To think living this rurally would be creepy?

[Blewbird]

We went to see a plot of land today with the potential to build a house. Absolutely beautiful land BUT you can't see another house. It's a "no one would hear you scream scenario." We have young DC and DH often travels. We have always lived in urban areas. Would this be bizarre or do you get used to it?

I'd love that. But having lived rurally, I'd get a dog & have security lights & an alarm.

Not for me, but each to their own!

You'd need to ensure that you build a really good local support network - if you slip over and break an ankle in the snow, if DH leaves or dies (sorry to mention it, but it's always a possibility - and vice versa), or when the DC are old enough, they decide they are going to move and live in a city/not come back because it's too boring/isolating, when you both get old and not so physically able - you're going to need those people.

I'd also check whether you're in an area that a supermarket or Amazon will deliver to, you can get broadband and mobile signal everywhere on the grounds (never go anywhere without a fully charged phone) and if there's a convenient place for an air ambulance to set down.

MIL also tells us stories of how strangers just rock up without warning with ridiculous excuses and, according to the police, it's likely they're checking out the premises for stuff worth coming back for. But she doesn't want a big, scary dog, so just plans her move to sheltered housing for as soon as possible (she has no need for it, she's fitter and healthier than I am).

I'd do it, but I'd be well aware of the potential risks beforehand and plan to mitigate as many of them as possible beforehand.

I was brought up in this sort of place. It was utterly brilliant until we were about 13 ish, at which point the epic lack of social life after school became an issue. But improved again when we got our driving licences aged 17 ish. And then we steadily moved out anyway to do university etc.

It doesn't feel natural to me. Haven't humans always lived group togther in settlements!

Wouldn't want to be so remote. Who would hear your alarm, let alone respond to it? What is you are on holiday - who looks out for you?
What about getting newspapers, milk and emergency supplies? Is it so remote as to get 'snowed in'?

But then - I like my neighbours, like them looking after my home and garden when we are away and enjoy the company when we have shared socials. A village is one thing, no neighbours at all would freak me out.

@StoneofDestiny we were snowed in for over a week last year. We have a “storm cupboard” actually got the idea from when we lived in the Caribbean. So we have dried milk, tins, rice, pasta etc etc. newspapers are the least of our worries. We have internet. It’s a very rare occasion that you find yourself truly stuck. When you leave the house you check your bread and milk status and then buy when you are out n about.

We live rurally. No one would hear me scream but I can just about see other houses.at night all you can hear is owls foxes and deer. I love it but only when DH is home at night. I wouldn't live here alone !

I’d love it but I’d need a couple of big dogs too.

I'd hate to be that remote and having to walk everywhere.

I used to think I’d like to live somewhere that isolated till we rented a lovely holiday cottage in a forest. It was on its own and yes, seeing deer, owls and birds was lovely but every little noise I heard in bed at night I was wide awake then.

Also I remember a MN thread where the poster was house sitting for a friend. Similar situation, isolated and backing onto forest. I think the owner’s dog had had pups recently so she was taking care of those too (something like this, might not have been pups) but anyway one dog got out and ran into the forest barking and OP had to go and get it in the dark. And she described this horrible evil presence, really nasty. None of the other dogs would come out I don’t think as they seemed scared. I’ll have to try and find the thread again but it scared me shitless and put me off very rural living forever!

When we lived in the city our alarm company would come to the house if you hit the panic button and they couldn't reach you (for me to tell them it was the sodding 2 year old). I'd have to see if they would offer the same service all the way out there.

I grew up like that & I loved it. My sister hated it.
I also never got used to noisy neighbours, or having to consider neighbours at all ever so when I got a job & had to move hundreds of miles away (to where the jobs with prospects were as there were none in the local fields) living around other people was awful.
I have missed it ever since.
My parents ended up moving back to a city after all their kids have left home because they were basically stuck out on their own with no friends nearby (there weren't any to make without a half hour car journey each way) so they found it terribly lonely.
To be honest, I'd move back out to the middle of nowhere again if I could, but you do have to accept your kids will almost certainly have to move away to get anywhere in life.

I wouldn’t be worried about crime or being scared. It’s much less scary living away from humans, who are the ones most likely to be frightening.

I would worry about getting ill or having a medical emergency.As someone who was 30 minutes from bleeding to death I thank god I wasn’t living back in the hamlet I used to.

Well us country folk do just fine, definitely not creepy. I guess it could be a bit restrictive if you both lived out of town AND had no land and a tiny house, but that's not usually the case.

I moved from London Zone 2 to that. I used to calculate in my head how long it would take me to run to the neighbours in an emergency. I did get to have a dog for extra security as my dh was also away with work. Our nearest neighbours were fabulously supportive but a distance away and everyone in the area "knew" everything about me - or made it up and were country style suspicious of us.

We eventually moved to the outskirts (5 mins walk from town centre) of a nearby small town but our nearest neighbours are still the same distance away as anything closer is a holiday home.

In many ways I loved our country living but i needed my dog and I had to accept I would always be an "Outsider" to locals. 20 years on that is still the case. It does take a different mindset to cope with this type of setting and you need to be Okay with always being an outsider. It is lovely for kids (until the teen years).

I'd try and rent somewhere similar first and see if you manage ok. You might decide you love it - or hate it! I wouldn't rush the decision because it would be a big transition to go from urban to isolated rural.

We live in one of a row of houses on the edge of a village - ex-council (well some of them are still council actually) houses built for farm workers. We have fields at the front and back but the village is only a short walk / cycle away, and there's a train station in the nearest two towns. It's peaceful without being completely cut off. We did get snowed in during the Beast from the East but were able to walk across the fields into the village for cake so it was all good.

I don't know how I'd feel about being that far out, it's nice to be able to cycle to places when the weather is good, and to have a shop and pub within walking distance.

Rural living has many pros and cons - myself & hubby love it - from experience though I would say it's great with young children but when they reach teenage years they can feel very "cut off" from civilisation

I'd be fine during the day on my own no problem...but as soon as night falls I'm not so sure, every noise I would think it's someone breaking in, and if a fox set off the outside security lights I'd be bricking it! I also don't think I like the fact that I'd have no neighbours to call on in an emergency, our neighbours are great...they have a spare set of house keys, they keep an eye on the place if we go away, take in parcels etc and we do the same for them, I'd miss that kind of support I think...one day I might have the balls to move because I love the countryside.

I always thought I would love rural living, until yesterday that is, I passed out in my hallway, when I came round I could not get up I felt so ill, luckily I had my phone with me and managed to ring DH who came to my rescue, however if he had been away and I lived in rural isolation with no phone signal anything could have happened to me, it really brought it home how vulnerable I could have been even as a relatively young person, let alone in old age, I now really value living close to civilisation and a hospital........

Not for me, but if I did live in the middle of nowhere I’d get a couple of badass guard dogs!

Only with a pack of Alsatians.

Scary forest story for anyone that doesn’t know what I’m talking about:

I searched for it and I think it’s called the Savernake forest story but for some reason not all the threads are opening up.

Don’t read it if you’re easily creeped out though! I’m quite rational and non woo but I didn’t like reading that!

Sounds awful.

The problem with rural folk is that they thin that avocado is the height of sophistication

Imagine having to wear wellies instead of Louboutins. The horror, the horror