Country living, yes or no ?

William_Mateless

In our fifties we moved from Hampshire to rural Shropshire to escape our stressful jobs and commutes.
We spent 8 years researching the area we wanted to settle in, checking out every aspect of what we thought we needed, we even drove around villages with a notebook checking out the facilities, views, shops, post offices, doctors, buses, distance to hospital etc.

In the early days we thought we wanted to be up a hill in a beautiful cottage with a big garden and gorgeous views (which Shropshire has plenty of) but we soon found lots of examples of people who have done exactly that and as the years had passed and they aged they found themselves being cut off and feeling isolated as their mobility and ability to drive diminished and they needed to sell up and move into town.

So we bought a house in a very small town on the Welsh borders, quite remote but with a couple of supermarkets and pubs etc.
At first we loved everything about it but we gradually found we missed the bigger shops, the buzz and vitality of younger people, it’s all guitar thrash pub music here so we even miss a choice of music we can enjoy.
Everything is an ongoing battle to be honest, to keep our local A&E open (already 28 miles away) to keep our community centre open, to stop cuts to buses and the last bank closing. Air ambulance is your only hope of getting to hospital in a dire emergency so you hope the weather permits flying!
Despite being the most sociable people you could wish to meet and trying hard to integrate we haven’t made any “real” friends for the first time in our lives and so we are moving to a bigger town with more of everything we thought we wanted to escape from!

So I suggest you do a lot of research on geography and location and think long term because the years pass by quickly and what you enjoy today can quickly turn into a rural prison. It has been worthwhile having this experience but I am so glad that we are still young enough to move back to somewhere we feel suits us better.

Callie22

I grew up in the country and my parents are still there, albeit in a very tiny market town which I think gives them the best of both worlds. The 'village' is big enough not to get too Wicker Man but small enough to be comfortable, and is just big enough to have retained enough essential services to be livable - there's still a Co-op, a GP surgery, a Post Office, and a selection of pubs, small shops and restaurants. There's also a strong sense of community with lots of clubs and groups, and church groups. It is a great place to grow old as people genuinely do look out for each other - although the flip side of that is that the village tends to know what you're doing before you've done it! That is something that grates if you're not used to it, and there is a down side to living in a smaller community - there are lots of affairs!

However, you do really notice how isolated you are when there is a crisis - my stepdad was recently hospitalised and the hospital was a good 40 minutes each way over terrible roads. There are local 'first responders' who are absolutely amazing, and the air ambulance if it's a deathly emergency, but you are still a long way from hospitals and if you end up in a situation where you either can't drive or need regular hospital treatment then it can be difficult. But it's swings and roundabouts - I now live in a town and can never get a GP appointment, my parents can still get an appointment on the day. I live just a few miles from my workplace but it can still take me much longer to get home than it takes my parents, who work much further away! Also, in the recent snow the country roads were cleared and gritted much more efficiently than the ones in my town. On the other side, I pay much less for petrol and broadband, and I don't have to be nearly as organised! It is a different way of life to town living, and it does take some adapting to, especially if you're planning to move a long way from 'civilisation' and you're not used to it. You definitely need to take off the rose-tinted spectacles and think about the potential negatives as well as the positives.

sheramber

We moved to rural area 11 years ago when we retired.

We had always holidayed in remote cottages and loved being remote.

We are on a single track road surrounded by crofts. We have no street lights so it is DARK at night. our nearest neighbours are 1/2 mile away apart from the sheep. We have open views of fields, hills and river and the the view changes with the seasons.

Our roads is gritted twice a day when needed.

We have a subsidised taxi available if needed. They will even take you to the doctor's surgery and wait for you. The surgery is 16 miles away and appointments are generally available on the day.. You are a person not a number,

The nearest shop/PO is 7 miles away. The town is 17 miles away but Tesco deliver if necessary.

Local hospital in 40 miles away but main hospital is 100 miles away. Appointments are arranged to cater for travel time ( 2 1/2 hours) and there is overnight accommodation supplied if necessary..

We know more people here than we did in 30 years in our last town.

No takeaway or fish and chips handy but these are a treat when we visit family in the city.

Last year mu husband required two major operations as was out of action for 6 months. We had numerous offers of help. One neighbour cut our grass- 1/3 acre and another sawed up our logs in his sawmill.
Others offered to get shopping.

We have a wood burning stove, LPG gas heating and a septic tank.

We still love the life here. We did consider moving back to the town last year but once we thought it out we stayed put.. We have more to lose than to gain.

t0rt0ise

I was brought up in the countryside and now live in Central London which shows what I thought of living away from everything.


But if you 'win' and move to the country, will your wife be happy? Or so miserable that she wants to move back to the town. It has to be what you both want and that sounds like a difficult situation, so good luck with that.

moneyistooshorttomention

Callie22 wrote: »

It is a different way of life to town living, and it does take some adapting to, especially if you're planning to move a long way from 'civilisation' and you're not used to it. You definitely need to take off the rose-tinted spectacles and think about the potential negatives as well as the positives.

...and the comment about having to be more organised as well applies.

I call it the "3 shopping lists scenario". Whereas I used to have 1 shopping list in my home city (ie of things to buy or do) - I now run 3 shopping lists of things to buy/do.

