Robin Thomas, of Recoco Property Search, says: “It’s all well and good moving down to Cornwall in your thirties or forties, but then two things happen. Those little children of five, six, seven, eight or nine turn into teenagers who don’t want to be there any more, and 60-year-olds have elderly parents.”
Life changes have made a massive impact, Berman says: “Logistically, there are things that don’t really work. Rock is a lovely place, but I don’t play golf, [my husband] Charlie doesn’t own any red trousers, I don’t have a dog.
“I’m probably quite an urban person – I went to university in Manchester – and both my children are now in London. I’m not going to be here when I’m 90.”
Perceptions of isolation change as people age, too.
“Where we are is very beautiful, but it’s at the end of a farm track,” says Berman. “There is very little public transport. Healthcare is scattered. My son got an infection in his foot recently and the ‘local’ hospital in Truro was an hour and 15 minutes round trip by car.”
For Berman, part of the attraction of moving back to London is quality of life. In moving out of Cornwall, she will leave behind the responsibility of looking after a large house, and reconnect with old pleasures, such as popping out to browse for antiques in Marylebone and Fulham.
And while she will miss “the peace and space” of north Cornwall, she is ready to welcome “the things you can’t do in the country, like Deliveroo or taxi apps and Uber”.
She wants to be near her mother, who lives in Sandwich, Kent, a six-hour drive from Rock. Charlie, 66, who runs a fintech start-up, wouldn’t want to retire permanently to Cornwall. There are also her children – George, 31, who works in film production, and Fred, 28, a video editor, who both live in London.
“It’s just being nearby to have dinner or be around if needed when they are tired, broke or have just had a bad day,” she says.