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Original poster

Dream house issue...walking on country lanes

41 replies

Mothergirl · 08/06/2019 23:57

Hi everyone, sorry for the long post am new to Mumsnet and looking for some advice. Hubby and I live in London and are house hunting at the moment. We need a pretty large place as our elderly parents will be moving in with us. We recently viewed a house we've both fallen in love with. It has everything we are looking for....really good size so parents and us will have the privacy we need, 10 minute walk from the town centre and station, good schools nearby, secluded road and affordable! It really is perfect, apart from one issue......to get from the house to the road which leads to the town centre and station you need to walk on a country lane for about 1 minute. The road has no pavement! It isn't a really busy road but the speed limit is 40. Given that it's a small stretch of road and you'd literally only be walking on there for a minute, hubby and I can walk on there no problem. We also both drive. Our issue is our parents. They don't drive. They like to walk to the shops and we're keen for them to keep that independence and not have to rely on us to drive them around...we don't want them to feel trapped in the house. Given that they are fairly elderly I'm worried the country road might be an issue for them safety-wise. What if one of them trips and falls in front of a car? Or can't move out of a car's way quickly enough? Or comes across a crazy driver? I guess I'm just wondering (as we have always lived in a town) is walking on country lanes without pavements normal? Is it generally safe and are drivers aware of pedestrians walking on the road? Has anyone else come across this sort of situation? It just seems odd that the house is so close to town but we would have to drive there all the time :-S

OP posts:

Haggisfish · 08/06/2019 23:59

I would say not safe, sorry. Often dark, people fail to anticipate pedestrians, what if two cars approach from different directions. Can’t see elderly parents being comfortable doing it. Unless a bus goes past your door?

AtSea1979 · 09/06/2019 00:00

I think it’s no go. It wouldn’t be safe for them. Unless the road is very straight and quiet then it’s not good.

Karigan195 · 09/06/2019 00:01

Very similar to our set up here. Never been an issue and my mothers on crutches. Just wear sensible colours, get one of those lights you pop on your arm if worried but we’re all still alive 8 years later

Ohyesiam · 09/06/2019 00:03

Is it straight or are there corners?
If it’s really only one minute it’s not ideal but doable. The only way is to walk there with them and see what they think.
Also they are going to get less money bile and agile, so factor that in,

ThePhoenixRises · 09/06/2019 00:07

Is there another way, using fields as a cut through perhaps?

Could you ask the current owners if they know of any other way?

Littlechocola · 09/06/2019 00:13

Our nearest pavements are about 5 miles away! Never an issue.
Children, elderly, those with various disabilities all get by.
We try not to wear dark colours when walking.
We all have high vis jackets. Torches in the dark (no street lights for miles either).
What do your parents think?

HeddaGarbled · 09/06/2019 00:19

I think you should probably check it out by walking or driving the lane yourself a few times. Where we are now (Norfolk), drivers do seem to expect and respect pedestrians on the road. Where we used to live (Hertfordshire), there were more boy-racers.

Your parents probably won’t be doing it in the dark, will they?

HappyLifeError404 · 09/06/2019 00:20

Most country lanes don't have pavements. If it's just for one minute, it's not that busy and there aren't horrid blind bends, then I really can't see the issue.

I live/work rurally, and if I only ever walked on pavements, it'd be a pretty limiting life!

Sensible precautions are walking against traffic, wearing a hi-viz bib or strap, carrying a torch, etc.

Tbh, you're lucky it's got a 40 limit - most country lanes are a 60!

Sirrah · 09/06/2019 00:23

1 minute wouldn't concern me, you just have to wear the right clothing, and walk facing oncoming traffic so you know what's coming.

Attache · 09/06/2019 00:25

You know the highway code stuff about walking on country roads - walk on the right unless going round a right hand bend, in which case move over to the left but cross back as soon as it's safe to do so etc? Drivers should know all this, so they should be watching out for pedestrians coming towards them. But then if you do get an idiot coming along without looking, the moral high ground will do you no good.

I grew up in a rural village and there are lots of national speed limit roads I'm happy to walk on. But then there are also some 40mph ones I wouldn't. Depends on traffic, visibility and the state of the verges. I think you should involve your parents in the decision.

