Having just returned from a brief foray into some of the busiest parts of Cornwall, masquerading as a holiday, talk has turned to ‘well, could you live by the sea then? Versus staying in our beautiful, green oasis of Herefordshire? Up to this point, much like others I’d imagine, the answer would be emphatically ‘yes, I’d give an arm and a leg to live by the sea’. Well, you could be giving a couple of kidneys too! Not having been down to Cornwall for some years on account of COVID, economy and it basically being a bloody long drive, it's a very, very expensive price to pay.
So, would you seriously swap the peace and chattering birdsong, verdant green fields and big skies of the country, for nose to tail traffic nightmares, interminable seaside parking in (and sometimes out of) high season?
Would you swap the quiet stillness for crashing waves and lone seagull calls? Maybe you would. Maybe exchange the potholed dusty lanes for dry, sandy beaches?
Second home seaside syndrome has kept embittered locals off the property ladder and looking in estate agents windows is enough to induce palpitations. It's an age old dichotomy that at its heart beats the ideal of peace. Those residing in the country would claim the peace is there all year round - in nature, in quiet places. Those residing by the sea have their quiet places but may realistically only experience that peace for a couple of months a year - when the tourists have decamped, the bankers have locked up their second homes and returned to the cities.
I returned a shorter distance to our car after a beach frolic shared with manic dogs, sun burnt children and braying adults. I could not fail to notice the liberal splattering and general bowel-voiding of seagulls (ironically in a busy car park, limited only to my car - not a mark on any neighbouring vehicles)
The pull of the sea is undoubtedly strong, embedded deep in our DNA. Give me the countryside any day. With limitless quiet places you’re not missing much - certainly less car cleaning!
So where are your Quiet Places? Drop us a line
Dave Fletcher @ 2023
Photo : Kay Fletcher
www.cariadwellbeing.co.uk