Coast Saltwater Living Issue 2 - Move to the coast

SALTWATER LIVING

MOVE TO THE COAST ESCAPE THE CITY AND LIVE BY THE SEA, IT’S GOOD FOR YOU!

PROPERTY GUIDE � FIND AN AFFORDABLE RETREAT � TOP SEASIDE LOCATIONS

LIVING THE DREAM

LEARN TO SAIL A DINGHY COOL BEACH CAFÉS FUN FAMILY ACTIVITIES

No 2 £6.99

SALTWATER LIVING

CONTENTS

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ED’S LETTER Welcome THE OCEAN EFFECT Living by the sea really is good for you – and there’s scientific research to back that up. Anna Turns reports

PROPERTY

16 MOVING TO THE COAST

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Lesley Gillilan looks at coastal towns that offer good options to upsize or downsize 15 BEST COASTAL PROPERTY HOTSPOTS Which up-and-coming towns and cities are seeing strong investment and regeneration?

AFFORDABLE SEASIDE HAVENS What kind of property can you expect to buy for less than £200,000?

MOVE TO DUNDEE Why this little Scottish city is the master of re-invention MOVE TO HORNSEA This Yorkshire spot has a low profile but much to recommend it MOVE TO SOUTHENDON-SEA An Essex seaside town with great transport links, good schools and properties that just keep rising in value

SALTWATER LIVING 42 MOVE TO MUMBLES A Welsh gem with family appeal 46 MOVE TO WHITEHAVEN The less busy Cumbrian coast has a quiet charm 50 BE SEASIDE-SAVVY How to buy a holiday home to let

COASTAL LIVING

58 10 BEST COASTAL 62 68 74 80

coastmagazine.co.uk

SALTWATER LIVING

MOVE TO THE COAST ESCAPE THE CITY AND LIVE BY THE SEA, IT’S GOOD FOR YOU!

PROPERTY GUIDE � FIND AN AFFORDABLE RETREAT � TOP SEASIDE LOCATIONS

No 2 £6.99

LIVING THE DREAM

LEARN TO SAIL A DINGHY COOL BEACH CAFÉS FUN FAMILY ACTIVITIES

COVER IMAGE: Weymouth/Visit Dorset

Saltwater Living is published by Kelsey Media, Cudham Tithe Barn, Berry’s Hill, Cudham, Kent TN16 3AG coast.ed@kelsey.co.uk

EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: ALEX FISHER Art Director: Heather Elizabeth Curtis Chief Sub-Editor: Anne-Claire Heels Contributing Editor: Caroline Wheater With thanks to: Lesley Gillilan, Alex Reece, Alice Wright, Anna Turns ADVERTISEMENT SALES

ACTIVITIES Family fun days DINGHY-SALIING ON TRESCO Take to the water THE LIVING IS EASY Beach hut life in Dorset 1O BEST SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD RESTAURANTS Must-visit places for foodies COOL CAFÉS Four laidback venues offering fantastic fare

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Managing Director: Phil Weeden Chief Executive: Steve Wright Finance Director: Joyce Parker-Sarioglu Publishing Director: Kevin McCormick Retail Distribution Manager: Eleanor Brown Audience Development Manager: Andy Cotton Brand Marketing Manager: Rebecca Gibson Events Manager: Kat Chappell HR & Operations Manager: Charlotte Whittaker Print Production Manager: Nicola Pollard Print Production Controller: Kelly Orriss

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a great discount

WE MADE THE MOVE 86 LET THERE BE LIGHT

Find current subscription offers at shop.kelsey.co.uk/coast Buy back issues at shop.kelsey.co.uk/coastback Already a subscriber? Manage your subscription online at shop.kelsey.co.uk/myaccount

Setting up a new home and business – a boutique B&B 92 THE FUTURE’S BRIGHT Family life away from the city

DISTRIBUTION Seymour Distribution Ltd 2 East Poultry Avenue, London EC1A 9PT seymour.co.uk 020 74294000 PRINTING William Gibbons & Sons Ltd, Willenhall, West Midlands Kelsey Media 2019 © all rights reserved. Kelsey Media is a trading name of Kelsey Publishing Ltd. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden except with permission in writing from the publishers.

Note to contributors: articles submitted for consideration by the editor must be the original work of the author and not previously published. Where photographs are included, which are not the property of the contributor, permission to reproduce them must have been obtained from the owner of the copyright.

The editor cannot guarantee a personal response to all letters and emails received. The views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the Editor or Publisher. Kelsey Publishing Ltd accepts no liability for products and services offered by third parties.

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All prices correct at time of going to press. Saltwater Living cannot be responsible for any subsequent changes made by the companies involved.

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ED’S LETTER

W

WELCOME

elcome to our first Saltwater Living Make the Move to the Coast Special! So many readers tell me how our sister publication, coast, inspired them to leave their city lives behind to make a new life by the sea. Often they have found the actual property they relocated to for sale in the pages of the magazine, so it made sense to me to put all of our best ideas around buying a property or moving to the seaside into one publication. In the following pages you’ll find top tips on up-and-coming locations, what to consider when upsizing or downsizing, and how to purchase a holiday let.

Most people instinctively know that living by the sea is good for them, they just feel good when they are by the ocean, but on page 8, Anna Turns discusses the scientific reasons why coastal living is so good for your mental and physical health. We also look at what you can enjoy when you get there, with recommendations for some of the best sustainable seafood restaurants on the beach, and new activities and sports you might want to start once you have made the move.

Alex Fisher, Editor-in-Chief

@coastmag @coastmaguk facebook.com/coastmagazine

THE CREW CAROLINE WHEATER

Caroline is contributing editor on coast and Saltwater Living, and is a freelance journalist of many years’ standing.

While she lives amidst the apple orchards in Kent, her heart leaps at the thought of the sea, especially Whitstable and Broadstairs in her home county, and Eastbourne and Hastings in neighbouring East Sussex.

Walking along a pier anywhere on the British coast enchants her, and watching flocks of seabirds is a favourite pastime. Good seafood is another passion. Recently she discovered the Crab Shed at Steephill Cove on the Isle of Wight. Here, the food is delicious, and the pink wine crisp and cold – simply perfect.

ANNE-CLAIRE HEELS

Anne-Claire joined coast in 2016 and is also chief sub editor on Saltwater Living. She has lived by the coast in East Devon and in Jersey, and being from Ireland has a soft spot for wild Atlantic shores. She especially loves coastal walking, whether that’s a proper hike on way-marked paths or a stroll along the prom – it’s the endless variety of little sheltered bays or vast sandy beaches and quiet creeks. She loves the whole seaside vibe from beach huts and piers to remote lighthouses and wildflowers in the shingle. She ‘fesses up too that no trip to the coast is complete without either fish and chips or an ice cream, or, ideally, both.

HEATHER CURTIS

Heather has been coast’s art director since 2015 and is responsible for the design and artistic direction of the magazine, as well as Saltwater Living. Having grown up in South London, one of her favourite seaside places to visit is Brighton, which she enjoys with her family on sunny days, wandering along the front and pier, stopping for tea and a crab sandwich on the beach. In the summer, she gathers everyone to go to Studland in Dorset, drawn by the long sandy beach and the crystal waters where they all go paddling.

Over an ice cream, she likes to watch the boats go past and the antics of the surfers.

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WHY LIVE BY THE SEA?

THE OCEAN EFFECT

Living by the sea really is good for you – and there’s evidence to support it. Environmental psychologist Dr Lewis Elliott explores the therapeutic benefits of being in, on and by the water WORDS ANNA TURNS

WHAT’S THE BIG DRAW?

Spiritually, Hindus bathe in the River Ganges and Jesus Christ was baptised in the River Jordan.

It’s no coincidence that aquatic environments are so entwined with these prominent experiences of spiritual replenishment, Dr Elliott believes. Despite obvious dangers associated with water, people have always gravitated to live near the sea, and he wonders if perhaps there’s an element of 8 coa s t mag azin e.co.uk

survival instinct that kicks in too.

Way before spa hotels became fashionable, respite by the sea was what the doctor ordered.

Historically, people were sent to convalesce by the coast, and sea-bathing hospitals were a common treatment in Victorian times. In the 1750s, Dr Richard Russell actively encouraged people, including the Royal family, to go sea-bathing in Brighton, and in the 1930s, Dr Fortescue Fox was flagging up the need for more

research to be done on the health implications of being by the coast.

Holidays are when people are often most active and spend longer at the coast. ‘I’d never underestimate the importance of holidays – they can expose you to natural environments that you might not access at other times in the year, it’s incredibly important,’ says Dr Elliott, ‘but the cumulative effect of actually living by the sea could have a much greater effect in the longer term.’

FAMILY PHOTOGRAPH DAVID KING PHOTOGRAPHY/SHUTTERSTOCK PHOTOGRAPH, OPPOSITE MAMBO6435/SHUTTERSTOCK

D

espite the widespread intuitive feeling that being by the sea makes us happier and healthier, there hasn’t been much scientific evidence to quantify this belief.

Until recently. Environmental psychologist Dr Lewis Elliott studies how the natural environment, in particular the coast, makes us feel, think and behave – and he and his team at the University of Exeter’s European Centre for Environment & Human Health are unravelling the tangible benefits of breathing in the fresh sea air.

WHY LIVE BY THE SEA?

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WHY LIVE BY THE SEA?

PHOTOGRAPH MIKE CHARLES/SHUTTERSTOCK

‘Without a HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT we’d CEASE to SURVIVE. I’m interested in preserving HUMAN HEALTH and the PRESERVATION of our COASTS is VITAL to that’

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WHY LIVE BY THE SEA? Dr Elliott studies how exposure to the coast affects health and wellbeing across the population.

His colleagues’ recent study with English census data looked at how 48m adults rated their health, on a scale from poor to excellent, in relation to where they lived.

‘This may seem like a simple question but it’s a big predictor of mortality, and combined with their addresses, we discovered that the closer people live to the coast in England, the better they rate their health,’ he says. What’s more, these positive effects were stronger in poorer communities.

My interpretation is that there are more opportunities for physical activity and stress reduction by the coast that don’t exist inland.’

His team also looked at this effect over time and found that when people lived by the coast, they were healthier and experienced lower mental distress but when the same people moved inland, these effects were reversed.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Coastal spaces tend to be hubs for social interaction, whether a family barbecue on the beach or a long cliff walk with a pal. ‘The coast offers opportunities for experiences that strengthen support networks and lead to better mental health,’ continues Dr Elliott, who looks at the various ways that being by the coast can potentially improve health, including environmental factors such as better air quality or increased vitamin D absorption.

He also expands on the coast’s restorative properties: ‘If you use up a lot of cognitive resources in your daily life, being in natural places away from busier, urban

environments can replenish these resources.’ People also develop emotional attachments or a sense of belonging to places where they live or enjoyed childhood activities.

Those who live by the coast are also much more likely to exercise regularly, be that surfing, sailing, fishing, swimming or walking. ‘We know that when people go to the beach, there are opportunities to be physically active and people are more likely to stay for longer.

Physical activity has a strong effect on mental health, and when combined with being in a natural, coastal environment, these effects become even stronger,’ he adds.

To estimate the impact of specific activities, Dr Elliott’s team used data from The Health Survey for England to estimate how much energy is used per year in each sport. Active watersports, surfing say, reduce the risk of chronic conditions such as dementia and cardiovascular disease. So taking into account how much it costs to treat these conditions, scientists could conceptually calculate (albeit based on a number of assumptions) that surfing could save society between £8.2m and £34.8m per year. The study found that sailing had the biggest impact overall (between £55.3m and £233.3m), because more people spend longer doing it.

However, going much beyond the shoreline is, in fact, uncommon: ‘Across the English population, less than 0.5% of people actually go into the water to do activities like swimming and watersports.

In terms of health promotion, it makes more sense to encourage walking by the coast rather than the more adventurous pursuits, as

walking is more accessible and more likely to lead to longer-term health gains,’ says Dr Elliott, adding that improved health could potentially justify the cost of improving coastal access.

THE VITAL SIGNS

Is it possible to bottle these benefits and improve healthcare for people who can’t get to coast?

Dr Elliott is investigating possible applications in clinical settings: ‘As part of the EU-funded BlueHealth project, we’re researching the use of virtual aquatic environments when, for example, people are on dialysis or in palliative care, to see if this can reduce pain or anxiety.

Other research has found that anxious patients undergoing simulated dental surgery recalled less vivid memories of the experience when they were given a virtual headset showing images of Wembury Beach in Devon.’

‘Without a healthy environment we’d cease to survive. I’m interested in preserving human health and the preservation of our coasts is vital to that,’ he adds.

‘We want to show policymakers in economic terms that promoting coastal activities and conservation saves society money.’ So he and his team are on a mission to make marine sustainability part of the public health strategy by informing the UK government and EU about the importance of conserving the marine environment as a way to improve public health. If we look after our marine environment, it will have a stronger, more positive effect on our own health and wellbeing in the future.

For more information, see bluehealth2020.eu c oa stm a ga zin e .co.uk

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WHY LIVE BY THE SEA?

Five reasons to live by the sea

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You are more likely to exercise regularly if you live within 1km of the English coastline.

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You rate your health as significantly better if you live within 5km of the British coastline.

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You are more likely to have better mental health if you live within 5km of the British coastline.

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The UK economy could benefit to the tune of £176m of healthcare savings per year from water-based recreation alone.

SOURCES: 1. Cracknell, D., White, M. P., Pahl, S., Nichols, W. J., & Depledge, M. H. (2015). Marine Biota and Psychological Well-Being A Preliminary Examination of Dose–Response Effects in an Aquarium Setting. Environment and Behavior, 48(10), 1242-1269. 2a. Wheeler, B. W., White, M., Stahl-Timmins, W., & Depledge, M. H. (2012). Does living by the coast improve health and wellbeing? Health & place, 18(5), 1198-1201. 2b. White, M. P., Alcock, I., Wheeler, B. W., & Depledge, M. H. (2013). Coastal proximity, health and wellbeing: results from a longitudinal panel survey. Health & place, 23, 97-103. 3. White, M. P., Wheeler, B. W., Herbert, S., Alcock, I., & Depledge, M. H. (2014). Coastal proximity and physical activity: Is the coast an under-appreciated public health resource? Preventive medicine, 69, 135-140. 4. White, M. P., Alcock, I., Wheeler, B. W., & Depledge, M. H. (2013). Coastal proximity, health and wellbeing: results from a longitudinal panel survey. Health & place, 23, 97-103. 5. Papathanasopoulou, E., White, M. P., Hattam, C., Lannin, A., Harvey, A., & Spencer, A. (2016). Valuing the health benefits of physical activities in the marine environment and their importance for marine spatial planning. Marine Policy, 63, 144-152.

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PHOTOGRAPH PJ PHOTOGRAPHY/SHUTTERSTOCK

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PROPERTY

CROMER PHOTOGRAPH TANASUT CHINDASUTHI/SHUTTERSTOCK

� MOVING TO THE COAST � 15 BEST COASTAL PROPERTY HOTSPOTS � AFFORDABLE SEASIDE BOLTHOLES � HOW TO BUY A HOLIDAY HOME

PROPERTY

MOVING TO THE COAST

Read on to discover our top tips for making the move, whether you’re looking for a family home with dreamy sea views or are downsizing from a larger city house WORDS LESLEY GILLILAN

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PROPERTY

S

ometimes a day at the seaside is all it takes.

One minute you’re collecting pebbles on the beach, the next you’re gazing longingly at the properties in a local estate agent’s window. First you fantasise – and then you start doing sums. Swapping the city for a new life on the coast could be a dream come true, but making a successful move is all about balance sheets and practicalities.

Whether you are upsizing or downsizing, the general idea is to fund a better quality of life: a larger house, perhaps, smaller outgoings or no mortgage, plus sea views, fresh air and beaches. And choosing the right place at the right time is an important factor in making it work for you.

PHOTOGRAPH NUNO CARRACA/SHUTTERSTOCK ILLUSTRATIONS CUBE 29/SHUTTERSTOCK

DOWNSIZING

This is where you cash in on the value of a town, city or country house and buy something smaller and, usually, cheaper by the seaside. Downshifters are the most traditional of move-to-the-coast migrants and, according to property finder Jayne Phillips Choak of Live Beside the Sea in Cornwall, the majority are retired or semi-retired – emptynesters, rattling around in large houses too big and too expensive to run. One of her recent clients sold a large family home in the Southeast for more than £1m, and bought a smaller home in Cornwall for just over £400,000.

