Is it possible to live a country village life if you aren't rich?

[salviapages]

DH and I (together 11 years got together at age 14) have done lots of talking and soul searching and decided what we want is to live in a countryside village. Both raised in a city in Sussex. Inspired by another post on here today thought I'd post and ask...where is this possible??

We're from East Sussex so everywhere is expensive here but we'd be willing to live anywhere in the UK for the lifestyle we want. Both have jobs that can be done anywhere (teacher and dog walker). But as you can tell from our jobs, we don't have tons of money.

Is there anywhere in the UK where a nice country village life is possible without putting down hundreds of thousands for a 3 bed family home? How can we find where we want to start our family?

(I know lots of you will say we'll regret it with teenagers, we've considered this. May have to move when they get older but can still have over a decade of the village life we want)

As someone else indicated, rural poverty has a bleakness unto itself

I recently moved to a little village in Durham, it's miles cheaper (to rent or buy) and I love it. But as a previous poster said, rent first - it's not for everyone.

What is your budget?

We need your budget before we can recommend any places.

Yes, we do. Our village is a very affordable place to live, no one here is super wealthy.

I think it is often the commutor belt type "rural idyll" that tends to be overpriced and set up for the super wealthy.

North Cumbria

Whichever one of you is a dog Walker would need to look at doing something else, I think.

You could live somewhere small-ish but still within easy commute of somewhere with a fair no of schools. And the dog walker could seek a better paid job.

Houses in rural places with a bit of land have rocketed in value over the past year. The idea you can buy a cheap cottage and a bit of land for £100k in the north unfortunately is no longer the case.

For example a house with a few acres in rural Wales, complete renovation of the house, next to an army shooting range and a garden full of knotweed recently sold for £350k, the guide was £80k.

In much of rural Scotland or the north of England you can get a 3 bed house for less than £150K. Spend a bit more and you can get amazing properties.

Our budget would be about 220k. I think since COVID many more people share the dream we've had for years so prices will go up

Dog walker is currently doing courses in dog training and grooming as well to expand services and these also bring in more money than walking

I grew up in a large commuter village. One bus an hour. Dad had to drive all over the district ferrying me to and from friends' houses. Nearest town had NOTHING for teenagers to do. By the time I was 14 I was bored stupid. Think carefully about the location if you plan to have a family.

Actually, prices are more than I'd realised in some of the Durham villages.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/116213039#/?channel=RES_BUY

I'm in an unfashionable bit of Somerset, and there are houses in the village from £180K - 3 bed terrace, low EPC, no specific parking, small garden. Or possibly 2 bed semi-detached bungalows that might need some modernising up at £220K +, own parking but again, small garden.

There might be allotments nearby but I haven't been here long enough to find them, only just moved.

Village has a couple of shops, pharmacy, chippy, primary school, branch surgery, and buses to nearby larger town.

Look at south lakes..... Houses in small villages can be bought really cheaply.

I had to compromise on the chocolate box cottage I dreamt of, as in the end location was more important- so I am in a village with a 5 minute walk to the beach. I could have had chocolate box but it would have been a drive to anywhere.

I love living in a small village, but we tend to keep ourselves to ourselves.

I'm in Cornwall and you can- just-get 3 bed houses for £350k in desirable villages

Village business....

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/114029249#/?channel=RES_BUY

You could move to South Norfolk - or any part of Norfolk for that budget. But you have rose tinted views of country life, and that’s fine so did I until I moved to South Norfolk from London! You learn quickly. There’s a lot of poverty in rural areas, people just don’t speak about it as it’s generally hidden - incomes are lower, jobs fewer and far between and opportunities for teenagers far less generally than in cities. But lots of lovely things too - peace and quiet, lower crime rates, open spaces, great for smaller children and teens that like being outdoors. Etc etc.

cons:
Wear and tear on the car and petrol costs
shopping at tescos
home delivery costs from tescos
car break downs where you're waiting all day for someone to pick up your vehicle even if you've got full insurance
no phone signal
poor wifi connection
isolation from others will give your children extreme social anxiety and other mental health issues
The countryside is good to visit, but not an ideal place to live
you will need good clothes and shoes to go out in it all anyway
and if you go down the homeschooling route you'll need to buy thousands of pounds worth of learning materials

You will have a poor quality of life if you aren't well off

Beeford Road, Skipsea, Driffield, East Riding of Yorkshire
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/107535020

@SydneySquare I actually love that! Would be amazing to open a little bookshop that offers coffee...I sell candles too, a cozy books coffee and candle store! I doubt there would be enough customers in a small village like that though!

Depends where you north! Lots of villages with good links to Manchester/leeds/Sheffield are seriously pricey

What's wrong with Tesco?

Rural Suffolk would definitely be doable. I would do some research about the viability of dog walking and training as a business, however, as I imagine the market is completely different.

@Cheermonger auctioneers price properties like that low to draw people in, that will sell over guide.

You can get something like this in Cumbria - www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/82265607#/?channel=RES_BUY, it didn’t sell at auction. It’s an extremely isolated part of Cumbria though with a lot of poverty. Lots of the cheap houses in South Cumbria are rundown terraces around Barrow. I lived in the South Lakes and Barrow isn’t somewhere I’d wanted my children to grow up.