Has anyone sold up in London and moved somewhere very rural?

[smashinsoup]

Dh and I are mid 30s in London. We both work in high pressure corporate jobs. The prospect of rising to management is not attractive. We are both bored of the city and our jobs. We’ve travelled the world and have a good amount of equity in our flat.

We’re thinking about selling up and moving to rural northern Scotland. I’m from Edinburgh and used to visit relatives in this part of Scotland but have no family or friends there.

We’d pack in our very high paying jobs and take something either fully remote or potentially move into a new field. We could be mortgage free on a nice £500-600k house and have some savings.

Aware this is a very drastic change, but has anyone else jacked in the corporate rat race and moved somewhere remote?

I think the guy from blur did. Ended up making cheese. Is he on here?

This is my plan but I'm not ready just yet. I'm super excited about it.

It seems a bit extreme to go from your current life to this, and also, I would worry if you changed your mind that you might not ever get get as nice house in London again.

If it was me, I’d rent up there for 3 months first before selling up. The reality of this will be different than the dream, especially if you have families nearby now.

I have friends that did this (home counties to rural Scotish Highlands). They own their own company and much of it can be done remotely (SaaS). They adore it.

I live very rurally in England and have done in the past in Scotland. I am at home most of the time some weeks I go off the farm 3 times
Its a different mindset as in some areas you can’t nip out if you’ve forgotten milk or something and you just have to do without. it can also be very boring if you can’t make your fun as it were.
Just think about it really carefully and also what would you do if neither of you liked it or only one of you liked it ?

I might I would if I was you. Big change though! Socially you might be very isolated from the people you currently spend time with so would family and friends visit?! Who would you miss?

I kind of did this (not sure it’s ‘very rural’ but hopefully a bit of insight anyway!). I lived and worked in central london for 7 years, before deciding enough was enough - I was fed up of the busyness, the people, the noise, the pace, the amount you get for your money, the pressure. So I moved down to the south coast and bought a flat on the seafront! Best thing I EVER did. My life has changed since then, I sold up after renovating, made a substantial amount on my flat and bought a house where I now live with my toddler. We have a big garden, plenty of space, a driveway, can walk to the sea… When I go to London now I cannot wait to get back home as soon as I possibly can; I hate it! Good luck with whatever you decide x

OP there is a rural living board on mumsnet worth checking out (not sure how to link sorry) which has lots of people's experiences of doing similar. May give you insight into the pros and cons

Not rural, but I recently gave up London after 20 years and moved to a much quieter town up north. Early days but it's great- the slower pace of life, the clean air, the quiet! Also not spending £30 every time I leave my flat for no reason is good 😂

The rat race is draining, and London is not the city it was pre lockdown. I have no regrets.

I left corporate Edinburgh for highlands. It’s wonderful and not so wonderful. I suggest you do an Airbnb for a few weeks in February. Great if you are self sufficient socially but if you need constant entertainment, socialising then forget it. Can be a lot of small minded people (as anywhere) but can be magnified when living in a very small place.

We moved from London to a good sized town in the south east. It was an easy transition as we’ve still got a station, shops, restaurants etc. if I were you I’d trial it first, and definitely trial it in the midst of winter. Sounds like a massive change. If you’re planning to have kids I’d consider that to, we find living in a town with kids really beneficial as can walk everywhere and got a playground a few steps away. You’ll need to be far more reliant on your car.

Some of my family did exactly that and they adore it. Never looked back.

I know I'd hate it. I'd be so bored and lonely. And I'd hate the impracticality of every basic thing like buying fresh fruit or posting a letter taking forever and involving getting into a car. I'd miss watching the world go by. A weekend in deep rural anywhere is enough countryside to keep me going for a few months. But if you are not city people at heart, it could be wonderful.

That's a good idea. You could rent out your London place for a year and rent in rural Scotland for a year and see how you feel.

This is good advice. People moving to the countryside never think about February.

I completely agree with the other posters suggesting to rent first for 6-12 months. Although renting can feel limiting because you have less control, it's a way to immerse yourself & make a more informed decision. You'll get insights into where to buy and discover the best spots.

Yes although far less distance- from London to rural Norfolk. We love it.

Do you have kids? This was an issue for us so we waited until our children had finished school and were independent (lots of benefits to a rural upbringing especially for very small children but we weren’t in a position to move at that point- we didn’t want to uproot them as teens).

So many things are much easier now in terms of living rurally, especially employment options. Do investigate internet speeds as this is a huge issue in some rural areas- I have my own business so was able to get a high speed line as a business customer but it was expensive.

Obviously spend some time in the area you want to move to- not just holidays but at all times of year. One option is to let your house in London and rent in Scotland for 6 months as a trial run.

