Sense of Place 6

Our campsite launch area

From Mallaig we head south, hoping to find a campsite that 'feels' right rather than having decided in advance from a list of sites from the tourist information and some recommended by friends. In the end we nearly got to a site a friend told us about but were instead attracted by a new site with obvious access to the sea. This proved a great location, with sheltered launch point and attractive routes North and South around the coast. Even at this site we met people who were 'incomers'. The owners were a husband and wife team, she had first visited working in hotels before moving to to the South Coast of England. She missed the hills and rugged coast so much she'd always wanted  to return. He was a former Glaswegian builder who sold his business after twenty years to move to the area he'd also holidayed in.  The owners of the local hotel were English (though they contended well with the nationalistic banter of other locals during our visit) who'd also sold up to start afresh in the area.

Talking to people it seems that many try to earn a living but move away due to family / low income and other pressures, while others move to the area having identified new opportunities (the campsite) or being able to work to different levels now the family had grown (the hoteliers). Interesting to look at how external pressures influence these decisions. There appears to be good technological accessibility with people working as software designers, authors, publishers from home, connected by broadband services that equal those of cities where speeds often get reduced due to volume access requirements. There are good roads, local rail services, links that are rare in areas such as rural Cumbria. So do people need stronger family ties including family businesses e.g. fishing, to encourage them to stay or is it natural to want to move away - to see the 'big wide world'. Are there consumerist pressures that make city life more attractive at a certain age with people returning to their roots or the place they make a connection with as they get older? All issues to examine in order to understand 'sense of place' and how it effects ourselves and others.