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

YORKSHIRELASS

We moved to a tiny village 12 years ago when our kids were 2 and 4. There is no doubt that its been a fantastic place for them to grow up, they went to the village school and when they were older they played out with their friends building dens and paddling in the stream. They were lucky to have a very innocent and carefree childhood and we were part of a great community.

Now its different though. My boys are 14 and 16 and hate this place. They have to be ferried everywhere and we often make a silly amount of trips into the local town on a weekend. We have nothing in the village, no shops, no public transport, not even a pub any more.

The kids get a bus to the local secondary school but we are starting to think about moving back into town as it going to be hard to get them to sixth form or college when the time comes. Also, the thought of being retired here is scary, although thats still a way off.

Its weird because now that our kids are older we don't seem to socialise with other families in the village as much as we used to. Now that the kids have made different friends and aren't playing at each others houses we just seem to have gone our own ways too which is sad.

So I suppose in summary it was lovely while the kids were little but maybe for us its time to move back to a little more civilisation!

jackyann

My main issue would be the people. As you are going to the bother of getting your daughter to a school outside your catchment, I guess you are either seriously impressed by the school and / or by the families who attend it.
Soon your daughter will be wanting to spend time with her friends after school, join in projects or groups with them etc. Although the families in such a community are scattered, my experience is that everyone understands the situation and work together to sort it out.
The child who is even further away need parents willing to run about an awful lot.
But my own view is that there are huge benefits from being educated in your own community, I guess you don't feel that so strongly.

VfM4meplse

The sticks seem idyllic, but I think the reality could be a lonely experience if you end up somewhere parochial. Research is vital.

I'm not suggesting a tower block would be any better btw!

christineperseus

You may be near the school when the weather is inclement - but are the staff?

Minimalist

I dreamed of living in the country - but when I actually did, I hated it. So much driving!!!! We lived in a hamlet of 3 houses, an idyllic setting with beautiful views, but the narrow, winding lane turned out to be a rat-run between two bigger villages. There was no footpath and the traffic made it too dangerous to walk to the nearest shop - crazy drivers and risk-taking boy-racers screeching round the bends at ridiculous speeds. We were prisoners of the car, and I couldn't wait to get back to urban life!

Each to their own and all that, but I'd second the advice to the research in detail before you make a move!

warehouse

kittie wrote: »

but they were safe and so happy

It doesn't get any better than that.

mardatha

I live remote and I love it. The kids in this village are safe- everybody knows where their kids are and what they're doing. Re the ferrying teens around - yes you have to do that, but it also lets you know where they are and who they are with. It's a slower way of life and more contented, less stressy. Depending of course on the place and on you

krustylouise

jackyann wrote: »

But my own view is that there are huge benefits from being educated in your own community, I guess you don't feel that so strongly.

Hi,

Thank you for your response. I've read and re read your comment above but I'm a little confused at to what you mean when you say you guess I don't feel so strongly about my child being educated in our own community?

The school she attended previously, which is a mile from where we live was awful, she got bullied and too was a bully there were issues every day and the school itself had report after report from ofsted labelling it "requires improvement". There were over 350 pupils in the school and my daughter, whilst very bright wasn't getting the support she required to progress.

Now she attends a school that has 45 students, has been outstanding in ofsted reports for the last 15+ years and they have supported her learning immensely. She has come on leaps and bounds, both academically and socially. There aren't any issues that occur at school between DD and other students and really feel we have settled at this school.

I'm not sure if that is what you were getting at with your comment, but hope it clears up any confusion {for you and anyone else} as to why DD is at this school, 6 miles from where we live.

krustylouise

fuddle wrote: »

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.

Hi,

Thank you for your comment

The drs and dentists we attend will remain the same as there are none in this village.

krustylouise

Gigervamp wrote: »

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.

I am very conscious of the cost of oil, and have been reading up on it and hoping by learning new skills from this website/forums I can pick up some skills that may help reduce our energy bills.

Good point on the power cuts though - that thought never entered my mind! Where we live now we have the odd one perhaps one a year, but we are very lucky!