Shropshire/NorthYorkshire/Scotland

[ThePeppyFawn]

Hi there, my husband and I are expats wanting to return to the UK from BC, Canada, we are both over 50 years old. Our fav spots are Scotland/NY/Shropshire however we would like to be in a rural area, with beautiful scenery and access to major cities. We can afford a decent property around 500K, but are bringing our 6 pets back with us, so our plan is to have a small homestead with chickens and goats. We are concerned about the nationalist politics in Scotland and their high taxes, but we love the countryside there. We have not visited Shropshire or North Yorkshire and are planning a visit soon. Which areas do you consider more scenic, with access to hiking, swimming in clean rivers and reasonable house prices? Thanks in advance.

Have you had a look on Rightmove? I'm not familiar with Scottish property prices, but in Shropshire and North Yorkshire 500k isn't much for a small holding for all those animals - all the ones I could find in these areas were in need of work, which obviously costs money itself.

Because you'll be very much limited by budget, I'd maybe first work out where you can afford and compare individual properties or towns. Budget constraints will rule out quite a lot which should make any decision easier.

I agree with this. £500,000 will not get you much unless you’re in Wales or a remote area of Scotland. If you want to be in reach of popular cities you’re going to have to up your budget.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/144477191

You might need to expand your search area a little but if you use right move, select North Yorkshire Moors and do a 50 mile radius, it's bringing up some lovely properties that might fit the bill

What do you consider reasonable access to a city? I'm thinking that you're coming from Canada which is much larger than the UK and your view of reasonable distance might be different from ours!
Rightmove does cover most of the UK, but there are pockets where it doesn't e.g. Aberdeenshire (check the ASPC site if looking there). And Galbraith's is a good estate agent website for rural properties in Scotland and North England.

https://www.galbraithgroup.com/sales-and-lettings/search/

Outdoor access - Scotland wins hands down in my (biased) opinion, but England is lovely too 😁

Politics and taxes, well life is long, things need to be paid for, and elections happen...

I don’t know about Scotland, but I think in the other areas a ‘homestead’ with good access is going to be hard to come by for the budget. Maybe if you head more towards Middlesbrough? Around the National Park is very expensive. Have you thought of Wales?

Having said that, I’ve just found one that ticks all boxes!

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/145378133#/?channel=RES_BUY

Sorry, just seen it’s got an agricultural tie…okay it may be tricky

With that budget you need to be looking at North Shropshire nearer the Welsh border than south. Still good access to Liverpool and Manchester and rural.

Perhaps look at the more inland areas in the North Pennines/County Durham or East Yorkshire for your budget. My friend was looking for similar and was priced out of N Yorks. They're not as desirable areas as more remote, but as another pp said if you have lived in Canada a drive of 1.5 hours to a city e.g. York, Hull, Durham or Newcastle may not be an issue for you, especially if it's not for a regular commute. E.g. www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/148238558?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_BUY

West Yorkshire also has some lesser known dales around Holmfirth/Todmorden/Huddersfield as an alternative e.g. www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147039254?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_BUY

If you do decide on Scotland, it's worth posting on the Scotsnet board for good info.

I do enjoy this fantasy house hunting 😁

https://www.galbraithgroup.com/property/kel240103-pitlyal-byre-lundie-dundee-angus-dd2-5nz/

https://www.galbraithgroup.com/property/abn240080-horn-towie-ruthven-huntly-aberdeenshire-ab54-4ta/

https://www.galbraithgroup.com/property/abn220108-south-burnside-ythanbank-ellon-aberdeenshire-ab41-7ub/

Have a look at Church Stretton in Shropshire. Active town with train station, beautiful scenery. My PIL retired there 15 years ago and love it. Friendly community