What’s going for it? Never has a breakwater been so beautiful. Never has surf looked so sexy. Never, until that Scottish Widows ad, has a woman in a cloak seemed so smouldering. When Meryl Streep appeared on Lyme Regis’s Cobb in The French Lieutenant’s Woman in 1981, this little fishing town’s fortunes changed for ever. You’ll still find the film’s posters up in the shops; there is, I warn you, a French Lieutenant’s Bistro, where you can eat scallops while being doused by buckets of seawater (not). The film can be blamed for the (re)gentrification of the British seaside. An entire generation was ready to up sticks and live a life crabbing on the Cobb the minute they left the cinema – until they saw the property prices. Three decades later, though, despite Mark Hix opening up, and despite begetting Southwold and Whitstable and Padstow and all, Lyme Regis has an appealing edge of shabbiness and normality again. And while I won’t say it’s cheap, the rest of the West Country has caught up – even overtaken it. It’s all Broadchurch these days, see. Meryl who?
The case against Very little. It’s not especially well connected and not quite as cute as new pretenders to the crown of England’s Poshest Seaside Resort. Traffic and crowds are a nightmare in summer.
Well connected? Axminster is a 15-minute drive away, with hourly trains to London (three hours) and Exeter (40 mins). Driving: you’re at the mercy of the capricious A35. When it’s moving, 45 mins to Dorchester or Weymouth, or west to the M5.
Schools Primaries: St Michael’s CofE is “good”, Ofsted says; the splendidly named Mrs Ethelston’s CofE and Woodroffe secondary are “outstanding”.
Hang out at… The Town Mill Bakery is superlative, as is their new enterprise in a converted petrol station out of town: the Rousdon Village Bakery.
Where to buy Not loads on the market: people tend to stay, and property moves fast. There’s all sorts, from medieval thatched cottages through Georgian, Regency, Victorian and Edwardian villas to modern swankpads. The old centre has myriad alleys around Church Street; lanes towards Uplyme have the poshest homes, with views across the bay. Large detacheds and town houses, £500,000-£1m. Detacheds, £280,000-£500,000. Semis, £220,000-£450,000. Terraces and cottages, £200,000-£300,000. Flats, £140,000-£300,000. Rentals: rare – a three-bed flat might be £800pcm.
Bargain of the week Go unpicturesque for vague affordability, such as this three-bed terrace: £209,995 with Palmer Snell.
From the streets
Rene Wyndham “You keep fit by default in Lyme Regis: the steep, thriving high street is just one of a myriad hills in the town. Fossil shops vie with fish and chip shops for trade.”
Isabel Janicki “The museum is a gem of local history and Jurassic coast displays. Their fossil walks are brilliant – ask for Chris!”
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Do you live in Sydenham, south-east London? Do you have a favourite haunt or pet hate? If so, email lets.move@theguardian.com by 1 September.
