Way out west is best
DESPITE record prices it seems many of us are still following our dream of heading to the SouthWest for a better work-life balance and some of the best beaches in Britain. Cornwall continues to top many wish lists, although estate agents advise looking beyond the usual favourites – even in less fashionable Devon.
With prices in the most sought-after areas up by 30 per cent during the pandemic, Clare Coode of Stacks Property Search (stacks.co.uk), says: “It’s hard to find anything approaching good value in the coastal hotspots of mid-Cornwall, whether north or south, so for a sea view my advice would be to look at the overlooked east of the county, or spend half an hour extra in the car and go west.”
“With the current widening of the A30, west of Truro will soon be much easier to get to, and prices for a house in Portreath or Marazion will be half the price of a similar house in Polzeath or St Mawes.
“These areas don’t have the same amenities but they represent good value if you are not wedded to the social cache of owning a house in prime Cornwall.”
She adds: “If you don’t mind getting in the car to hit the beach then towns such as Wadebridge or Lostwithiel also have charm, and prices can be as little as a quarter of those you would pay on the coast.”
A collection of nine three-bedroom bungalows are for sale from £435,000 (01872 890033; burringtonestates.com) at The Heaths in Illogan, a six-mile drive from Portreath on the north Cornwall coast with county town Truro about 12 miles north east. Going slightly inland is good advice for Devon as well as Cornwall, says Ed Jephson, also of Stacks Property Search.
“Kingsbridge, which is a few miles inland from Salcombe, has great access to seaside and country – and prices are a ballpark 20 per cent lower than its high-profile neighbour,” he says.
Grade II-listed Nuthatch, a thatched house in Thurlestone near Kingsbridge, is within walking distance of the beach and for sale at £495,000 (01548 857588; marchandpetit.co.uk).
Semi-detached and with three bedrooms, the house is close to the SouthWest Coast Path, the only UK hike in the Lonely Planet Adventures guidebook.
The thriving community has its own beach,Thurlestone Sands, an 18-hole links golf course, and is less than five miles from Kingsbridge, a market town with a range of shops, schools, health and leisure facilities.
“If you can’t find what you’re looking for in the South Hams,” says Jephson, “try the edge of Dartmoor where you can still buy a farmhouse with six acres and an annex for around £1.25million.The same in the South Hams will be over £1.7million.”
About 15 miles from Dartmoor in the coastal village of Stoke Fleming is Captains Cottage, a renovated former coach house for sale with all its furniture and fittings for £439,000 (01803 832288; winkworth.co.uk).
The period cottage has flagstone flooring, a Minster stone fireplace and stunning chandelier, while the kitchen-dining area has double doors to a private walled courtyard with lighting and seating set into a stone wall.
Devon house prices are fast catching up with those in more glamorous neighbour Cornwall, though, so Stacks Property Search’s Nick Cunningham advises looking north in the county, rather than south.
“It certainly offers better value than some more popular and accessible parts of the county, but this differential has been reduced by the ‘Dash to Devon’ that we witnessed last year,” he says.
Better still, forget Cornwall and Devon altogether says Cunningham.
“For those seeking coastal value, my best advice is to spend some time exploring North Somerset, an area that remains blissfully unfashionable.
“My prediction is that this situation won’t last long.”