Looking for advice! We are looking to move house - and are doing research into where to move to. So thought I’d ask on here: where do you think is the most lively place to live in the uk? Most beautiful, most friendly, best quality of life etc etc? We don’t want to live in the middle of a big city, but apart from that have an open mind. We love nature so access to nature is a big priority. Would love to hear people’s views on this! Thanks!
Have you a list for what you'd like, in a house and an area and what sort of budget, garden or land, as thats going to massively affect where you can go.
AnA, I live in a tourist area, and tourists do not pay for people to live here or anywhere else people may like to visit, if anything the opposite is true and many locals can't afford to live anywhere near where they grew up and have family, everywhere has been bought up as airb&b's and second homes that are only lived in for a few weeks of the year. It artifically inflates house prices, many second home owners and airb&b owners contribute little to the local economy, except an increase in rudeness and anti-social behaviour. People who believe that because they're relatively well off it gives them the right to ignore things like speed limits, parking restrictions and even things to keep us all healthy and safe.
For the most part people welcome visitors, we just wish they'd remember to pack their manners.
Just to be clear we obeyed speed limits, took our litter away to recycle, respected parking restrictions, used public transport as much as possible, and we did bring our manners, we always do. The terrible and dangerous driving which we saw a lot of was by young men in fancy cars who definitely weren’t tourists, just part of the local scene. Also I do appreciate the cost of living in such beautiful areas has risen beyond the reach of many locals. On the stranded train we got chatting to a young man who lived in Cornwall and whilst he was amiable and kind in sharing his water and snacks his annoyance at tourists, which we were, was clear and we left the county some days later feeling criticised and in part responsible for a huge issue which in reality is solvable only by national government.
I'm sorry this was your experience, I think people who live in tourist areas get very defensive because so many visitors are rude, condescending and treat us like we're second class citizens, this is especially true in Wales and I think Scotland too. I'm English myself, but I'd never treat someone in such an imperilaist manner, its like we're a conquered people not a part of the UK. When you're told that laws don't apply to an English tourist, only to you as a resident, that you've spoiled someones holiday by asking them to put thier dog on a lead, when you've been threatened by tourists, when you have any kindness thrown back in your face, you do get defensive and extremely wary.
We have a 20mph speed limit in built up areas here, thats regualrly ignored, some locals don't stick to it either, but you see many more people ignoring it in tourist season. The actions of some second home owners during covid when we were in lockdown was truely attrocious, not only were people ignoring lockdown by travelling, but some were sending their baggage down by courier in the hope htey wouldn't get stopped at the boarder and sent back by police.
National government does need to do more, but they'd need to remove their collective heads from thier backsides first, Wales, Scotland and NI have devolved governments with varying amounts of power and control over some things. Our governments can do somethings like double the amount of council tax on second homes and introduce a tourist tax, but then there are howls of outrage from Westminster about are we exceeding our powers? I'm not sure any government has ever really got its head around things like funding for hospitals who's use goes up hugely in holiday season, or the fact that so many staff have to have specialist training for search and rescue, mostly for when people try and climb mountains in flip flops and other stupid things, again attitude is a problem.
The Barnet formula which dishes out money is broken and has been broken for decades, London and the south east get far more money spent on them than aywhere else and that includes English regions too, particularly the south west which always seems to get shafted
I'm sorry this was your experience, I think people who live in tourist areas get very defensive because so many visitors are rude, condescending and treat us like we're second class citizens, this is especially true in Wales and I think Scotland too. I'm English myself, but I'd never treat someone in such an imperilaist manner, its like we're a conquered people not a part of the UK. When you're told that laws don't apply to an English tourist, only to you as a resident, that you've spoiled someones holiday by asking them to put thier dog on a lead, when you've been threatened by tourists, when you have any kindness thrown back in your face, you do get defensive and extremely wary.
We have a 20mph speed limit in built up areas here, thats regualrly ignored, some locals don't stick to it either, but you see many more people ignoring it in tourist season. The actions of some second home owners during covid when we were in lockdown was truely attrocious, not only were people ignoring lockdown by travelling, but some were sending their baggage down by courier in the hope htey wouldn't get stopped at the boarder and sent back by police.
National government does need to do more, but they'd need to remove their collective heads from thier backsides first, Wales, Scotland and NI have devolved governments with varying amounts of power and control over some things. Our governments can do somethings like double the amount of council tax on second homes and introduce a tourist tax, but then there are howls of outrage from Westminster about are we exceeding our powers? I'm not sure any government has ever really got its head around things like funding for hospitals who's use goes up hugely in holiday season, or the fact that so many staff have to have specialist training for search and rescue, mostly for when people try and climb mountains in flip flops and other stupid things, again attitude is a problem.
The Barnet formula which dishes out money is broken and has been broken for decades, London and the south east get far more money spent on them than aywhere else and that includes English regions too, particularly the south west which always seems to get shafted
