Moving to a small village

[RebeccaCloud9]

We currently live in a market town but are looking at a lovely house in a small village. There is a great primary school, cricket club, pub and village hall but nothing else really. But it is only 5 miles from where we live now and we both drive.

Those of you who live in a small village, how do you find it? I guess I am wondering how frustrating it may be to have to drive to baby groups, clubs when the kids get older, swimming lessons etc?

I would prefer to stay in a market town. When the DCs become teenagers and they want to go out, visit their friends, start staying out late at night, you will be taxi drivers. Also when they go to secondary school they will want to be able to meet up with all their school friends and if you live in the small village you will be taxiing them again for these meetings, let along any sports and social clubs. I know a number of people who have moved house when their DCs are teenagers because of this type of thing.

Are you me?!

We live in a small village with teenagers and it's fine. As long as you are prepared to drive them around. We love it.

I grew up in a hamlet, it was fine as a teenager because all my friends were in the same situation so all our parents had to drive us everywhere - usually lift sharing. And obviously the parents chose to live there so were prepared to do that.
I loved it!! Was great being able to roam free, have loads of parties in barns, fireworks displays (responsibly, obviously), horse riding, bike riding, sunbathing in fields in the long summer holidays :) :)

Thanks for your replies. I was thinking about the teenager/driving thing too. There's a bus every hour into the nearest city - but not past 9pm, so no evening public transport for nights out, a free bus to the nearest secondary (in the town where we live now) and it's easy access to an a road. So not TOO bad, but we will have to factor in being a taxi service to some extent, particularly to clubs and lessons etc. but it sounds idyllic Bree!

Oh, decisions decisions! The main prob is our town is getting quite popular at the mo so will cost us a bomb to upsize (is that the right word?) where we live.

I live in a tiny hamlet with no school, no pub, no street lighting, no bus within 2 miles, no safe cycling route to the nearest town and my children had no firends in the hamlet. Children here, at one time, went to more than 13 different schools, state and private. The main problem was that my children were left out socially. No-one popped round and knocked on our door asking if my child could play. I really, really wish we had been in the town. We have our own fields, woods, space, a big house, but my children could not wait to get away. At secondary school age, their friends were miles away and I was in the car, all the time. A family near us had a taxi to collect their child from after school clubs because getting home was impossible from his school which was only 6 miles away. If you have plenty of time, then go for it. I spent half my life in the car in the holidays!!!! Will you make friends with other parents in this village, or will you be the only one doing the fetching and carrying?

I think if you're only 5 miles from the town and there are buses every hour then you'll be fine. We live 10 miles from town, 5 miles from secondary school and are in a fairly small village. My dc are now older and one even drives ( ) but when they were smaller they used the buses to go into town and see friends, or to get home from school after clubs, and I drove them on the odd occasion.

What you'll probably have to be brave enough to do is, when the dc are old enough to stay in town after the last bus, is allow them to cycle. My dc cycle everywhere, including into town. It was nerve wracking at first, but now I'm fairly ok with it!

I would go for it.