How can we escape the rat race for a more outdoors lifestyle

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Hello, I’m hoping you can help me... I’m sick of living this way. We are all happy when we are camping, at the beach, anywhere with space. But in real life we work all hours, the kids are couped up at school and then couped up at home where it’s a constant battle to try and keep them from fighting, off screens and entertained.
I dream of living a different lifestyle with more work life balance and a bit of room to run around but I don’t know how to make it happen.
Has anyone done anything like this? I’d love to hear your stories

I think every lifestyle comes with its pro's and con's. Do you both NEED to work full time? Could you both go part time? Home school? Live on a caravan site (to reduce cost of living and for the difference in lifestyle)?As much as I like being on holiday, I am always glad to be home!

Whereabouts do you live? Moving to the countryside is a start. We have woods and open fields on our doorstep. But the price is a much longer commute (and huge train fares).

Can you not move somewhere more outdoorsy? Or if you need to live in a city how about the outskirts of Exeter or Durham or Aberdeen, where gorgeous countryside is on your doorstep

Moving is a big step, and may not be feasible. Consider how you could cut back or free up money, eg by downsizing or moving to a cheaper area.

But in the meantime, you could start by exploring what is on your doorstep. Buy an OS map for your local area (1:25000 scale) and explore the footpaths, woodlands etc. Buy good torches so you can go out at dusk to experience a different environment.

Look on your council website etc to see what woods and footpaths are a short drive/bus ride away and go for a proper woodland walk every weekend. Make it your main entertainment. Look up geocaching.

I live on a council estate between Leeds and Bradford, but we have woodland trails within a few minutes walk. There are also marked trails, canal towpaths, local country parks, bigger country parks within 20-30 minutes drive. Boundary trails that take in the public footpaths and bridleways around several cities and towns locally. It's surprising how isolated it can feel even a few minutes drive outside the city.

You need to break this down and prioritise.

If screens case problems, out boundaries in place to combat that, we have no TV/screens in the week and it really helps school mornings go more smoothly.

If you need more outside time, make a daily walk part of your family timetable, before bed or after tea.

If the kids need to be more active, look into a Junior Park Run near you or do a family bike ride on a Saturday morning.

If work is the main stress then look to change it - reduce or flex your hours or change completely.

If you want to move areas then start looking into the practicalities, but change your family routines and priorities first and a move may not be necessary!

Thank you for your suggestions. I do most of what has been suggested to best honest

I think I just feel penned in in our house so I’m always trying to get out with the kids because being stuck in the house is horrible for all of us. They are so happy outdoors.
It’s hard to explain, I just feel like we need more space or to live a more interesting/outdoorsy way of life (than a very sensible semi in the south east) with the boring school/work/hobbies

I would love to live at the coast or somewhere with some land but I don’t know where to start!

Could you get an allotment? I would go through your finances too and cut everything you can and then see if you could reduce hours to free up some time.

You need to start by taking a long hard look at your jobs. Are you prepared to give up your careers and work in a much lower position or even on minimum wage?

Most people are in the south East because of jobs. If you take that out of the equation then you can move anywhere in the UK.

Well a boring semi in her south east must be worth a good amount of money. If you moved to a coastal town or village in Devon or Somerset or even Dorset you would get more for your money. Depends if you want beach life or countryside.
We have a detached smallish house, with a large garden, DH works full time and me part time. Weekends and evenings are spent at the beach, (we are about half an hours drive from about 7 beaches or an hour to another 10 or so, but live in a small rural village), dog walking, bike ride, allotment or general pottering. If we meet with friends it’s always for a dog walk or bike ride or a beach bbq and a picnic etc. We don’t often do paid for activities such as a theme park or cinema or bowling etc. Does this sound like what you are after? I guess you would need to move. We still have to work and do boring things like school runs and home work etc.

Maybe start by thinking about what you want. Then thinking about where provides that and having a look on rightmost at house prices and then at job prospects etc. Good luck!

Threads like this make me twitch. I like electricity, flush toilets, packing the kids off to school on daily basis so I can go to work & have own life.
You need an occupation & hobbies that are outdoors I suppose. orienteering? Gardening, cycling, rambling, Scouts, etc.

Is relocating an option? I feel pretty much the same, DH, DD and I come alive outdoors, we have one small country park within a 15min drive where we go for a walk most afternoons when dh gets home from work (or the beach) which just about scratches that itch for now but we desperately want a similar lifestyle to what you do. Whilst we live in the coast right now it's not got much going for it nature wise without driving elsewhere and there are very few green spaces or woods within an hours drive, so we're relocating to anywhere between Birmingham, York and Manchester in the next 12 months. I cannot wait to be closer to nature and outdoor spaces!

Be a weekend warrior.

Go camping. Hiking. Wild swimming. Canoe down a river.

Join the english heritage and national trust and go somewhere new every weekend or once a month whatever you can afford

Do you commute? You waste so much time if you do. I couldn’t believe what people could fit into the evenings when I moved to a part of Scotland where people finish work at 5:30 and are home by 6!
Canoeing mountain biking open water swimming etc all at 7pm on a school night! It’s ace!! Picnic dinner.

Get an allotment.

My ds is 4, he needs lots of outsode time each week if not daily.

We have ponies, an allotment with chickens and a dog so always some animals need looking after.

The allotment is the best value. £90 a year for a huge plot. We spent probably £200 in the first year on fencing and basic tools. £400 on a shed (but you could cope without one, or buy from ebay) and about £200 on timber, fencing and a coop for the chickens. They cost me about £10 a fortnight to feed and we are currently getting 42 eggs a week. Which we use in main meals twice a week, breakfast oncr a week and baking.

The rest we give away.

Ds can spend hours and hours and hours just pottering around. We grow lots of different veg, with varying successes but it's paid for itself just be keeping ds entertained in the school holidays and weekends without having to pay for swimming/soft play/days out etc.

Google Microadventures or read Alistair Humphrey's’ book - lots of ideas