They chose Penzance (pictured left) over St Ives, as they could get more for their money there.

And the release of equity was an important part of the equation.

‘Most people want the comfort of a pot of money in the bank,’ says Jayne (winner of the National Property Finder of the Year award in 2017). For many shifters, the money is there for luxuries and holidays as well as supplementing a pension or providing a cushion for old age, although Jayne has seen more people passing on the equity to their children to help the next generation buy their homes.

UPSIZING

An increasingly popular option for city-dwelling families, upsizing is a case of cashing in on a high-value city property to buy a roomier home on the coast. The majority are couples with small children – or plans to start a family – who have out-grown their current home and have been out-priced by

the phenomenal growth in urban prices. When you can sell a twobedroom, no-garden apartment in East London for £1m or more, and buy a four-bedroom house in, say, Whitstable for £695,000, it looks like a no-brainer. And there are cheaper places than Whitstable.

In the best-case scenarios, upsizers can end up with twice the property for half the price.

The majority of upsizers are young(ish) professionals. Often they move back to places they’ve grown up in or they are looking to replicate idyllic seaside holidays that they enjoyed in childhood.

Unlike retired buyers, a source of income is paramount – so these people tend to choose places which offer good employment opportunities or the scope for a city commute. Another option is to choose houses with letting

ON the UP!

Five up-and-coming areas to consider • RAMSGATE, KENT. According to Zoopla, Broadstairs topped the UK’s seaside property league for average property rises in 2017; Margate came fifth. So is Ramsgate the dark horse of the three Isle of Thanet towns?

With listed townhouses, a Royal Marina and a high-speed train to London, it’s on the up.

• DUNDEE, SCOTLAND. Dundee is the UK’s first UNESCO City of Design and is home to the new V&A Museum of Design. A developing waterfront and the seaside

suburb of Broughty Ferry make it well worth investigating.

• CROMER, NORFOLK. Rows of seafront townhouses, cliff-top gardens and beaches – at half the price of Blakeney or Wells-next-the-Sea. • BALLYCASTLE, ANTRIM. The Sunday Times often hails Ballycastle as the best place to live in Northern Ireland. The seaside town boasts beaches, dramatic cliffs and an hour’s commute to Belfast.

• NEWQUAY, CORNWALL. Think gorgeous beaches, an airport and a foodie culture.

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PROPERTY

DOWNSIZING

• Swap North London for the Isle of Wight. Your four-bed family house in Tufnell Park (£1m+) will more than cover a three-bed seaside bungalow in Bembridge (c£600,000).

• Move to Pembrokeshire from Oxford. Sell a five-bed detached home (c£1.5m) and buy a three-bed detached in Saundersfoot (c£350,000).

• Swap Solihull for Somerset. A four-bed house could easily fetch c£700,000 – while you could move to a two-bed seaside home in Minehead for c£220,000.

potential, or lifestyle properties which combine a home and business. The running-a-B&B option is a tried-and-tested lifestyle change for a lot of upsizers.

THE REALITY CHECK

It doesn’t do to get too romantic though – this is not a holiday after all. Moving from London can be a one-way ticket, so this is a big decision that demands pragmatism and real commitment. Never mind the sunsets and the scenery, what about jobs, schools, transport links and public services?

In North Devon, for example, you might fall for a thatched cottage close to the long surfy beaches of Woolacombe or Croyde; but local rail services only go as far as 1 8 co as t magazin e.co.uk

inland Barnstaple and the nearest motorway is almost two hours away. Cornwall is one of the most seductive of seaside destinations, but it can rain a lot there (those misty swells rolling in from the Atlantic Ocean) and it can also feel quite isolated – far away from families and friends. In general, seaside resorts that are full of life in the summer can by deadly – or dull – in the winter. And even ‘full of life’ can be a bit of a curse at times: in high season, you have to share ‘your’ beach with maybe a thousand others. Will you cope?

The Scottish islands? Stunning, but weather can make the ferry services unreliable in the winter and you could be plagued by clouds of midges in summer.

Wales is beautiful, too, but many Welsh schools are bi-lingual, and there are towns and villages all over the country with no local secondary schools. There are numerous coastal areas in the UK that don’t have fast broadband

either – or even a decent large supermarket. So there are many factors to consider.

Jayne suggests dipping a toe in the water first, by renting for a while before committing to buying anywhere. ‘Make a list of your priorities,’ she advises. ‘And do your homework.’

WHEN TO GO

The short answer is now. A 2017 report compiled by David Fell, a research analyst at Hamptons International, showed that a fifth of homes in Britain’s coastal resorts sold for more than the asking price – the highest proportion since 2007. And according to the latest Seaside Town Review compiled by Halifax in 2019, prices in seaside towns have increased on average by 29% over the last 10 years. While there has been a recent dip in London values, prices in many seaside areas remain strong.

There’s no time like the present.

PROPERTY Cromer in Norfolk offers great period townhouses and sandy beaches for half the price of Wells-Next-The-Sea

UPSIZING

APPROXIMATE HOUSE PRICES AS ON RIGHTMOVE, MAY 2019 PHOTOGRAPH TANASUT CHINDASUTHI/SHUTTERSTOCK

• Swap Cambridge for Suffolk. A three-bed terrace (c£600,000) could buy a five-bed townhouse in Felixstowe (c£300,000).

• Swap Manchester for North Wales. The cost of a three-bed terrace in Didsbury (c£450,000) will cover a four-bed family home in Bangor (c£350,000).

• Swap Glasgow’s West End for Oban on the west coast. For the price of a twobed flat (c£400,000) in the city, you could have a threebed Victorian villa in this popular town (c£320,000).

WHERE TO BUY? BEST FOR: COMMUTERS Southend-on-Sea in Essex is London’s closest seaside resort (54 mins to Fenchurch St) and offers handsome Victorian or Edwardian family houses for around £650,000.

Other seaside towns with viable commutes into the capital include Whitstable in Kent (81 mins to Waterloo), Ipswich in Suffolk (72 mins to Liverpool St) and Brighton’s little sister Shoreham-bySea (75 mins to Victoria).

Edinburgh shifters might consider Kinghorn in Fife (40 mins by train and less than half the average price of the more obvious North Berwick).

Holywood is the go-to choice for many Belfast commuters, but you get more house, and more seaside, in Bangor.

BEST FOR: RETIREES Buyers searching for a life in retirement are usually looking at seaside towns with shops, public health services and decent entertainment venues within walking distance. For all these things plus fast rail services into London, Hythe in Kent is a good choice.

Bridport, Dorset, has a lively arts scene, an old-fashioned high street with farmers’ markets and restaurants, all within a mile of the harbour at West Bay. Budleigh Salterton (five miles from the mainline station in Honiton) offers a

cheaper alternative to the harbour towns of the South Hams. And don’t discount the traditional retirement spots like Eastbourne: the town now has a Cultural Quarter, as well as the emerging Devonshire Quarter (with a theatre, conference venue and tennis village).

BEST FOR: CREATIVES Seaside towns that combine cheap property and inspiring landscapes are a magnet for creatives. The obvious choice is Margate, which has seen a flock of arty Londoners heading for Tracey Emin’s Kent home.

In Yorkshire, Bridlington (the former hometown of David Hockney) offers an arty Old Town and inspiring landscapes nearby at Flamborough Head.

In Cornwall, Penzance has become a popular choice for artists – and it’s nearly half the price of nearby St Ives.

BEST FOR: FAMILIES Perfect beaches, affordable houses, good schools, decent jobs and a lively social life are corner-stones of family life by the sea. In Cornwall, Falmouth is a tad expensive but has all of the above, plus a university campus. Bournemouth in Dorset offers similar assets.

Tenby in Pembrokeshire ticks a lot of boxes too, while Southend has some of best schools on the coast.

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PROPERTY

15 best...

COASTAL PROPERTY HOTSPOTS Increased investment is always welcome news for our coastal communities. So which cities and towns are currently the ones to watch? Read on and find out…

WORDS LESLEY GILLILAN

FOR... ART & DESIGN

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Dundee, Scotland The new V&A Museum is just part of the £1bn Dundee Waterfront regeneration scheme that’s in the process of turning a swathe of Scotland’s fourth largest city into an international design hub. The museum, designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, is the centrepiece, but there’s lots more: themed gardens linked to an urban beach and a boardwalk along the Tay Estuary; an improved railway station; and, in Seabraes, innovative work spaces for creatives. One of the UK’s largest redevelopment projects, this transformation is expected to create new communities of riverside homes and around 7,000 jobs (dundeewaterfront.com).

Average house price: £166,908.

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FOR... AN ICON REBORN

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Whitley Bay, Tyneside The Spanish City (right) is the Brighton Pavilion of the north – or it was until it closed 18 years ago, leaving the entertainment centre empty and the seafront looking unloved. However, it re-opened in July 2018 after restoration and offers indoor leisure facilities including restaurants, tearooms, event spaces and a Champagne and Oyster bar. As part of a coastal redevelopment plan by North Tyneside Council and delivered by restaurant enterprise Kymel, the Spanish City is now the icing on the cake for Whitley Bay, which is emerging as the surfing capital of the northeast. Average house price: £234,091.

FOR... BUDGET NORFOLK

HOUSE PRICES CORRECT AS AT MAY 2019. SOURCE: ZOOPLA.CO.UK WHITLEY BAY PHOTOGRAPH KYMEL HUNSTANTON PHOTOGRAPH PHILIP BIRD/ SHUTTERSTOCK WEYMOUTH PHOTOGRAPH VISIT DORSET

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Hunstanton, North Norfolk On The Wash to the west of the North Norfolk coast ‘Hunston’, as it’s known to locals, is a traditional Victorian resort, best known for its natural assets: striped red-chalk cliffs, sandy beaches and magnificent sunsets (the town is fond of saying it’s ‘the only westfacing resort on the east coast’). Hemingway Design has been appointed to help jazz up the seafront as part of a regeneration plan, you are on the doorstep of Holme Dunes National Nature Reserve, and four- and five-bedroom houses sell for less than a teeny cottage in, say, Blakeney. Average house price: £336,066.

FOR... A STEP BACK IN TIME

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Weymouth, Dorset Weymouth is a glorious timewarp – all Regency terraces, Punch & Judy shows, plus a quaint fishing harbour with a 17th-century waterfront and a statue of George III. As host to Olympic sailing events in 2012, the town upped its game but it’s still one of the most affordable locations on West Dorset’s Jurassic Coast. On the site of the former ferry port, the Weymouth Peninsula Redevelopment aims to create a ‘new, year-round destination’; and there is a proposal to turn the disused Victorian brewery at Brewers Quay into homes, but a whiff of the past is likely to remain an integral part of Weymouth’s charm. Average house price: £273,000.

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FOR... EASY COMMUTING

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Dover, Kent With a four-lane access road right through it, this place is still more ferry port than town, but ambitious regeneration schemes invite us to ‘take a fresh look at Dover’. While the waterfront is to deliver a mix of hotels, retail and leisure, the town centre is getting a facelift, enterprise zones are popping up, and some 14,000 new homes are in the pipeline, including 300 at Dover Waterfront and 500 on the site of former Connaught Barracks. Another plan being suggested is a cable car linking the waterfront to Dover Castle.

Dover is keen to reinforce its handy location: an hour from London by high-speed train, and 21 miles from Europe. Average house price: £244,549.

FOR... BEACHES & DREAMS

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HAYLE PHOTOGRAPH LILLICRAP CHILCOTT BLACKPOOL PHOTOGRAPH PAUL DANIELS/SHUTTERSTOCK

Hayle, Cornwall In the 19th century, this was Cornwall’s industrial heartland – a landscape of coal shipping and copper smelting. Hayle has a long way to go to catch up with, for example, neighbouring St Ives, but it has lofty ambitions. Plans have been approved for Hayle South Quay, a mix of contemporary homes, shops and restaurants linked to the town centre by a footbridge over Penpol Creek. Estate agent Lillicrap Chilcott says the scheme will ‘revitalise Hayle’s waterfront’, as well as highlight the town’s unique combination of hard-working harbour and exceptional beaches. Average house price: £256,305.

FOR... SEASIDE NOSTALGIA

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Blackpool, Lancashire This resort is in the throes of a re-invention.

On the South Shore, out-dated hotels have made way for housing and a new Hilton; Blackpool Pleasure Beach plans to open a £12m hotel called The Boulevard this year; a former car-park is to become a conference centre and the town is also to get its first ever museum. Set to open in 2020 in the Palatine Building next to the Tower, it will be the first in the country to celebrate the British seaside holiday as it charts the history of the town as a resort. Average house price: £122,306

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FOR... REVITALISED DOCKLANDS

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WATCHET PHOTOGRAPH SUE LOWE STUDIO AT CONTAINS ART PLYMOUTH PHOTOGRAPH PETER TITMUSS/SHUTTERSTOCK BOURNEMOUTH PHOTOGRAPH PHILIP HECTOR/SHUTTERSTOCK

Plymouth, Devon A recent wave of redevelopment has concentrated on jazzing up Plymouth’s waterfront (right) – notably the £160m transformation of Millbay: the once-seedy inner city docklands area, now re-emerging as the ‘Coastal Quarter’. Due for completion in 2020, the project has already delivered a School of Creative Arts, a marina, and sell-out housing. Next in the pipeline is a mixed-use scheme of more than 100 homes, quayside restaurants, shops, studios and a boulevard that will connect the waterfront to the city centre. Meanwhile, in nearby Devonport, Europe’s first 360˚ cinema complex is soon to open in a former market hall as part of £7.2m ‘immersive technology centre’. Average house price: £211,872.

FOR... COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE

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Watchet, Somerset For nearly two decades, the future of Watchet’s redundant East Quay has been a matter of heated debate. Now, a plan led by local social enterprisers, the Onion Collective, has the town’s blessing. Having already delivered a new visitor centre, the collective has proposed a community-based regeneration scheme that combines waterside workshops, artists’ studios (above), gallery, restaurant and accommodation pods. The driving force of the scheme, says Jessica Prendergrast, one of the collective’s directors, is to nurture creative enterprise and help boost tourism and the scale of the architect-designed building will allow the quayside to continue as a working boatyard. Average house price: £238,048.

FOR... TOWN-CENTRE LIVING

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Bourrnemouth, Dorset The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were just two of the big-name bands that appeared at Bournemouth’s Winter Gardens over the years, but the former music venue – which was demolished in 2006 – is about to make way for a £150m revamp of the town’s Exeter Road area. The largest development in Bournemouth’s history, the mixed-use scheme plans to create a modern complex offering leisure, shopping, car-parking, cycle spaces, landscaped gardens, a piazza for open-air events, restaurants and more than 350 apartments in four multi-storey buildings, many with sea views. The beach is just a stroll away. Average house price: £307,165.

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FOR... EUROPEAN CULTURE

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Galway City, Republic of Ireland Ireland beckons for those who want to remain in Europe (passports are an option for those with genuine Irish roots) and where better than the seaside capital of Co Galway. Aside from its picturesque waterfront – where brightly painted houses overlook Galway Bay – and brilliant location (on the River Corrib close to the Hills of Connemara and the Wild Atlantic Way), Galway is known for its seafood, lively music scene and colourful Latin Quarter – where pubs and independent shops congregate in this vibrant little city. Average house price: £229,000.

FOR… FAMILY LIFE Broadstairs, Kent A 2018 Zoopla report put Broadstairs into the top five places for property price growth; it is also the most expensive of Kent’s three Isle of Thanet towns (the others are Margate and Ramsgate) but arguably the prettiest, too, with cliff-top gardens and a distinct village atmosphere. According to Edward Church of Strutt & Parker (which has had a two-bed home for sale at £745,000) the town is ‘paradise for young children’ thanks to Blue Flag beaches and good schools. ‘What makes the town really special is the lovely little bays and enclosed sandy beaches – like Joss Bay and Botany Bay,’ he says, adding that Broadstairs tends to attract young families moving from London. Average house price: £332,466 2 4 co as t magazin e.co.uk

GALWAY PHOTOGRAPH TOURISM IRELAND BROADSTAIRS PHOTOGRAPH STRUTT & PARKER

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FOR... CITY COMMUTERS

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Barry, South Wales House prices in Wales reached an all-time peak in 2018 – with the southeast seeing the highest rises.

