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An idyllic place to live - and cheap!!!
Kellygreen_2
Posts: 8 Forumite
Mid Down, Northern Ireland
Something the English discovered years ago, but somehow has escaped the attention of the people of Northern Ireland. Rural living beats the lifestyle in towns and villages hands down. And unlike in England, rural houses are cheaper rather than pricier to buy. House price crash? I’d say consider trading the so-called convenience of town living and move to the Irish countryside whilst prices remain low. The quality of life is incredibly high and sooner or later that will be reflected in the prices.
Our garden: Its larger than we’d get in town. It has space for kids to play, plenty of patio area for tables, chairs and the barbecue, a variety of low maintenance beds and one ‘experimental’ bed, lovely trees offering shade and softening the surrounding, daffodils , snowdrops, tulips and crocus’ providing early colour after the winter and lovely shrubs providing year round interest. We’ll often see hares in the garden by day and a badger or a fox by night. There is an amazing variety of bird life.
Our house: Again, it is much, much larger that we’d afford in town. It has bedrooms that are twice the size of bedrooms in most modern houses. We’ve both a large lounge and a snug meaning adults can have their own space without exiling the kids to their bedrooms. The huge dining area is fantastic for the mass family get-togethers. We’ve done 15 without thinking about squeezing. The kitchen is a family gathering area with space for a large table for casual dining and more cupboard space that even the avid cook could fill. We’ve also a utility room meaning all that dirty laundry, etc can be kept out of the way. The house is modern with good insulation and zoned heating meaning bills can be kept low. And the double garage means there is loads of space for the tools, bicycles, toys and cars.
The surround: Well we don’t have streetlights so we can actually see the sky and stars at night. We aren’t kept up at night by traffic sounds and our pets are safe on the streets by day. We feel like we are a lifetime away from the rest of the world yet can reach Belfast in 30 minutes, Lisburn in 20 and Dublin can be reached in only 90 minutes.
The neighbours: The closest is a five minute walk away. They are there when you need them but non- intrusive. The local farmer is always available to help plough the roads when needed, tow a car, lend a skip or trim a hedge. Another neighbour is good with cars and always happy to ‘take a look’ or give advice. Within a mile live a builder, a joiner, a teacher and a lawyer. We once attended a 21st birthday celebration. There were over 40 people there, the majority in their early twenties. There was limited alcohol, no smoking, no swearing, no rudeness. Party-goers played volleyball and other games, laughed, sang and chatted. They were all clean and sensibly dressed. Amazing what clean, country living can produce.
In the evening when the weather is fine, we’ll see many of the neighbours out walking or riding (horse and bicycle). Adults walk with children and they all seem fit and healthy. Walk on your own a meet and child and you’ll always be greeted with respect and a smile. There are no sullen and incommunicable teenagers in the area.
Do they gossip? Show me anywhere that doesn’t! Somehow our neighbours always know when we are away (even when we didn’t tell them) and on return we find that everyone was ‘keeping an eye on the place’.
Yes, we’ve an extra 10 minutes to get to the supermarket. No problem as we’ve enough room for the big fridge and freezer meaning a weekly shop is sufficient. Plenty of storage space means we can take advantage of mass buying of half-prices deals on all sorts of things. It more than makes up for the extra petrol costs. The local ‘quick stop shop’ 2 miles away stocks all the essentials such as milk and other staples.
Those 10 minutes also provide the transition period from ‘town mode’ to ‘country mode’. You can feel the stress lift from your shoulders as you head home.
I saw a police car on our road once. I think he was lost.
Something the English discovered years ago, but somehow has escaped the attention of the people of Northern Ireland. Rural living beats the lifestyle in towns and villages hands down. And unlike in England, rural houses are cheaper rather than pricier to buy. House price crash? I’d say consider trading the so-called convenience of town living and move to the Irish countryside whilst prices remain low. The quality of life is incredibly high and sooner or later that will be reflected in the prices.
Our garden: Its larger than we’d get in town. It has space for kids to play, plenty of patio area for tables, chairs and the barbecue, a variety of low maintenance beds and one ‘experimental’ bed, lovely trees offering shade and softening the surrounding, daffodils , snowdrops, tulips and crocus’ providing early colour after the winter and lovely shrubs providing year round interest. We’ll often see hares in the garden by day and a badger or a fox by night. There is an amazing variety of bird life.
