“I’m giving up my idyllic £7.5m home in Cornwall to retire to London”

Robin Thomas, of Recoco Property Search, says: “It’s fine to move to Cornwall in your thirties or forties, but then two things happen. Those little five, six, seven, eight or nine kids turn into teenagers who don’t want to be there anymore, and the 60-year-olds have elderly parents.”

Life changes have had a massive impact, says Berman: “Logistically, there are things that don’t really work. The Rock is a great place, but I don’t play golf, (my husband) Charlie doesn’t have red pants, I don’t have a dog.

“I’m probably quite an urban person – I went to university in Manchester – and both my kids are now in London. I won’t be here when I’m 90.”

Perceptions of isolation also change as people age.

“Where we are is very beautiful, but it’s at the end of a farm track,” says Berman. “There is very little public transport. Medical care is scattered. My son recently had a foot infection and the ‘local’ hospital in Truro was an hour and 15 minute drive away.”

For Berman, part of the appeal of returning to London is the quality of life. By moving from Cornwall, she will leave behind the responsibility of looking after a large house and reconnect with old pleasures such as antiquing in Marylebone and Fulham.

And while she will miss the “line and space” of north Cornwall, she is ready to welcome “things you can’t do in the country like Deliveroo or taxi apps and Uber”.

She wants to be near her mother, who lives in Sandwich, Kent, a six-hour drive from Rock. Charlie, 66, who runs a fintech start-up, wouldn’t want to retire to Cornwall for good. There are also her children – George, 31, who works in film production, and Fred, 28, a video editor, who both live in London.

“It’s just being around for dinner or being around if needed when they’re tired, broken or just had a bad day,” she says.