Much of the action focused on the Vale of Glamorgan at the heart of which is Barry: a once-industrial Bristol Channel port best known for its vintage Butlin’s (now Barry Island Pleasure Park). The beach at nearby Whitmore is a cracker (more good ones at Ogmore, Llantwit Major and Penarth) and there are some fine houses, particularly in Barry’s West End. For jobs, Cardiff is nine miles away, and Severn Bridge tolls ended last year. Average house price: £196,338.

FOR... BEST BEACHES

BARRY PHOTOGRAPH VALE OF GLAMORGAN RHYL PHOTOGRAPH JOHN DAVID PHOTOGRAPHY/SHUTTERSTOCK FILEY PHOTOGRAPH WELCOME TO YORKSHIRE

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Filey, North Yorkshire ‘Beautiful, retro and understated’ was how The Times described Filey when its five miles of sand was awarded British Beach of the Year 2018. As well as the spectacular beach, the town’s old-school seafront makes it a genteel alternative to its noisier neighbours, Scarborough and Bridlington. It offers a charming old town, a handsome Royal Crescent, great walks (it’s on The Cleveland Way) and proximity to Flamborough Head (for seabirds, white chalk cliffs and more lovely beaches). Filey’s roomy Victorian terraces sell for under £250,000. Average house price: £176,877.

FOR... HOLIDAYS REVIVED

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Rhyl, Denbighshire This North Wales resort is in the throes of a £33m redevelopment hoping to kick-start the economy and re-invent itself, having previously featured in the Crap Town books. Projects include a revamped Pavilion Theatre, a new hotel, affordable homes, a new high school and the Children’s Village attraction. The Sky Tower (erected in 1993, closed in 2011) is to become a ‘decorative light beacon’ brightening up the seafront where a £15m Water Park is set to open in this year. Average house price: £151,112.

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AFFORDABLE SEASIDE HAVENS Longing to escape to the coast but think the prices are out of reach? Setting the bar at properties under £200,000, we’ve come up with plenty of ideas on how to bag that bolthole WORDS LESLEY GILLILAN

The owner of this holiday let in Sheringham bought it for £105,000, spent £85,000 on the conversion of the semiderelict toilet block and now rents the ‘Wee Retreat’ through Norfolk Cottages from £600 a week

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PROPERTY

Love Lane Caravans in South Cornwall makes these quirky mobile ‘tin tabernacles’ for those who want a bolthole they can move – a good alternative to a static caravan

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he definition of bolthole is ‘a place for hiding and seclusion’, or an escape from everyday life. And in a recent report compiled by estate agent Jackson Stops, a third of us Brits dream of owning a hideaway by the sea – if only we had the money to buy one. The same report listed Burnham Market in North Norfolk as one of the most desirable places to buy but prices in this flinty fishing village are beyond the means of most. With teeny terraced cottages priced from £350,000 many would struggle to afford a home in Burnham, let alone a bolthole.

Add a hefty premium for properties with sea views, shrinking salaries and the high cost of living (national average house prices now hover around £300,000) and it begins to look hopeless for buyers on a small budget. But don’t give up. With more than 7,000 miles of British

coastline, there really is something somewhere to suit all pockets. For those prepared to compromise on size, location or convention, the seaside refuge can still be a reality.

LIKELY LOCATIONS

The most obvious compromise is location: steer away from big-ticket places and look at cheaper areas within the same radius. Lowestoft in Suffolk is only 13 miles from Southwold, but less than half the price. Buying in Crail in Fife saves around £100,000 compared to des-res St Andrews, 10 miles up the road. Low-budget Hayle is much cheaper than expensive St Ives, yet these two Cornish towns are only six miles apart.

National estate agent Savills lists more than 100 coastal spots that offer properties with an average price less than £200,000.

Scarborough in North Yorkshire, Bridlington in East Yorkshire, Aberystwyth in West Wales and

Morecambe in Lancashire are all within easy reach of gorgeous beaches and offer average house prices below the national norm.

A 2018 Halifax price survey suggests a move to the north: nine of the most expensive areas were in the south, and of the most affordable all but one was in Scotland (in Girvan or Millport, Ayrshire, average prices are around £90,000). It’s worth noting that happiness levels (measured by the same survey) are higher in some of the cheaper towns.

CHALETS AND HUTS

Think small; not studio apartments and backstreet cottages only, but holiday lodges and chalets. The days of the ramshackle holiday chalet snapped up for pocket money are almost over – such gentrified communities of vintage real estate can be as expensive as bricks and mortar these days.

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ABOVE Think you can’t afford to buy on the Cornish coast? Take a look at pretty Looe on the county’s south coast

The famous Humberstone Fitties on the coast of Lincolnshire offer full-time homes from £50,000.

Around £100,000 buys a two-bed holiday hut on privately owned Dunster Beach on the Somerset coast. And if you’re not too fussy about aesthetics, there are lots of holiday parks with post-war lodges at shoestring prices: flat-roofed, two-bed villas at Lanteglos near Camelford (on the North Cornwall coast) sell for less than £20,000.

Other options include park homes (otherwise known as mobile homes or ‘statics’). They are rarely pretty, but holiday parks often boast wonderful locations, ocean views and are brilliant for families (indoor pools, play areas and other amenities are usually included). Award-winning holiday company Haven has 37 parkhome sites all over the UK, from 2 8 co as t magazin e.co.uk

Cornwall to Northumberland.

Re-sale prices range from £17,995 to £188,800 depending on age, location and condition. Around £100,000 is the average. However, generally it’s not possible to raise a mortgage on chalets and park homes and they have restrictions, including on use (between eight and 11 months of the year). Some are held on a limited tenure (like a renewable licence) and all are subject to ground rent and service charges. Make sure that the site owners permit holiday sub-letting if you need to cover costs.

BUY TO HOLIDAY LET

Traditional properties with holiday letting potential usually demand a higher investment, but they are worth considering – particularly if you are prepared to take a long view. You raise some capital (you’ll

need at least 25% of the purchase price) then buy a picturesque property in a popular holiday destination, furnish it, and put it in the hands of a letting agent.

From a tax perspective, a furnished holiday let (FHL) is quite different than a usual buy-to-let property, as you can claim capital allowances and some expenses: to qualify, the property has to be available for at least 30 weeks a year and let for at least 15 weeks.

However, that does leave you with spare weeks for your own use, an income that should cover the mortgage, and a property ready to move into when you decide to downshift or retire.

Holiday letting agents are very exacting nowadays, so your choice of property is key. ‘It has to cut the mustard in every way,’ says Paul Young of The Travel Chapter, which

PROPERTY

offers advice to potential buy-toletters, including what kind of place to buy and how to improve it.

BUILD OR IMPROVE

LOOE PHOTOGRAPH POLLY STOCK RAMSGATE PHOTOGRAPH THANET DISTRICT COUNCIL

Building your own home costs roughly 30% less than buying one, but first you have to find the land.

Coastal plots with outline planning consent can cost more than the build – assuming you even find one. Again, compromise is key: building plots on the Scottish isles are plentiful and affordable; in Dorset they’re rare and expensive.

There is potential in urban-infill plots, or run-down buildings that can be demolished and replaced but, given the complexities of planning permission, improvement might be a better bet. Renovating a ruin is a money pit, but doing up a dated cottage need not break the bank. A Google search for homes that ‘require improvement’ unearthed a list of properties at prices below £150,000. Even in Cornwall or Devon, they do turn up.

New-home buyers can also look at buying off-plan – before a build.

You will get first dibs of the best plots, often at introductory prices, but bear in mind that final prices can go down as well as up.

QUIRKY AND OFF-GRID

A bolthole doesn’t have to be traditional, in fact the quirkier the better. If you have the vision to turn an unconventional building into a habitable home then monitor auction houses or online sites such as the Unique Property Bulletin (find islands, lighthouses, sea forts and such like at uniquepropertybulletin.co.uk).

For the ultimate in unconventional, go off-grid. Safari tents, yurts, shepherd’s huts and Airstream caravans require a relatively low outlay and, in the case of canvas structures, can be pitched almost anywhere without planning consent.

A quirky alternative to the static caravan is a ‘mobile tin tabernacle’ made to order by Love Lane Caravans in South Cornwall from around £28,000.

Consider buying – or even renting – a corner of a field and setting up camp in the summer months. At the sharp end of compromise, you might have to make do without running water or electricity (think camp fires, torches and a chemical toilet) but as places for hiding and seclusion goes, it doesn’t get much better, or cheaper, than this.

Ramsgate in Kent could be a shrewd investment

5 AFFORDABLE BOLTHOLE HOTSPOTS � ISLE OF BUTE, SCOTLAND Remote, beautiful and only 40 miles from Glasgow (via a ferry from Rothesay) there are one-bed flats here from £25,000. Average price: £140,000 � FILEY, NORTH YORKSHIRE This place is cheaper than nearby Whitby, quieter than neighbours Bridlington or Scarborough, and home to The Times’ Beach of the Year 2018. Average price: £179,000 � HARLECH, NORTH WALES In lovely Gwynedd at the foot of Snowdonia, with spectacular sea views and a world-class castle, you will find cottages for less than £100,000. Average house price: £200,000 � LOOE, CORNWALL This south-coast fishing village, which is set on the banks of a steep river valley, offers affordable homes with spectacular views – and here they are at least 30% cheaper than in nearby Fowey. Average house price: £255,000 � RAMSGATE, KENT The Isle of Thanet’s up-and-coming port town is just a sliver away from pricier Broadstairs and offers two- and threebedroom period houses for under £200,000. Average house price: £240,000

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MOVE TO

DUNDEE

After decades of industrial decline, Scotland’s fourth city is re-emerging as an international centre for design, as Lesley Gillilan discovers

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The new Dundee is all about tourism (the name ‘City of Discovery’ refers to Captain Scott’s Antarctic ship RRS Discovery, moored on the Tay and open to the public), the arts and culture which revolves around the city’s thriving university and its vibrant video gaming industry. The new V&A is the icing on the cake for a place that already had a lot going for it. Back in 2015, GQ magazine described it as ‘the coolest little city in Britain’ and this year The Sunday Times named it as the best place to live in Scotland. It also claims to be the sunniest city in Scotland – last year’s ‘Sunny Dundee’ campaign gave out free pairs of yellowframed sunglasses.

The regeneration of the waterfront and docks has added new life to the centre. And as for the location: the glorious city views from the top of Dundee Law (an ancient hill-fort and extinct volcano) tell you why the V&A chose Dundee as the setting for its exciting new museum.

WHERE TO BUY

The best address is the suburb of Broughty Ferry, the former fishing village where rich Victorian jute millionaires built mansions overlooking the estuary in a spot that’s handy for beaches and the city. Closer to town, the boho West End is a good bet: look for sandstone terraces and detached period villas around the Perth Road area. Other good streets can be found on the lower slopes of Dundee Law – Albany, Inverary and Dudhope Terraces are among those with views of the Tay. On the other side of the estuary, the pretty Tayside village of Newport is a popular choice and it’s only a three-mile commute across the Tay Bridge into Dundee (by bike, it takes just 20 minutes).

HOW MUCH?

Even the posh bits aren’t too expensive: a five- or six-bed detached villa in Broughty Ferry will still leave change from £500,000; four- or five-bed terraced Victorians in the

V&A PHOTOGRAPH ABI WARNER/SHUTTERSTOCK

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his small Scottish city, best known for ‘jute, jam and journalism’, is about to be elevated to the world stage; not only as the UK’s first UNESCO City of Design, but also the home to a new V&A museum – the first outside London. Opened in September 2018, Scotland’s V&A was designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, cost more than £80m and was inspired by the cliffs at nearby Arbroath. The spectacular structure – leaning into the River Tay – marks a new beginning for Dundee.

This city is good at re-inventing itself. The former whaling port was built largely on jute, linen and yarn, a global industry that went into decline in the mid-20th century.

The jam factories went the same way (one marmalade maker remains). Only journalism survives: this is still home to DC Thomson, which publishes newspapers, magazines and comics. A statue of Desperate Dan from The Dandy is a local landmark.

PROPERTY

CAN YOU AFFORD IT8?

DUNDEE: £166,90 ,329 BROUGHTY FERRY: £220 5 NEWPORT: £234,81 UK: £309,500 AVERAGE HOUSE PRICES, LA MAY 2019. SOURCE: ZOOP (ZOOPLA.CO.UK).

The striking new V&A Museum on Dundee waterfront is the only one outside London

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A view of the Tay Bridge and estuary from Law Hill, Dundee

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TAY PHOTOGRAPH GILLIAN MCCUBBIN/SHUTTERSTOCK

‘DUNDEE is good at RE-INVENTING itself.

The REGENERATION of the waterfront and docks has added NEW LIFE to the centre’

PROPERTY West End or Newport-on-Tay sell for £200-400,000; roomy period bungalows for around £250,000.

To the north of the city centre, it’s possible to buy a four-bed townhouse for around £200,000.

Two-bedroom apartments tend to start at around £130,000.

TIME OUT

For beaches head for Broughty Ferry or to the mile of sand at beautiful Lunan Bay (40 minutes north). St Andrews in Fife (on the other side of the Tay) is home to one of the world’s best-known golf courses but there are closer links at Carnoustie and Monifieth.

There is a wakeboarding course in the City Quay. Aside from the V&A, Dundee is well-served by museums and arts venues such as the Contemporary Arts Centre (galleries, cinemas and an excellent restaurant), Caird Hall (concerts and live entertainment), 15thcentury Broughty Castle and Verdant Works (dedicated to the story of the jute industry). Cross the bridge for The Newport which combines rooms, restaurant and the Tatha Gallery (thenewport restaurant.co.uk). For more on the city, see dundee.com.

SCHOOLS

In Broughty Ferry, there is the highly regarded Grove Academy (reported positively by Education Scotland, the Scottish equivalent of Ofsted).

To the east of Dundee, Craigie High School was deemed ‘satisfactory’.

REALITY CHECK

There are ‘fixed price’ properties on offer, but buyers should be aware that, under the Scottish ‘offers over’ system, most advertised prices are only a guide and often come with a closing date for competitive bids.

COMING UP

The V&A is just one element of a £1bn regeneration scheme that is reconnecting the city to its once derelict Tay-side docklands and creating more employment, culture and confidence. The plan still has 10 more years to deliver, but the Dundee city waterfront is already transformed. New hotels – including Malmaison, Indigo and Sleeperz (part of a shiny new railway station concourse) – sit alongside riverside housing developments.

PAY A VISIT Apex City Quay (01382 202404, apexhotels.co.uk)

TRAVEL LINKS

Dundee claims to be within 90 minutes’ drive of 90% of mainland Scotland. Edinburgh, 63 miles to the south, is exactly 90 minutes away (slightly less by rail). Aberdeen is just over an hour by train; Dundee to London takes around six-anda-half hours. Dundee has a small domestic airport (with two daily flights to London Stansted) but for air links to UK cities and Europe, head to Edinburgh International.

This modern, waterfront hotel is not the prettiest of buildings, but what it lacks in looks it makes up for with great service and a brilliant location – right on Victoria Dock within five minutes’ walk of the V&A. Facilities include a busy quayside restaurant and bar, family rooms and suites, a Yu Spa with pool and views of the River Tay. Doubles from £62 per night.

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MOVE TO

HORNSEA

The famous Hornsea Pottery closed years ago, but this little-known Yorkshire town still has a lot to offer, as Lesley Gillilan finds out

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It can also boast some fine architecture – including the curious Bettison’s Folly, a prominent landmark built of local ‘treacle’ brick by a Hull brewer around 1840. And aside from traditional holiday-makers, the town attracts armies of walkers: Hornsea is the eastern gateway for the coast-tocoast Trans Pennine Trail that runs 215 miles from here to Southport.

You wouldn’t come here for the nightlife or the culture, but for a bit of peace and quiet this place takes some beating. According to Danny Bone, from local estate agents Hornsea Property Services, you would come for the ‘amazing views’, the sandy beach, pretty farm villages in the East Riding countryside, as well as the town’s independent shops and goodvalue properties. ‘It’s the people that make it though,’ he says.

‘It’s a very friendly place.’

