A question for rural living OS members

tori.k

It all comes down to what kind of person you are, it's had work living rural if the village community life is important to you, you may have to be the one that organises it as there just isn't the population in place to leave it to someone else.

you do have to be organized as Katieowl says, i've blundered today picked some frozen bits up from the supermarket, but forgot to put the coolbag back in the car, sods law i got suck behind a tractor for almost 10miles on a road with not enough room to overtake.. 30mins to go 10miles DS & I had the muddy puddle ice-cream at lunchtime, these things do happen

Gloomendoom

carbootcrazy wrote: »

All I can say, dandy-candy, is DON'T DO IT:eek:......

Sorry about the doom and gloom but country life is not all friendly WIs, village fetes, perpetually sunny days ,picture-postcard cottages with roses round the door.

Dear oh dear!

Speaking as someone who lives in a picture postcard cottage with roses around the door in a village with a friendly WI, village fetes and a multitude of other activities all around the year, I can honestly say that I don't share your sentiments.

Village life isn't for everybody but, if you are making a fresh start, a bit of background research before settling on a location will pay dividends. Not that I did any, I was just lucky.
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bearcub

My mum, in her 80s, moved here last year, 6 years after us. I did ask her, once she'd viewed the house, if she was sure about what she was doing. She'd lived for more than 60 years on the London/Surrey border, and I knew the new way of life would be difficult for her. It was, for the first 6 months, then suddenly, she started to feel at home. Waiting at the bus stop, she's met a lot of local people, and she's still able to get most of her shopping. She just loves the wildlife, and we take her out somewhere different every month or so. That, of course, is what makes the difference, the fact that we're just across the road. Plus, although we're rural, we're also in a tourist area, so buses aren't too bad, and we have community buses, too. Mum still complains about the smell of cow manure, though. :rotfl:

Hermia

tori.k wrote: »

It all comes down to what kind of person you are

I think that is the crucial thing and I sometimes think you don't know until you actually move. I think one of the most common things I have heard people say who have moved somewhere very different (whether it's to the country/city or even another country all together) is "I didn't realise how much I would miss..." or "I didn't realise how important x is to me". One of the things I really miss about city life is culture and the arts. I love folk music and assumed there would be a strong folky scene in the country, but I actually found more concerts in London. When I did go to a concert by a famous local artist hardly anyone turned up! I'd have been paying £40 a ticket to see her in a city so I was happy! I was quite excited when a local set up a foreign film club. It's a nice club and I admire the guy for setting it up, but they only show western European/USA/Australia/NZ films. When I suggested a couple of Indian/African films that had been acclaimed they seemed utterly bemused at the idea of watching non-white people!

I think if you can afford it it's worth renting for a while first because you can never truly get a feel for a place until you live there.

katieowl_2

Well that's the thing Hermia...we were not participatory in city life anyway, as it had out priced us!!! I don't miss a single thing.

We do have a cinema in local town (I've been once) and there are a number of 'alternative' things on regularly at another local venue. There are also loads of courses and workshops on all sorts of things, craft related mainly, and they are usually affordable.

Kate

Hermia

katieowl wrote: »

Well that's the thing Hermia...we were not participatory in city life anyway, as it had out priced us!!!

I always found loads of free stuff to do in London which I have struggled to do in the country. Apart from rent and transport costs (I nearly died when I saw how much money disappeared off my Oyster card the last time I was there) I found London a lot cheaper. But, as you say lots of people live in cities and don't participate so there is not much point paying a premium to live there.

ash28

Hermia wrote: »

I think that is the crucial thing and I sometimes think you don't know until you actually move. I think one of the most common things I have heard people say who have moved somewhere very different (whether it's to the country/city or even another country all together) is "I didn't realise how much I would miss..." or "I didn't realise how important x is to me". One of the things I really miss about city life is culture and the arts. I love folk music and assumed there would be a strong folky scene in the country, but I actually found more concerts in London. When I did go to a concert by a famous local artist hardly anyone turned up! I'd have been paying £40 a ticket to see her in a city so I was happy! I was quite excited when a local set up a foreign film club. It's a nice club and I admire the guy for setting it up, but they only show western European/USA/Australia/NZ films. When I suggested a couple of Indian/African films that had been acclaimed they seemed utterly bemused at the idea of watching non-white people!

I think if you can afford it it's worth renting for a while first because you can never truly get a feel for a place until you live there.

I lived in the south east but it wasn't really a choice - if you know what I mean - OH was promoted at work and he was sent there years ago - and once they had you they were loathe to let you go....

It was very good to us financially, work wise and property wise, but it was always a means to an end. I knew I wouldn't end my days there. As I'm in my mid 50s hopefully I've got a lot of days left!

We moved from a semi rural part of Scotland to a town near Reading. It couldn't have been more different.

I miss nothing. I don't miss the traffic, the crowds when you were shopping, my neighbours - although I lived next to them for almost 20 years we were on nodding terms and we would pass the time of day if we were in the front garden. The traffic noise, the M4, A34, M25, A4 or the M40 - all roads I used regularly.

As for watching non white films and bemusement of the locals - perhaps where you live is like here - there are no non white people - not a one. It is quite striking when you come from somewhere that is very mixed to somewhere that isn't. Perhaps those are cultures they haven't had much exposure to.

katieowl_2

Hermia wrote: »

I always found loads of free stuff to do in London which I have struggled to do in the country. Apart from rent and transport costs (I nearly died when I saw how much money disappeared off my Oyster card the last time I was there) I found London a lot cheaper. But, as you say lots of people live in cities and don't participate so there is not much point paying a premium to live there.

Yes there may be some free stuff, but by the time you've paid to get to it, it's not free!!! Also having lived there all my life and done all the free stuff over the years with the kids...there wasn't much left to experience. Anything X 2 fares/tickets or more bumps even the cheapest stuff up too. But really it depends what you want to do for entertainment doesn't it. I'm quite happy tramping off either on my own, with the dogs, or with friends. This is an area people pay to come on holiday - I'm here all the time

My council tax here is the same as it was in London, but all our insurances are 1/3 what they were. There are less sources of cheap food, but it's there, you just have to know where to look, and buy bulk etc. The cost of utilities wouldn't vary hugely across the country I shouldn't think.

I also have managed to find some work here, which I couldn't in London.

Kate

Hermia

ash28 wrote: »

As for watching non white films and bemusement of the locals - perhaps where you live is like here - there are no non white people - not a one. It is quite striking when you come from somewhere that is very mixed to somewhere that isn't. Perhaps those are cultures they haven't had much exposure to.

I think I was just interested in the fact that they could see no reason to watch non-white people and thought they wouldn't be able to identify with the characters/stories at all. Yet, the rural film set in India I mentioned to them would probably have been closer to the lives of the people where we lived than the film set in upper-class Paris we had watched.

We do have foreign communities where we live, mainly workers who work in the factories and slaughter houses (not many of the local youth will got for those jobs). They just sort of get ignored by everyone.