from Newcastle

 

[AngusMcDoon]

If you can cope with island life what about Peel on the Isle of Man? Its location in the middle of the Irish Sea gives access to England, Scotland, Wales, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland all reachable in a day, and the Clyde and Hebrides another day away. It's a similar sized town to Keswick, has hills and mountains nearby and a city only 30 minutes away.

 

[JumbleDuck]

If you can cope with island life what about Peel on the Isle of Man? Its location in the middle of the Irish Sea gives access to England, Scotland, Wales, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland all reachable in a day, and the Clyde and Hebrides another day away. It's a similar sized town to Keswick, has hills and mountains nearby and a city only 30 minutes away.

There could be issues with health cover. The Manx health service isn't completely NHS-compatible. Also I am reliably informed that the waiting list for space in Peel is enormous.

 

[steve yates]

Even those with accommodation to let still seem to be very vocal in trying to get the convention moved out of Keswick. Haven't heard any locals who like it.

It's notso much the convention per se, though obviously it is an acquired taste, it is the timing of it they object to. The accomodation providers would be full anyway, and every other business in town takes a massive hit in normal summer takings. 3 weeks worth of winter turnover is a hard thing to suffer in the summer months, when it is needed to get enough cashflow to carry through winter. It actually makes no difference to my own business, but I can see it has a huge effect on almost all others.

 

[steve yates]

If you can cope with island life what about Peel on the Isle of Man? Its location in the middle of the Irish Sea gives access to England, Scotland, Wales, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland all reachable in a day, and the Clyde and Hebrides another day away. It's a similar sized town to Keswick, has hills and mountains nearby and a city only 30 minutes away.

If it wasn't for the regular cancer care required, Peel would be a great suggestion.

 

[Topcat47]

At the moment, Hampshire appear to be intent on building all the way from Portsmouth to Southampton so it's going to be even worse than it is now. That said, if you have a lot of cash there are still some lovely villages around the Hamble. Hythe is on Southampton water and has a marina some pretty spots. Handy for the New Forest, too. Hill Head is OK and has a sailing club with access to the Eastern Solent.

 

[wully1]

Yes largs, Ayr and Troon on Scotland's SW is lovlely , great sailing and surfing in Kintyre ,
Or there is Berwick on the East coast (good surfing)

Note that it’s a good 4 1/2 hours from Largs etc to Machrihanish, maybe a bit less to Pease Bay...

 

[JumbleDuck]

Note that it’s a good 4 1/2 hours from Largs etc to Machrihanish, maybe a bit less to Pease Bay...

There's always the ferry, but the service is even worse than I remember it being before:

I suspect it's down to the well-publicised problems getting the new Arran ferry finished. They're basically reduced to parking the current one overnight at Campbeltown three times per week.

 

[Garold]

At the moment, Hampshire appear to be intent on building all the way from Portsmouth to Southampton so it's going to be even worse than it is now. That said, if you have a lot of cash there are still some lovely villages around the Hamble. Hythe is on Southampton water and has a marina some pretty spots. Handy for the New Forest, too. Hill Head is OK and has a sailing club with access to the Eastern Solent.

I always thought that Emsworth would be a pleasant place to live down there with close access to Chichester harbour for lots of mooring options and also sailing in the harbour, or out on the Solent for longer jaunts. From Emsworth, larger places such as Chichester, Portsmouth and Southampton.

The downs are close by for walking and I believe that surfing and kite surfing are popular in Bracklesham bay.

I think that the property prices may be higher than Keswick though.

Garold

 

[Romeo]

There's always the ferry, but the service is even worse than I remember it being before:

I suspect it's down to the well-publicised problems getting the new Arran ferry finished. They're basically reduced to parking the current one overnight at Campbeltown three times per week.

I fear that even the advertised service is optimistic. And it is a long long way by road. From anywhere.