WHERE TO BUY

For red-brick townhouses typical of old Hornsea, nose around the

conservation area around Westgate, Southgate and the Market Place (closer to the Mere than the sea). From there long, leafy Eastgate – lined with large houses overlooking Hall Garth Park – connects the town centre to the seafront. Most of the best sea-facing properties tend to be concentrated on Marine Drive or the Esplanade (predominately Edwardian or inter-war pebble dash). Popular local villages include Aldbrough and Leven.

HOW MUCH?

By national standards, house prices in Hornsea are well below average. At the upper end of the scale, £500,000 (there are no millionaire houses here) buys a decent four-bedroom detached house easily; while at the other end, two- or three-bedroom town cottages are priced from around £100,000. A four-bedroom end-of-terrace house close to the sea recently sold for only £125,000. Roomy

PHOTOGRAPH JACK COUSIN/SHUTTERSTOCK

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ixty years ago, two brothers started making decorative pots in a terraced house in Hornsea, and they named the enterprise after their hometown.

In the years that followed, the success of Hornsea Pottery turned the place into a household name. Nowadays their distinctive mid-century tableware is very collectable, but Hornsea itself has slipped into obscurity. A good reason, perhaps, to check out this little-known seaside charmer on Yorkshire’s East Riding coast.

Between Withernsea and Bridlington, Hornsea is a small, old-fashioned seaside resort, as retro as its long-gone pottery now consigned to exhibits in the local museum. The town is medieval in origin, with a Market Place, a folksy museum, Victorian gardens and the Floral Hall (a seafront concert venue). A big attraction is its enviable location on the shores of Hornsea Mere (right), the largest freshwater lake in Yorkshire.

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CAN Y AFFORDOIUT? HOR

NSEA: £1 WITHERNSE 73,796 A EAST YORKS : £121,893 HIRE: £174,1 13 UK: £309,50 0 AVERAGE HO MAY 2019. SO USE PRICES, URCE (ZOOPLA.CO : ZOOPLA .UK).

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The inshore lifeboat station at Hornsea

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PHOTOGRAPH PIRANHI/SHUTTERSTOCK

‘It’s got AMAZING VIEWS, but it’s the PEOPLE that make HORNSEA. It’s a very FRIENDLY PLACE’

PROPERTY Victorian terraces can be bought for less than £250,000.

TIME OUT

With facilities for sailing, boating and bird-watching, Hornsea Mere is as much of an asset as the town’s long sandy beach, and both are popular with families in the summer. Shop at Hornsea Freeport Shopping Village, take the kids to Honeysuckle Farm or Bugtopia, walk the dogs in Hall Garth Park, follow the Trans Pennine Trail (on foot or by bike) along the ghost of the former Hull and Hornsea railway line, or lose yourself in the glorious isolation of nearby Spurn Head. On the way, hang out in Withernsea, which is best known for its castellated pier towers (all that remains of the tiny resort’s 19th-century pier) and prominent inland lighthouse (now a museum). For more information, see visithullandeastyorkshire.com.

TRAVEL LINKS

As Hornsea’s railway station has been closed since the 1960s (and has since been converted into holiday cottages), public transport is not the town’s strong point, though commuters can use the regular bus services to the city of Hull (roughly 40 minutes by car); and Hull to London by train takes less than three hours. The market town of Beverley or seaside town Bridlington are both a 25-minute drive; Leeds is an hour-and-a-half away. The nearest international airport is Humberside (35 miles).

SCHOOLS

Local secondaries include Hornsea School & Language College and, to the south,

PAY A VISIT The Ellesmere (07926 725766, hornseabandb.co.uk).

Seven (01702 900010, thesevenhotel.co.uk)

`

In a peaceful corner of town, close to the beach and Hornsea Mere, this boutique B&B offers three charming Edwardian rooms all with king-size beds (a white four-poster in the Swan Room) as well as contemporary en-suite bathrooms (two have luxury bathtubs and separate showers). In summer, enjoy your smoked salmon and scrambled eggs in the walled garden, or request breakfast in bed. Doubles from £90 (minimum two nights at weekends).

Withernsea High (both rated as Good by Ofsted).

REALITY CHECK

A rare thing to say on these pages, but house-buyers should avoid getting too close to the sea.

Hornsea sits in the middle of the Holderness Coast – running from Flamborough Head all the way down to Spurn Point – and this wind-battered shoreline suffers the fastest rate of coastal erosion in Europe. Hornsea is protected by sturdy sea defences but further

south, cliff falls are common and some homes near Withernsea have been lost in landslips.

COMING UP

There are ambitious plans afoot to jazz up Hornsea’s seafront with a multi-million pound development to turn an existing leisure centre into an extended ‘multi-service’ centre, which will encompass new sports and play facilities, a learning hub and the town’s library. Planners are hoping for completion later this year. c oa stm a ga zin e .co.uk

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SOUTHEND-ON-SEA With a wave of London commuters discovering Southend’s assets, this traditional Essex estuary resort is moving up-market, writes Lesley Gillilan

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end of the 1.3-mile-long pier and instead of amusement arcades, you’ll find a glassy, contemporary Royal Pavilion housing an arty event space and the Salt Café.

Southend now has its first proper boutique hotel (Seven opened in February 2018), and boaty Leigh-on-Sea, only three miles to the west, is already looking very Hoxton (think craft ales, art galleries and artisan bakeries).

According to Paul Wigmore, director of local estate agent Hunt Roche, the flow of Londonto-Southend migrants now also includes young families as well as retirement buyers. ‘Southend is losing its old kiss-me-quick image,’ he says.

WHERE TO BUY

The prevailing Southend house style is high-end 1930s and Edwardian semis, but there are some fine Georgian and Victorian terraces, too, particularly in the seafront conservation areas around Clifftown and Prittlewell Square (elegant, Grade II-listed

Royal Terrace). The big-money houses overlook the Thames Estuary in Thorpe Bay (to the east of the pier); and there are some lovely properties on the shores of Westcliff and Chalkwell (to the west). Or head to nearby Leighon-Sea with its cobbled streets, clapper-board cockle sheds and quaint cottages.

HOW MUCH?

The most expensive area is Leigh-on-Sea (it’s just that tiny bit closer to London); a four-bed Georgian semi with estuary views is for sale at £800,000. Thorpe Bay’s larger detached houses sell for anything from £750,000 to £950,000 (and often fetch over £1m). In Southchurch, or almost anywhere within a few streets of the seafront, you can buy a four- or five-bedroom Victorian townhouse for around £350,000£450,000. A two-bed pier-view apartment on, say, Clifton Terrace, will sell for around £280,000£300,000 – or you can rent one on Royal Terrace or

THORPE BAY BEACH HUT PHOTOGRAPH SUE CHILLINGWORTH/SHUTTERSTOCK

S

o you want to move to the coast but you have written off Southend-onSea: it’s not, after all, everyone’s slice of seaside heaven.

But you could be missing a trick, as there’s more to this Essex town than bingo and bling. Not only is it the closest seaside resort to London, it offers speedy rail links, good schools and lovely houses at relatively reasonable prices.

With its funicular cliff lift, gaudy fairground rides and crazy golf on the pier, Southend does live up to the stereotype in some ways (and if you are into bingo, it has one of the biggest halls in the country).

But you can also add yacht clubs, green spaces, cliff-top gardens, conservation areas, beach huts and big skies, as well as six miles of waterfront – stretching east from Leigh-on-Sea’s teeny Bell Wharf (London’s nearest beach) to the wild lonely sands of East Beach at Shoeburyness.

With talk of ‘creative hubs’ and cultural quarters, this town is moving up-market. Travel to the

PROPERTY

CAN Y AFFORDOIUT? SOU

THEND: £ LEIGH-ON-S 305,513 EA: £377,93 2 LOUGHTON: £602,805 UK: £309,50 0 AVERAGE HO MAY 2019. SO USE PRICES, URCE (ZOOPLA.CO : ZOOPLA .UK).

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‘SOUTHEND is losing ITS old KISS-ME-QUICK image’

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CLIFF LIFT PHOTOGRAPH NICOLA PULHAM/SHUTTERSTOCK

PROPERTY

PROPERTY Clifton Parade for around £925 per month.

TIME OUT

Southend’s brilliant seafront cycle path, the Estuary Trail, is part of the National Cycling Network (Thorpe Bay to Leigh by bike takes about half an hour). For fun family days out, there’s the seafront theme park, Adventure Island and the Sea Life aquarium.

For live music, head for East Coast Social or the boho bar at The Railway Hotel, among other lively venues. Local art galleries include Focal Point and Beecroft; there’s an artists’ residence (Metal Southend) and the town plays host to a raft of interesting events (Leigh Folk Festival in June, Southend Comedy Festival in July and Essex Book Festival in March). The town’s Cliffs Pavilion is the largest performing arts venue in Essex. For more details, see visitsouthend.co.uk.

Bernard’s High – both are rated Good by Ofsted – and Eastwood Academy in Leigh-on-Sea, which is rated Outstanding.

REALITY CHECK

The name Southend-on-Sea is something of a misnomer: this is a Thames Gateway town, and while the views are of the estuary the beaches here are more mud than sand when the tide is out.

But they are family-friendly, clean and – in the case of Shoeburyness – largely empty.

COMING UP

The water here is not great for swimming, however Southend’s seafront now has a new artificial seawater lagoon by Three Shells Beach. As part of a major £50m town-centre scheme, a former ice cream factory is due to be redeveloped to create a multiplex cinema, new restaurants and a hotel. The growth of London Southend airport has helped put the place on the map too: passenger numbers increased by around 35% in 2017.

PAY A VISIT Seven (01702 900010, thesevenhotel.co.uk)

TRAVEL LINKS

Southend to London takes just over an hour by road or just under an hour by rail. The town has three stations: Central and East connect to the City via Fenchurch Street, while Victoria runs services into Liverpool Street. Other local stations (Leigh-on-Sea, Chalkwell, Westcliff and Thorpe Bay) are also served by London trains. The District Line London Underground station at Upminster is a 20-minute drive. The nearest international airport is London Southend (three miles to the north of the town).

SCHOOLS

Local secondary schools include Shoeburyness High and St

This glitzy, new, boutique hotel on Clifton Terrace opened in 2018 – a breath of fresh air for Southend.

Stay in a bright contemporary room or suite, most have floor-to-ceiling estuary views. Downstairs in Aurum restaurant try inventive, seasonal dishes, repair to the cosy bar for premium gins and native oysters, or hang out on the sunny terrace. From £95 per night for a double city room.

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PROPERTY

MOVE TO

MUMBLES

Swansea Bay’s upwardly mobile property hotspot is a mix of sandy beaches, seafood and celebrity, writes Lesley Gillilan

S

wansea’s charming seaside suburb is not just for the weekend; it’s a great place to live too.

In fact, Mumbles (or the Mumbles, as they say here) took first place in 2018’s Sunday Times guide to the best places to live in Wales.

On a thumb-like headland jutting from the Gower Peninsula into Swansea Bay, the place certainly gets 10 out of 10 for location. Add points for sandy beaches, surfing and great seafood among a long list of attractions. And then give it top marks for re-invention: what was once an old-fashioned resort popular with Welsh Valley miners has now become an up-market seaside village with a reputation for oysters and A-list celebrities (Catherine Zeta-Jones, Bonnie Tyler and Gavin & Stacey star Joanna Page are regulars).

According to Carwyn Thomas, owner of Mumbles’ Langland Cove Guesthouse, it’s always 4 2 co as t magazin e.co.uk

been the ‘jewel in the crown of Swansea Bay’. And some things never change – like the seafront’s Italian-style ice cream parlours, the majestic ruins of Oystermouth Castle, or the great views from the Victorian pier to Mumbles Lighthouse. But the little town, he says, has a new energy.

The legendary ‘Mumbles Mile’, once the haunt of Swansea pub crawlers, now has a ‘Café Quarter’.

Oyster Wharf, a smart new retail development which opened on the waterfront in 2017, has helped build its reputation as a Swansea Bay food hub. And the high street in ‘Mumbles Village’ is a buzzy community of boutique shops and independent restaurants. ‘It’s become a place that attracts young families,’ says Carwyn, whose sons Maelo and Rowan were part of his move-to-Mumbles plan. ‘And it has a really positive vibe.’

WHERE TO BUY

For waterfront properties, the best

options are Mumbles’ Promenade Terrace or, a mile to the west, posh Langland Bay. In and around the town, look for colour-washed terraces of tall Victorian houses (some with sea views and verdant gardens), particularly around Overland Road and Church Park.

Narrow lanes of smaller terraced cottages sit in the back streets off the main shopping street on Newton Road. Castle Road offers a leafy line of 1930s semis close to Oystermouth Castle. And for a quieter, more rural life, head deeper into Gower: Caswell Bay, Oxwich or Rhossili.

HOW MUCH

Expect to pay a lot more than most of South Wales – and 100% more than most of Swansea.

The optimum price is between £300,000 and £500,000: ranging from a two-bedroom new-build apartment at the lower end of the price range, up to a five-bedroom townhouse at the upper

PROPERTY

CAN Y AFFORDOIUT? MUM

BLES: £291 ,670 SWANSEA: £179,536 WALES: £19 2,091 UK: £309,50 0 AVERAGE HO MAY 2019. SO USE PRICES, URCE (ZOOPLA.CO : ZOOPLA .UK).

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PROPERTY

PHOTOGRAPH VISIT SWANSEA BAY

‘It’s BECOME a PLACE that attracts FAMILIES and it has a really POSITIVE VIBE’

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PROPERTY end. On the promenade, a three-bedroom Victorian home overlooking Swansea Bay, goes for around £400,000. Two-bed cottages can be purchased for around £200-£250,000. But dig a bit deeper if you are thinking of heading to Langland Bay for example, where a five-bedroom detached home is currently on the market at a price of £779,000.

PAY A VISIT Langland Cove Guesthouse (langlandcove.co.uk, 01792 366003)

TIME OUT

There’s lots to do here. For local beaches head for Bracelet Bay or Limeslade Bay, or further afield, the Gower Peninsula (Britain’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) has some gems including awesome Three Cliffs Bay near Rhossili. Other local attractions include historic Oystermouth Castle and Mumbles Hill Nature Reserve, and there are golf clubs at Langland Bay or nearby Clyne.

Pop into the city of Swansea for high-street shopping and the National Waterfront Museum, Grand Theatre and Liberty Stadium.

Good local eateries include the humble Gower Seafood Hut as well as The Plough & Harrow at Murton – named the best gastro pub in Wales in 2018’s Food Awards Wales. For classic gelato, head for Verdi’s, Joe’s or Forte’s.

TRAVEL LINKS

As there is no railway station in Mumbles a car is essential here, although there are local buses to Swansea, where you can pick up regular mainline rail services travelling direct to Cardiff, Bristol, London and Manchester. London by car takes around four hours via the M4’s Severn Bridge. There is also a small domestic airport in

`

After buying this former inn in 2014, Carwyn Thomas and Sarah Elliott hired Tamsin Leech-Griffiths, an ex-fashion designer for Paul Smith, to design the cool, uncluttered interiors: a palette of chocolate and charcoal furnished with crisp white linen, original prints and the occasional floral cushion. In the four en suite bedrooms, you get robes, fresh milk and home-made cake. The sea is a short walk away.

B&B from £85 per night.

Swansea, but for international flights head for Cardiff (40 miles).

SCHOOLS

The nearest school is Bishopston Comprehensive (three miles to the east of Mumbles, it’s rated by Estyn as ‘excellent’). In Swansea, Ysgol Gyfun Gwyr (seven miles) is another great local school.

REALITY CHECKS

The village tends to get very busy in summer; holiday traffic here is notoriously slow and congested,

and exacerbated by a shortage of parking. In winter, however, you can look forward to a slower pace.

