Am I being mad to consider this house?

[rapunzelsreptile]

We’ve been to see a wonderful house. Truly amazing, an old house but immaculate with some gorgeous original features. It’s a dream home. We took our Dc to see it too and they loved it.

Here’s the issue. It’s not even the house or anything about the house. It’s the area. I don’t drive but dh does and can wfh from anywhere with relative flexibility. It’s in the middle of nowhere (almost). There’s not a shop, doctors surgery, post office. Nothing. It’s a 10 minute drive to the nearest town which has a co op, secondary school, car garage, nearest park etc. Still a village but has a few things. The nearest place with big supermarkets is an hour away. There is a primary school thankfully but no nursery. So I have made it clear to dh that I will be learning to drive asap when we move there which he is on board with but the local instructor is currently full so it could be a bit of a wait until I actually pass (probably looking at a year from now). Is it too ridiculous to consider or is it okay as I have a plan? Dh really wants to do it but this is my only reservation.

Is there a reliable and regular bus service, or are you going to be completely isolated or reliant on DH?

10 minutes drive is nothing! Just go for it, it’ll take months for the conveyancing to go through, Juarez crack on with booking your lessons and test. If you haven’t passed before you move, you must presumably only be a mile from the village, ie 20 mins walk?

Honestly i wouldn't. What happens if you don't find driving easy? Or even if you do it could be a long time before you've found an instructor and tests are not easily booked. In the meantime it would be incredibly isolating. I think if you've never lived in the middle of nowhere it can sound idyllic but the reality is often very different.

Your dc won't be young long...
This place sounds a nightmare with older/teens tbh 😕

Juarez? Dunno where that came from

Could you not do intense lessons or a crash week course before you move? Assuming it takes 6 months approx, rather than when you move. Even book in for your theory now as there is a back log. As soon as you’ve done your theory get your driving test booked in for the same reason. If you’re able to get some bulk lessons you can practise with your DH too. House sounds fantastic!

An hour to the nearest supermarket would put me off.

What are the services/broadband like? Is it at risk of flooding? You have to have your sensible head on when you're looking to buy.

Since when does a ten minute drive equal a twenty minute walk?!

It takes 10 minutes to drive to a friends house, i'd be an hour and a half walking it though!

Id absolutely hate to have to drive everywhere, are there pavements, anywhere at all to walk? I think community, amenity, facilities, parks , interesting places to mooch and get a coffee, markets , charity shops , little independent places for lunch etc are everything. Something for the kids / museums., libraries etc Gym.
All the original features in the world couldn't persuade me to be isolated like that. Sounds so boring.

I wouldn’t.

Not for me. I love a mooch around the shops / meeting friends for coffee. All walkable.

• Is there a big pantry for your store-cupboard groceries and space for a big freezer?
• Are you on mains gas or oil heating? Is there an open fire/wood burning stove?
• Are you on mains drainage or septic tank?
• How far is the nearest petrol station or will you get a hybrid /EV?
• Will deliveroo / local takeaway/ supermarket home delivery deliver to your address?

A 10 minute drive to the village means it's about 6 miles away. It would take a couple of hours to walk 6 miles and then you'd have to carry your shopping home.

If you can get a supermarket delivery that will be a game changer. I do think it will be a nightmare when your kids are older and can’t get anywhere themselves. What about your work? Can you work from home?

What about in bad weather? Will you be isolated?

It's a no from me. We had a caravan in the middle of nowhere and I don't drive. 4 miles to the nearest petrol station for milk. No just eats and taxis wouldnt like to come out in case it was a fake call. Once I was there I had to walk 3 and half miles to the bus stop into town which was 10 miles away. It was lovely IF you didn't need anything. I could manage a week down there by myself but only if it was nice weather so I could walk to the bus stop.

Honestly it will get very boring very quickly especially if DH is away or the car breaks or life just kicks your ass and you need something quickly.

I love the dream of having no neighbours and just sheep but I think reality would be very different in the thick of winter.

you will need to drive and have your own car. Could you afford taxis or Ubers as am interim? And supermarket delivery? Start your driving lessons NOW. don't wait until you are moved in.

No, sounds just a bit isolating with kids. And sounds like you’d need 2 cars, is that feasible? What if you find driving difficult and can’t pass your test (worst case scenario I know). An hour’s drive to the nearest supermarket wouldn’t appeal to me. We’ve lived semi rural the past few years but have been within 20 mins of supermarkets and shops and that’s the perfect mix for me.

Of course you buy it and you begin driving lessons and theory tomorrow. Build up lots of experience and confidence for when you test comes through. No reason why you can't have that passed or be close to that before the house sale completes.
Use home delivery for your big supermarket shops so no need to go regularly, once every few months and I am sure you will enjoy it. What you will find is farm shops or small stores close by that will be better of most things anyway.

Start growing salad and veg in your new garden too.

Mexico?

Is there any registered childminders? As if your kids are young, that's you remaining out of the job market for a while. Also how many preschool activities are there near by? Would you miss having those connections?

Also how full is that primary school at the moment? With a declining birth rate nationally many schools will close in the next few years. Could the one you have in mind be next.

Finally what happens if your DH needs to get a new job. Are there lots of remote jobs in his industry or would he have to work away?

If there is no takeaway in the village, no-one is going to be driving an hour from the nearest town to deliver food. Even some supermarkets wouldn't take that order. There is no such thing as Uber taxis in rural areas lol

You either drive very slowly or walk very fast!
It takes me 10 mins to get my son to 6th form 4 miles away (3 on windy road and 1 in the town). It takes at least an hour to walk 4 miles and that's at a cracking pace.

I wouldn't let the lack of take away food delivery be a deciding factor when choosing somewhere to live!

I would think carefully about long term plans for your children. How will they get to secondary school? What activities will they do - sport, dance, seeing friends?

No, it's just that people are suggesting food deliveries and ubers and that is just not going to happen. There is probably no bus either. People who don't live in rural areas don't realise how little there is. Not being able to drive is madness.

We did a similar move, however I made it clear to dh he had to pass his test first and he did within 6months then we found a house and moved, we get our food shops delivered, kids love the countryside, made some lovely new friends lovely community. There's a little town 10min drive away for bits and bobs etc. we love it and in our 5th year now. Kids go on a school bus that goes around all the small villages and towns to the high school and hour away. We asked them if they would prefer to go back to city life and all said no. We've also found we do more family things and community things together so we are here to stay. There are buses passing every 2-3 hours until 7pm if needed but if you want to make it work then it works good luck