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Original poster

Would you/have you moved to live near a pub?

31 replies

FritzyMousey · 12/01/2018 11:18

One of the things at the top of our wish list for our next move is to live within walking distance of a decent pub. I've never lived near a pub or become a frequent visitor to one but I have this dream of having somewhere nearby for the occasional ad hoc drink and maybe once a week meal out. I'm not sure if we'd actually take advantage as much as I think we would though! No DCs so no reason why not but I don't know if I just like the idea of it, much like you see people on 'Escape to the country' who have the dream of the good life but you wonder whether they actually bother, being they've never been interested in gardening before!

OP posts:
whiskyowl · 12/01/2018 11:34

I absolutely would NOT live anywhere that wasn't within walking distance of a decent pub.
I live in a city that does pubs extremely well, and I'm in walking distance of literally dozens of good ones. I go at least twice a week, and really enjoy it. I don't have kids myself, but many are very child-friendly (and dog-friendly too). The one up the road from me has a games room for children, which means that we can go and have a drink with mates who have kiddies really easily.

However, I don't think I'd want to live on top of one, or next to one. It's noisy! And you're pretty dependent on the landlord and their attitude to licensing and anti-social behaviour.

Original poster
FritzyMousey · 12/01/2018 11:40

That sounds fab, sounds like the lifestyle I'm after albeit it where we're looking is semi-rural. I'm thinking 10-20mins walk away would be ideal as we like walking, and a pub garden so we can take the dog in the summer.

OP posts:
JT05 · 12/01/2018 11:42

We lived many years in an area that did not have a single a pub! It was something to do with Victorian CofE land owning.
We recently moved to a large village with 3 pubs, it’s great!

TheWorldAsh · 12/01/2018 11:45

We both love the countryside, walking, cycling, hill and mountain climbing. However we live in the city centre - literally - and that's so much more convenient than any countryside living.

Sure the house has a smaller garden but we live in a dead end (or cul de sac if you're posh) so the traffic is light.

Access to good pubs is a godsend. Same goes for shops and all the other things a city has. Much better to drive into the countryside on a weekend. The house we looked at before this was nowhere near a pub. That would have been bad.

whiskyowl · 12/01/2018 11:47

Yes, I actually quite like the walk too - it's part of the "ritual" for me. In the winter, it's lovely to come in from the cold into a cosy pub with a log fire. If you're moving to a village with this kind of thing in mind, I would make sure there is more than one pub - village pubs are a threatened species, and a bit vulnerable.

I think pubs can make a real difference to an area too. About five years ago, a terrible pub near me was bought up by a very dynamic local chain and taken over. It is very popular, and footfall has increased in the surrounding streets as a result, so other interesting and independent businesses - cafes, a shop for makers, a tea room, vintage shops - have grown up there too. I think there is a direct connection between this and the fact that house prices in my area have risen above the average for the city in that time.

MickeyLuv · 12/01/2018 11:48

I'm the same, look at houses on Rightmove and discount them immediately if they are not within walking distance of at least one pub! I only generally go out at weekends but still like a glass of wine or 3 rather than having to drive.

I live in a city centre at the moment and love the fact that I can walk to lots of bars/restaurants/theatres etc but would like to move a bit further out as long as there is a pub nearby!

Original poster
FritzyMousey · 12/01/2018 11:51

Great to hear all these positive views, can't wait to find my 'local'!

OP posts:
Lucisky · 12/01/2018 12:37

We live within walking distance of two village pubs, which is very handy. However, previously I lived opposite a pub. So I would say, walking distance; great, within earshot; terrible!

BordersMumNow123 · 12/01/2018 12:51

We moved to a small village recently but it has two pubs, better than the ones we were near in the city.

Now we realise how useful a good pub is, especially when you really need to get out of the house etc

I would only move within walking distance to a good pub again!

MikeUniformMike · 12/01/2018 13:03

It's nice to have somewhere to go to for an hour or two without having to drive, or to have somewhere to send guests to whilst you're cooking or something, or somewhere to go for a meal. I wouldn't buy somewhere just because there's a pub nearby though. Pubs can close down so it's important to keep using them.

Oliversmumsarmy · 12/01/2018 13:10

I lived over the road from a pub in a village. I don't drink and my bug bear was dp would go in there for 1 and spend hours.

I tried for the first couple of years to see the attraction but didn't get it

We now live in a area with just a foodie pub. Dp has been once when we first moved here. He didn't like it and has never revisited. It is not far but it is a dangerous walk

We have much more money.

FluffyWuffy100 · 12/01/2018 13:39

Ive always lived in cities and always in walking distance of pubs, bars, cafes etc.

Would hate not to be.