COMING UP

Major plans are afoot for redevelopment in Mumbles. The famous pier has been undergoing a £3.2m refurbishment, and the owner is also proposing a multimillion-pound scheme that will incorporate the former Cinderella’s nightclub on the pier head into some new apartments on a redeveloped foreshore. c oa stm a ga zin e .co.uk

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PROPERTY

MOVE TO

WHITEHAVEN

A low-profile spot on the West Cumbrian coast, the old port of Whitehaven is re-emerging as a Georgian seaside gem at the foot of the Lake District, writes Lesley Gillilan

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town through tough times, but it has gradually reinvented itself as a tourist attraction, underpinned by the Millennium-linked redevelopment of the old port – now one of the finest marinas on the northwest coast. In tourismspeak, they call it the ‘Georgian Gem of the North’, or the Gateway to the Lakes. Whitehaven is on the doorstep of the Lake District – the UK’s latest World Heritage site, awarded UNESCO status in 2017. On a clear day, you can see Ennerdale Fells or, in the seaward direction, across the Solway Firth to the Isle of Man. With its wild coastline, high cliffs, rugged stone harbour and mining history, it has something in common with Cornwall, except that house prices here are considerably lower – a factor which tends to attract a younger generation to this old-fashioned town.

A ‘proper Cumbrian’, 33-yearold Lara Schwab has been in Whitehaven all her life and has never felt the need to leave. Her shop, Little Whims (quirky, vintage and hand-made gifts), is among a new breed of independent shops, restaurants and wine bars that have sprung up in the town in

more recent years. It’s in Market Place – a once run-down Georgian shopping street that has benefited from a Lottery-funded Townscape Heritage regeneration scheme.

‘There’s so much history here,’ says Lara. ‘And so much potential.’

WHERE TO BUY

For the classic Georgian terraces that define Whitehaven’s centre, look at the tight-knit grid of streets between High Street, Scotch Street and the harbour.

Church Street has some particularly good examples but, further from the seafront, there are grander period townhouses on Foxhouses Road and Inkerman Terrace. For sea views, the best bet is a modern apartment in harbour development Pears House; or head for the nearby village of St Bees – five miles to the south – which has its own railway station, as well as a sandy beach and a fine collection of affordable period properties.

HOW MUCH?

Premium properties will go for higher prices, but they rarely top £600,000 – around £440,000£500,000 will buy a large,

PHOTOGRAPH COPELAND BOROUGH COUNCIL

T

hose who have never heard of Whitehaven will be surprised to learn that this small far-flung Cumbrian town was once one of the busiest ports in England – in fact, by the late 18th century, only London was busier. The money made from shipping local coal – plus salt, sugar and tobacco – is still evident now in the neat rows of handsome Georgian houses which form the core of the harbour town.

In its original form, it was a model of Georgian new town planning – it is said that New York’s grid system was based on Whitehaven’s. And if you dream of buying a Georgian townhouse with sash windows, cornices and a grand entrance, here’s where you’ll find one for a song.

The town is a little out of the way, but it is also bustling with life: there are two museums (one dedicated to rum – another 18th century import), as well as a traditional high street and more than 250 listed buildings. A local habit of painting townhouses in a palette of pastel colours adds to the charm of its streets.

Industrial decline has put the

PROPERTY

CAN YOU AFFORD IT? WHITE

HAVEN: £1 ST BEES: £2 43,491 36 CUMBRIA: £ ,026 204,203 UK: £309,50 0 AVERAGE AS KIN [MAY 2019]. G PRICES: ZOOPLA (ZO SOURCE: OPLA.CO.UK ).

Whitehaven Harbour was once one of the busiest ports in England

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PROPERTY

PHOTOGRAPH BRIAN SHERWEN

‘With its WILD COASTLINE, HIGH CLIFFS, rugged stone HARBOUR and mining HISTORY, it has SOMETHING IN COMMON with CORNWALL, except that house prices here are CONSIDERABLY LOWER’

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PROPERTY detached house with a plot of land.

But with prices less than half the national average, you can pay a lot less: four or five-bedroom Georgian townhouses sell for between £150,000-£300,000; smaller period properties are even cheaper (where else can you buy a Grade II-listed Georgian terrace for around £115,000?). The area is popular with second-home buyers, but it’s a slow market and price reductions are common.

TIME OUT

Whitehaven’s own sand-andpebble beach is more popular with anglers than sun-seekers, but there is a gorgeous stretch of sand at Seacote, south of St Bees Head Heritage Coast and RSPB nature reserve – which can be reached on foot along an exhilarating seven miles of cliff path. For keen cyclists, Whitehaven is the gateway to the classic C2C coast-to-coast cycle route that runs across the Pennines to Tynemouth. Sailing and kayaking are popular, the Rosehill Theatre provides quality entertainment, and there are some good places to eat – try Zest or Anna’s (both on the harbour) or Arrighi’s (for fresh Whitehaven seafood). There are local golf courses (Whitehaven and St Bees) and the Lake District National Park is also within easy reach (Ennerdale Water is less than an hour away). For more information visit golakes.co.uk.

TRAVEL LINKS

This is not a destination for fastlane city commuters; the journey from London by train takes four or five hours, changing at Carlisle (an hour to the north) before heading

south along the scenic route to stations at Whitehaven, Corkickle and Parton. The town is remote even within Cumbria: Barrow-onFurness is an hour-and-a-half away by car; Grange-over-Sands takes two hours; and you are an hour from Lake Windermere.

The closest airport is Newcastle (a two-hour drive).

SCHOOLS

Whitehaven Academy is rated ‘Inadequate’ by Ofsted, but St Benedict’s Catholic High is ‘Good’.

REALITY CHECK

If the close proximity of Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant is a

turn-off, then it’s worth noting that the power station at Windscale is being decommissioned, plus Sellafield (10 miles to the south) is a major local employer – around 10,000 people in all. Locals seem more concerned about the lack of parking in Whitehaven town centre.

COMING UP

Whitehaven has benefited from Britain’s Energy Coast Masterplan, a £2bn project launched in 2008 to help create 16 million new jobs in energy and tourism. And 2018 saw plans to develop the town’s waterfront in a £55m regeneration scheme to include hotel and office space by 2021.

PAY A VISIT Georgian House Hotel (01946 696611, georgianhousewhitehaven.co.uk).

` In the thick of Georgian Whitehaven close to the harbour marina, this Grade II-listed hotel dates from the 18th century, but its snazzy bedrooms are thoroughly modern (metallic wallpapers and velvety beds, as well as double-ended baths in ultra-contemporary bathrooms).

Breakfast (and cocktails) are served in the hotel’s informal restaurant. B&B from £125 per night.

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49

Get seaside savvy Investing in homes with letting potential can combine holidays, income, tax benefits and capital gain. Property expert Lesley Gillilan shares some top tips on where and what to buy

Seaside locations are a must for many holiday letting companies – and Beach Retreats’ 270 North apartment in Newquay couldn’t be closer

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PROPERTY

B

ritish holiday lets are not what they used to be – thank goodness. Back in the day (most adults will remember this), self-catering meant damp cottages furnished with cast-offs, ancient Belling cookers, bunks and lumpy beds.

Nowadays, guests expect hot tubs, pocket-sprung mattresses, Wi-Fi and interior design. Owners can get away with less, but not if they want to achieve high occupancy and premium rates.

The key to successful holiday letting is to treat it like any other business: enter the world of investor services, rental forecasts, agency commissions and tax breaks. With more people buying and letting second or third properties as a way of securing spare cash, it’s a very competitive market, but get it right and it can prove an excellent investment – providing holidays, income and potential capital gain all rolled into one beautiful home on the coast.

WHERE TO BUY

The primary consideration is always location. You might have your eye on Cornwall, for example – but where you buy in Cornwall is crucial. ‘Go for properties in areas that are popular holiday spots,’ says Sarah Hemsley, property portfolio manager for luxury letting company Cornish Gems. ‘For us, a sea or river view is most important – or at least a location that’s just a hop and a skip from a beach.’

Similarly, Cornish company Beach Retreats only considers properties within walking distance of the sea. ‘And you need to be

close to shops, amenities and attractions,’ says the company’s portfolio manager Julie Coombes.

Jo Ashby, a director of John Bray & Partners (a Cornish estate agent as well as a letting agency), adds local restaurants and good transport links as more factors to consider. Properties with these assets usually command a hefty premium – sea views are particularly pricey – but the larger investment will be rewarded by higher rents. And you can improve on occupancy rates by choosing places with year-round letting potential. Top destinations worth considering include Padstow and St Ives, both consistently listed in favourite places for UK holidays.

Other holiday hotspots range from Northumberland, North Norfolk, Pembrokeshire in Wales, Whitby in Yorkshire, the Isle of Wight, and islands on Scotland’s west coast (think Arran, Mull and Skye). West Country agent Toad Hall Cottages picks South Devon and Dorset’s Jurassic Coast as safe bets, too.

WHAT TO BUY

‘A lot of people buy with their heart instead of their head,’ says Jo. ‘And most have visions of pretty cottages by the sea.’ But these properties are hard to find, and although it’s important to buy a dream home that looks fabulous in pictures, it doesn’t have to be a cottage. ‘The style of the property is not so important,’ agrees Julie, whose Beach Retreats’ portfolio includes cabins and glassy apartments as well as cottages.

‘Traditional or contemporary, anything goes.’ c oa stm a ga zin e .co.uk

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PROPERTY

SUCCESS STORY 1 12 at 270 North, Newquay, Cornwall With sensational views over the legendary surfing beach at Fistral Bay, this apartment is part of a modern development on Pentire Headland (current values at 270 North are around £500,00 for two bedrooms). The owners hired an interior designer to perfect an uncluttered look that makes the most of the natural light while picking up bright colours from the Atlantic Ocean landscape: splashes of deep aquamarine and sunshine yellow against white and pale grey. The apartment, which sleeps four, earns between £650 and £1,795 a week (01637 861005, beachretreats. co.uk).

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ABOVE & BELOW 12 at 270 North in Newquay is a contemporary apartment just 300m from the water’s edge and boasts fabulous sea views

PROPERTY

In fact, there’s a strong argument for buying new-build homes: not only are they clean, low-maintenance and ready to go but they are also increasingly popular with guests. Beach Retreats offers several apartments in The Dunes, a new beach development at Perranporth, Cornwall. One was booked for the entire summer season within a few weeks of its launch. In popular holiday destinations like Cornwall, you will find developments that are built purely for holiday use – and are designed accordingly (with restrictions on use). New or old, it makes sense to buy established holiday lets (often sold furnished, with bookings in place). The bottom line, says Jo, is that ‘people want to stay somewhere that’s better than their primary residence’. And, as always, the devil’s in the detail.

‘Imagine you are going on holiday yourself,’ suggests Sarah.

‘And look for all the things you’d want from a perfect stay.’ Private parking (or an allocated space in a local car park) is considered an essential, as are privacy, outdoor spaces and what Sarah calls a ‘good bedroom to bathroom ratio’.

One bathroom is okay for small cottages, but any more than two bedrooms need more. ‘As a rule, you don’t want more than four people sharing a bathroom.’

In terms of size, two-bedroom/ two-bathroom properties are among the most popular, although there is also demand for large houses. According to Toad Hall Cottages: ‘Some of the best letting properties tend to be those that can accommodate the

SUCCESS STORY 2 average-sized family but also provide a cosy getaway for couples or smaller parties in low season. Two- or three-bed properties seem to generate the most bookings as they cater for both groups.’ Consult a letting agent before you commit. Good ones will offer advice on where and what to buy. There’s nothing like a professional to bring you down to earth with talk of prime assets, yields and marketability.

THE MONEY STUFF

First you need capital – at least 25% of the purchase price. If you need to borrow, check out the handful of lenders offering holiday letting mortgages. Once you have bought, read up on the benefits that apply to a commercial Furnished Holiday Let. To qualify, your property must be available for stays for at least 210 days in the year and must be let

Hummingbird, Roseland Peninsula, South Cornwall Last year, Ben and Sam Winstanley paid around £300,000 for this cottage in the village of Veryan, close to St Mawes and Roseland’s beaches. With a budget of £50,000 – which they went ‘way over’ – they gutted its interiors before transforming the cottage to make it ‘rental ready’. They designed and dressed the rooms themselves, going for a vintage-meets-modern style, in soft greens and greys with a hint of mid-century retro (like the 1950s Tretchikoff prints).

Hummingbird, which sleeps four in two bedrooms, achieves rents between £599 and £1,495 per week (01872 241241, cornishgems.com).

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PROPERTY

‘THE STYLE OF THE PROPERTY IS NOT SO IMPORTANT – TRADITIONAL OR CONTEMPORARY, ANYTHING GOES’

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PROPERTY

for at least 105 days (this doesn’t include your own use or free stays given to family and friends). If that’s the case, you can claim relief on Capital Gains Tax and allowances for some expenses (furniture and equipment, for example) and count profits as earnings for pension purposes.

Still, there are numerous costs to consider. On top of the initial investment, expect to pay council tax, insurance, TV licences and, in new-build apartments, service charges. If you decide to use a holiday letting agent, you’ll need to pay commission. Typically, this runs to 20% of the rent plus VAT, but it usually covers photography,

SUCCESS STORY 3 Verdun, Cornwall Owner Tina Peters says this cliff-top chalet in Whitsand Bay was little more than a shed before it was rebuilt. Set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and part of a community of vintage wooden bungalows on Freathy Cliff (unconverted originals sell for around £140,000), it was barely habitable, but a budget of £130,000 turned it into a ‘tiny piece of paradise’ with a hot tub, underfloor heating and summerhouse.

This one-bed property commands rents from £1,431 to £2,165 a week (01872 553491, boutique– retreats.co.uk).

copywriting and marketing and can include cleaning, laundry and maintenance. ‘It’s unlikely you’ll make money in the first year,’ says Julie. ‘But you are investing in bricks and mortar.’ And as holiday properties can earn more in a week than standard short-hold tenancies earn in a month, it’s likely the income will make a big dent in the mortgage repayments.

is almost compulsory (and helps boost winter lets); bed linen should be ‘hotel grade’, zip and link beds are recommended for flexibility and, in the luxury market, there’s a trend for hot tubs, outdoor kitchens and Big Green Egg barbecues.

Add cushions, vases of fresh flowers, welcome packs (wine, fresh milk, local produce) and things to do when it’s raining.

LOVELY LIVING SPACES MAXIMISING OCCUPANCY Furnishing is the fun bit, but again it pays to take a business-like approach – don’t cut corners with cheap furniture or shoddy workmanship. Dress to impress, is the mantra. ‘You need to allocate a generous pot for interior design,’ says Sarah. ‘This is about creating aspirational living spaces – you want your guest to say “Wow!” when they walk in the door. The worst thing that can happen is that they are underwhelmed.’

Like most agents, Cornish Gems asks owners to provide a list of 250 items that are considered essential – including Bluetooth speakers, an espresso machine (a cafetière at the very least) and good quality outdoor furniture.

An inventory produced by The Travel Chapter (the management company behind mid-market letting agents such as Bramley & Teal, Holidaycottages.co.uk and The Norfolk Cottage Company) indicates the level of detail required: as well as microwaves, tumble dryers and comfy sofas, owners need to provide matching dinner sets, Champagne flutes, picnic ware, high chairs and mattress protectors. A woodburner

As a rough rule of thumb, you can expect average occupancy rates of between 25 and 40 weeks a year – providing you get the details right. For example, professional photography is an absolute must and some letting companies not only provide the photographer but also send a stylist along (to drape beach towels over sun loungers and arrange inviting displays of refreshments on dining tables).

It’s all about creating a lifestyle.

You should also think of a name for your property – from Seascape and Captain’s Rest to Greenwaves or White Horses – it’s all part of creating a brand for your business.

Make sure, too, that it’s available all year round (public holidays command the highest prices), and embrace children and pets: ‘paw-friendly’ properties tend to attract more clients (or make yours strictly dog-free to attract non-doggy guests).

And what can go wrong?

‘Complaints are usually about TVs or dishwashers not working,’ says Sarah. ‘And holidays can be ruined by a Wi-Fi failure.’ It’s a far cry from the old days. c oa stm a ga zin e .co.uk

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From cold-water bathing to yoga and cliff-hiking, there are many ways to set your pulse racing when you’re staying by the sea

WORDS ALEX REECE

FOR... COASTEERING Preseli Venture, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire On a thrilling two-night coasteering weekend with Preseli Venture, you will be nose-to-nose with marine wildlife, such as Atlantic grey seals, as you scramble through rock arches and swim into sea caves along the shore. You’ll stay at the activity centre’s five-star Eco Lodge complete with resident chef, licensed bar and views down to the sea over the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. There is also time for an uplifting hike along the coastal path before you head home.

