need - are you in the Vale of York, then? We stayed in Staveley for a couple of nights - only a passing acquaintance, obviously, but very beautiful. Easy to get to Leeds, Knaresborough, Harrogate...everywhere seems very easy to get to, good roads, lots of countryside on the doorstep of really lovely towns. Ilkley got voted best place to live in some survey last year!
Tell me the downsides! What do I need to look out for? One thing I noticed was that all that lovely countryside is farmed and even the walks listed as dog-off-lead-friendly in practice require you to keep your dog on the lead so as not to risk troubling livestock.
For me, I think the barrier will be finding the right house. We've spent 10 years in a lovely Edwardian house, getting it right, and I've got another 5 years of love for it, before I really don't want to pick up a paintbrush and redo the windows and soffits yet again. A contemporary house, more rural than urban - aluminium double glazed windows, underfloor heating, 3 bedrooms, proper utility room/boot room, easy kitchen, detached, wrap around garden, electric charging points, single storey, probably, no draughty chimneys - the kind of thing I've stayed in on holidays over the years. Or the right sort of barn conversion... Feels like a needle in a haystack, and I'm pretty sure we don't have the budget to self-build. Have to hope something comes up on The Modern House website!