Our house: Again, it is much, much larger that we’d afford in town. It has bedrooms that are twice the size of bedrooms in most modern houses. We’ve both a large lounge and a snug meaning adults can have their own space without exiling the kids to their bedrooms. The huge dining area is fantastic for the mass family get-togethers. We’ve done 15 without thinking about squeezing. The kitchen is a family gathering area with space for a large table for casual dining and more cupboard space that even the avid cook could fill. We’ve also a utility room meaning all that dirty laundry, etc can be kept out of the way. The house is modern with good insulation and zoned heating meaning bills can be kept low. And the double garage means there is loads of space for the tools, bicycles, toys and cars.
The surround: Well we don’t have streetlights so we can actually see the sky and stars at night. We aren’t kept up at night by traffic sounds and our pets are safe on the streets by day. We feel like we are a lifetime away from the rest of the world yet can reach Belfast in 30 minutes, Lisburn in 20 and Dublin can be reached in only 90 minutes.
The neighbours: The closest is a five minute walk away. They are there when you need them but non- intrusive. The local farmer is always available to help plough the roads when needed, tow a car, lend a skip or trim a hedge. Another neighbour is good with cars and always happy to ‘take a look’ or give advice. Within a mile live a builder, a joiner, a teacher and a lawyer. We once attended a 21st birthday celebration. There were over 40 people there, the majority in their early twenties. There was limited alcohol, no smoking, no swearing, no rudeness. Party-goers played volleyball and other games, laughed, sang and chatted. They were all clean and sensibly dressed. Amazing what clean, country living can produce.
In the evening when the weather is fine, we’ll see many of the neighbours out walking or riding (horse and bicycle). Adults walk with children and they all seem fit and healthy. Walk on your own a meet and child and you’ll always be greeted with respect and a smile. There are no sullen and incommunicable teenagers in the area.
Do they gossip? Show me anywhere that doesn’t! Somehow our neighbours always know when we are away (even when we didn’t tell them) and on return we find that everyone was ‘keeping an eye on the place’.
Yes, we’ve an extra 10 minutes to get to the supermarket. No problem as we’ve enough room for the big fridge and freezer meaning a weekly shop is sufficient. Plenty of storage space means we can take advantage of mass buying of half-prices deals on all sorts of things. It more than makes up for the extra petrol costs. The local ‘quick stop shop’ 2 miles away stocks all the essentials such as milk and other staples.
Those 10 minutes also provide the transition period from ‘town mode’ to ‘country mode’. You can feel the stress lift from your shoulders as you head home.
I saw a police car on our road once. I think he was lost.
0
Comments
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I'm sure it's lovely if you have secure employment. If anyone has it these days. Or you're retired and can afford to run a vehicle.0
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Kellygreen wrote: »We once attended a 21st birthday celebration. There were over 40 people there, the majority in their early twenties. There was limited alcohol, no smoking, no swearing, no rudeness. Party-goers played volleyball and other games, laughed, sang and chatted. They were all clean and sensibly dressed. Amazing what clean, country living can produce.
Sounds like the worst 21st birthday party ever.0 -
And with house prices dropping by 12%+ in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months and no jobs in rural areas prices can only get lower.0
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Is this some kind of marketing ploy/ad?!I have a simple philosophy:
Fill what's empty. Empty what's full. Scratch where it itches.
- Alice Roosevelt Longworth0 -
It's cheap because nobody wants to live there. Probably because it's double boring and there is no work.0
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Thank you for writing the post.., its nice to get that kind of insight. Please ignore the other responses. The same people probably were/are the kind of bratty teens u talk about or are envious lol.0
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The worst thing about the beautiful NI countryside is the lack of taste of housebuilders and lack of planning enforcement. There are some ugly houses out there in areas that are supposedly 'protected'.0
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Can't frecking stand the Norn Iron accent - rough as !!!!-holes to the ear of anyone else. I've got family in Mayo where I can't understand one word, but at least it sounds pretty.
Spent an arr in the parrr sharrrr *snort*Emergency savings: 4600
0% Credit card: 1965.000 -
A great philosopher once said "We seek cities because there are a greater range of girls at the bar, of reproductive choice.But above all, talented people seek cities for fame. They can't get famous in the f****** village"
Viva Boris Johnson waving the flag for Laaaandan Town0 -
Having spent a lot of time working in Ireland there is nothing that would encourage me to live there.
It rains constantly, it's depressing and gray, it's 30 years behind the times. Give me a smaller house close to the centre of a thriving town in the UK any day!!0
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