An ‘off-the-shelf’ coasteering weekend costs from £219 in Jan-Feb and £229 from March-Dec, but you can mix and match itineraries as well – see the website for details (01348 837709, preseliventure.co.uk).

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PHOTOGRAPH PRESELI VENTURE

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FOR... KITE SURFING

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Wild Diamond Watersports, Tiree, Inner Hebrides According to Willy MacLean of Wild Diamond, kite surfing is an easy and rewarding sport to learn if you fancy an exhilarating new challenge. And Gott Bay on the east of Tiree has a shallow gradient, flat water and no obstacles, which gives it consistent wind conditions, making it an ideal place to learn. Wild Diamond also runs a campsite on the island, complete with glamping pods, and pitches for tents or camper vans. To get to Tiree, take the ferry from Oban. Price for a two-day kite surfing course, plus equipment hire is £220, £30 per night per pod, which sleeps two (07712 159205, wilddiamond.co.uk).

FOR... COASTAL WALKING

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Away A Wee Walk, Causeway Coast Way, Co. Antrim Book a three-night hiking trip with Away A Wee Walk, and discover Northern Ireland’s spellbinding Causeway Coast, which includes not only the famous Giant’s Causeway but also beautiful beaches and castle ruins. Just an hour’s drive from Belfast, the cliffs east of the Causeway, especially at Hamilton’s Seat are, says Away A Wee Walk founder Eimear Flanagan, ‘comfortably among the best cliff views available in Europe’. Priced at £288pp sharing for three nights; bespoke trips available (078 3770 3643, awayaweewalk.com).

FOR... SURFING

KITE SURFING PHOTOGRAPH WILD DIAMOND

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Bedruthan Hotel & Spa, Mawgan Porth, Cornwall This family-friendly hotel overlooks the beach, and The Surf Club Cornwall is based within its grounds.

Weekend lessons can be booked through the hotel year-round, catering for beginners and improvers. Enjoy a fun afternoon in the surf (from age six upwards), or choose a more intensive one-to-one session. After drying off, reward yourself with a trip to the hotel spa, then relax over dinner. Surf lessons cost from £30pp for a two-hour group or private family session, booking essential. From £130 per night for a double B&B (01637 861200, bedruthan.com/surf-lessons-at-bedruthan).

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FOR... YOGA & CLIFF HIKING

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Cliffs of Moher Retreat, Liscannor, Co. Clare Immerse yourself in the wild scenery of Ireland’s west coast on a yoga and hiking weekend in Clare.

The morning and evening yoga and meditation classes take place in a modern, glass-fronted studio overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Stay in a newly restored farmhouse, enjoy healthy and delicious food (some of which is grown on site) and spend your free time relaxing in the sauna or hot tub, and strolling along Lahinch Beach. Prices for a quad room from €390pp all inclusive, €540 for a single en suite – there’s a yoga and hiking weekend running from 28-30 August, see the website for lots more retreats (+353 86 851 7710, cliffsofmoherretreat.com).

FOR... SEA SWIMMING

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SwimQuest Christmas Weekend, Arisaig, Highlands SwimQuest runs guided weekend swimming breaks in the sea off Arisaig and in Loch Morar in December. All abilities are welcome, including non-swimmers, who can explore the coast on foot instead. For warming up after, accommodation at Traigh House provides hot baths, open fires and home-cooked food. SwimQuest Christmas Weekends run from 29 Nov-2 Dec for 2019, £660pp all inclusive except travel and alcohol (020 86756608, swimquest.uk.com/scotland/).

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FOR... SEA KAYAKING

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Jersey Kayak Adventures, Jersey, Channel Islands While sitting atop a user-friendly single or tandem kayak, with the local guides from Jersey Kayak Adventures leading the way, you’ll quickly gain a new perspective on this island’s beautiful bays, such as St Brelade’s, Bouley and Bonne Nuit. Caves, sea arches and remote beaches all feature, and there’s always a chance you might see dolphins. For a weekend stay, Jersey Heritage has a range of quirky self-catering options, from £30pp per night (01534 633300, jerseyheritage.org). Sea kayak tours: adults: £41.50; children £29 (07797 853033, jerseykayakadventures. co.uk).

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FOR... CYCLING

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Alnmouth to Berwick-upon-Tweed, Bikecation, Northumberland Starting from the pretty fishing village of Alnmouth, this three-day, 50-mile ride promises mainly flat cycling along scenic coastline, and kicks off with a briefing by one of the Bikecation team at your B&B (including maps, tips and a bike, if you’re hiring one). Highlights en route include Bamburgh Castle, lunch at The Ship Inn at Low Newton-by-the-Sea and an unforgettable ride across the tidal causeway to Lindisfarne, where you can explore the isle’s holy sites and Tudor castle.

The tour concludes in Berwick, with a walk around the ramparts. April-October. from £425pp based on two sharing a double or twin (0800 3281799, bikecation. co.uk/trips/cycle-northumberland).

FOR... SUPER SUP FUN

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The Kitesurf Centre, Camber Sands, East Sussex Based on the three-mile expanse of beach here, The Kitesurf Centre offers easy access to the English Channel for watersports, including stand-up paddleboarding. This easy-to-learn sport lends itself well to both adrenaline-fuelled wave surfing and gentle cruising – the latter can also be done on rivers around Rye (above). For mixed-age groups (children from age seven can join), instructors might even throw in a game of Frisbee while afloat. SUP lessons start from £49pp (07563 763046, thekitesurfcentre.com). For chic accommodation and local food, The Gallivant is close at hand. From £145 for a double B&B (01797 225057, thegallivant.co.uk).

FOR... SURVIVAL SKILLS

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Coastal Survivor Course, Dorset Master castaway survival skills during this two-day course on the Jurassic Coast near Bridport. Under the expert guidance of Fraser Christian, you’ll learn how to make a fire, find water and sustenance, plus ways to navigate along the seashore and signal for rescue. These are all vital for an emergency situation during a coastal walk or trek in the event of a stranding or injury. Spending a night in an improvised shelter, foraging for wild foods and cooking over a driftwood campfire will also help you to get more from the outdoors, says Fraser: ‘Or simply to prepare for the unexpected!’ From £138pp, see website for dates (07702 104644, coastalsurvival.com).

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COASTAL LIVING

TRY IT NOW

DINGHY-SAILING ON TRESCO

coast editor-in-chief Alex Fisher sets sail around the Isles of Scilly

PHOTOGRAPHS JON SPONG

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hether you love the romantic notion of island-hopping, Swallows and Amazons-style, or are inspired by the athletic skills of Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie, dinghy-sailing is an appealing sport. Easy to pick up after a single session, children as young as five can enjoy the simple pleasures of pottering on the water, while older children and adults can hone their racing skills, making this an ideal holiday activity for all the family.

Dinghy-sailing first became a popular leisure activity around the end of the 19th century and was made an Olympic event in 1900.

Originally, the boats would have been crafted from wood, but this changed to cheaper fibreglass in the 1970s. Due to their easy upkeep, most of the boats you’ll find in clubs and sailing schools will be made from fibreglass today. With vast

ABOVE Alex Fisher tried dinghy-sailing

expanses of deserted sandy beaches, hidden coves and uninhabited islands the Isles of Scilly are the perfect place to learn to sail. Although the sea is often wild on the western shores, the waters between the islands offer a protected and uncrowded haven for watersports. The Isles of Scilly Sailing Centre is based on the largest inhabited island, St Mary’s, but in July and August the centre also has a teaching base on sandy Ravensporth Beach on Tresco. It’s here that we are going to have our two-hour lesson.

10.30AM RIB RIDE We’re picked up from the jetty on Bryher, the tiny island where we are staying, by Richard Mills who runs the Isles of Scilly Sailing Centre.

The fastest way of getting to his Tresco base is around the island on his RIB. ‘Hold tight,’ he tells us, before heading out of the

ASK THE PRO Richard Mills is owner and director of the Isles of Scilly Sailing Centre.

‘I first sailed as a child when my family lived on St Mary’s. We left the Isles of Scilly when I was four, but I moved back aged 17 to work at the sailing centre I now run. Eventually I was able to buy the business.

Dinghy-sailing offers a wonderful freedom.

Once you’re out at sea all you hear is the wind and the water; there’s a euphoria of peace you feel when sailing. You get a real sense of achievement after each trip, as a certain amount of skill is needed to sail without an engine.’

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protected bay onto the ocean. Here the sea is rougher and we spot seals as we bounce over the waves. As soon as we enter the bay the sea flattens and we glide into the little harbour. Then it’s shoes off and we jump into the water to wade to the shore.

11AM MEET THE TEACHER Our instructor for the day is called Anneliese. In term-time she studies medicine on the mainland, but this is her second season teaching sailing and she loves it. ‘I grew up in Cornwall and started sailing when I was five,’ she says. ‘I love being on the water and passing my skills onto other people. It’s a heavenly summer job.’ Her enthusiasm quickly rubs off on us. The clouds part and

the sun sparkles on crystal clear water and I can’t imagine being anywhere more beautiful. I roll up my trousers and follow her through the water onto the boat. My son follows, better dressed for this than me in his surf shorts. We clamber aboard the Laser 16 dinghy, which Anneliese tells us is very stable, and comfortable to sit in. It can seat up to six people, and Anneliese often takes out groups of children for ‘pirate’ trips, she tells us.

11.15AM SAFETY AT SEA Before we head out to sea, Anneliese gives us a safety talk. We put on life-jackets and are told how to use them. She talks us through the important aspects of the boat and highlights any hazards, in particular pointing

at the boom – the beam that runs across the bottom of the sail. ‘You’ll remember it’s called the boom because that’s the sound it makes when it bangs your head,’ she says. My son laughs.

‘If I call “ready about” you need to duck beneath the boom and sit on the other side, OK?’ ‘OK.’ She shows us where the centreboard (or daggerboard) is – the fin that slides down into the water under the boat and stops it slipping sideways – and how to adjust its depth in the water. We make sure our weight is distributed evenly between the stern (rear) and bow (front) of the boat.

ABOVE With sandy beaches, hidden coves and empty islands, Scilly is the perfect place to learn to sail – the waters between the islands offer a protected and uncrowded haven for watersports

11.30AM SAIL AWAY Anneliese guides us out onto the water, where there is just enough wind to fill c oa stm a ga zin e .co.uk

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‘If you are NOT in any hurry, the EXPERIENCE of SIMPLY BEING on the water WITHOUT THE NOISE of an engine is sublime’

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the sail, and points out the rocks to avoid (Big Cheese and Little Cheese) before we have a go. She offers me the tiller. ‘If you want to go right, pull the tiller left; if you want to go left, push the tiller right,’ she explains. ‘Keep an eye on the sail. A flappy sail is an unhappy sail.’ She shows me how she holds a rope in one hand, which tightens or loosens the sail, while the other hand operates the tiller.

The aim is to keep the boat into the wind enough to keep it moving, but not so much it flaps. I have a go, but it takes me a while to get the hang of coordinating my movements – moving one way to go another way – and the sail sags. But Anneliese is on hand to help me get to grips with it.

We’re heading to St Helen’s, an uninhabited island opposite Tresco, where, on longer sessions, they often land and build a fire, Robinson Crusoe-style.

‘The kids love it,’ remarks Anneliese. ‘They build shelters and cook sausages, it’s a real adventure.’ I pass the tiller to my son, and he picks up the steering faster than I did, as children often do. ‘Ready about!’ he shouts, and we duck beneath the boom and take our positions on the other side of the boat.

The idea is to zigzag your way across the wind, towards your destination.

With wind speed and wind direction changing all the

COASTAL LIVING

NEED TO KNOW HOW DO I BOOK? The Sailing Centre can provide dinghy lessons to suit the participants, from beginners in small groups to one-toone lessons and RYA courses. The main office is on St Mary’s, and the Tresco centre at Ravensporth is open during school holidays, and July and August.

Prices from £45 an hour for an instructor and a boat. For details, call St Mary’s office on 01720 422060, Tresco office on 01720 424919 or see sailingscilly.com.

HOW TO GET THERE

ABOVE Alex takes the tiller and keeps hold of the rope to tighten or loosen the sail as she learns how to guide the dinghy near Tresco

time, this can be trickier than you might imagine. However, if you are not in any hurry, the experience of simply being on the water without the noise of an engine is sublime.

12PM SAINTLY STOPOVER We anchor just off St Helen’s, then jump off the boat and wade to the sandy shores.

I suggest coming on your lesson dressed to get soaked, or even to swim – it’s more fun that way. Although now uninhabited, there are some remains of ancient settlements here, along with the ruins of an early Christian hermitage and the walls of the 18th-century Pest House, where sailors with contagious diseases used to be quarantined. We walk up to the highest point of this tiny

island and are treated to an incredible 360˚ view of the archipelago. Our dinghy sits waiting for us below, bobbing gently in the bright blue sea.

12.30PM SAILORS RETURN A little more confident with the tiller, the boom and the sail now, we head back to Tresco. The wind has picked up slightly and we practise tacking – zigzagging across the wind to make our way back to the harbour. Now that my coordination has improved slightly too, I get a small taste of what it might be like to tune yourself in to the elements, feel the pull and push of the wind, read the direction of the waves, and make your way across the sea by your own efforts alone. It’s a wonderful thing.

The SKYBUS flies from Exeter, Newquay and Land’s End. From 2020 you’ll be able to fly by helicopter from Penzance to St Mary’s or Tresco in just 15 minutes. The Scillonian III ferry, which sails from Penzance, takes around three hours. To book any travel option, go to islesofscilly-travel.co.uk or call 01736 334220.

WHERE TO STAY Alex stayed at the Hell Bay Hotel on Bryher (pictured below), which is the highest-rated hotel on the Isles of Scilly, with 25 suites in a stunning natural location. Prices from £140 (01720 422947, hellbay.co.uk).

For more information on the islands, see visitislesofscilly.com.

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THE LIVING IS EASY

What could be better than a low-tech break, right on the beach with plenty of fresh seafood for the barbecue? It’s time to rediscover the simple pleasures of a beach-hut holiday WORDS LUCY CLARKE PHOTOGRAPHS JAMES BOWDEN

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D

on’t get me wrong, I’m not immune to the charms of a holiday abroad – long, lazy days by the beach and balmy evenings – but one year recently, there was an extra factor to consider: I was quite heavily pregnant. As the idea of airport queues, narrow plane seats, and stifling transfer buses wasn’t appealing, I began to think of what we could do closer to home.

In Dorset, a stunning natural sandbank stretches between Christchurch Harbour and the sea, and, perched along the length of it, are 346 brightly coloured beach huts. Most are well equipped with kitchen facilities, beds and a lounge area, but what makes them really special is that you’re allowed to sleep in them from March until November. My family have owned one of these beach huts for 25 years. Growing up, I spent my

summers there, crabbing, bodyboarding, playing Frisbee and beach rounders with friends. My parents, brother and I still live locally, so we congregate there on weekends for family barbecues. This is also where I met my husband, James. He owned the beach hut next to ours, so we grew up together – and spent our honeymoon at the beach hut.

So, after just a couple of phone calls, it was all arranged. We’d leave our passports at home and take our holiday in a hut that summer.

BACK TO BASICS

A mixed weather forecast lay in store for our week off: sunshine, rain, thunderstorms, wind – the full British spectacle. We packed our bags, with wet-weather clothes as well as swimwear, fishing rods, paddleboards, windsurfing kit, books, playing cards, and food.

Within an hour of shutting our

front door, we were on the deck of the beach hut watching terns dive on the incoming tide. The magical simplicity of beach-hut living hits you immediately: laptops are left at home, phones are switched off, and the only traffic noise is the sound of kids wheeling by on skateboards, or the padding of flip-flops across the beach. Even though home was just down the road, watching the sun set over the water on that first night, we felt as if we were thousands of miles away from the demands of day-to-day life. c oa stm a ga zin e .co.uk

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TOP FIVE BEACH-HUT TIPS

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Be prepared. Even if the weather doesn’t play ball, you can still have fun in and out of the water – so pack the wet-weather gear and wetsuits.

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Leave gadgets at home.

Laptops and tablets don’t gel with sand. Get into the swing of hutting: light candles, get a stack of good books and board games out, and slow down.

3

Enjoy the sea. If you love swimming, fishing, kayaking, paddleboarding, windsurfing, skimboarding, bodysurfing – bring your gear.

