Town vs village?

Timeflies

Thanks all for your comments. I've decided I can't really see myself as a new mum in a village with no shop, pub, playground or toddler group, having to drive everywhere. Nor do I fancy being a working parent having to taxi older kids to wherever they're going, because there's no football pitch/youth club/sports meet or whatever.

Some of your villages sound lovely, but I think this particular village is not for me!

Mgman

trailingspouse wrote: »

Have lived in towns, villages, and at the back of beyond.

In favour of towns - you can mostly get everything you need locally, your kids are likely to live fairly close to their school friends, public transport is available, there's lots of choice for pubs/restaurants/takeaways and such like.

Much depends on the village. I've lived in a village that was cut in half by one of the main roads in to Scotland - big lorries going through all day and most of the night.

Village life is fab so long as you are prepared to drive everywhere. Supermarket, taking kids to visit friends, nights out (someone always has to not drink), doctor, hairdresser, school, post office. Everywhere.

I always thought my perfect house would be one in a village (with a small shop and a pub), but within a reasonable distance of a big town/city. I'm currently living in a town, within walking distance of the town centre - and I love it!!

This ^. Defiantly.

hardpressed

Another thing that people don't think about when moving to a small village is the lack of street lights. The countryside is very dark if you're not used to it.

yan101_2

if you are a drinker then a town, i live in a small village and i love it, im not a drinker which is good because alot of small villages pubs are closing these days. plus if your in town you can walk home from clubs on a serious note my sister in law lives in a town, ive stayed there a few times and its not for me. compared to where i live it wasnt as quiet and neighbourly as the village where i live. i find in villages you get to know your neighbours more, or at least round here you do. and we have all the normal shops and ameneties, i mean theres a small asda or tesco or sainsburys on every corner these days, wherever you are.

moneyistooshorttomention

Re the comment on things for "the elderly (like an over 55s group" in the small town I'm in and a couple of nearby villages, there are over 55s groups and, in theory, that means I and some middle-aged friends could go to them (as we are over 55). In practice we cant, because it isn't a mix of middle-age and elderly people, it is only elderly people. As a friend put it, "They're all people my mothers age group. There doesn't seem to be any people our age there".

This will possibly vary in different locations, so worth popping a head in the door to see. But, that's how things are here at any rate. I have even found I had to avoid an exercise class that was geared to being a bit "gentler", as it didn't include all age groups and it was necessary to insist that "Thanks very much for offering..but I'm going to the general one".

Am now trying to recall if I've seen any groups advertised specifically for elderly people and think maybe "over 55" is a sugar-coated way of saying "for the elderly" and people in my age group (ie middle age) are supposed to interpret and think "not for us then".????

Morglin

I hated village life - too insular, too boring, too nosey and the lack of shops and services.

Hospital miles away, inaccessible GP services, no decent restaurants, hairdressers, theatres etc.,

I took a middle road when we moved back to a London suburb - 10 minutes from a large town, 20 minutes train into Central London, and 10 minutes out into the countryside.

Some people like villages, but as a born Londoner, I couldn't wait to get home again!:j

Lin

Mgman

Thing is villages are fast losing their community spirit as the old villagers die their houses are snapped up by well off townies pricing the young locals out and who don't care about or support the local community or getting on with others (we've all seen and read about the type, buy into the village, and then complain about and get their solicitors onto the church clock chiming at night/farmers cocks crowing/church bell ringers practising in the evening disturbing the BBQ with their city friends).

Morglin

Perhaps the villagers should leave their homes to a relative, who wants to live there, then.

No townie can ever buy a house in a village, unless a villager sells it to them!

Lin

ethank

The suggestion that all Townies are not community minded is a load of old tosh.

Many of the townies moved to the village for that very reason, to feel part of a community.

Most sellers in the village want to get the best price that they can.

I moved from a massive city, to a small town and now live in a rural setting. Love that I can get to the nearest town - 10 mins in the car.

GwylimT

I grew up in a small village, the nearest town was 18 miles away without a bus route, it can become a problem when your children are older as they cannot easily go and visit school friends and when it comes to jobs there is a heavy reliance on mum and dads taxi's. Thankfully gone are the days of getting up at 6am for school!