We ended up buying in the town and this house had everything we could hope for. It's so close to the high street and beach yet is a quiet corner with a lovely little south-facing garden and parking (a rarity so close to the sea). The house is detached so it feels very private and also allows light in from all sides at different times of day. We realised it needed a lot of work as it was somewhat neglected but we were undeterred.
Two and a half years later... here we are, all done and looking lovely with original features retained and fully restored. It has the same feel we fell in love with but will extra space in the kitchen area and the added comforts of new sash windows, a wood burner, an extra bathroom and large loft conversion. We even gave the garage a makeover and it's now a light and bright chill out area.