Top Santé UK – August 2019

MAKE THE MOVE

TO THE COAST

ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!

Visit WWW.SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/ TSL219

Or call 01959 543 747** QUOTE TSL219

Available in all good retailers including selected WH Smith stores, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose. *Price is for UK only. EUR and ROW price
£8.99. All prices include P&P. **Lines are open Monday to Friday 8.30am-5.30pm. Calls are charged at your standard network rate.

ESCAPE THE CITY AND LIVE BY

THE SEA, IT’S GOOD FOR YOU!

LIVING THE DREAM

LEARN TO SAIL A DINGHY

COOL BEACH CAFÉS

FUN FAMILY ACTIVITIES

MOVE TO

THE COAST

SALTWATER LIVING

PROPERTY GUIDE

�FIND AN AFFORDABLE RETREAT

�TOP SEASIDE LOCATIONS

NEW!

O N LY £ 6 .9 9

INC.P&P*

Whether you’re planning to

make the move to live by the

sea, are dreaming of the day

you will or have recently

moved - inside our beautiful,

practical guide you’ll find all

of the inspiration and

information you need

to make your dream life

by the sea a reality.

64 coastmagazine.co.uk coastmagazine.co.uk 6 5

THE LIVING

What could be better than a low-tech break, IS EASY

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

COASTAL LIFE COASTAL LIFE

Dby the beach and balmy evenings – but one year recently, there was an extra factor to consider: I was on’t get me wrong, I’m not immune to the charms of a holiday abroad – long, lazy days^

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. sandbank stretches between Christchurch Harbour and the sea, In Dorset, a stunning natural

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, body-boarding, 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.calls, it was all arranged. We’d leave So, after just a couple of phone

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.

A low-profile spot on the West Cumbrian coast, the old port W HITEHAVEN

of Whitehaven is re-emerging as a Georgian seaside gem at the foot of the Lake District, writes Lesley Gillilan

MOVE TO

48 coastmagazine.co.uk

MOVE TO MOVE TO

coastmagazine.co.uk 4 9

Cumbrianfact, the busiest ports in England – Tby the late 18th century, only^ hose who have never that this small far-flung towill be surprised to lheard of Whitehaven wn was once one of in earn^

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.

way, but it is life: there are two museums (one dedicated to rum – another 18th The town is a little out of the also bustling with

century import), as well as atraditional high street and thanhabit of painting townhouses in 250 listed buildings. A local more (^)
a palette of pastel colours adds to the charm of its streets. Industrial decline has put the
town through tough times, but it has a tourist attraction, underpinned by gradually reinvented itself as the Millennium-linked (^)
redevelopment now one of the finest marinas on the northwest coast.speak, they call it the ‘Georgian of the old port – In tourism-
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 status in 2017. On a clear day, you can see Ennerdale Fells or, in the seaward direction, across the UNESCO
Solway Firth to the Isle of Man.rugged history, it has something in commonWith its wild coastline, high cliffs, stone harbour and mining
with Cornwall, except that house prices here are considerably lower – a factor which tends toattract a younger generation (^)
to this old-fashioned town. old Lara Schwab has been in Whitehaven all her life and has A ‘proper Cumbrian’, 33-year-
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 Place – a once run-down Georgian shopping street that has benefited from arecent years. It’s in Market Lottery-funded Townscape
Heritage regeneration scheme. ‘There’s so much history here,’ says Lara. ‘And so much potential.’
WHERE TO BUYFor 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 higher prices, but they rarely top £600,000 – around £440will go for ,000-
£500,000 will buy a large,
WHITEHAVEN:ST BEES:CUMBRIA:UK: £309,500 £236,026 £204,203 £143,491
AVERAGE ASKING PRICES: ZOOPLA (ZOOPLA.CO.UK). [MAY 2019]. SOURCE:
AFFORD IT? CAN YOU^
PHOTOGRAPH COPELAND BOROUGH COUNCILWhitehaven Harbour was once one of the busiest ports in England
WSwallows and Amazonsor are inspired by the athletic skills of Olympic gold medallisthether you love the romantic notion of island-hopping, -style, (^)
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 waterolder children and adults can hone their racing skills, , while
making this an ideal holiday activity for all the family. a popular leisure activity Dinghy-sailing first became
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
58 coastmagazine.co.uk expanses of deserted sandy
COASTAL LIFE COASTAL LIFE
coastmagazine.co.uk 5 9
ASK THERichard Mills PRO
of Scilly Sailing Centre.is owner and director of the Isles
‘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.’
ABOVE Fisher tried dinghy-sailing Alex
DINGHY-SAILING
coast editor-in-chief Alex Fisher sets sail around the Isles of ScillyON TRESCO^
TRY IT NOW
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 watersbetween 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
PHOTOGRAPHS JON SPONG tight,’ he tells us, before heading out of the protected bay onto the ocean.
� AFFORDABLE BOLTHOLES � BEST INVESTMENTS � BLUE HEALTH
� SEASIDE DINING � COASTAL ACTIVITIES
From the editor of