Aibu to base where you live on running ?

[coveruplep]

My SIL & BIL are relocating back to UK from working abroad. We are meant to be helping with their house search due to the market moving so quickly. They have become keen runners in this time overseas, but have no other criteria for their property search other than a good running spot on and off road. I mean AIBU, I have two small children I barely get to walk, plus I can’t spend all my time traveling around the whole of the UK for this.

AIBU to only suggest places nearby?

Most serious runners want hills!

Silly request of them OP they need to be more specific about their criteria and do the bloody research online themselves! The Trail and Ultras running page on Facebook would be good for them to ask the question to other experienced people

They need to be more specific about what terrain they enjoy running on - they need to drive the search, not you. (I say this as a runner: I enjoy undulating off road routes but some people like flat tarmac, others want a running track nearby.)

AllHailKingLouis - It's no more ridiculous than choosing a place to live based on what the local schools are like if you have kids. Grow up

They need to search for areas themselves.

They can then base their criteria on anything they like. I don’t think access to hobbies is that weird if it’s alongside little details like number of bedrooms, open plan etc.

It’s such an unreasonable ask of them I wonder if you’ve misunderstood a throwaway comment? They really can’t be expecting you to find them a home full stop, let alone with a one-line brief.

If they’re really time poor they need to engage a buying agent.

It's not at all unreasonable for them to have this as a criterion, but I don't see why this is your problem.

If they were from another country then I can see why they'd need British help on locations but it sounds like they're Brits returning. Unless they're in North Korea and the local firewalls block RightMove then it's far more efficient for them to do their own research; you can do viewings for them if possible.

If they're looking locally to you then you could give them a map with suggested roads/areas highlighted and leave them to it.

Do they get a relocation package? They would be better doing the research themselves and asking your opinion, or paying someone to do it.

Is the issue that you live in for example Essex, and they find a house online in Yorkshire near good running they’re expecting you to go and view it on their behalf? If so I’d say no. Pick a radius and say you’ll look at anything in this radius otherwise they’ll have to get the estate agent to do a video tour.

I mean, what kind of running to do they do?

Long distance running?
Sprints?
Interval training?
Road running?
Trail runs?
Fell running?

It's not daft to want to live somewhere you can do your hobby - my dad is a fell runner and my parents primarily retired to the Lake District for that reason. Likewise DH has a lot of sea-based hobbies so we'd always choose to live by the coast.

But it's not your job to do their research for them!

Doesn't sound to me like at all what they want. But that's the point, it's difficult for the OP to know without being a mind reader and it's also unreasonable of them to expect her to do all the work finding them a house

Surely they have some other criteria too, near work/family/a town/completely rural? Loads of places have great running. DH is a runner and he’s run all over the uk - Lake District, Wales, Cornwall, Norfolk, Cotswolds, Midlands etc. Do they just want access to lots of countryside space or specific regions?

Some places are a bit nicer to run than others. I don't like running near my parents because it's just hills. But really, I don't get the issue?

Maybe they should look at local running clubs and ask for advice.

I understand their concerns.

Where I live is very rural with lots of commons and farmland, green lanes, footpaths, friendly farmers and woodland, but for a year I moved in with my ex, to a very 'trendy' village in the Midlands.

I soon discovered that it was surrounded by big fast roads with no footpaths, endless lorries and fumes. The local estates were obsessed with keeping people out, there were very few footpaths, no stiles and the one local estate where we were allowed to walk, the owner tried to charge £200 a year for a 'licence'.

So my only option was to run around the village - down the lane, up past the allotments onto the high street and back home.

I bloody hated it. it became my one square mile exercise yard. I was miserable. No wonder so many people are overweight if they have nowhere to walk. If I wanted woodland I had to drive 17 miles. Or walk around the local crematorium among the dog poo. It was dire. I lasted less than a year.

So obvious places to suggest are near the coastal path, Salisbury plain, close to the Ridgeway or Icknield Way, close to national parks etc.

