Property Unicorn

You could also try other home search apps, like Zoopla or Drifthome. I came across Drifthome on Reddit and it’s actually pretty handy. Here’s the link if you want to check it out: drifthome.ai/download/

Loads in Kent ! Look at the train lines out of London at the villages on stops via Tonbridge to Pluckley or out to Crowborough

Sounds lovely. Get a buying agent

Have a look around the east Riding of Yorkshire.

Where does she mention this? None of her posts on threads mention any kids.

The Op does have kids though

You can get that where I am. My neighbour's house is 3 bedroom , an acre of land, surrounded by fields but a 10 minute walk to the village. 3 bedrooms, £550k. There is a more impressive huge and rather grand house with 2 acres on the other side of the village for a million. Cornwall though.

There lots of villages in the South, ie Surrey, West and East Sussex that fit the criteria as in can walk to the village/town and have your own land but price point might be an issue!

There will be hundreds of properties that fit that criteria. You need to choose some areas. I’d be wary personally of buying such a big property as you head towards retirement, given the cost and effort in maintaining the house and the land.

You need to be careful about isolating yourselves too much especially if retirement is looming. My mum and dad moved to a village in their late 40's to early 50's when my dad got a similar urge to go rural and get property with a bit of land. I warned my mum it would be too isolated for her as she doesn't drive but neither of them listened. The nearest big town was 15 miles away I think and there was a bus from the village just once a week. Needless to.say she ended up having a nervous breakdown! The land ended up being a waste of time because both of them ended up with health problems that just made the land hard work to look after and they after just a couple of years there moved back to where they'd moved from!

You need to think about having no friends out there and no ability to make any and how isolated you'd be if say your eyesight was suddenly deemed in older age to be incompatible to drive. You need to think of whether you would make it impossible to join any clubs or activities in older age by living so remotely. You also need to think about what if a harsh winter happens and the roads are covered in snow, you can't get anywhere and nobody can get to you. What do you want to be doing with an acre of land in your retirement? If god forbid something happens to one of you, the other is left alone and remote!

Not everybody has kids and both my partner and i are in a situation where we were both moved around by our parents and lost all the friends we grew up with. Our close friends live an hour away from us. For me though I want us to retire to a friendly community overseas somewhere and be able to make friends and get involved in things.

Let HIM search for it while you enjoy your current home. Why are you stressing out for something HE wants?

I would be very wary of relying on a footpath

They can get overgrown in spring/summer
Very muddy and sometimes flooded or slippy in autumn/winter
Farmer can decide to plant across it or block it (yes, illegal, but hard to sort)

I’d much rather be “edge of village” and able to walk in on pavements.

Go a bit further north.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/162809834#/?channel=RES_BUY

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/164888168#/?channel=RES_BUY

Dore station south of Sheffield? Facilities, train to Sheffield or into peaks.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/153065114#/?channel=RES_BUY

Nah - some people really enjoy looking at RM. No-one is forcing them to do it if they do not want to. Good luck to OP.

Your husband is entirely correct. Many edge of village, even end of town, properties can have an acre of grounds.

If anything you’ll probably have too much choice, so it will be hard to narrow down.

You can get that where I am. My neighbour's house is 3 bedroom , an acre of land, surrounded by fields but a 10 minute walk to the village. 3 bedrooms, £550k. There is a more impressive huge and rather grand house with 2 acres on the other side of the village for a million. Cornwall though.

This is only £795k, two acres, short walk into the village, major garden centre very close by, twenty minutes from Cambridge, 4 bedrooms and a bungalow so you're future proof. It's dated but given it's way under budget you could do major improvements and get it just how you like it.
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/166541003#/?channel=RES_BUY

You could certainly buy a house like that easily in my area, there's one for sale at the moment

You would use the normal pavement to walk to the pubs or shops though, what's the deal with a footpath?

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/165798884I’m

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/163710707

This would be incredibly easy. Suffolk coast springs to mind- you could get much more than an acre if you wanted.

The o/s app will show you exactly where the footpaths are.

I can’t imagine getting close to retirement and neither myself nor my husband caring where I live across England as long as not further north than Sheffield.

To have no connections to either adult children, grandchildren, sibling or very dear friends that you literally don’t care whether you’re one hour from them or 6 hours from them

of course its possible.
Look at market towns as your centre, focus on small hamlets or villages around.
I live 10 mins drive from 2 decent towns and a main rail link to London. Walkable to a well served village.
Plenty around here have that land and more under your price.