bigals

So after 10 nearly 11 years here i am going back soon,I am from the Portsmouth area but am looking to go back to a slower pace of life so I am looking at the Isle of Wight ,Devon or Cornwall areas,my one concern is i will be leaving here where i knew nobody and made no friends and it has been hell and planning to move to places where again i will not know anyone,but am hoping that it will be easier to settle back in there and gain employment .
So i am wondering do i go home to home town or take the plunge and head for the areas i would like to live?????

dreadsoc

Hi Bigals

My heart goes out to you, and I hope you will find a happier place when you return to the UK.

I live not too far from Portsmouth so I know the area quite well.
I would advise against the Isle of Wight - employment opportunities are very limited and it is a bit of an unemployment blackspot - unless you would be happy doing seasonal work in the hospitality trade. It is also somewhat insular and very expensive to travel on and off it. There are some areas where the locals are less than welcoming to what they call 'overners'.

Devon and Cornwall - lovely place, but I don't really know what employment is like down there. I will ask a friend next time I see her and let you know.

Portsmouth is not too bad employment wise, and there are some areas outside Portsmouth with good employment possibilities, especially as may industrial parks have attracted major companies - areas such as Whiteley/Segensworth/Titchfield/Hedge End. These are quite nice areas to live and do offer some of the slower pace you're after. They have plenty of rental places available too.

If you have any questions about the area, or want to know any specifics, feel free to pm me and ask, I will do what I can to find out for you.

Another thing to ensure you do on your return is to contact the Department of Work and Pensions - as someone with a pacmaker you would qualify as having a disability for benefit purposes, and for work purposes - there are laws now for disability which could help you, so I recommend you do seek their advice.

All the best - I hope the move back is a turning point for you and brings you some happiness and good times.

Dread - x

chris955

Both Devon and Cornwall are beautiful counties so you won't go far wrong in either place to be honest.

king kong

head for dorset , devon and cornwall are a bit hard employment wise and the isle of wight although idylic would in my opinion be a big clanger as the work situation is dire and the ferry crossing is rumoured to be one of the most expensive in the world on a cost per mile basis ........... good luck

dreadsoc

Not rumour KK - fact - the IOW ferry crossing is more expensive per mile than Concorde was !
On average, to get a car and four people accross that tiny stretch of water will cost around £60 - £80 - and if you drive a van it is considerably more.
It is about £15 to get accross as a foot passenger nowadays.

Dread - x

bigals

Thanks for the replies.....I am taking all of the advice and using it in my research for jobs and housing.. the one thing i did not mention is I lived and went to school on the Island and do have some family and friends there.
Most of my research however is from Bournemouth to Devon /Cornwall

Jkh

Bear in mind two things about Kernow. 1) IT is very remote and 2) It is very expensive. So, be prepared for a long trip out - especially if you decide on the far west of the county - to get anywhere (i.e Exeter is 90 mins driveaway for a start). There are some benefits - for those who live in the county there is a residents railcard for example which gives a 3rd off Railfares (and is available in Devon as well) and these last two weeks have reminded me why I moved here in the first place - stunning weather; little traffic (!!!!) and miles of sandy beaches....

pompeyblonde

Hi there, Don't move to The Isle of Wight whatever you do, i lived there for 2 years and felt like i was on Alcatraz!

Why not try the outskirts of Portsmouth to start? or even Chichester or somewhere? Devon and Dorset are lovely too...

Good Luck!

pompeyblonde

BTW Bigals, where are you?

bigals

Hi I am still in Canada but have secured a job in Gosport so just getting things sold and will be moving over in the next few weeks

robin1234

Is it correct, there are no commercial flights to the IoW? That is what I found from a quick search.. seems surprising if that is the case. And what are connections like for someone who lives on the IoW and wants to go for a trip on the mainland by train. Are there handy places to leave a car near the ferry terminal, and good access to railway stations at the ferry terminal on the mainland? Just curious, IoW is not high on my list of places to live, but it is a nice place with reasonably priced houses..

mikelincs

No airport on the IOW, you need to get ferry to get across either from Lymington, Southampton or Portsmouth. Southampton or Portsmouth have good rail links, but, as has been said, ferry fare is very expensive for what it is.

cheers

I don't think you have any worries if you would like to live there. As for ferry fares, there are concessionary fares for local people.

cheeky_monkey

Kernow WTF????This is why is dislike the Cornish so much they have a huge chip on their shoulders all the time pretending that Cornwall is a separate country and all that..when they know that Devon is far superior in every way shape and form and they just cant deal with that!

BritinFLUSA

True - but employment is low paying, while cost of living is as high as the South East of England.