Lets narrow this down for you!

i am a runner and definitely wouldn’t move to particular places based on their inconvenience for running.

This basically counts out rural if they want a mix of road and trails; living in a tiny hamlet with only narrow country lanes /poor visibility is no use for running in winter as it’s lethal in the dark. So you can count out rural.

then also count out cities as not close enough
to trails/ nightmare to run around busy pavements etc,

so what you’re looking for is a fair sized town on the edge of some decent countryside. And decent countryside means good paths ans trails, not just fields.

at this point you need to ask them how important hills are! I don’t love hills and am a fairy serious runner!

hills will dictate north or south; hills you need the Lakes/Peaks/Dales.

i’m in the South and live in a market town on the edge of the New Forest. We have a ParkRun, I can run 10km round the town on pavements with streetlamps in winter, I summer I can follow trails out into the open Forest. The area has a running club.

second Bournemouth for a very running friendly town if you need bigger. South Downs/North Hampshire also V running friendly.

They're NBU to want to live somewhere where they can do a hobby that's important to them - I'm also a runner and having trails in easy reach makes a huge difference to my wellbeing. But they're definitely being very unreasonable to expect you to do all the leg work!

They don't. They need to do their own research, and not ask someone who is busy with their own life and family to do it for them.

They can have whatever criteria they want for a house/area, that part is irrelevant. Especially to you, OP 😂

As I said "they need to drive the search not you". Perhaps read what I said?

OK I suggest Cheshire - lots if countryside to access, an hour from north Wales coast, 1.5 hours from lake district, 40 mins from peak district.

Good schools.
Good access to both Manchester and Liverpool.
Nice towns/cities such as chester, Knutsford, Frodsham, Nantwich, Sandbach, wilmslow.

See, this proves why it’s such an insane request. I would hate only having flat, straight runs. If I’d put you in charge of finding my home, this is not what I’d want, but you’d think you’d done brilliantly.

OP - you need to push it back to them. They ANBU to want to choose somewhere based on outdoor space; they ABU to expect you to choose it for them.

I'm a runner and moved to where I live now for partly running-related reasons.

I think their search criteria sounds v sensible, but asking you to search does not. As this thread has illustrated, unless you run yourself, or know the sort of running they do, you won't have a clue (see the pp who suggested Lincolnshire!!?!)

I take it that you are somewhat of a drama llama OP?

I have two small children I barely get to walk

🙄

Also, unless you run yourself, you won't know where is runnable and where isn't. As @MintJulia said, some places look like they should be runnable but aren't, as there's a lack of footpaths, roads have no pavements, etc. I've been on holiday in Cornwall and really struggled, for example, as we've stayed in places where it's literally impossible to run from the door. So you end up driving to somewhere where you can pick up a trail, because running would see you getting squished by a Range Rover on a single track road.

Strange request, why can't they do it themselves? Anyway it is big consideration. I lived in Italy in a house, nowhere to run, no pavements, typical Italy. Lorries on road, v dangerous. Moved back to UK, chose house in SE, next to a nature reserve. Idyllic. Running trails outside our door. Life changing. So it is a massive life choice, if you need nature on your doorstep

A simple "Sorry I can't do this, I don't understand what you need" should suffice.

You can run anywhere but unless they are into fell running avoid hilly parts

In what way are you helping? Are you doing viewings on their behalf, or are you supposed to be finding them an area in which to look as well?

If the latter - I would say just don't. As others have said the internet allows them to identify a suitable area based on their own criteria with reference to local running groups and Google maps etc.

If the former that is reasonable (my mum did some viewings for me when I moved just 50 miles in a fast moving market when I couldn't make it for the viewing and I'd briefed her well on what I could and couldn't compromise on).
But - the internet still allows them to assess the local area for running potential. I wouldn't expect you to need to be involved in that at all. The only thing they can't do remotely is view the actual house. Google maps and Google earth will allow them to decide which houses they would like you to view, based on their running needs.