Think about how you will make friends. We found that, as older people mainly WFH we had to make a big effort and join lots of clubs etc in order to meet people. We are very much not club joiners generally- in fact, time on our own was one of the attractions- but after a bit it we realised that this wasn’t a long term plan. It’s amazing how much of our hermit-like tendency was actually a reaction to over-busy lives in crowded places. Once we lived somewhere a lot quieter we felt more balanced about it all and so could enjoy friendships more.

I completely understand why you’d want to go extreme. I love cities and the countryside but don’t really like the middle- towns and suburbs. Just personal preference.

I still love London and spend lots of time there though.

I did after 23 years in London, went to a small market town. It's taken a LOT of getting used to, I go into London a lot still and really love it. We moved to give our child a better life and as soon as he was able he moved back to London 😂

Celebrity cheesmaker Alex James moved to Kingham in Oxfordshire.

I've given up city life to move to somewhere much more rural and have subsequently moved back to a small town near the city I left as it wasn't working out for me.

My best advice would be to rent before you buy. To think of exactly how you spend your time now and really pay attention to the things you enjoy. Will you be able to do those when you move. E.g. Will you be able to step out to coffee shops, museums, meet friends for a drink, see a show, just wander somewhere vibrant. If these things are important to you you will miss them badly. I did.

I know lots of people who have moved away from friends and family and spend a lot of time on the motorway or living a kind of half life in their new place but going back for all the things they miss.

The second winter is the deciding time for many who escape to the country. Those short days, long dark nights, the mud, weather, starkness and relentless brown of the country when we are at the bottom of the year is something you either love or hate.

Devorgilla Days by Kathleen Hart describes a move like the one you are considering. She's honest about the reality for better and worse.

relentless brown of the country

Perfectly put. I grew up somewhere very rural. I would never go back.

Def have a careful think about where your closest pint of milk is - just because a long round trip for every little thing is a real pain in the arse. Think about what you want from your nearest town. We're remote on Dartmoor, but I like the nearest town and it has interesting things/people. Even if I don't go there that often, it is nice to know I can. As everyone says, rent before you buy.

At your age you don't need to be mortgage free. It's very hard to get back on the London property ladder once you've hopped off it so I would suggest putting tenats in your London flat to pay the mortgage. You'll have a hundred applicants which may seem daunting but it does put the ball firmly in your court - thoroughly vetting prospective tenants is time well spent. Don't entrust this to an agent!

Very rural might get quite lonely, we opted for the outskirts of a rural village that still has some shops/pubs. People are very friendly if you join in the local life.

My parents moved out of London to somewhere remote.

Think about where the nearest hospital would be for emergencies. How would you get there? How long would it take?

And for non emergency appointments, think of this too. Where is the nearest hospital for particular treatments? London has teaching hospitals where you can get everything done. Would you want to travel two hours for a 9 am hospital appointment or for tests?

What would happen if one or both of you were unable to drive?

Check the wifi connection.

If you end up having children how would they socialise? Would you be their taxi service?

Would you feel happy being stuck if the weather is bad?

Reasons not to move to Scotland thread:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/scotsnet/3929125-Reasons-NOT-to-move-to-Scotland?reply=97375592

50k salary take-home, UK: 39,519
50k salary take-home, Sc: 37,979

100k salary take-home, UK: 68,557
100k salary take-home, Sc: 65,210

I would suggest not even looking if one of you might make more than 150k - I haven't bothered as you've said you would give up high earning careers.

Stamp duty 600k home, UK: 17,500
Stamp duty, 600k home, Sc: 33,500

Electricity is around 6% higher than in the UK, they also pay more for petrol.

Theoretically, Council Tax is cheaper, because it also includes water provision and water waste (and was frozen this year, which seems a terrible idea as services are already on their arses), but in practice, my eyes have popped out of my head at some of the bandings. E.g. a 3 bedroom, 1450 sq ft flat in the popular town of Peebles has a rating of G at at cost of circa £3.5k a year, whereas my current rental in NW England is an E and costs 2.7k a year, and is a 2240 sq ft detached house with 3 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms and about 1/5th of an acre of land. Our local CT is pretty much averagely priced, fyi.

I'm sure you don't need all the financials outlining in detail given the amount of equity you have, but just bear it in mind.

We live in the countryside now, and everyone around us seem to spend half their days being horrible to one another in the local Facebook group. Shrug. It's a rental, and as we've no intention of staying, it doesn't affect us. In our previous rental further south, there WAS no local community.

You should also do a search on talk/scotsnet for SNP. They seem to be almost universally loathed on Mumsnet and are dividing communities.

I'm definitely sure moving to the Highlands would bring about an absolutely idyllic lifestyle, but I really don't think that's something I would want to do in my 30s. It feels a step too far. Maybe ease in gradually, move to the edge of a town or into a village.

Oh and there's a 'remind me what's good about living in Scotland' thread, too, just for balance:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/scotsnet/4544490-remind-me-whats-good-about-living-in-scotland