Safe and friendly rural areas for single women leaving London

[MiaN1979]

Hi everyone,

First post! I am a woman in her forties looking in leave London. I am single and plan to remain single.
I want to move somewhere rural and not city hectic. Where have other single women moved and felt safe and happy?
Some places I visited seemed uncomfortable with a "spinster" in the village - I have no time for 1950s minds. And others were keen to set me up.
Just a safe, beautiful, friendly, not trendy place anyone recommends I look?

I don't mind a city or town close by but don't want to be in the noise. I wfh so any location in the UK can be considered.

I am currently looking at Devon (just outside Exeter) but keen to hear from other single women. And want to explore all options.

Thanks

North Yorkshire: Harrogate, York and surrounding villages. It's wonderful

Lewis, Totnes, Frome all have a slightly creative, alternative vibe which would be less inclined to view women as “spinsterish”. Small charming towns with lots of activities to take part in and set in beautiful countryside.

Shropshire

I don’t think safety or singleness are your chief concern, tbc. It’s whether somewhere is or isn’t a closed circle, and whether you’re a good fit locally. I was married and on maternity leave when we left London for a pretty, prosperous midlands village. We’d researched it, and it seemed an active, lively place with decent enough public transport links and a well-regarded primary, and lots going on. I thought of myself as a deeply ordinary person, we’d moved around a fair bit, including other English cities, and I’ve never struggled to make friends. However, for this place, I was deeply unusual — foreigner, non-driver, working mother, no local links, leftwing in a very Tory environment. No one knew where to place me. It was a very lonely period. That’s what I’d warn you about. Are you too unusual for a place, even if you think of yourself as utterly run of the mill?

Agree with this, there are some beautiful places not too far from Shrewsbury. I have a couple of friends who live around here and they love it, and have a wide variety of friends with different life circumstances. The parts of Shropshire along the welsh border are quite remote though, I imagine they might have a different feel.

Agree with Frome. I moved here from London 2 years ago and have never regretted it. Strong community spirit and very friendly.

What do you consider rural? Small market town of 8,000 people? Village of 300? Fitting in is easier somewhere a bit bigger, because there's likely to be a wider spread of e.g. hobby groups to join.

Hebden bridge
clitheroe
wells next to the sea
whalley
lymm

If you live rurally you will need to drive to be honest, if you want to build friendships etc I recommend somewhere with a few cafes, pub, shop, village hall or a good wi

I agree with @DriedPetals
Living on the outskirts of a community is horribly lonely.
You may find you long for the anonymity of London where most people can find a way and people to make them feel they belong.
Not sure how you know until you move there though although looking at the local MP along with area stats will give you some idea.
I guess rent first, see how you go.
Good luck!

Thank you I think you articulated the core of my concern. I am what would be labelled as a liberal leftie (although not politically active in the slightest and live comfortably in a politically diverse area atm) I was not born in the UK - despite having lived here for over forty years. I think many would see me as "foreign"
It's a struggle, places like Hebden Bridge are often recommended (which I love and have many friends there) but I don't necessary want to limit myself to areas that may be seen as progressive or alternative. I would be seen as an outsider.

Do you want/have to stay in UK? If you think you would be seen as an outsider - totally get that and you may well be in some places - why not be a proper 'outsider'. I am hoping to make my escape in the next few years and this dismal weather after an unbearable summer is making me think I really must!
Maybe not the right move for you but just a thought.

If you feel you would be seen as an outsider in an established community, look at one of the hundreds of small towns that have had huge new developments on their outskirts in the past 10-15 years. Those in an hour's commuting distance of large cities will have a pulled in a lot of new people.

Have a look at Kendal, Staveley and Kirkby Lonsdale.

All on the outskirts of the Lakes, in a liberal democrat stronghold and a good mix of people who are from there and not from there. Plenty going on and you can get as involved or not as you want. Reasonably good transport links for non drivers.

What's your budget and what kind of property do you want?