Escape to the
Sea
Little did Mark and Jo Davis know when they holidayed on the Island to celebrate their joint 50th birthdays that they would end up buying the bed and breakfast that they stayed in. But buy it they did. They moved to the Island in 2016 with their children and haven’t regretted it for a moment since
Quirky St Veronica’s in Bembridge was originally a fisherman’s cottage in the 18th century and later it was used as a nun’s retreat by the Sisters of the Passion of Jesus. It was the nuns who gave the house its name, but for Mark and Jo it was just the place they were looking for to give them a lifestyle change. “Having both hit fifty and also celebrating our twenty fifth wedding anniversary, we decided that it would be nice to move,” says Mark, “We wanted to move somewhere by the sea as we both love the coast but we wanted to have a really good view as well so we started to think about where we could go to and as part of our birthday trips we came to Bembridge. “Loving the environment and the atmosphere of Bembridge, Mark and Jo were delighted when St Veronica’s came on to the market. “It ticked our box for being by the sea, for having lots of twinkly lights because we can see from Portsmouth right round to Selsey Bill, and it was an ideal time to move for the children because their education ‘fitted’ and
so we thought “let’s go for it.” And we haven’t regretted a minute of it.”
Mark originates from Portsmouth and so was used to looking at the Island from the other way but he and Jo were living in Hampshire when they bought the house and whilst they were living in the countryside, yearned for the changing view of the sea. They are positioned perfectly for the constantly changing vista of the sea as they overlook one of the busiest shipping lanes in Europe; they have plenty to look at. “For the children there’s so much to do here,” explains Jo, “We lived in the country in the middle of nowhere and had to get in the car all the time to go anywhere. Now the children can both walk to a bus stop and they have summer jobs locally – we can just step out of the door and there’s the beach and the dog loves it too.”
There is also a great sense of community in Bembridge which Mark and Jo embrace and they have found their neighbours to be
welcoming. “It genuinely is a great community,” agrees Mark, “And there is a sense that everyone is looking out for you. There are also summer job opportunities for the children that they wouldn’t have had previously and we’ve got a boat in Bembridge dry stack which is a nice lifestyle change for us as well.” “For years we went to the coast for weekends only to endure the Sunday night queues on the M3. It’s great not to have to do that now,” says Jo.
Mark says, “Spence Willard and Sam in the Bembridge office were great and I’d recommend them to anyone who is thinking of moving to the Island as they really understand the market here – a fantastic service which made the sale go very smoothly.” Jo finishes, “If you’ve got the ability to do it then do it. So many people have said to us that they wish they’d been brave enough to make the move. It feels like a much bigger step than it actually is.” A double room at St Veronica’s can be rented via AirBnB if you think you too might like to make the move.
spencewillard.co.uk
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