Pros and cons of living in the countryside

[sharkstale]

We've made the decision to move to the countryside next year.
My daughter will stay in the same school (will be in yr6 then) and move up to the same secondary school as planned, so she doesn't have to leave her friends. It just means more of a drive (roughly 15 mins, so not too bad).
My son will be 2.

To anyone who lives in the countryside, what are the pros and cons of living in the countryside?

I'm looking forward to more nature, open spaces, quiet surroundings, and good views.
Not so much looking forward to more spiders in the house as we don't tend to get spiders where we are now and I absolutely hate them!

Currently in a new build, so wary of things like damp problems and higher heating costs in an older house.

But I'm sure there will be more pros and cons than just these, so would like to explore them more before committing to moving.

be prepared to be a teenage taxi service!

How exciting! In my opinion/experience

Pro’s:

• This may be specific to us because we have a dog but the walks are amazing. Out of the door and pretty much immediately onto fields, cycle/walk paths. After years of walking on pavements past cars and traffic this is still so amazing to me/us!
• Less traffic!
• People tend to know each other a bit better we’ve found, and have more time for each other!
• It’s the kind of childhood I really wanted for my kids, lots of time spent outdoors, we see lots of different animals etc which is lovely
• More space for our money than we got when living closer to city

The only con really is it can be a bit more hassle to get things! We have a few local shops we can walk to which is great but if we want a takeaway we have limited options, doesn’t bother us as we rarely do anyway but if you’re someone used to being able to UberEats anything at any time that would probably be tough!

Public transport. Our closest is 9 miles away. Particularly relevant when you have teenagers.

Getting snowed or flooded in.

No phone signal.

I got everywhere by driving. Now I have a disability which means I can't. I'm totally stuck in the house and the local taxi service closes at 1800.

I wouldn't change it though (minus having my licence back).

This is something I have considered! Unsure just how much of an impact it would have. Is it quite full on?

The big downside will be to your children when they are in secondary and wanting to hang out with their friends and gain some independence.

I don't think spiders are a big issue? More space is obviously the big benefit.

This is definitely one of my pros and what I'm looking forward to the most!

*posted before you edited! Was replying to your first point re the dog walks

Pros - space, quiet, fresh air, less people
Cons - less facilities and amenities, more driving.

I wouldn't move more rurally with a child who is just about to start secondary op, really limits independence.

Others beat me to it. But it's not so much the inconvenience of being a taxi service. It's the lack of independence children have if they rely on parents taking them to see friends. In a town once they are old enough they can walk or get the bus to see friends but will have to wait until they can get a motorbike or drive a car if they live in a village.

We have raised DS in a village and I hugely regret it.

Mud. So much mud.

When the boys were young we lived 2 miles from the nearest road. It was brilliant, they had a totally Enid Blyton childhood.

Broadband isn't always as good as it might be everywhere. It doesn't sound to me as if you're venturing too far, though, and I know there are initiatives to improve rural broadband. Definitely something to check before you make any commitments.

Drugs and drinking more prevalent in country kids.

Be prepared for kids to want to start driving at 17.

Are there bus routes/train station nearby?

A 15 min drive from the secondary (primary?) school doesn’t sound like you are moving anywhere massively rural. Are there buses to town within reach at all? Will you be driving your DD to school and back?

Consider the needs of your teenager before the needs of your dog.

it depends where you are and have public transport there is or if there's anywhere you can walk to but my friends live in a rural area and their kids are reliant on being driven everywhere! I asked the 15yr old what he was going to do all summer holiday and he said "I don't know, it depends when I can get a lift".....he's practically housebound without an adult in a car!
Don't assume it will be quiet anywhere......harvest season, farm machinery, church bells, livestock can all be bloody noisy!!

At year six age your child could potentially cycle to school. Ensure they pass proficiency test first.

Crap internet, crap phone signal, have to drive everywhere, more bugs, lack of takeaways and delivery services, the smell of manure on fields, roads don't get cleared and gritted in winter.

Where I currently live is terrible for broadband (only a couple of expensive, unheard of providers cover this area) terrible phone signal, we have no amenities you can reach without driving, and yet we're only a 3 minute drive from the city. It's ridiculous. Yet we don't have the benefits of country living i.e. river walks, accessible fields, beautiful views. I thought we'd have the best of both worlds living here, but we actually have neither. So, I dont mind the broadband/bad phone signal/ no local amenities cons as we live with that anyway!

I live very rurally and absolutely love it but I wouldn’t move here with a pre-teen. It’s too isolated and there’s not enough to do, especially in winter.

You’ll be ferrying them both around for the next 18 years - after activities, parties, days out, trips to the cinema, shopping, lunch - it’s a LOT.

There’s a different element to socialising if you always have to add in a taxi cost home, if you want to have a drink. So ad hoc dinners out with friends in town or at pubs are a bit more of a logistical nightmare.
second the teenage taxi service, anytime they want to hang out with friends, you have to get them there and back, which can muck up your own plans if you are on call waiting for them to ring you

Pros have all been listed and far outweigh the cons, but the cons are:

No public transport AND difficult to get taxis. Uber don’t cover our area at all.

Bad phone signal. You need good, reliable WiFi!

Bad TV signal - you may need Sky or an equivalent.

Bad radio signal - we’re OK for standard radio, but DAB is impossible.

Regular power cuts in storms.

If you can’t drive for ANY reason, or even just need your car to be serviced, you need to plan it like a military operation.

You ARE a taxi service to your kids until they can drive themselves, and then you’ll have the expense of their car(s) too.

Every social activity involves driving or getting a taxi home. No walkable shops, restaurants, cinema etc. Great if you aren’t a drinker, not great if you enjoy a glass of wine or two!

ENJOY! We absolutely love it out here!! 🩵

I'm not considering the needs of the dog first 😂 I'm considering the ideal family life

Well it doesn’t sound like you are moving that far. I’d say the downside is total reliance on a car. Also isolation. I personally like to know that life is going on around me (and I don’t mean the wildlife). And as for walks - if surrounded by farmland this may not be that accessible. And if the roads have high hedgerows and are narrow with high speed limit - watch out! My friend was petrified about letting her kids go out on their bikes. And the mud!
Full disclosure I’m a city person through and through. When I lived in the margins it was ok as my kids could walk to school but I’ve moved back to London now and trying to move further in!

There is countryside and then there is actual rural living, a village with amenities relatively close to a town is very different to living down a single track lane in an isolated rural position.