Do you live rurally?

[mistyfields]

We do and I like it but I do notice sometimes that we seem to be in a bit of a minority on here. I think I am noticing it more because DC1 starts school in September and walking to school is out of the question, wraparound care is very limited which in turn limits the jobs I can do, and so on.

Even the MN mainstay of ‘just wrap up and go for a walk!’ Isn’t really possible here without driving somewhere!

Just interested if anyone else lives in the arse end of nowhere, and how you find it!

I did for a few years when dd was a baby. Top of a hill in rural Cumbria where it was winter 9 months of the year and cold, 30 mins from nearest supermarket and 3hrs from my family. Spectacular views, shooting stars every night as no light pollution and very quiet. I loved it but it wouldn’t have been practical when she was older for the reasons you have outlined.

Yes and we love it.
Village primary school but now DD has 30 min bus ride to secondary
Dog + horse owner so my free time is spent outdoors
We are a taxi service for DD but as many of her friends are in the same boat we just share the pain with the parents of her friends
I have lived in London + Leeds and no money in the world would get me back to a city or even town. The only noise at night comes from owls, foxes, cows + sheep

No. Have lived in London all my life - rural living does not appeal to me at all!

Yes but explained that we share that with other parents so considering she's at school 6 days per week it actually isn't that bad

I grew up like this and hated it.

I live on the very edge of a town so have open fields and forest a 15 min walk one way. The other way within 10 minutes I have a post office, chippy, local shop, chemist, hairdressers, Doctors, the schools DS attended. Then a further 20 mins I have lots of shops inc 3 big supermarkets.

We moved when dd's were at primary school, so their formative years were spent rurally and though they live in towns/cities now, they still say they are so relieved to have had that childhood.
It could be a pain, but the benefits outweighed them
We still live in the same house and don't intend to move

I grew up very rurally and it worked for me because I rode and worked in stables.

And it was ok while we were primary aged.

But my parents were on permanent taxi duty, we hardly saw friends from school, had little independence because no public transport and the roads were not cycle friendly, loads of teen friends were into drugs and breaking into farm and derelict buildings (‘exploring’) , smoking and drinking because there was little for teens to do.

Everything required a car. Learning to drive at 17, getting a car, 17, 18 yo drivers having accidents.

From the day I went to Uni I lived in cities and love it. Brought mine up in London, huge opportunities, and we went camping and hiking at weekends and holidays our Big Outdoors fix.

It either suits you or it doesn’t.

I do spend a lot of time in the car but I don’t think it would be vastly different elsewhere. The main difference is that we can’t walk to primary school.

Yes and I love it
came from a town so quotes bit of adjusting but my neighbours go moo tweet and baa now -which is better than doors slamming the bonfires every summer day and the sweary arguments from the neighbours

however it’s NOT quiet. Working Farms are noisy

Small town, no bank but a banking hub, good London connections and enough going on like theatre, interesting walks and wildlife centres etc.

I miss opening hours though, everything shuts at 8pm or 10pm latest for shops. Sometimes I just want to sit with a cup of tea in a cafe by the water at 11pm.

Do you think it's viable for you in the long term @mistyfields? There seem to be so many variables with children involved so difficult to gauge.

Yes, but a 6 minute walk to the pub and little shop. 25 minutes into the county town. Love it.

I can see 20 miles over to the Purbecks from the bedroom without a building or road anywhere. Keeps me sane but I do use Amazon a lot.

Jesus bloody christ, some people will pick arguments over nothing for no reason.
1 friend lives 15 mies, 1 lives 8 miles, 1 lives 12 miles and 1 lives 27 miles. Like I say, we share the pain. Do you want postcodes?

sharing lifts with someone who lives 27 miles away… wow!

I don’t know @CalicoPusscat to be honest. The main drawback for us is the road. We’re on a long country lane with no streetlights or pavements so we can’t just sort of burst out and go for a walk (children are four and one) and it’s a worry if they’re in the garden when a bit older and say a ball goes into the road or something. I really don’t want to move but if it does seem to be limiting for them socially as they grow up we may consider it.

Of course you're in the minority, the UK is over 80% urban population.

I grew up in a little village, so rural ish, and I hate the car dependent lifestyle personally.

I said more or less this in my report 😏😏

So on 1 hand you query the ruralness because we share lifts and the next comment is the distance?! Bore off and troll someone else

Just interested why you have to drive somewhere to go for a walk if you live rurally?

Because it’s pretty much all farms around here. It looks scenic and lovely but nowhere you could actually walk. The roads aren’t safe because they don’t have pavements and cars (and tractors, and trucks) go zooming by at a pretty alarming speed.