10 Things I’ve Noticed Since Relocating to Cornwall

I’ve been visiting Cornwall for so long I’ve lost count. I used to drive Gloucester to Newquay and back in a day, just for a surf! Before moving here, my sister genuinely believed that my dogs had experienced more beach days than she’d had in her entire life – and I didn’t doubt there was truth in that. I was born to be at the beach; I’ve always felt it. I’d tried campervanning around, but it wasn’t permanent enough.

When we decided to move to Cornwall, I thought I had a fairly clear picture of what life here would look like – sea swims, coastal walks and a quieter pace of life. I’ll admit the move wasn’t all plain sailing, trying to find rental properties whilst buying (an exceedingly slow process), all while still living and working full-time.

Now that we’re settling into our home (cue lots of renovations ahead), I’m finding time to slow down again with a cup of Cornish tea, my new gorgeous view, and to get some of my observations down on the things I’ve noticed since making the move.

1. The Roadside Stalls Are Wonderful

One of my favourite early discoveries was the abundance of roadside stalls. Little wooden huts and tables scattered along lanes, selling bunches of wildflowers, homegrown veggies, fresh eggs, and jam. They still make me smile now – the honesty, community and connection to local life, quietly rebelliously keeping cash circulating.

2. You Can Experience All Four Seasons Before Lunch

Cornwall weather is not subtle, and it can easily trick you into a false sense of security. Blazing blue skies as you leave for the beach, but you arrive to moody grey clouds. The sideways rain appears and the wind picks up but then you’re left with a vibrant rainbow and sun on your face once again. A proper raincoat, some decent boots and willingness to embrace the rain to enjoy the rainbows is key.

3. I Want to Buy Less

Something unexpected shifted when we moved. The desire to buy for the sake of buying has dramatically reduced. For want of a simpler life with less ‘stuff’ combined with less shops, less temptation = less mindless shopping. I think my fashion sense is even changing, and there’s less pressure to dress a certain way (that I didn’t even know I had been feeling). Maybe it’s the sea air? But when your entertainment is the beach five minutes away, you don’t really need much else.

4. Dinner Out Has Become Lunch or Coffee

We used to go out for dinner fairly often.  Now we still go out but for coffee, or lunch, and evening meals have become slower, cosier and more home-based. On the occasion we have dinner out its more intentional, finding independent spots with seasonal ingredients and somewhere along the way, we’ve quietly said goodbye to chain restaurants (until I’m visiting home and old patterns kick in!).

5. Five Cars Now Feels Like Traffic

Once upon a time my commute was two hours a day (an hour each way along the golden valley, IYKYK) then I began working from home for several years which still involved battling the Gloucester-Cheltenham traffic for business meetings, events, client catch ups. Now, if I see five cars queued at a junction, I instinctively think, “oof, traffic is busy today” and when I travel up country to visit, the traffic hits the nervous system hard. I don’t miss it.

6. We Haven’t Explored Half as Much as We Thought

When you move somewhere beautiful, you imagine constant exploration. New beaches every weekend – and it did begin like this during the first few weeks and I’m sure in the summer we will explore more – but the reality is different. We have our favourite beach just minutes away so we go there a lot, and instead of feeling urgency, it’s comforting to think we’ve got the rest of our lives.

7. The Creative Scene Is Thriving

The arts, crafts and music scene here is woven into everyday life. I’ve already met local makers, artists, ceramicists, jewellery designers. Local people have built beautiful, thoughtful businesses and I’ve already taken some classes - with my eye on a few more – I love getting my craft on and trying new things.

8. I’ve Dipped Less, But Sauna’d More

Strangely, I haven’t been swimming half as much as I expected since relocating to Cornwall. As someone who religiously cold-dipped on every visit (yes, even in winter), I assumed I’d be in the sea constantly. Don’t get me wrong, I am still very much drawn to the Mor (Cornish for Sea), and being beside it does real things to the mind, but for now I’ve fallen in love with the sauna culture here. There’s a real community around it, being social without being loud. I’m sure the dips will continue, just right now I’m embracing the heat.

9. “Just, Beach”

I asked my partner for his input on these observations. In true Ken energy, the response I got was “just, beach”. I cannot disagree! We have so many incredible beaches here, some stretch for miles and some are beautiful, secluded coves blessed with wildlife. It’s wild here in winter and wilder (with crowds!) in summer. Our plans mostly revolve around it, from a dog walk, to a surf, to a morning coffee or a sunset dip.

10. Life Is Slower And I Don’t Regret It

Things take longer here such as (buying a house, don’t get me started), getting deliveries, running errands, and reaching the rest of the UK. But my thoughts feel less rushed, and my days feel longer and fuller, even when we do very little. And I don’t regret it for one second.

As I was about to publish, I noticed something interesting that the last blog post I entered was about my vision board back in 2021. The vision board created was of my current reality. It didn't happen by magic, but I believed in it. I look forward to slowly taking it all in, day by day. x