Bella: My escape from city to sea

I had been living in London for 5 years. I worked for Scott Dunn, a luxury travel company, in their London office for 3 years. When they decided to open an office in San Diego, they asked me to move to California and help set up the marketing team out there. I had the incredible opportunity to work in California for 4 years, right up until the start of the pandemic.

Back in 2015/16, I rowed across the Atlantic with the team Row Like A Girl. Scott Dunn was kind enough to give me a sabbatical, allowing me the time to take on this epic adventure.

On my return from this, I knew my love of water was something I needed to follow to keep me happy on a daily basis and living in a city wasn’t going to fulfil this.

Living in California cemented this for me – being on the coastline with the ability to escape to the beach during my workday. Learning to surf and sailing on my weekends made me really understand how important the ocean is for me to get a healthy work-life balance and a positive mindset.

I chose to move back to the UK right before the pandemic hit as I wanted to be nearer friends and family again – some could have said bad timing! But I now know everything happens for a reason, and I’m in the best place now.

It was really tough at first as I moved back in with my parents after nearly 10 years, and I was on the job hunt at a time when lots of people were being laid off or put on furlough.

I joined the Escape the City membership course to help me figure out what I wanted to do with my next steps and Cornwall (though only having been here once or twice) just ticked all the boxes. I spent a lot of time on Google and had job alerts on all the obvious sites and came across Flexi-Hex – an incredible start-up stripping plastic from the packaging industry based in Porthleven, Cornwall.

Porthleven is a quiet place compared to London or San Diego, and I didn’t know many people there. I was worried that I was “retiring” to the countryside early! But it was a dream job, and the team looked incredibly friendly, so I took the leap!

I was nervous beforehand, but I knew within 2 weeks that I’d made the right choice. I was paddle boarding before and after work in the peak of summer. I’ve joined a swimming group on the weekends called the Cornish Dippers. I’ve explored the most beautiful coastal paths and bought a new surfboard (though I’m still not very good!) – so I’m getting my water fix.

Everyone has been incredibly welcoming, so despite living by myself throughout the last two lockdowns – I haven’t felt lonely once. I’m also taking on a new challenge, rowing across the Pacific in May 2021, which Flexi-Hex have been so supportive of, and I’m hugely grateful to them for allowing me the time off.

To find your escape from the city to the country, check out our job board for the latest opportunities.