We live in open countryside on a small holding. We have dogs and horses, so walk and ride, and the upkeep of the land and stables keep us busy. We are a mile away from a big village, which has a post office, chemist, coop, three pubs, and Chinese, Italian and Indian restaurants. The village organises a lot throughout the year, we have a party in the park music festival, a world famous brass band contest, street parties and Xmas parades. Everyone knows each other. It's a lovely community. There are scout and brownie packs, plus aerobics classes etc. The next five villages are very close and have a lot of bars and restaurants too. The nearest town is 5 miles away, with big supermarkets and stores, and there are trams from there to Manchester, which has all the facilities of a big city and is only 12 miles from our open countryside. There is obviously also an international airport too. This week alone we have seen Cirque du Soleil in Manchester and been to a large stately home, both were less than 30 mins journey from home. To be honest, the fact that it is so commutable is killing the area now. Lots of people have moved into the area from the towns and cities, they want the big old house in the countryside and the Range Rover, and enjoy the community events, but won't put anything back into helping organise them. It's starting to feel much less rural. I actually feel that my husband and I will move out somewhere more rural and isolated once our parents are gone.
As a child who grew up in the same place I live now, I, and my siblings/friends, spent a lot of time wandering around the valley playing, I can't even remember what, but we were out all hours.
I have lived in Paris, so experienced big city living, and as long as I lived in a quiet area I enjoyed it when younger. I lived in Brighton too. The areas I haven't enjoyed living were small market ton type places, they didn't have the benefits of either country or city for me.