It’s official: the second most friendly place to live in England* is the district of South Hams in South Devon. The criteria employed in determining the rankings may certainly be questioned, but there’s no denying that the area is visually attractive, with its five estuary valleys and a coastline of cliffs, bays and beaches. I spent some time there last week and didn’t see one ugly feature.
I was there
because my Other Half had undertaken a walk along the section of the South West
Coast Path that fringes South Hams, a three-day route that has four ferry
crossings and one carefully timed pedestrian fording. My part was to turn up in
the campervan at the end of each day to provide dinner and accommodation,
meaning my days were free for tootling around the picturesque fishing ports and
the hinterland of hamlets formed through centuries of small-scale agriculture.
As a tourist
passing through, the opportunities to interact with locals are limited, so any
attempt on my part to gauge the validity of the “friendly” accolade is really just
guesswork, though that doesn’t stop me trying.
For
instance, there may be physical features inherent to the landscape that promote
a sense of community – such as the predominance of single-track roads lined
with tall, impenetrable hedges and provided with occasional passing places. Progress
along these roads is necessarily slow and, when you do meet an oncoming
vehicle, there is an interaction with the other driver – an exchange of
glances, a flashing of lights and a raising of hands in recognition that one or
other of you has made an accommodation for the passing.
Then again,
how can you identify a ‘local’? The whole area is so popular with holidaymakers,
retirees and second-home owners that the criteria must have become compromised
over the years.
If it’s any
help, there is a distinctly different feel to the town of Salcombe from that of
Kingsbridge, which is further up the same estuary. The once modest fishing port
of Salcombe is now one of Britain’s most expensive ‘property hotspots’. My
afternoon there revealed a town centre devoted entirely to up-market holidaymaking,
with an emphasis on yachting and water sports. It must be a dreary place in the
winter.
Kingsbridge,
by contrast, has a healthy high street with a mix of everyday shops, a
fish-smokery, a smattering of chic boutiques and a few decent charity shops. My
time there was more profitably spent, not least in exploring the historic church
and civic buildings at the top of the town.
Perhaps
friendliness is too difficult to pin down as a measurable asset when it comes
to choosing a place to live. There is a widespread belief that the people of
England’s northern towns are friendlier than those in the south – well, it’s
widespread amongst northerners, at least – and when I moved from London to Manchester
(long ago), I experienced the phenomenon, for sure. But does that feeling of
community derive from the “we’re all in the same boat” phenomenon? In this
case, northerners sticking together in the face of the snooty derision of
uninformed but wealthier southerners?
So, to the number
one spot, the friendliest place to live. It turns out to be the Scilly
Isles. I haven’t been there – for the following reasons: it’s not easy to
access; housing and accommodation are limited; the cost of living is higher
than on the mainland and, according to northern folklore, the further south you
go, the less friendly are the locals – although now that I’ve moved south
myself, it’s probably time to reassess my prejudice in that respect.
Could it be
that the Scillies top the poll because they are isolated and relatively untroubled
by the turmoils of the wider world? If so, the same applies to South Hams,
which is an oasis of calm, far from big-city strife and chaos and with a strong
sense of community that is readily fostered by its seclusion. Friendly but
somewhat disconnected?
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