Living in a village without a car - cycle?

ncmscnc

I am having a debate with myself to choose to love/live either in a small village in rural south east Bedfordshire or to live in Stevenage in north Hertfordshire.

Both are equidistant from my place of work near Baldock.

Without a car, it seems one is impossible to live over the other. A bus every two hours, really?

I have a cycle but as someone has suggested in my previous threads, it might be punitive during the winter.

How did we end up in a situation like this as a country? The village seems to be a dormitory commuter town within 30 minutes to the city.

Stevenage is like mini London and has everything including its own problems.

Pollution is just like London, watering my eyes standing near a park last night.


But what about a community. Where do people find a small knit working and social community nowadays? How do working people socialise? Wind-down?

On the internet?

jimbog

Pubs used to be the centre of communities but whereas most residents find a local pub a big plus to the village they rarely visit it. During the day most villages are dead (true of other European countries too)

Friends of mine moved from Bedford to a north Bedfordshire village for a better quality of life. The village is dead as it is a dormitory for MK and London. Thy also spend inordinate hours each week ferrying the kids from place to place.

giraffe69

We moved to a village 7 years ago. Little in the way of bus services and the station closed in 1966. It's just not doable without a car.

zagubov

I lived in Bedfordshire for years.

I loathed driving but was forced to get a car. The winters are really harsh and cycling's just not a winter option. The bus service is sparse.

PasturesNew

The younger/wealthier "live" in villages without much as they just have everything delivered and/or have two good reliable cars.

Some poor live in these places and become isolated and having to "go without".

You could consider a 3-wheeled moped.... 3 wheels for stability, moped for cheaper running and transport.

epinjy

I live in a typical village (a bus every couple of hours, a pub which seems to close down and then re open every several months) and wouldn't without a car. Even if you could cycle to your work now, you are severely limiting your options if you were to change jobs. To be honest, I wouldn't even live in the closest town - approximately 60k population without a car. Public transport infrastructure in this country outside of cities might as well not exist.

Waterlily24

We couldn't manage without a car as there is no bus service at all now, only one shop in the village at the moment another one reopening soon.

Yalpsmol

I lived in a village for a few years until recently. Not super isolated- it had a corner shop, hairdresser and pub. Bus to the closest town every hour. Closest supermarket was about 3 miles away. There wasnt much street lighting so some difficulties going out without a torch in winter after about 5pm!

My dad commuted to the train station (7 miles away) every day by bike. Riding to the station, plus 1 stop on the train, and a short ride to work took less than an hour. Great! Whereas I have a car and was really stuck once or twice when it broke down as it would take 2-3 hours to travel a 25min motorway drive by bike or public transport. I always ended up staying at a colleague or relatives house the night before to get in on time.

I also actually found it sometimes noisier than the town I now live in (quiet cul de sac) because of the farm equipment and happening to be near ish a primary school. And the cows (I didnt mind their noise though).

I wouldnt live in a village again personally unless I worked within an hours walk. I would really live to be able to walk or ride to work (and dont care about the weather)..but not if it takes several hours!

p00hsticks

Most of my relatives live in small villages in southern England and they all drive - it's really not feasible to manage otherwise.

Bus services are very infrequent (literally one or two a WEEK), no nearby supermarkets who'll deliver, no newsagent, bank, ATM or post office. There is one community pub -jointly owned by a number of the villagers - in one of the villages.

getmore4less

Look at the bus routes first then look for places on the routes with regular services

Our town has 5 routes to other towns that pass through smaller place but none run late.

ethank

Bus services are run on a commercial basis now. If there is no demand for buses - they won't run them.