Wanting to move rural but somewhere vibrant — doable?

[esgill]

I grew up in a small artsy town in Dorset which I detested by the time I was a teenager — I dreamed of London and places where things were happening and I went there and then Edinburgh. Now it’s too expensive with a 17 month old and also I do remember some of the better sides of my childhood: making dens in the woods, swimming in the sea, feeling safe, a relatively decent state school, natural beauty etc.

We are looking for something and I’m not sure it exists:

-somewhere with natural beauty and nice architecture.
-somewhere vibrant — an essence of London, Edinburgh or big capitals in outlook and eateries etc
-community vibe
-affordable housing
-train links (I can’t drive — I have epilepsy). —ultimately, somewhere that doesn’t feel like the end of the road/a place you go to die. I feel very sensitive about this from my own upbringing.

any suggestions?

Durham

So far we have just about every city in the UK mentioned!!!! This is supposed to be a rural place to live. Probably you don’t get what the op wants rurally. You have to access a city or decent sized town. Very few villages have all of this.

Cirencester

Rural but doesn't drive

Rural but wants the big city facilities

And cheap

Life is compromises

Your best bet is a small to mid sized town , do online shopping for supermarket , with decent links to a nearby city for your vibrancy - what can you find on the train lines out of Edinburgh?

Knutsford in Cheshire
Shrewsbury

Depends what teens are into? There's a cinema, leisure centre, classes for sports/dance, horse riding nearby. Scouts and Guides and it's a fantastic area for really outdoorsy teens. There are also youth groups in certain areas.

I agree that buses are a pain except for the main routes eg Cashes Green into Stroud but it is possible to live in outskirts of Stroud where it is walking distance to both the town centre and to beautiful countryside with amazing views. You do need to be prepared for hills though. Nearly everywhere is on a slope!

Saddleworth ..... lots going on in the various villages and close to towns and cities.
Houses are expensive though.

Hebden Bridge; Tynemouth; Alnmouth/Alnwick; Winchester.

Ely, Cambridgeshire.
A beautiful small city with impressive cathedral. Countryside as far as the eye can see (it's very flat). Good rail transport to Cambridge and Peterborough. Schools are good. Lots going on and lots of blow ins.

I mentioned Belper which is definitely not a city or even a large town!

And it's lovely. 😊

is Scotland an option still? Findhorn. Or, close to Edinburgh, North Berwick (pricy) or (cheap as chips) Burntisland both have rural hinterlands and a lot of community stuff going on.

Another vote for York, and the outlying areas of Leeds (Ilkley/Guiseley side).

How about Woodbridge in Suffolk - very picturesque, lots of independent shops and restaurants and is on the trainline. Guide to Woodbridge - a historic, riverside town in Suffolk

Ubud in Bali. Is it just me?

Woodbridge, Suffolk.

Not the cheapest but….

Edit: just saw @Tryingtomoveisdrivingmecrazy beat me to it. 😂

What was wrong with Bridport in the first place?

Saffron Walden (train is in Audley End), small town, lots of cafes and community events, international people as train route goes into City, fairly affordable (though best to give a budget to affordable), surrounded by countryside. Train to Cambridge / London. Bishops Stortford is a bigger, less posh and bigger version of Saffron Walden, on train route to London and Cambridge.

It's not just you!

What you want is something on the outskirts of a moderately-sized market town maybe.

I was going to go with Derbyshire as well and suggest Cromford. It's a bit arty, has some nice shops and cafes, schools look okay, pretty easy to get elsewhere on the train, especially as DCs get older.

💯 Shewsbury

Does it have to be UK? Prague in CZ is lovely. A city, affordable, many parks, and great public transport. Easy access to some stunningly beautiful hiking country. Although post Brexit...not so easy to just take off

Kendal - lovely countryside and direct trains to Lancaster, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, London.

Might not tick the vibrant box though. I think the combo of vibrant, rural and well-connected is pretty elusive.

I thought Ambleside was like this when we visited. Great cinema, restaurants, a book store, very pretty. Sporty stuff to do on the lake. Probably overrun with tourists all summer though.

As a PP said Alnwick