Make sure that you’ve got life-jackets for children as the currents and tides around our coastline can be strong.

4

Where possible, cook and eat outside.

Beach-hut kitchens are basic.

It’s all about the freshly caught mackerel sizzling on the barbecue, or the quick salad thrown together and eaten on a rug.

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Leave only footprints.

Sweep out the sand, take your rubbish home with you to recycle, and leave the collected shells on the beach for someone else to discover...

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ABOVE Enjoying the sea’s bounty TOP, RIGHT Checking the lobster pot BELOW, RIGHT Taking in the views to the Isle of Wight from Mudeford in Dorset

On our second day, we were joined by our friends, Hannah and Bowdy, who cycled from their home in nearby Southbourne. The wind arrived with them, so the men eagerly rigged up windsurfing kit and raced onto the water, spending hours sailing in front of the hut. By evening, the breeze had quietened to a murmur, so Hannah and I took our turn, paddleboarding happily as dusk settled over a brooding sea.

FISHING AND FORAGING

The next day, fresh mackerel was promised for the evening barbecue.

James and Bowdy set off on the paddleboards with hand-lines, feathers and high hopes. Two hours later, they returned salt-soaked and

grinning – but empty-handed.

Luckily, we had back-up supplies for the barbecue, but overshadowing our plans, we noticed a dark weather front charging in from the east, bringing a foreboding bank of black cloud. It was a race against time to get the food cooked. But what we learned that night is that you can never outrun Mother Nature. The heavens opened halfway through the cooking, and we managed to get the barbecue lid on just in time. Our complaints didn’t last long though, as once the rain had passed, the sandbank looked washed clean in the shimmering light and, as we ate our meal, a beautiful rainbow stretched across the horizon.

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‘THE SIMPLICITY OF BEACH-HUT LIVING HITS YOU IMMEDIATELY’

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WHERE TO RENT A HUT There are more than 20,000 beach huts in the UK. Most are council-owned and can be rented for a day, a week or a season from as little as £10 per day. Here’s my top pick of the best places to rent a hut: ABOVE Feel a world away from home when you holiday in a beach hut – and if you can’t holiday in one there are loads around the country to rent on a daily basis

After the unsuccessful fishing attempt, we decided to see if we’d fare any better with a lobster pot.

Not owning a boat, James headed out with our lobster pot on the nose of his paddleboard – a tricky feat made even more ambitious by his decision to do it fully clothed.

Needless to say, there was much laughter from the rest of us when he fell in, only six feet from shore. But, not one to be defeated, he dragged himself back onto the board and paddled out with the pot, dropping it off a couple of hundred feet offshore, marking it with a buoy.

SURPRISED AT DAWN

The following morning we woke up early and paddled out to see if we’d had any luck. James hauled the pot onto his board and I whooped with delight to see two gleaming lobsters and a brown crab lurking inside. We decided to release the crab, but keep the lobsters for lunch.

We built a small fire of coals on the beach and set a pan of water on it to boil. The lobsters were killed as humanely as possible with an incision into their heads, before they were put into the pot. (If we’d had a

freezer to hand, the best way would have been to freeze them first so that they become insensible, then make the incision. Never put live lobsters in a pot of boiling water.)

We watched, amazed, as their iridescent blue shells turned to a rich red as they cooked. We ate on the beach with a fresh salad and hunks of bread, sucking the sweet meat from the claws – and feeling grateful to the sea for providing for us.

I discovered that one of my favourite times of day at the beach hut was dawn. Just before the rest of the world woke up, when the sun’s weak warmth was stretching across the sand, I’d slip out of bed with my notebook and pencil, and spend a few quiet moments writing.

As I sat on the shore on the final morning with the sun shimmering over the water, with the sound of the kettle being filled in the beach hut behind me, I honesty couldn’t imagine a better way to spend a holiday than in a hut on the sand.

Lucy Clarke is the author of The Blue and You Let Me In, both published by HarperCollins. Find out more at lucy-clarke.com.

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Shaldon Beach Huts, Devon. For five-star luxury in a traditional seaside setting, you can rent one of these well-equipped little huts, from £125 per night (shaldonbeachhuts.co.uk).

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Studland Beach Huts, Dorset. These National Trust huts sit on the shore, or in the dunes, and cost from £15 per day, though you can’t sleep in them (national trust.org.uk/studland-beach/ things-to-see-and-do/ beach-huts).

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Fisherman’s Huts, Kent.

Dating from 150 years ago, these converted huts in Whitstable start from £85 per night, including a full breakfast (whitstablefishermanshuts. com/our-huts).

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Mudeford Sandbank, Dorset. Some of these privately owned beach huts are available to rent on either a nightly or weekly basis.

Expect to pay from at least £500 for a week (beachhuts 4hire.co.uk).

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10 best...

SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD RESTAURANTS

One of the advantages of moving to the coast is the availability of great seafood. Here are some of coast readers’ favourite sustainable seafood restaurants – all of which have previously won or been nominated for awards – to whet your appetite further for a move…

WORDS MADELEINE BARBER

FOR... A WINNING COMBO

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The Old Boat House, Amble, Northumberland The Old Boat House was crowned Coastal Fish Restaurant of the Year in the 2016 and 2017 Fishing News Awards for its dedication to sustainability and skilfully created seafood dishes.

‘It’s a massive privilege to see that the public have voted for what we’ve created,’ owner Martin said. It is located on Amble Harbour and serves seafood straight from the boats. Some dishes have an Italian twist, like The Boat House Seafood home-made wood-fired pizza, others are traditional – New England-style chowder and classic fish and chips with mushy peas. A worthy winner – and it’s going from strength to strength. Open seven days a week, 10am-9pm, kitchen open from 12 noon (01665 711232, boathousefoodgroup.co.uk/the-old-boathouse-amble).

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FOR... A HIGHLAND SHACK

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Kishorn Seafood Bar, Strathcarron, Ross-shire This blue shack on Loch Kishorn has been popular with tourists and locals for more than 20 years.

Shellfish is sourced using sustainable methods of production and capture, so crabs oysters, mussels, prawns, scallops, squats and lobster can be enjoyed carefree. The quirky house specialty is hand-dived local scallops fried gently in fresh garlic butter, served with a hot croissant. Open daily 12-6pm, Sundays 12-4pm. July/August also open Mon-Fri evenings till 9pm (01520 733240, kishornseafoodbar.co.uk).

FOR... A DAILY MENU

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Longsands Fish Kitchen, Tynemouth, North Shields As a member of the National Federation of Fish Friers, award-winning Longsands Fish Kitchen has sustainability at its core, sourcing seafood from waters where stocks are rising. The menu changes according to what local fishermen land each day. As well as mouthwatering fish and chips, you might find a prawn and monkfish coconut curry, or a spicy shrimp burger. There is also a kids’ and takeaway menu, and gluten-free options.

Open six days a week from 11.30am till late, closed Tues (0191 2728552, longsandsfishkitchen.com).

FOR... CREATIVE TYPES

AMBLE PHOTOGRAPH DEE CHANEVA

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The Magpie Café, Whitby, North Yorkshire There is always a queue at this black-and-white Whitby icon, but the fine fish dishes are worth the wait.

Another award winner (Coastal Fish Restaurant of the Year in the 2018 Fishing News Awards), popular sellers are seafood chowder and fish and chips with choices from cod, haddock and skate to halibut and monkfish.

Feeling creative? Make your own grilled or poached fish platter from a smorgasbord of delicious seafood and sides. All fish is sourced under the Fully Documented Fisheries scheme. Open daily 11.30am-9pm, see online for one-off changes (01947 602058, magpiecafe.co.uk).

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FOR... A CHARITABLE MEAL

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Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen, Port Isaac, Cornwall Michelin-starred Nathan Outlaw has brought us his Fish Kitchen with sustainability and charity in mind – produce is purchased from local boats certified by the Responsible Fishing Scheme and local suppliers, plus a discretionary £2.50 donation goes on each bill for Port Isaac RNLI. He offers a simple menu of small plates, such as crispy ling with chilli jam, smoked mackerel dip with cucumber and sourdough toast, and gurnard ceviche with sweet potato, and soured cream. Open Tues-Sat, lunch 12-3pm, dinner 6-9pm, check the website for winter hours (01208 881183, nathan-outlaw.com/restaurants/outlaws-fish-kitchen).

FOR... CELEBRITY STATUS

RIVER EXE CAFE PHOTOGRAPH MATT AUSTIN

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HIX Oyster And Fish House, Lyme Regis, Dorset The HIX Oyster and Fish House is one of half a dozen restaurants by celebrity chef Mark Hix. Overlooking Lyme Regis harbour, menus change daily and offer locally fished and foraged produce.

Start with Portland crab or Fowey mussels, then try Torbay huss curry, fish steaks and fillets, whole Lyme Bay lobsters, or a range of grilled fish on the bone. Reservations are essential. Open daily, 12-10pm (01297 446910, hixrestaurants.co.uk/ restaurant/hix-oyster-fish-house).

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FOR... A UNIQUE LOCATION

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River Exe Café, Exmouth, Devon The River Exe Café floats in the centre of its eponymous river and is accessed via the Puffin water taxi from Exmouth Marina. Local fishermen work in the waters around the café, delivering directly to the kitchen. The menu’s mussels even grow directly beneath diners’ feet! This award-winning shellfish comes in a choice of six exciting flavours: classic moules marinière, Devon cider and smoked bacon, fennel and Pernod, Spanish chorizo and tomato, Thai green curry, and Caribbean curry. The ‘gastro shed’ also serves sharing platters with fish, plus local crab, clams and scallops. Oh, and the views are as spectacular as the food. Open 12-10.30pm Mon-Sat, 12-8.30pm Sun, subject to weather (07761 116103, riverexecafe.com).

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FOR... MODERN TRENDS

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The Salt Room, Brighton, Sussex Going strong since 2015, The Salt Room in Brighton champions sustainable, local seafood and meat, and encourages sharing plates like nearby sister restaurant, The Coal Shed. The menu is tantalising, with great dishes including skate, gurnard, stone bass and a Surf Board for two, made up of hot fruits of the sea. There are also veggie options. Open daily for lunch 12-4pm, dinner 6-10pm and until 10.30pm Fri-Sat (01273 929488, saltroom-restaurant.co.uk).

FOR... A FAMILY AFFAIR

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FOR... FRIENDLY VIBES

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Rockfish, Various, Devon There are five Mitch Tonks Rockfish restaurants around Devon in Dartmouth, Plymouth, Torquay, Brixham, Exeter and Exmouth – all as respected and deserving of accolades as each other – as well as one planned for Poole in Dorset this summer. Cod and haddock are fished in MSC-certified waters and fresh produce is bought daily at Brixham’s fish market, where Rockfish finds over 30 species to offer to its customers. Traditional fish and chips are permanently on offer, along with such melt-in-the-mouth treats as crispy king prawns tacos, roasted half-shell scallops and spider crab croquettes. Open daily 12-9.30pm, plus a takeaway breakfast service at certain locations, Mon-Fri, 8-11am (therockfish.co.uk).

Café Fish, Tobermory, Scotland This eatery, pioneered by cousins Jane Gill and Liz McGougan, has been serving freshly cooked seafood since 2004. Views over Tobermory Bay towards the Sound of Mull make a mighty backdrop, and diners may spot Café Fish’s own boat – The Highlander – landing Mull langoustines and lobster, which it does daily. Also on the menu, all landed locally, are monkfish, hake, halibut, squid and mussels from nearby Inverlussa. Open daily from Mar-Oct, 11am-3pm and 5.30-10pm (01688 301253, thecafefish.com).

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COASTAL LIVING

COOL CAFÉS

From a quick snack to stylish seafood, there are plenty of excellent eateries in coastal locations – why not try these?

The Hive Beach Café, Burton Bradstock, Dorset WHET MY APPETITE With views over Lyme Bay and Chesil Beach and extensive outdoor seating, the Hive Beach Café makes the most of its coastal setting on National Trust land. The unfussy, down-to-earth interiors, and the fact you need to pop out to use the National Trust toilets, adds to feeling that the sea and the food are the main players here.

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WHAT’S ON THE MENU? The best local seafood, with fresh fish from Brixham Fish Market, C&J Shellfish, and local fishermen on a daily basis. We started with a Seafood Starter Board, excellent value for money at £10 and plenty for two. The anchovies wrapped around firm, green olives were delicious and the delicate pairing of smoked salmon with orange and fennel pollen divine. The crayfish tails were succulent, and I would have been suitably impressed if our meal had finished here. However, we went on to share locally caught lobster, which was served warm with garlic butter that still allowed the flavour of the firm and extensive meat to come through. This came with hand-cooked chips, which really tasted of potato, so often lost in

these days of freezer foods.

Half a lobster with mixed leaves, and Hive chips costs £22 and I challenge you to find a better meal anywhere in the UK for that price.

HOW’S THE MOOD? Friendly and relaxed.

CAN I SEE THE SEA? Yes. WHAT’S THE DAMAGE? Main dishes from £11 for a crab sandwich with mixed leaves and Hive chips, rising to £40 for a whole, grilled lobster.

OPENING TIMES Open daily in summer from 9.30am-5pm, Fri and Sat from 9.30am-8pm.

Breakfast is served until 11am, and lunch from 12 noon-3pm.

Check online for winter opening times. To book, call 01308 897070 or visit hivebeachcafe.co.uk.

Alex Fisher

COASTAL LIVING

The Crab & Lobster, Sidlesham, West Sussex WHET MY APPETITE The peace and serenity of Pagham Harbour Nature Reserve is the setting for this excellent restaurant with rooms.

Concentrating on locally caught fish and seafood, this 2-AA rosette inn is a secret escape, tucked away from the bustle of the modern world. It’s worth staying the night for the utter joy of waking up to the virtually traffic-free location.

Go for an early walk around the reserve and look out for little egrets and black-tailed godwits in the salt marshes and shallow lagoons.

WHAT’S ON THE MENU? Much is sourced from local producers, including Selsey fishermen and neighbouring dairy farmers. We tried seared scallops with beetroot carpaccio, port and beetroot purée, with a walnut and caper dressing, which was delicious, followed by pan-fried filleted catch

of the day served with herb potatoes and seasonal greens.

HOW’S THE MOOD? Relaxed dining for couples, families and special occasions.

CAN I SEE THE SEA? The tidal salt marshes are just outside.

The sea is very close at high tide, virtually disappearing at low tide.

WHAT’S THE DAMAGE? Mains begin at around £16.90 and starters are priced from £8.75.

You can stay overnight in one of the stylish rooms for £190 for a double on a week day and £200 at the weekend.

OPENING TIMES Daily, with the bar open to walkers from 11am11pm. Mon-Fri the restaurant is open from 12-2.30pm and from 6-9.30pm. Sat-Sun, from 129.30pm. Book on 01243 641233 or at crab-lobster.co.uk.

Alex Fisher

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COASTAL LIVING

The Beach Hut, Watergate Bay, Cornwall prawns and delicious fish bhajis, served with coconut yoghurt.

You can order snacks, or go for a full three-course meal. Desserts include homemade crème brulee and panna cotta topped with poached plums.

HOW’S THE MOOD? Buzzy but relaxed. Beach life at its best: easy, friendly and welcoming.

There is a wonderful sense of community here, and a real appreciation for the location from both staff and guests.

CAN I SEE THE SEA? You really can’t miss it!

WHAT’S THE DAMAGE? Starters cost from £7, mains from around £11 and desserts £5. There is also nice children’s menu, with dishes starting at £6.

OPENING TIMES Open daily, from 9am-9pm. Book on 01637 860877 or visit watergatebay. co.uk/eat/the-beach-hut/ Alex Fisher

INTERIOR & FOOD PHOTOGRAPHS LUKE HAYES

WHET MY APPETITE You’d be hard pushed to find a more beautiful location for a relaxed brunch, lunch or supper than at The Beach Hut. Owned by The Watergate Bay Hotel, which is renowned for excellent food and service, The Beach Hut is its very relaxed cousin, where you can watch the sun setting over the sea as you sip a sloe gin Bramble on the deck, or warm up with a hot chocolate while the surfers head out in the morning, and nobody minds if your feet are bare and covered in sand.

