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Pro's and con's of living in "the sticks"

Hi all,

After a little advice if possible please. We got married in October and we're now expecting our second child. DD{7} currently attends a small village school and I drive from the town where we live {6miles away} everyday. We live in Cumbria and the weather here can be awful and the roads we use don't get gritted.

We have been looking at moving to the village my daughters school is in for quite some time, and actually now have the opportunity of doing so, which has forced us to look at the amenities we have available now compared to what we would have.

Where we live now we have gas heating and shops right on our door step. In the village it's oil heating, no shops for 6miles but right by school in a lovely quiet area, however not much in the way of entertainment for children, bar a small park.

Are there pro's and con's I have missed about living a simple village life?

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks :)

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Comments

  • cte1111
    cte1111 Posts: 7,390 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    I've lived both in the sticks and in town, for us these were the pros and cons of living in the country:

    Cons: Commuting time, lack of services (e.g. not being able to get a plumber / takeaway pizza), small town mentality of some residents, having to travel to go to a decent sized supermarket, patchy mobile signal and limited choices for broadband / TV

    Pros: Beautiful views, easy to spend weekends doing outdoors activities, a conversation starter, neighbours kept an eye on my house, cat loved the local wildlife, pretty old houses available for lower prices
  • Commuting isn't such an issue as we both drive and there is ONE BUS A WEEK! Takeaways haven't crossed my mind, I don't care so much for them but DH might struggle haha. Mobile signal is terrible there but to be honest I need to be on my phone less anyway. broadband and tv is talktalk and we can get that there thankfully.

    There are beautiful views where w live and where we would move to, we're very lucky! I have 2 cats and 1 bunny and know they would love it there x

    PAD 2023 Debt total as of Dec 2022 £18,988.63*April £17,711.03

    Halifax CC £3168.21

    Halifax loan £6095.47

    Car finance £7639.02

    Next £0/£808.33


    #22 - 1p savings challenge 2023 £166.95/£667.95

    Saving for Christmas - £1 a day savings challenge 2023 £50/£1000

  • I'd say go. We decided to stay in our little town so the kids had things like Scouts, skate parks etc. available but given half an opportunity, they head straight off into the green spaces with their friends! And though the villages round here don't have amenities such as doctor's & vet's surgeries, all the doctors & vets live out there anyway. As do the plumbers & electricians...

    You will need to be organised & fairly independent; it's not so easy to pop out for a pint of milk & you don't want to run out of vital supplies in a snowstorm. You also need not to mind everyone wanting to know your business, or thinking you'd be the ideal person to run all the committees & groups that no-one else wants to! But I grew up rural, albeit a long time ago, and miss the open doors & open hearts of "my" village.
    Angie - GC Feb 25: £119.40/£500: 2025 Fashion on the Ration Challenge: 0/68: (Money's just a substitute for time & talent...)
  • tboo
    tboo Posts: 1,379 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    One brother lived in a hamlet (4 houses) so the nearest small village for small shopping eg bread was around 3 miles. Biggest town was 10 miles, Another brother lived on a farm - nearest village 1 mile, town 7 miles
    Cons: Petrol for the 4 x 4s they had to get for the roads, snow got quite deep, food had to bulk bought, children had to get up earlier for the school bus to pick them up at the end of the road and they were late home at home time
    Pros: lovely walks and views, fresh air

    When will your 7 yr old leave the village school to go to secondary school? Is it located in the village?
    “You’re only here for a short visit.
    Don’t hurry, don't worry and be sure to smell the flowers along the way.”
    Walter Hagen


    365 Day 1p Challenge for 2021 #41 ✅
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  • DD will leave for secondary school in 4 years and by that time our lo will be just starting school. The secondary school is 6miles away and the bus stop for this is at the top of the road. DD has been at breakfast club since she was 4 as I work full time so early mornings have never been an issue x

    PAD 2023 Debt total as of Dec 2022 £18,988.63*April £17,711.03

    Halifax CC £3168.21

    Halifax loan £6095.47

    Car finance £7639.02

    Next £0/£808.33


    #22 - 1p savings challenge 2023 £166.95/£667.95

    Saving for Christmas - £1 a day savings challenge 2023 £50/£1000

  • DD will leave for secondary school in 4 years and by that time our lo will be just starting school. The secondary school is 6miles away and the bus stop for this is at the top of the road. DD has been at breakfast club since she was 4 as I work full time so early mornings have never been an issue x

    The pros and cons seem about the same in both places, but if you are even the tiniest bit unsure I think it is best to stay put. :)
  • tboo
    tboo Posts: 1,379 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    On that note then I would say go for it.
    I would love to live in my nearest village but hubby doesn't drive so getting to work on that villages one a day bus wouldn't be practical lol
    “You’re only here for a short visit.
    Don’t hurry, don't worry and be sure to smell the flowers along the way.”
    Walter Hagen


    365 Day 1p Challenge for 2021 #41 ✅
    Jar £440.31/£667.95 and Bank £389.67/£667.95

  • our children had the best time of their lives when we lived in a cumbrian village, we had a small shop and no playground but we had a sloping green surrounded by houses, the adults took turns at mowing it. Winter snow was fantastic up and down with sledges all day long. They made many local friends. Yes we did have to taxi them around but they were safe and so happy. We did babysitting for each other and generally looked out for each other, in the old way

    You would need to plan ahead re food and basics and also have storage but omg I would say go for it, while you can
  • fuddle
    fuddle Posts: 6,823 Forumite
    What I would say re: doctors/dentists/school in towns... just because they're there doesn't mean that locals can get in or seen straight away. I moved to a small town and found that there were difficulties with over subscription to services wherever I turned. It has taken a year of living here to get to where we should be in terms of local services. I am guessing small villages would accept you with open arms.

    I like my new life in the town I live in but we are here while the girls are in school. When they leave the system we will be seeking to move out into quieter areas if we can and I would even consider a fair commute to work to do so.
  • Gigervamp
    Gigervamp Posts: 6,583 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Can't really add to what others have said, except to mention oil.

    It's more expensive than gas and you have to make sure that you don't run out.

    We have an account with one oil company, so that we can pay monthly by DD. This does mean that we can't shop around or get together with neighbours as a buying group to get deals, but it suits us.

    We also tend to get more powercuts, but they're usually fairly brief.
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