To think more people will want to live rurally now?

[Butterfliesandbears]

Property in cities has generally been more expensive but since covid it seems like maybe rural/village living will have the edge?

• larger houses/gardens
• can work from home
• countryside nearby for walks

-more space/less crowded generally

Or am I overstating it do people think? Will city living continue to be popular?

I like living in London for what it has to offer.We are in SW London close to 3 big parks with good bike lanes and leisure facilities,where we live is generally quite.I rather move to another Country (warmer,ideally by the seaside) than move somewhere else in England.

I can't see why covid would change things?
Rural living does sometimes mean larger houses and gardens and quiet countryside walks and less people - but then it always has.
People don't just live in cities to work and rush to the countryside as soon as they can work from home!
Some of us LOVE living in cities, especially if your're in a great area of a great city, it's a fantastic life choice. A country walk is nice enough but in London you can have a walk over the heath and then a world of arts, culture, history, entertainment etc at your disposal.
And with good work opportunities that many city dwellers have, a 2nd country home is very do-able. I'm sitting mine right now - best of both worlds but if I had to only keep one - it would be my London home for me, 100%.

My son won't go outside the M25 as the people are different there. (Unless he's going to Gatwick).

I’m more inclined than ever to stay in suburbs/city, actually. Better for teens to be able to walk/cycle with a variety of local friends. Easier for us all to WFH together with fast reliable broadband. I prefer to be able to walk easily to different shops. I prefer being near to a big teaching hospital. I can walk to my friends’ gardens for a drink/bbq etc now that’s allowed. My garden is big enough and most English towns are good for parks and open spaces.

Just checked, "rural" means localities with under 10,000 inhabitants - that's a lot of people!

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/597751/Defining_rural_areas__Mar_2017_.pdf

Well. You dont have to move to a village with no taxi rank, chipper or ATM to get more house for your money.

Couldn't pay me enough money to move back to the rural life.
Too many weirdos who like to get involved in everything regardless of it involves them or is even remotely truthful.

And many from here would shit themselves within an hour. You know the ones that freak out at mundane crap and want to call police to log the none event just in case. Would make great reality tv though

You clearly don't understand what "rural" means. It doesn't mean a remote hillside cottage. There are large villages and small towns which fall within the "rural" classification. I live in a "rural" village of 6,000 inhabitants. We have virgin fibre, we have a bus service, we have takeaway deliveries, we have a post office, we have 2 small supermarkets and a Tesco, we have little farm noise. I think the word you should be using for your circumstances is "remote

The village I live in is one of the largest in the area with a population of around 8000. We have none of those things but thank you for explaining what rural means, up until then I had no idea.

Why’s it’s only on mumsnet that people behave this way: city versus country
In real life if I said to anyone I grew up with in the countryside that I was thinking of moving there, they would be welcoming
And vice versus.

It’s just bonkers

@Justcallmebebes @Hingeandbracket

You sound right out of Royston Velley. Pathetic.

@Millicent10

I do not want to live in the country but lockdown has highlighted lack of space, there is ALWAYS someone in the living areas at the moment, I go to our bedroom for 2 min peace and one of the kids is in there watching the TV, go into the garden and can hear the neighbours as they are at home. I just feel like we need a big house with 4 beds and 2 living rooms, problem is they are £££ in the town/city centre. You get a lot more space for your money in the country. It’s a trade off, more space v lack of facilities. If (4x) kids were back at school and everything was open I would never consider a village but lockdown has made me/us wish for more space.

I think lockdown tends to make you want what you haven't got. If you're living in a crowded area you're desperate for more space, if you're living somewhere more secluded you can wish you were nearer more shops, supermarkets and takeaways etc.

If you're living in a house with noisy kids 24/7 you're desperate for peace, quiet and your own space. If you're living with your partner and getting under each others feet and on each others nerves you can wish you were single. If you're living on your own and single you might wish you had a partner and feel especially lonely at this time. It is generally difficult for everyone at home which leads people longing for something different.

*Valley

Like on 'This Country'?

Haha, no way. Suburbs instead of city living flats - yes. Rural areas with more limited hospital provision, fewer choices of shops (and maybe most of them outside a three or five-mile travel rule?) - not so much.

The real interest seems to be in those areas where it always is - suburb to semi-rural with great transport links to Edinburgh or wherever. Those kind of best of both worlds situations are already expensive.

I’m doing it, spent the day with paintbrush again in push to get this house ready to go on three market.

We’re on edge of market town now and it has been the perfect place for lockdown , woods round the corner and deliveries. But the house is too big now DD is at University and DS will be off during the week from September . I want to be closer to where they will be and closer to my Dad and I want some land which a friend is going to rent me all being well.

Where we are hoping to go has much faster broadband than we have now bizarrely and ours has held up brilliantly over lockdown. DH will now be working from home full time and we feel now is the perfect time to go and do it whilst we are still relatively young, knowing we may well move into a town at later date.

We know what we are letting ourselves in for as lived there for a few years before DH was made redundant and found work elsewhere. It’s about 30 minute drive from my Dad who is in the city I grew up in, so excited to be going home.

i think it's possible, far from certain.

Had this conversation today with a mate.

We decided that once things are back up and running (and in a few years they will be), we'd regret having moved out. Cities, or being near to cities, is fun. We chose to live where we did for a reason, and this reason NOT to live there is temporary.

I think the suburbs will be the real winner. While I think firms will become more amenable to working from home, the top management will still be in the office most days and that will have a trickle down effect.

Living 2 hours away isn't great for 3 days a week, when the kids are at school and you get the dreaded call to say they're sick.

But moving to the burbs and being an hour away? Much less of an issue.

We’re selling our rural house at the minute to move to a town, I’ve lived in towns, cities and rural villages and they all have their pros and cons but I think a town is the best place to bring up kids because there’s a choice of schools, better public transport and more activities in easy reach.

The estate agent told us they’ve had enquiries from all the big cities from people looking for a rural house with a garden because of lockdown.

I live in a small village and have wanted to move for years but during lockdown it has been fantastic.

I live in a very cheap part of the UK. Which is fine and lovely if you want to stay here, not so good if you want to move away.
House price inflation is not a good thing IMO
I am currently selling my mother's house in nearby town (£150K for a 3 bedroom bungalow with large garden in good location). DS is buying his first house. (£130k for 3 bedroom semi all renovated and in good location).
It's manic. EA reckons buyers are coming from SE because they have discovered they can WFH and don't need to live in London, she has sold several during lockdown with only a video viewing.
Of course this means they have squillions to spend and are pushing up prices.

Not everyone who lives rurally are like the rude people on here!

Some of us are quite nice and welcoming!

Give it a year and all those that have moved from the city to a rural location will be climbing the wall and will be desperate to get back to the city.

Yes I think I was thinking of non-city/town - to encompass villages, even maybe suburbs as well as properly remote places... lots of villages have loads of shops/schools/pubs and even take aways!

This is definitely happening in some areas. A friend who is a solicitor said house purchases of local properties have gone through the roof.

I think more people will (at least short term) but if anything it's made us want to be nearer everything as we still need to get into work and who wants a 2 hour schlepp! We're moving closer to a tube station - the pandemic won't last forever (and I've already had the virus and have an antibody response, which helps).