WHAT’S ON THE MENU? Lovely Cornish mussels in a classic marinière sauce with hunks of bread or frites and Cornish crab spaghetti with lemon, garlic, chilli and parsley. I loved their take on an Asian salad, with sugar snap peas and carrot in a coconut, peanut, chilli and lime sauce. I combined this with some garlic

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COASTAL LIVING

Seascape, Chapel St Leonards, Lincolnshire

WHET MY APPETITE Sharing the striking new North Sea Observatory at Chapel Point with the National Coastguard and an art/exhibition space is Seascape café, which can also be hired for private functions outside of its regular hours. It opened in July 2018 and is proving popular with locals and visitors alike, drawn by good food, friendly service, and the stunning location.

WHAT’S ON THE MENU? This place is made for some breakfast or a bite to eat after a blustery walk on the long shore has worked up an appetite. Tuck in to freshly prepared sandwiches, jacket potatoes, soup, quiche, or burgers – all made on site and using MSCcertified sustainable seafood.

There is a good ‘little people’s menu’ too, as well as vegan and

gluten-free options, and of course hot and cold drinks, milkshakes and ice cream. Keep an eye out online for details of extra offers, such as sunrise breakfasts and summer tapas evenings.

HOW’S THE MOOD? Informal and relaxed, there’s a mix of tables and chairs and some easy chairs in this wonderful space, made for gazing out at that mesmerising view as you enjoy a flavoursome snack or a warming beverage.

There is a seating area on the terrace too, to get even closer to the elements. Seascape is also dog-friendly apart from lunchtime (no dogs permitted from 12-3pm).

CAN I SEE THE SEA? Yes you can, in all its glory, from a bank of huge triangular windows with uninterrupted views. Outstanding at any time of the day.

WHAT’S THE DAMAGE? Prices are very reasonable and portions are generous – sandwiches are priced from £4.75, home-made quiche from £5.50 and homemade burgers from £7.50. Have a piece of Lincolnshire plum loaf toast from as little as £2.50 – ideal if you just fancy a tasty morsel.

OPENING HOURS Open all year round, 9am-4pm, food served from 10.30am with last orders at 3.45pm. Call 01754 873840 or find Seascape on Facebook.

Anne-Claire Heels c oa stm a ga zin e .co.uk

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WE MADE THE MOVE

PHOTOGRAPH ANYA RICE

� START A NEW BUSINESS BY THE SEA � FAMILY LIFE IN ST AGNES

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WE MADE THE MOVE

LET THERE BE LIGHT

The transformation of a run-down arts club into a boutique guesthouse in Penzance was a life-changing project for city émigré Susan Stuart WORDS LESLEY GILLILAN PHOTOGRAPHS PAUL RYAN-GOFF

D

uring the first few weeks of owning Chapel House, Susan Stuart spent hours wandering from room to room, gazing at the sea and the changing light. ‘I think it’s really important to get the measure of a place,’ she says, ‘so you can see how it feels, where the light comes in and where the views are.’

From the upper floors of her Georgian home, she found herself gazing across the slate and granite townscape of old Penzance, at boats bobbing in the harbour; the sweep of Mount’s Bay and, in the distance, the island-castle of St Michael’s Mount with the outline of the Lizard Peninsula beyond. From side windows, she peered at other Georgian houses on historic Chapel Street, and the granite tower of St Mary’s Church next door. She discovered most of the rooms are often drenched in sunlight – the pure, invigorating light that’s drawn artists to this part of Cornwall for over a century. After years of living in London and yearning to live by the sea, Susan was thrilled, but for

all its charms, buying this Grade II-listed building was a leap of faith.

The house she fell in love with was built in 1790 as a family home (early owners include the Royal Navy’s Admiral Samuel Hood Linzee, who no doubt peeked at the fleet from the windows). From 1993, it was run as the Penzance Arts Club, a venerable institution, with a gallery, bar and guest rooms, before it gradually declined and finally closed. Susan spotted the club when it first appeared on the market in 2007. The guide price was £1.2m but she kept an eye on it; over several years she watched the price come down. Eventually an email saying the vendor was seeking offers over £500,000 saw her scurrying down to Cornwall.

The building was clad in brown pebbledash; inside, most walls were oxblood red – so were the ceilings – there was a catering kitchen in the basement and the top floor was a warren of corridors and gloomy rooms. Later, she’d find that the central chimney was a whisker away from c oa stm a ga zin e .co.uk

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WE MADE THE MOVE

LEFT Susan walks on the beach at Marazion near Penzance HOUSE PICTURES Sunlight pours through at the house, which boasts many beautiful original features

collapsing. ‘It was depressing,’ she says. ‘But what I saw, beyond the dark paint, was a glorious Georgian house. Nobody had looked after it for years – that really appealed to my maternal instincts.’

Within seconds, she had made her decision. ‘I wanted it so badly, I thought, I’ll buy it now and think about how I’m going to make a living later – it was a completely upside-down way of doing things.’

OPERATION RESCUE

A chartered accountant, Susan had spent more than 35 years in London. She’d already made a sideways career move by giving up the city for a job as chief executive of the charity Thrive. But in 2012 she was ready for a lifestyle change, and in the sale of Penzance Arts Club, she saw the perfect chance.

‘The more I looked at the house, the more I could see how it could work,’ she says. She envisaged a boutique guesthouse – more upmarket than a B&B, but not as formal as a hotel. ‘I wanted guests to feel as though they were staying

with a friend who happened to live in a lovely house. And the house would still be my home.’ She was brimming with ideas, but she knew she couldn’t do it alone.

Local architect Keith Bell jumped at the chance to work on one of the town’s most loved buildings.

‘It’s been central to a lot of people’s histories in Penzance,’ he explains, adding that he announced his own marriage at a party in the old Arts Club bar. ‘This was a project very close to my heart.’ Susan describes Keith as ethical and intuitive, while Keith describes Susan as a client with real vision. ‘The building desperately needed help, and the whole project has been as much about regeneration as it has about creating a boutique hotel,’ he says.

While a team of builders tackled the crumbling structure, the duo hatched a plan for the interior.

Susan says: ‘It was all about the light, the changing colours of the sea and bringing the outside in.’

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WE MADE THE MOVE

was very much part of the team.

She spent months stripping paint off sash windows, shutters, architrave and the stunning hall door with its ornate glazed fanlight.

‘We called her the Chapel Street stripper,’ laughs Keith. For weeks, she mounted a scaffolding tower, stripping cornices on the stairwell.

There were few features worth saving. In the basement, they enlarged the windows – set into a deep granite wall nearly a metre thick – and created a light, open kitchen-diner. On the top floor, they removed low ceilings and opened up the roof space. A defining new feature is a long, angular glass roof dormer, which extends from a lounging space on the top landing and into one of the guest bathrooms, flooding both with natural light. ‘It’s the best place to catch the sunset,’ says Susan.

THE ART OF LIVING

Funded by the sale of Susan’s London house, and most of her savings, Chapel House has been open to guests since May 2015.

The Arts Club’s boho bar is now an uncluttered white space, furnished with well-chosen pieces that allow the beauty of the original features to speak for themselves. ‘Georgian architecture goes well with simple modern furniture as well as pieces from its own time,’ says Susan. ‘I already had a fair bit of both from my house in London.’

In the six bedrooms on the upper floors, Susan’s style skilfully mixes old, new and vintage. The mainly white and soft-grey décor is livened up with fabrics and accessories in ‘sea colours’ – including bright upholstery, rugs and works of art.

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Bedroom One has a restored original fireplace

In keeping with the heritage of the building, Susan has devoted walls in the hall and drawing room to an exhibition of paintings curated by the Newlyn School of Art which are offered for sale (Susan donates her commission back to the school to help fund its courses). She is passionate about supporting Cornish suppliers and enterprise. ‘I love cooking with local ingredients,’ she says. ‘The butcher’s is full of local meat and you can walk to Newlyn and buy fresh fish straight off the boats. It’s culinary heaven.’

The kitchen is Susan’s domain, as is her live-work space in the basement, however in the rest of the house she is happy to take a back seat. ‘I don’t mind sharing my space with guests. It’s great to see people enjoying the house and the views and loving Penzance as much as I do,’ she says.

Rooms from £150 a night. To book, call 07810 020617 or visit chapelhousepz.co.uk.

SUSAN’S LOCAL FAVOURITES � Secret swimming. ‘I love the hidden cove at Porth Nanven, tucked down the Cot Valley near Land’s End. The beach is all boulder-size pebbles, but past half tide, there’s a little stretch of sand, weird-shaped rocks and a lagoon, which is perfect for swimming.’ � The Jubilee Pool. Susan is involved with the Friends of Jubilee Pool, and used her charity experience to help raise funds to repair the damage done to this Art Deco lido by storms in 2014. It re-opened in 2016 (jubileepool.co.uk). � Coastal walks. The path from Zennor to Cape Cornwall – a dramatic stretch of rocky coastline – is where the prehistoric landscapes of Penwith Moor meet the ruined engine houses of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site.

WE MADE THE MOVE TOP Bedroom Two has natural light, a freestanding bath and a woodburner BELOW The glass roof dormer gives a modern edge to the top floor

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WE MADE THE MOVE

THE FUTURE’S BRIGHT

Joe and Emily Reilly left London to set up an architecture and interior design business in the coastal village of St Agnes, Cornwall – renovating their own cottage along the way WORDS ALICE WRIGHT PHOTOGRAPHS ANYA RICE

‘O

ur working day often depends on what the tide’s doing,’ says Joe Reilly, who heads out for a morning surf whenever possible. Alternatively, the couple might take their baby Ozzy for a stroll along the coastal path before firing up their laptops. It’s a far cry from their previous 45-minute commute through London, and it was a desire for a radical shift in lifestyle that inspired the Reillys to quit their jobs in the capital and move to Cornwall.

Joe, an architect, and Emily, an interior designer, grew up in Leicestershire and Dorset respectively before heading to London, where they met. But after several years there, they began to tire of city life, and fell in love with St Agnes on holidays in Cornwall.

Aside from its enviable position on the North Cornish coast, the 9 2 co as t magazin e.co.uk

vibrant year-round community appealed to the young couple.

‘There are so many passionate, interesting people here, living an amazing quality of life, and we wanted a slice of it,’ explains Emily. So in 2016 they decided to move down and set up their own business, Coal Cornwall.

They knew they wanted a home within walking distance of the village and the sea. The first place they saw was a two-bed terraced cottage in the hamlet of Goonbell, on the outskirts of St Agnes. The surrounding area has a rich mining history and the lane running by the front of the house was once the route to the local tin mine. Although charming, like many of its type, the building was dark and cramped.

The previous owners were an elderly couple who had lived there for 30 years, and the interior was ‘fairly grim’, Emily recalls.

Living the coastal dream: Joe, Emily and baby Ozzy have embarked on a new life they love in Cornwall

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WE MADE THE MOVE The cosy and vibrant living room FAR RIGHT The family outside their St Agnes home

A PUNCHY PALETTE

But seeing its potential, they bought the cottage and set out to transform it. Two years on it’s a much lighter, more modern space that sings with colour, but retains the original character. Downstairs a wall and arches that had split the kitchen and living areas is gone. They put in a new kitchen, re-positioned the previously boxed-in stairs, and moved the boiler from above the stairwell to give more height. They demolished a conservatory to let in light and make the courtyard garden bigger.

Upstairs the pair expanded the master bedroom, borrowing from the bathroom – which they have converted into a shower room with a generous skylight. The bedroom boasts a freestanding pink bath and they’ve installed a big yellowframed window, from Danish 9 4 co as t magazin e.co.uk

company Velfac, which faces west towards the sea. They don’t have a sea view, but, says Joe ‘you get a sense of it – especially when it’s stormy and the skylight and the bedroom window get battered’.

Emily and Joe have brought the coast indoors using colour, with the sea and the yellow gorse that carpets the Cornish coastline providing the starting points for a striking palette. Emily wanted to step away from the muted tones often associated with coastal décor, looking instead to the vivid hues of the local landscape – from the ever-changing sea to mineral colours running through the rocks.

LET THE LIGHT IN

They painted the wall by the stairs in a turquoise limewash by Bauwerk.

‘It’s called Copper, inspired by the vibrant copper ore pigments

in the rocks around Trevaunance Cove and Trevellas,’ says Emily.

Its textured surface intensifies the colour. The play of light throughout was important – while some walls have a matt finish, they chose gloss varnish for the yellow accents and the blue showerroom wall to provide contrast and to bounce and reflect light.

Although Emily and Joe had a vision before they began work, they adapted to the building as it revealed its character. They had intended to paint ceiling beams downstairs white, but after stripping them back found they preferred the exposed wood.

Other decisions were inevitably influenced by budget – they wanted to take out another wall downstairs but it would have been too costly and complex. Instead they punched out a circle

WE MADE THE MOVE

A focal point in the bright kitchen, the Belfast sink came from a reclamation yard

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WE MADE THE MOVE

to open it up, painting the rim yellow. It’s now a feature they love.

The couple hired a builder, but a limited budget of around £25,000 meant they also had do much of the work themselves. Their skills were put to good use designing and fitting the kitchen, which was made from pieces of cut-to-order plywood. They used the same system for the plywood storage unit in the dining area. Other jobs, such as levelling the downstairs floor sand laying the Douglas fir floorboards, were more of a challenge. ‘We watched a lot of YouTube tutorials,’ they laugh.

Some furniture they bought cheap and painted, but they also commissioned pieces from local Cornish craftspeople. The dining table was custom-made from a piece of ash, with legs crafted by a welder up the road. The sofa frame was made by a local carpenter, and they sewed their cushions using a cotton blend fabric called Linara in Indigo, from Romo. On a trip to India, they bought handwoven cotton dhurrie rugs, as well as many of the trinkets on their shelves.

A BALANCED LIFE

At the same time, Joe and Emily started to win clients for their business. They have a steady stream of work, from planning drawings to interior design commissions. Their dream is to see one big project through from start to finish, but they’re happy with how the business is growing.

‘And it’s much more enjoyable here,’ says Emily. ‘Clients are friendlier and more relaxed. And at the end of the day we go to the 9 6 co as t magazin e.co.uk

ABOVE The custom-made ash dining table sits on legs welded by a local craftsman

beach to unwind.’ That work/life balance became ever more important last August, when Ozzy was born. Working for themselves meant that Joe and Emily could be very present during his early months. And village life is just as they hoped, too. ‘The sense of community that we felt here was a huge part of choosing St Agnes,’ says Emily. ‘Everyone is so friendly and welcoming.’

It seems they’ve achieved the relaxed coastal lifestyle they dreamed of during those London commutes, and they’re excited to share it with their little boy. ‘He’s going to have an awesome life,’ says Emily. Joe adds: ‘It’s been worth making the move. Being able to set our own hours and to be around for Ozzy – you can’t really put a price on that.’

For more on the couple’s business, call 07854 011869, see coalcornwall.com, or email hello@coalcornwall.com.

EMILY & JOE’S WEEKEND • For surfing or walking, you can’t beat Chapel Porth beach at low tide (nationaltrust.org. uk/chapel-porth).

• Watch the sunset at St Agnes Head, a dramatic heathland with spectacular views and clifftop mine ruins (nationaltrust. org.uk/st-agnes-head).

• Have lunch or coffee and cake at Canteen at the Wheal Kitty Workshops in St Agnes.

Open Mon-Fri (07432 641941, canteencornwall.com).

• For dinner and drinks try Schooners at Trevaunance Cove, featuring local produce and craft beers (01872 553149, schoonerscornwall.com).

• Go for a walk around the fishing village of Porthleven.

Have a pint in the 17-century Ship Inn (01326 564204, theshipinnporthleven.co.uk).

WE MADE THE MOVE

THIS PAGE The yellow accents run right through the cottage, including in the master bedroom ABOVE, CENTRE Emily, Joe and Ozzy enjoying a stroll on Trevellas Porth

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Email: sales@britannia-movers.co.uk Web: www.britannia-movers.co.uk

• Over 40 family run local companies • Full nationwide coverage • Complete domestic moving service • Specialist removals to Europe & worldwide • Quality storage facilities across the UK • Professional packing services • In transit removal insurance

COMMERCIAL MOVING

Memb No: B004

BS 8522

FURNITURE REMOVAL ACTIVITIES OVERSEAS MOVING SERVICES

BS 8564

REMOVALS • STORAGE • INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING