Daydream thread continues.....

Itismehonest

Totally understand, rhiw.
As you know, we can do much less than was once possible &, as time passes, that will only get worse.
We haven't decided where we would like to move to - not a city centre but maybe somewhere like a marina as they usually have some nearby shops & transport links.

Unfortunately, buying a property on a bus route in the countryside today, Dave, doesn't mean that bus will still be there in 5 years time let alone 25 years.
It's just the same as buying somewhere because there's a shop/pub/PO etc. They all struggle to survive now.
http://www.thisisnorthdevon.co.uk/Bus-jobs-risk-plans-axe-North-Devon-services/story-16584407-detail/story.html

Davesnave

Itismehonest wrote: »

Unfortunately, buying a property on a bus route in the countryside today, Dave, doesn't mean that bus will still be there in 5 years time let alone 25 years.

I think 25 years might be academic for some of us! :rotfl:

But seriously, that's why I said a 'regularish' route, because although car ownership is still largely unaffected by the huge surge in costs, that may not be the case over time. There will be a place for bus services, and I believe increasingly so, but maybe not on the marginal routes.

Look at what happened with the railways & Beeching. Some of those have come back from the dead, though the infrastructure costs are a lot more than simply laying a few buses on.

lostinrates

Davesnave wrote: »

I think 25 years might be academic for some of us! :rotfl:

But seriously, that's why I said a 'regularish' route, because although car ownership is still largely unaffected by the huge surge in costs, that may not be the case over time. There will be a place for bus services, and I believe increasingly so, but maybe not on the marginal routes.

Look at what happened with the railways & Beeching. Some few of those have come back from the dead, though the infrastructure costs are a lot more than simply laying a few buses on.

Tbh, it's to long to predict anything. Look at how towns rise and fall over the same period. People who used to intimate they lived in south Chelsea now proudly proclaim they live in FULHAM.:rotfl: ( I like FULHAM and would choose it over Chelsea these days)

Things like major employers arriving or leaving, hospital opening or closing, as well as train stations or bus routes can make all the difference bewteen a fantastic area to move or retire to, and one which is boarded shop fronts and the social ills that go hand in hand with poverty.

Something's you just cannot control.

Itismehonest

lostinrates wrote: »

Tbh, it's to long to predict anything. Look at how towns rise and fall over the same period. People who used to intimate they lived in south Chelsea now proudly proclaim they live in FULHAM.:rotfl: ( I like FULHAM and would choose it over Chelsea these days)

Things like major employers arriving or leaving, hospital opening or closing, as well as train stations or bus routes can make all the difference bewteen a fantastic area to move or retire to, and one which is boarded shop fronts and the social ills that go hand in hand with poverty.

Something's you just cannot control.

In really rural areas there are no major employers, hospitals, train stations or bus routes, though, lir.

The kids move out because they can't afford the properties or they understandably find country life as boring as hell. The oldies move out because quality of life is hampered & inevitably everything shipped in is much more expensive than in civilisation. That leaves the middle-aged who, with the best will in the world, can't turn back the march of time & are becoming increasingly old & infirm themselves.

Buses rely on custom or subsidy. If they have neither then they just stop running.

As Dave said, the majority of the rural train lines disappeared with Beeching although ours went long before that in the 30s. Some may, possibly, be reinstated but for many lines that's an impossibility as they've been built over either with roads or buildings.

lostinrates

Itismehonest wrote: »

In really rural areas there are no major employers, hospitals, train stations or bus routes, though, lir.

The kids move out because they can't afford the properties or they understandably find country life as boring as hell. The oldies move out because quality of life is hampered & inevitably everything shipped in is much more expensive than in civilisation. That leaves the middle-aged who, with the best will in the world, can't turn back the march of time & are becoming increasingly old & infirm themselves.

Buses rely on custom or subsidy. If they have neither then they just stop running.

As Dave said, the majority of the rural train lines disappeared with Beeching although ours went long before that in the 30s. Some may, possibly, be reinstated but for many lines that's an impossibility as they've been built over either with roads or buildings.

In isolated areas sure. It's a peculiarity of the british isles and parts of western europe to feel quite so isolated half a days drive from stuff though:D

And I agree, moving to a 'commutable' zone is sensible for many, in cluding those in positions like yours. (and should anything happen to dh, then ours too, one croc can rely on the other, two are in trouble.


But where that is will always pose risks. For the truely risk adverse I don't know where is scarier.....cities and there volume of people or real rurality with no access to any one else much!

I think that's part of what appeals to many (not me) about our location in that we are farming, rural community, but near a mainline station and a choice of supermarkets. Apparently we are getting a cinema and some goddamn awful chain restaurants in the not too distant future aswell.


So much depends on choices, and personalities, and just plain old luck. There is little, so far along the line, you can do to rectify choices or change who you are, let alone what local or national government or industry decides to do .

Re rural employers......there are some. Here of course we are in mod country. That could change in the future (I strongly suspect so e land sell off in the future though would love any change to be a nature reserve). Where we were before there was a big post war employer,......now gone, taking a little town with good employment rates down hil, the second employer that had started on the back of the first went.....um, a few years ago, within my time there.

It's not swanky Enough for second home ownership, and not big enough for hospitals etc. while many peoe now will, it's not where I would choose to spend a comfortable retirement because of lack of nearby services.

grumpybear_3

Setting down roots anywhere seems a gamble!

I originally grew up in a village in Kent, but moved to the big city for University and settled and worked in a smaller city, then moved out to a bigger place on the edge of a market town.

I don't have a car at the moment due to various factors and while its lovely to have a decent garden and easy access to the countryside getting around and about can be a bit of an expensive hassle!

Its interesting what you say about busses only existing through habit and subsidy, but there seems to be some pretty voodoo economics going on too in the difference between market town / country / city bus markets

I only live about 3 miles from the centre of town but return bus fare costs £2.40 for a single and £3.50 for return to the little town or £7.50 return to the nearest small city less than 10 miles away

When I go and stay with friends in deeper reaches of the county the same sort of journey the nearest town costs the same and to the nearest city costs £5

The real difference is in city transport; when I lived in the city I had loads of bus routes to choose from and could go over 20 miles for the max fare of £1.90 which is crazy!


All seems a bit crazy but that's demand (and subsidy) I guess - certainly keeps me fit though as by the time I wait for the bus and sit on it I could usually have walked 3/4 of the way to work already!

Another interesting thing that seems to be happening is the hollowing out of local services in the local town, things like the local hospital is under threat as they want to get us all used to going to the big city hospital, local libraries have all closed, there are more and more empty shops and vacant businesses around the town its interesting how things will pan out.

The council seems to have some funny ideas, including putting housing everywhere it can go just as the local economy seems to be stuttering and trying to develop an out of town retail park and huge housing estates between us and the small city and use it as a main transport hub, essentially cutting off the town centre and swinging everyone towards the out of town superstores and into the city.

Seems like even the local planners don't have much confidence in the viability of our little town as it stands at the moment so who knows what it will be like in 20 years if everything joins up surburbia will have encroached on us from all sides!

Itismehonest

You're right, grumpybear. Prices are a law unto themselves.
I don't know what bus fares are but a taxi to our local market town (half an hour's drive away) costs around £45 one way. Even a hospital car charges pensioners £22 to get to or from the hospital.

I'm seriously considering not buying another place but renting - at least for a while. So much more freedom. If I want to rent (home or abroad) for a while then I can do it. If a place, be it property or area, turns out to be a dump then move on ..... simples

lostinrates

Itismehonest wrote: »

You're right, grumpybear. Prices are a law unto themselves.
I don't know what bus fares are but a taxi to our local market town (half an hour's drive away) costs around £45 one way. Even a hospital car charges pensioners £22 to get to or from the hospital.

I'm seriously considering not buying another place but renting - at least for a while. So much more freedom. If I want to rent (home or abroad) for a while then I can do it. If a place, be it property or area, turns out to be a dump then move on ..... simples

I think with enough money it's the ideal luxury option. As we won't have kids the inheritance isn't an issue, and no one to feel they have to 'look out' for us. Gently pottering around the world, if we are able, would be lovely. Some where warm when our bones are cold, some where temperate we want seasons.

Of course, we might not be able to afford it

grumpybear_3

I dunno, but I do wonder what goes through the heads of "the powers that be" and how people are supposed to get to school or work or live their lives generally.

I was thinking recently about changing jobs but to get to most other places I'd have to buy a car / bus pass and essentially spend all the extra I'd earn on transport and add hours a day to sit in traffic!

All while they're thinking of spending tens of millions to build a new rail line so people can get to Birmingham ten minutes quicker than they can already.

Seems that a lot of people have a lot of grand ideas but seem to want to throw the baby out with the bath water rather than understands how to make things work with what they have already! Mind you, they probably said that about the railways in the first place!

Davesnave

I've just contacted the man who practises the dark art of servicing and restarting Agas around here, and the news is that he'll be phoning me dreckly with a more precise estimate of when that could be. My money is on next Thursday or Friday, with Saturday as a back stop.

It's hardly necessary to add that he's a postman.:rotfl: