Pros and cons of living in the countryside

We are rural (only a primary school and shop in the village). Only buses through are the secondary school ones twice a day, or it's a 40m walk to the local train station. Kids loved it when they were small (no dog but we are all outdoorsy); winter snow and power cuts fun, and everyone in the village has wood burners, as fallen trees in the winter regularly block access roads (and all the menfolk turn up with their chainsaws to have a nice day out 🙄).

As the kids get older, both got into (different) sports and what with training, competitions and social lives, it's one big taxi service, that you can't really say no to.

Great incentive for them to learn to drive asap at 17; we will probably have to get a third car for kids to use for sports logistics as both adults will be using theirs for work.

The local shop is very well stocked however don't underestimate the logistical faff of the 30m round trip if you need something they don't have.

Ironically we were discussing the other day whether we should move when the kids go to uni / move out, into a town, so we can walk to eg cinema, theatre, entertainment etc, when we're old and decrepit, rather than relying on being able to drive. We didn't come to a conclusion, but it's the same things as for your teens.

Our teens do love living here and have said they wouldn't want to move into a town, but both are very beholden to us to drive them absolutely everywhere.

Best thing I ever did was move to a small highland village. Fabulous access to countryside, nature and views (from my lounge!), amazing villagers support, landed a good job, great school etc.
However, it is also one of the toughest things. The lovely villagers are the best and the worst in society living cheek by jowl, they can turn in an instant. You have to drive EVERYWHERE - so swimming lessons = 22 miles each way. 20,000 miles a year in my car. Shit broadband. Non-existent buses. Electric heating. Only the co-op and the paper shop for food (unless you drive 22 miles to the next co-op...). You can feel 'hemmed in' at times when all you want is a change of scenery and guess what, it is 20+ miles away... Jobs are few and far between. Commuting can wear thin. etc etc.

That said, best thing I ever did and I would not change it for the world.

But proper rurality, not some southern England villages every few miles with more people and things to do than half a northern county, is very different.

We live in an old (1800s) house with high ceilings. 3 bed, 2 bathroom. Energy bills are about £200 a month. It's not energy efficient in the slightest but I would take it any day over a new build.

I suppose it depends how rurally you're talking in terms of proximity to towns / cities etc and where in the country (as in, the countryside down south is far more accessible than in the far North of Scotland!!!).

However things that we experience (Peak District) -

No Uber / Deliveroo / Just Eat / Uber Eats.
Power cuts and TV and broadband regularly going down due to bad weather (we're on the Moors so very exposed)
The pretty much constant smell of manure at certain times of the year 😆
We have mice who live in our house full time (it's an old house though and right next to the water).
And as others have said, complete reliance on driving everywhere. The only thing we ever do on foot (as in, from the front door) is walking the dogs.

One thing to maybe make your kids aware of... We see roadkill and dead animals on a very regular basis. Rabbits, pheasants / grouse, deer... We've also come across dead sheep and other animals whilst out walking the dogs. We're desensitised to it now but I remember I used to cry every time I came across a dead animal and I know that a lot of kids find that part of countryside living pretty hard (if they don't come from a rural background).

You’re moving to an older house? How is it re energy efficiency? Is the loft/attic lagged? How old is the boiler? If it’s a place where it floods or snows take that into consideration. Nothing worse than being in the middle of nowhere then. Is there anywhere else nearer a proper village you’d consider moving to?

My parents moved our family to the countryside when my eldest sibling was about to start at secondary school. It was great for me and younger sibling who liked animals, mucking about outdoors and had each other for company. It was disastrous for eldest who had lots of friends and independence at our previous home. Poor public transport, no shops or other facilities, miles to friends.

Living rurally doesn't always guarantee good dog walks, if the land is cultivated or contains livestock.

You get organised or die trying when it comes to groceries.

I was the first of my friends to have a proper "pantry cupboard" of goods down to a frozen pint of milk at university, because we lived five miles from the nearest shop.

Potential con: my parents made going to the shops a massive occasion, habit that hasn't left them. Going to town is a big deal and they always want to go to all their shops.

I desperately wanted to live in the country, nice village. But DH desperately wanted to stay in town.

We agreed for the kids sake to stay in town. Our house has turned into a meeting point, people come, people go, the kids have independence, their friends treat it like a second home, we rarely have to drive them about anywhere and everyone is very happy.

Luckily we are a costal market town, so its a two minute walk to get into the countryside for dog walks, fresh air and water.

I live in a rural area. I chose a village with good public transport. I can’t drive and it’s three miles to the nearest town.

I cant remember where I was some months ago, driving on a busy A road somewhere, it was in the middle of nowhere but in between 2 big towns if that makes sense, there was a new housing estate being built with the access road leading from the busy road I was driving on

If you tried to walk out of that estate you would have no where to walk, you couldnt walk on that A road, no pavement

If you were visiting someone on that estate, there would literally be no where to park given you clog up the roads unless you park half on the pavement, the cars are usually on driveways on new estates becuase they cant fit in garages, you wouldnt be able to park on the A road adjoining the estate (and couldnt walk from your car to the estate anyway). Complete madness to build in such a place

I remember it because there was a thread on here at the time with people frothing about people parking half on pavements and I thought at the time, you wouldnt have any choice when you're visiting these sorts of places. No public transport either

And I wouldnt cycle on such a road.

The years when DC are young go so quickly, you will be at the teen stage before you know it.

DS is trying to get a part time job, there is one shop and one pub in the village so very few jobs to go round. His GF lives in another village 10 miles away with no bus route between them. They rely entirely on lifts from parents. At 16/17yo they want to go places under their own steam like their schoolfriends have been doing since their early teens.

I love living in the countryside. I love walking the dog across fields twice a day. DH loves being involved in various village organisations. We didn't think about the impact on DS until it was too late. The years go by so fast.

I will move to the nearby town when I can no longer drive. It would be too isolating to stay here.

Keeping kids occupied through the rainy months can be tough - I love being able to get outside, but kids don't always feel the love for a walk in the rain, and it gets frustrating when every weekend is gloomy and all of the indoor options cost money (cinema/swimming/soft play/bowling).

If your teenager's interested in rural/outdoorsy things like riding, hiking, mountain biking, it'll be easier than if their social life is more focused on the city. It can be harder for them to find work when they get into the teenage years, and that definitely falls under the 'mum's taxi' service - my mum spent a fair bit of time driving me home from my Saturday jobs after the buses had stopped running.

Similar to the problems here. We live in country town, nearest hospital is half an hour away in the car. We can drive atm, but as we age will be more reliant on public transport. But, its relatively safe, quiet(totally silent after 9pm). Beautiful, goodish local shops around the corner.
If your in a new build, is it an estate newly built in the middle of nowhere or attached to an existing town or village? If so you may be struggling for essential infrastructure and services close by. And just because you are "countryside" now if more houses go up you wont be.
Saying that, id love a new house with no damp, straight walls and decent windows.

You wouldn’t believe the stories I heard about drink drugs etc due to boredom. Maybe it’s improved a bit now but it was quite common then. Having said that relatives who live in the countryside have ridden horses since they were young. I’d also think about potentially jobs when they get older. My relative is a dairy cow milker but also studying accountancy for farm work. She lives in Shropshire.

Internet isn’t great, phone signal non existent. DD is 13 and I’m morphing into a taxi service. Can’t get any decent food delivered or get a good coffee anywhere

as for pros, it’s quiet, nice green space for runs or exercise

Just be prepared that if you miss that bus you wait an hour for another one. Personally I’d prefer a village with at least a village shop.

That is a very good consideration good bus route. Where my auntie lived (now dead) by the sea but also countryside they had a good bus service. Cabs are expensive and takeaways rare. Even outside Bath where DB’s in-laws live there’s a park and ride bus stop/service and a bus to Bath and then further on where their son lives there’s also a bus service. Trains appear to be few and far between apart from Bath Spa. I’ve got lost coming back from the park and ride bus service and I recall thinking had I seen any news of attackers. I mentioned this to my SIL last year and not far from them yes a woman had been murdered near a nightclub, albeit a long time ago.

I grew up in the countryside and hated it. Too far from friends(not walking or cycling distance), my parents weren't always available to bring me where I wanted to go. Siblings were all much older so I spent a lot of time on my own. Would never choose that life for my kids. Oh and what was posted above is true in my experience, drinking/drugs/sex quite young out of sheer boredom.

We love it !
Downsides are lots of driving to get children anywhere.
power cuts.
No takeaway delivery.(probably for the best!)

We've just moved into town from living 15 mins drive further out. My life is immediately so much easier!

I'll miss the nice woods nearby. But I won't miss having to work out how to fit a 30 min round trip drive to the shop into my day because we've run out of bread or bananas, life stopping if the car breaks down, not being able to walk/run anywhere after dark as there's no safe way to do so, or the huge risk of my toddler having a danger nap on every single trip back from nursery/swimming/the library. Oh, and I will not miss the potholes on single-track roads!

I have a secondary school at the end of our road and we get multiple power cuts every single winter!

Can be crap if you lose driving for any reason. Things like getting cars serviced can become a logistic nightmare.

Even though I live out in a village, I made sure there is a good bus route to civilisation close by that is easy to hop on.