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

pinkmami

I live in the stick but not remote! Nearest town is 6 miles away and nearest shop is 2 miles down a steep hill. My village has no shop & the school will close for good at the end of this academic year.


In the village 2 miles down there is a Co-op, bakery, secondary/primary school, leisure centre, library, couple of newsagents, indian/ Chinese & kebab shop and 2 chippies.


So all are easily reached. But in the winter when I get snowed in it can be a PITA to get down on foot as the gradient up can be difficult in snow. So I tend to stock up on some meat/bread UHT milk & watch the weather to ensure I have enough electricity in the meter.


But I love it & wouldn't change it for anything. There is a real community in this area.

[Deleted User]

Me and my dh live in a small village right now, after downsizing to the suburbs of a large welsh town. We moved here after 6 years and will, like mardatha, be leaving in a box. We don`t have a shop or a pub and there are 3 buses a day. Everyone is respectful of each other`s privacy but by golly people rally round if illness strikes or if simply needing a lift to the station or hospital. Shopping is no problem at all via the internet and the village hall and church are focal points. The village hall is constantly holding various offerings, next one will be the village panto and no-one is leant on to join in. There will be a mince pie coffee morning soon at a large house, again no-one needs to go but it is so lovely in front of the fire. We have allotments and you wouldn`t believe the like minded people here, who have the same hobbies as me or dh. mini clubs in fact. So so nice to be fortunate enough to live here

lobbyludd

what do you currently do where you live - how difficult would it be to do those things?

it's only 6 miles, and you are renting? I'd move - but think very carefully about what your life will be like when you are a SAHM, particularly if economics mean you will have no personal car. In a town there are options of the groups of people you can get together with - that can be limited in a village.

and DD will be a teenager when he new little one is in the village school which will be a difficult mix - clearly you can move back at that point but teenagers and villages often don't mix well - I was a teenager in a village and it's not swallows and amazons: some of the most hateful, violent, crime-oriented groups of people grow up in villages and you can't get away from them....

kezlou

Take my advice and go for it!

The children will love it and so will you.
Better piece of mind all round, schools close, staff are within the area. Its perfect really.

Your daughter will grow up with her peers from school, secondary school, put it this way my son has a 8 mile commute and where in a small ish town.
Living in the country can be more expensive but the other positive sides are local farms normally deliver so you can buy better quality food.
Younger children can always find amusement where ever they are. Its when they get older, my partner grew up in the sticks and said when your about 15 / 16 its a nightmare but at the same time its makes you more independent as you have to more aware figuring out buses etc

6 miles isn't too far, but the cons are the weather and transport. Make sure your cupboards are stocked up and oil is paid for in advance. Some of my friends live in the sticks and it can be a nightmare. Lots of candles etc
Transport wise, also look out to see if they are "little bus services" and also trains. You would be surprised how your more likely to find a train station next to a village than a bus service.
You can buy reasonably priced cars with 4 wheel drive, and if your local your more likely to get a better deal.


Good luck on whatever you decide to do!

Out,_Vile_Jelly

Growing up in the countryside is wonderful when you're a child, but essentially a drawn out torture process for teenagers. I know it's not biologically possible to die of boredom, but I swear I came close one summer holiday!

My mum didn't drive, which was a real disadvantage where I grew up. I wish I could have back the hours of my life I spent waiting for (infrequent, unreliable, expensive) buses- that didn't even go anywhere good! It also reduces opportunities for Saturday jobs and work experience, and it's harder to get to decent libraries for extra studying.

I remember what a yokel I felt when I finally escaped Dorset and went to university; I only had 4 pairs of shoes (inc slippers and riding boots) and I'd only been to a "club" once.

Mojisola

As you can see from the range of replies - it could be brilliant, it could be awful or it could be okay.

As when you move anywhere - do some homework on the area, be ready to make changes to the way you live where necessary and start out with a positive attitude.

As you're renting, you're going to be fairly flexible. If it isn't for you, you can move reasonably easily but at least you'll know you tried.

lazer

When me and my brother were teenagers - we cycled everywhere, so could get out of the sticks and into town if we felt like it!

Poddly

I think you need to consider the secondary school options as 4 years will go by very quickly!! Bus to school is fine but what about after school activities, music etc., there is always something on.

We moved from a reasonably large village to a small market town when my boys were 9 and 6, prompted by village school failing Ofsted. They have been able to walk to school, and attend scouts etc. I was fed up of having to drive for everything, as the village amenities kept closing eg. Post Office etc.!

My eldest is now 16 and has to go on a bus to Sixth Form, but can also use buses to go to local towns, meet his girlfriend etc., he can walk to doctors for check ups (he has a health condition) and to the library, local shops. When I was a teenager I travelled 20 miles on a bus to school, all my friends lived miles away so seeing them was a big thing involving lifts and planning in advance, my parents were very good about it but it wasn't ideal from my point of view!

Good luck with your decision!

Pooky

Go for it - we moved to a small village 5 miles away from town when DD's were little, they had the best primary school around so when the chance of a house there came up we jumped at it.

The secondary schools were all in the other direction but school buses ran through the village and the 9 mile journey wasn't an issue for them. We decided to move back to town once both girls were settled in secondary as I don't drive and was aiming to go back to work. Biggest mistake we ever made. We managed to find a gem of a house about 18 months later and snapped it up and moved back. So much friendlier, a quieter and more peaceful way of life.

We have a small shop, a glorified newsagents which is handy if you have run out of milk but it's far too pricey to use on a daily basis. We have a weekly farmers market in the village hall so can pick up local produce, there's plenty of people selling their own eggs too.

Both DD's now travel to the nearest city centre most days for college and Uni, the bus journey takes 1 and 3/4 hours each way....it does make it a long day for them but thats where they both decided to go and it's made them far more independent.

We do get a lot of problems with snow, we're up high and do tend to get snowed in for a few days, you just learn to keep plenty of stocks in your store cupboards. We also have overhead power cables so the slightest gust and we're in the dark for a few hours, so plenty of candles and torches.

We'll move back towards town when both girls have left home and we downsize, purely because house prices are cheaper in town and we can be mortgage free. DH is disabled and whilst he can still drive (a modified car) at the moment there will come a time when he can't and I'd like to be within walking distance of some shops/surgeries etc.

hardpressed

A couple of points, you say the school has 45 pupils, how long will it be considered viable to run such a small school? Does the village have street lights? If not this can come as a big shock for people who are used to having them.