GrumpyMummy123 · 13/01/2018 19:09

God yes. I grew up in the countryside and loved it. But moved to suburbs by teenage years. Many friends and family have moved out to the sticks and as much as it's lovely to visit them occasionally I couldn't live like that having to get in the car even for a pint of milk and no fast food delivery!
We have been considering moving to the countryside/ coast but walking distance to a pub, shop and mainline station are essential!
We live in a very expensive area now and so could still get a bigger house plus that in the area we quite fancy! Of course drop any of those (especially train) and would get a lot more house for our money but it's all personal choice and compromise in some way!

driveninsanebythehubby · 14/01/2018 00:44

I lived in a pub from the age of 6. I literally grew up in it as my parents still had it when I moved out after uni! I couldn’t have imagined not living close to a pub. I moved in with my then boyfriend (now my h) - he lived in a village with 2 pubs..... but one had an awful (rough) reputation and the other wasn’t really a go and sit and have a drink kind of pub! The village was really rough too, the people you’d be happy to spend time with we’re not the sort to go out in the village because of the troublemakers!

We had friends move into the village so we started to go out to the pub once a week (the not really a drinking pub one). It was lovely and I realised how much I’d missed that. Then we both started a family and carried on for a while but as the kids got to toddler then pre-school years we got out of the habit. Finally, once DS1 got into a school in the town I moved from, I persuaded H that we should move to that town. (I’d always hated the village and when I moved in it was on the condition that we would move to the town one day).

So now we live in the town - there’s a pub that’s about a 5-7 min walk or the town is a 10min+ walk to numerous different pubs. Ironically, due to the bigger mortgage, now having 3 kids and other rising expenses, I cannot remember the last time that we went out to the pub, even with the kids!

I’d say it’s not the be all and end all, but definitely a nice to have/item on the “pros” list when picking a house. In answer to the question asked, I’d never move just to be near a pub though..... I think if you decide to move house just to be near a pub you may have a drinking problem! But if it’s a criteria for picking which house then it’s perfectly fine!

I miss the pub Sad

Oliversmumsarmy · 14/01/2018 01:31

I cant remember the last time I actually went in a pub to drink.

Gladiola44 · 14/01/2018 01:47

No, I think pubs are ghastly!

PanPanPanPing · 14/01/2018 10:14

My 'local' is 15-20 minutes walk, but there are also a number that are closer. The one thing I wouldn't do is by a house next door/over the road/within spitting distance of a pub!

Namethecat · 14/01/2018 10:20

We moved just 2 mins away from a pub that has a good reputation for food, apparently even their carvery is full every Sunday and locals turn up with their plate to have as a takeaway ! Lived here for 4 years but as neither of us are drinkers we have only been 3 or 4 times and yet to partake in the Sunday roast.

delilahbucket · 14/01/2018 10:24

We live opposite a pub in a quiet area. When we moved in it was a small country pub and hotel, family establishment, focussing on food, didn't attract the dodgy clientele etc. Then a new landlord took over, and we've since had two further changes of hands and the same issues each time round. We've had scrapping in the streets, karaoke until 2am (despite the license saying no music after 11pm), people weeing against our houses, break ins, groups of 15-20 people drinking in the street at 1am. Basically they broke every single bit of their licensing agreement and it took months of sleepless nights, stress and to-ing and fro-ing with the council and police in order to get anything done.
Proceed with caution when moving near a pub. All it takes is a landlord change.

DivisionBelle · 14/01/2018 10:24

A pub or bar, even a cafe or coffee shop, maybe a village hall and a convenience store. I would hate to be tied to a car for transport for everything.

I would want to be in walking distance of social and practical facilities.

MaggieMay23 · 14/01/2018 16:59

We moved back to a village with 3 pubs having moved away to downsize and never found a pub we liked in our new place so we drove over to the village with three pubs 2-3 times every week. After three years we moved back.
We're glad we're back in this village and the pub is the "hub of the community"; much of our social life. centres around it - there's charity events, organised walks to and from it, quite a few groups meet in the pub too. We're even on a WhatsApp group fo ra group of us pub users. We aren't big boozers but we like the ambiance of pubs and the social side of it and its nice to feel we belong

Gilly12345 · 14/01/2018 17:13

Living within walking distance of a decent pub is definitely NOT on my list of priorities, living in an area with decent schools, shops, somewhere to buy some milk/newspaper/bread etc is far more important to me, going to the pub is not something I wish to do very often especially with the prices pubs charge.

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 14/01/2018 17:16

Love living near our pub. Prob wouldn't move to somewhere where there isn't one really close by.

MaggieMay23 · 14/01/2018 17:33

@Gilly12345 Each to their own, however,you often find that within a thriving village community there is all of those things you listed plus a pub. We have a doctors surgery, post office and chemist and several grocery shops -and we're on a bus route and and 10 miles either way to a city. We're very lucky

greendale17 · 14/01/2018 17:34

No I wouldn’t. Saw dream house but it was opposite a pub.

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