Moving from suburb to village with teens: will they feel isolated?

[Biscuitfiend1]

Hi, I’m wondering if I could get some advice based on peoples experience of moving house/area with teens.
I currently live in a perfectly decent house, in a nice suburb of a city. My teens are at schools that they can reach by themselves and there is everything you need here including a regular bus into the main city centre. I’m considering moving a few miles further away from the city for a more rural way of life, to a beautiful village. It has a few pubs, but no shop and a not so regular bus route so a car would be needed. My teens are actually ok with this because it’s not that far from where we are now and because of what the house has to offer in terms of peace and the way of life. However, I’m worried that, until they can drive, they may feel a little isolated with there not being a regular bus into town and the lack of easy access to their friends. Have any of you made this kind of move and has it been ok??

Can’t you wait a few years ?

Any chance you can fund a small flat and the move?
Will they be staying locally for university?
If so I would look at doing that.
Get them driving asap too.

No, I couldn’t stretch that far unfortunately but happy to support any boarding opportunities wherever they do decide to attend.

Not a chance in hell I would do this, and there is no reason to, just wait until they’ve grown, you’ve not got long.

I’d be extremely worried about inexperienced teenage drivers on country roads. All sounds shit to me.

Maybe investigate alternative village transport. Some have Book a bus schemes, some have subsidised taxis. Both may not be helpful for teenagers though and neither of those (at least in my village) are available after 6pm.

Same here - I felt so isolated and trapped as a teen that bring in the countryside still makes me feel uneasy. Appreciate that's a bit extreme, but it's not a lifestyle I'd foist on a teen.

I live rurally and we always have. The kids are happy here and neither have interest in moving to a city. They like the open spaces around them. I will say as others have you WILL be a taxi. Plus get saving for driving lessons and cars ASAP!

That’s because they don’t know any better. You can’t take kids who have grown up with a lot happening around them and basically isolate them and think they will be fine. If they’re not trying to leave every chance they get, they most certainly won’t want to come home.

God no. Grew up in a village with barely any public transport it was absolutely crap, also a pp is right lanes and teens is a bad combination. Most years lost someone in a road accident. Can’t you wait until they’ve gone?

I really do think it is great for teenagers to be close to their local town or city. They just have so much independence when they can get themselves around.
They are not going to learn to drive and pass their test straight away and you will be driving them around all weekend. I remember my children’s friends who lived in a nearby village. No other parent really wanted to go over and pick the children up. You are just so car dependent if you live rurally.

Don't do it. My MIL did this and her sons spent their teenage years sleeping at friend's houses. She deeply regretted what she had done.

Could you rent a house for a couple of weeks and give it a try?

they can try going to school from there and do two weekends.

I was so glad when my mum moved from a village to London. She said rural living was horrendous for her - and for us too. It was so boring with nothing to do. Winter and autumn were particularly hard. Cold dark and stuck. We were all very depressed.

I was 15 when she moved. It changed my life. It changed everything. It was the best thing she ever did. She made loads of new friends and loved that an M&S was a walk away, not a 45 minute drive!

Grew up in the countryside and same here.