List 1 - the everyday one for when I go in town here.
List 2 - for things I can't do or buy here, but can in Bigger Town (for the several visits a year I pay there).
List 3 - for when I go and stay for a few days at a time back in my home city (where I can do and buy everything - provided I can carry it back here in my suitcase). I also keep an eye on new restaurants/cafes back for "home city visits", so that I can fit in several meals out whilst there (to make up for the rest of the year when it's very difficult to find places I like to eat out in - even in Bigger Town). As I self-cater at least to some extent - I'm also into the bigger supermarkets I'm used to (Waitrose for instance) looking for all the "new" things I can't get in supermarkets here. I also buy what I can of my clothes whilst there - partly because regional tastes are slightly different here and I want "my" tastes.

Davesnave

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

As I self-cater at least to some extent - I'm also into the bigger supermarkets I'm used to (Waitrose for instance) looking for all the "new" things I can't get in supermarkets here..

The vast majority of people who move to the country have a car. When they shop, they can often choose different towns, giving an element of interest, rather than just a boring trip to the same old place. If it's going to take some time, one might as well make half a day or more of it.

Where we are, every direction except due north takes us to one of 10 towns where there are supermarkets. Of course, each one will also have other specialist shops too, which is what adds interest.

It's not unknown for us to drop in at RHS Rosemoor on the way to do the weekly shop, and then end up on a beach or quay somewhere, eating one of those take-aways that are so rare out in the sticks. We even have a bag kitted-out for the job, sited permanently in the boot of the car.

blueraven18

pollyanna24 wrote: »

I like it. For someone truly in the country, I'm in the city to them, but to someone from the city, I live in the middle of nowhere!

This is us, too! We’re semi rural on the very edge of a commuter town. We’re surrounded by beautiful countryside in all directions and all the joys that come with it: slow internet, badly maintained roads, etc. But we have a wonderful friendly community, a great outdoor lifestyle year-round, easy driving distance to town and station. Pubs and convenience store are within walking distance. We’re not really into takeaways but those are not far either.

We moved here from London zone 3 and considered it a test of strength before later making the move further afield to a more remote setting (I really like the outdoors). We’re too happy to leave now as we have the best of both worlds :beer:

Murphybear

We lived on the edge of a market town in rural Devon for years. It was about a mile from the nearest supermarket so that was OK. Unfortunately we had the neighbours from hell.

We moved in August to a farm not far from Dartmoor. It’s dreadful. Nearest supermarket is 13 miles return. Nearest Dr and pharmacy ditto. No decent other shops within 20 miles. It’s muddy this time of year. The nearest village is half a mile but there’s nothing. No shop, post office or pub.

We are looking to move again.

Mgman1965

Update.

Well, me and OH had a full frank (and a few tears from her) discussion about this last night having both read this thread.

It came out in the end her biggest fear is being isolated on her own on dark winter evenings when I'm working late and evening shifts. Her biggest worry is (although she admits not really substantiated) is crime, having read rural crime is on the increase, and the fact we were burgled one night whilst in bed (our springer spaniel went mad and saw them off) and it really frightened her as to what could have happened but for our brave dog doing her best to protect us.
She said had we been rural how long would the police have took to get to our aid (we saw a programme on TV about rural Scotland where the emergency services would take over 40mins on blues and two's to reach you (great she said if your trapped upstairs with your house on fire and flames licking at the bedroom door, having a heart attack, or a mad axeman is chopping your front door dowm to get at you).

So along with other points made on here both for and against it was agreed she wouldn't feel really safe or be totally happy so it's been put on the back burner and we're staying in town for now certainly.

suki1964

Rural crime is crime against property, theft of farm machinery, rustlers, oil theft, there's very little crime against persons

Looking at the stats for the past 10 years for my ward, there was only one crime reported and that was closed. It was a crime committed to us ( or so I thought)

We had bought a brand new lawn mower to replace the ride on that we had. It had been put in the shed over the winter as my convertible needed the garage space. Any ways one spring morning we were cleaning out the pond and in and out the shed and DH says he would mow the lawn. I needed to go into town so said do it later when I'm in work. Got back from town, I went to get changed for work when DH shouts that the lawn mower was gone

So I went around to the neighbours to see if anyone had borrowed it ( we are like that, you offer the loan of something at anytime and if no one is in you just go help yourselves ) Nope, no one has borrowed it. So whilst it was strange that the convertible in the unlocked garage with the keys on the seat was still there, the other gardening equipment etc, all untouched, we reported the theft. Police even came out and dusted for finger prints and take a statement etc etc

Two days later, off we trot to the farm equipment shop to replace the lawn mower and the fella who services the machines walks up to us and says our lawnmower wasn't ready. What do you mean we ask? Ours has been stolen and we are here to buy a new one. No he says, I've got it in the workshop, it's waiting on a service. Turns out it was our neighbours who had rang and booked THEIR machine in for a service and because house numbering is pretty non existent around here, when he got to ours where he had been before, he thought it was us he was picking up from so just took it as no one was in

Well was I ever so embarrassed ringing the police to report that the crime I had reported was never a crime at all lol

Seriously though I've only ever heard of oil being stolen from residential properties , never heard of a crime against a person in their home in the 12 years I've lived here.