Moving to a village?

[Quinquennial]

I’m looking for advice, we’re thinking of relocating 100 miles away due to work (new job), we currently live near a town centre and when I’ve been looking at properties near the new city, I really like the idea of being in a village.

We have 3 boys and when they were babies and toddlers, being close to shops, buses and the park was brilliant because we were out every day. Now they are older and at school every day, and me and DH work more, we rarely walk into town. If we go out at the weekend we take the car and make a day of it. I thought being in the centre would be good for the boys as they get older because they could walk to clubs and groups, and meet friends. However they all hate groups and activities outside school, they just enjoy messing around together and home and in our small garden. Being at home a lot and overlooked by all the other terraces and our little garden is making me feel a bit hemmed in especially since Covid.

This would be a big move for us and I’m an anxious to get it right. I’ve never lived in a village before, away from shops and conveniences. I love the idea of a big garden backing onto fields where the boys can just run riot together. But will we regret it when they get older, and want to meet friends etc? Where we live now there has been quite a bit of knife crime etc so I don’t like the idea of them hanging out with friends where we live now.

If anyone has experience of living in the countryside or relocating to a village I’d really appreciate it :)

As PP say, there are very different villages. Some don’t have so much as a corner shop, others have a couple of pubs and plenty to do.

However with kids going into their teens, it would be a no. You will be a taxi service.

I lived outside (20 min walk) a village that actually had quite a lot in it - two pubs, corner shop, primary school, bakery, chipshop. There were constant moans on the local groups about teenagers, drugs, fires in the woods, condoms/NOS canisters etc ostensibly because they were bored out of their minds and the public transport was non-existent after 6pm ish.

It was lovely in summer but utterly bleak in winter. Whilst there are things I miss about it, having to drive absolutely everywhere drove me mad and I still get excited about being able to order a takeaway!

I grew up in a village that had plenty going on big community spirit / yearly summer 'parties ' lots of clubs and activities, good pubs and cafes and a beautiful river side

My sister and her DH and 3 DC live in a village - it is ideal. Beside the sea; bus link to local big town (with a University and hospital) ; excellent supermarket; amazing coffee shop; good pubs: I think I do more taxiing of my teens an a large city than she does!
As people said - it depends on the village!

Thank you for everyone’s replies and advice, really really helpful

I live in a village which has been on ST best places to live list. We have primary and high school, park, nice pubs, gp, farm shop, little train station and bus route. 15 mins from local city-in fact, our village almost feels like a suburb. We moved here when kids were grown up, but it’s a great place to raise them. So a village like that-yes. My dh hankers after a village 20 mins away and talks about retiring there. Pub, church primary. But no shops, in the hills so gets icy roads in winter, beautiful views but as my son says-once youve been for a walk, what else is there to do? I think to raise kids in that sort of village would be much harder-yes, great community but you’ll either be giving endless lifts or having resentful kids. You’d have to rely on a car all the time which can get a bit tiring. So yes,but luck your village carefully.

All villages are different. My best friend I live in villages 5 miles apart... and our lives are very different.

Ours has a Secondary school for example. My DDs walk to school, they can do any after school clubs they choose (even on the day). My friends child needs to use the school bus. She can't stay randomly after school, she needs to be on that bus.

BFs village has a very active pub for socialising. Ours doesn't.

We have some children's activities in the village... Scouts, a football team, a theatre school. However, we both do a lot of taxiing around.

Both of us need to drive for groceries, etc. I can walk to the GP.

Both do community events.

Both have bored teens.

Our bus service is better... but that's all relative. Its two buses an hour which takes about 45 minutes to get to the town centre!

Both have NIMBYs and local politics.

Its definitely not a Famous Five book.

I'd knock on some doors get a feeling of what it's like. I say that because we used to live in a largish village which we liked, we moved to a smaller one & hate it , you need to watch for cliques, they're everywhere

Villages work well where the people who live in them join in and help to run things. Sit on the parish council. Clean the playground. Start playgroups. Do litter picks on roadsides. Support local events Run the Village Hall. Look out fir and help their neighbours. Go to the church, school or pub. If that's you: great: you will make the community you find even better. If it's not you, you will sap it: more work will fall on fewer willing people. If you are not a joiner-in, think hard.