SEA DREAMS

The urge to move to the UK coast has never been stronger or so full of expectations and, according to those in the know, two significant factors have driven the market over the last two years. ‘First Brexit,’ says Christopher Bailey, head of waterfront property at national estate agent, Knight Frank. ‘Then Covid.’ The first, he explains, started a trend for a more insular approach to buying property in holiday destinations, ‘shifting away from Europe, looking closer to home’. And then the age of lockdowns set in. As people rushed to leave cities, second homes swiftly became first homes, demand increased, stock started dwindling and prices rocketed. ‘And that dynamic hasn’t really changed,’ Christopher says. ‘Now that people are more able to work from home, there is a strong desire to redress the work-life balance.’ Buyers in England are mostly heading west, with Cornwall and Devon soaking up much of the demand, but the net is spreading. Counties such as Norfolk, Lincolnshire and Northumberland are being explored, as are previously undervalued places like Portland Bill in Dorset, Hayling Island in West Sussex, or the cheaper towns on the south coast.

ENGLAND

Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex

Best known for its modernist masterpiece, the De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill has a reputation as a pensioners’ resort, but the demographic has changed in recent years. A combination of relatively low prices (attracting buyers that have been priced out of nearby Rye or Hastings), fast city rail links (Brighton in one hour, London in two) and good schools has put Bexhill on the map with a younger generation. Add vintage shops, A-list live music and