PickAChew · 09/06/2019 00:28

Well it's not your dream house, then, is it. A dream house is about more than rooms and pretty villages.

1moremum · 09/06/2019 00:38

its worth asking the owners if there is another way to walk besides the obvious route along the road. footpaths arent always obvious to someone only there for the short while you are there to view a house. even if the parents can handle the walk along the road now, in another year they might not be, and then they are trapped at home.

PhossyJaw · 09/06/2019 00:40

I think it varies entirely with locale, terrain, traffic, time of day etc. I live on the edge of a village, just where the pavement runs out, and frequently walk about 100 yards from my door to a bridlepath entrance into fields — a twisty country road, 60 mph, very quiet but is busy at morning and evening rush hours because it can be used as a rat run between two A roads.

I’m in my 40s and fit, and used to rural roads but here it never feels very safe, mostly because of the speed of what traffic there is, and the fact that no one walks on it apart from me — drivers simply don’t expect to see anyone on foot or horseback, and fly around bends.

There is a row of farm cottages about 100 yards further on beyond the bridlepath — ie 200 yards from where the village (and pavement) starts, and where the school is, and those parents don’t think it’s safe to walk, so drive their children that short distance to school.

Gentlemanwiththistledownhair · 09/06/2019 01:57

Re footpaths have a look at Bing maps on a computer (doesn't work on mobile). There's an ordinance survey view that will show you all the local footpaths

lovelyupnorth · 09/06/2019 02:09

Don’t see the issue but then like a poster above we live in an area with no footpaths and on a 60mph bendy Road. In-laws happloty walk the mile or so into the village.

But then it’s normal to us.

Movinghouseatlast · 09/06/2019 06:13

We live on a road like this, and it is 5 minutes before you get to any sort of pavement.

Elderly people are often on the road, as they walk to the Village for milk etc daily. Drivers slow down, you sometimes have to stand to the side. I think most people who drive in the countryside are aware that there may be pedestrians, horse riders etc.

Have you walked up and down the road at various times of day to test it out? I would walk up and down for 20 minutes at a few times to test it.

They could fall in front of a car even if there was a pavement.

WhereDoesThisToiletGo · 09/06/2019 07:14

It really depends on the road layout.
I do a lot of recreational walking locally and there's plenty of roads I am OK with , but there's one stretch where I walk the long way round to avoid a 200 yard stretch with several blind bends where I feel too vulnerable

QueenBeee · 09/06/2019 07:18

Have you checked whether it's a bus route. Some country buses will stop if you flag them down.
How wide is the verge?

AJPTaylor · 09/06/2019 07:20

You need to find out how the parents feel about it tbh.

bebeboeuf · 09/06/2019 07:29

I often see elderly people in electric scooters going along country lanes with no pavements.

It’s quite straight and clear with no humps to conceal them so no accidents yet.

It’s obviously not idea but if everything else works in the house it might be just the one sacrifice to make.

It’s not easy finding a large enough house for additional generations to live in

soupmaker · 09/06/2019 07:46

You all just need to learn how to walk safely on rural roads. This would not be a deal breaker for me, but I'm used to walking on single track country roads with buses and lorries on it!

How do your parents feel about it?

ChequersDog · 09/06/2019 08:30

Honestly I think it would be better for your parents’ independence as they get older to live somewhere more accessible. They might be fine with it now but not in five or ten years.

BikeRunSki · 09/06/2019 08:38

Is there a line of sight from your potential garden? Could you set up a really strong PIR light that will light up the lane?

Silvercatowner · 09/06/2019 08:42

Ask them?

Teddyreddy · 09/06/2019 08:49

It really depends on how busy the road is. Our walk into town is 10 minutes along country roads with a 60 limit - but they are quiet, very bumpy so no one actually does more than 30 to 40 mph, have a verge so it's no problem to get off the road, and heavily used by runners and dog walkers so everyone is used to watching out for pedestrians. The DC (aged 2 and 4) are fine walking or scooting. Having said that, I avoid walking on them with DC between 5 and 6 pm when the more impatient commuters are on the road particularly when it's dark.

I'd go and check out the road at various times of day and see what it's like.

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