All these "new life in the wild" & "country life at half the price" people

[Velcropaws]

Much as I understand the attraction of countryside and animals (and I have a rural home myself) I do worry about some of the people filmed who aim to live off grid and have no mortgage. What will they do when they are old and can no longer rely on their physical strength to make a living? Similarly, I worry about some of the partners of the men who opt for this way of life having to bring up DC with very basic faculties. Each to their own of course and it's none of my business! But my experience has been that it takes a shed load of money to just fence land properly and invest in it to the point where you can make a living from it, to the extent that it will enable you to save for your DC's university fees or for your own care in old age.

Oh well just me then

It's absolutely not just you

"We're both retiring soon. I have sciatica and bad hips, and Roger's on his 3rd heart bypass, so we thought what better time to move halfway up a mountain in the arse end of nowhere, a 4 hour drive from the nearest hospital on an unadopted road that's never seen a gritter, and start keeping livestock? Now it's true I've never actually kept goats, but I've seen lots of pictures in books and I'm sure we'll manage..."

You've summed it up nicely Gliblet

@Gliblet, perhaps you mean to show the goats the pictures and hope they get the hang of things!

I always think about this when watching ‘new life down under’. People struggling with work life balance in England and they think they will be better off in Australia, away from their entire support network…. because it’s lovely and sunny and there are beaches.

I know Olivestree it's the same challenges and worries, just in a sunnier place!

Don't get me wrong, I do admire their energy and positivity, but you can guess almost immediately which ones are going to be making a success of it, and which ones will struggle. And as mentioned, there are a lot who will not have a pension or even entitlement to state care when elderly (such as it is).

I was taking a patient into hospital (I'm a paramedic). He had not long moved to a very rural property in mid Wales. He was moaning loudly and constantly about the bouncy ride and criticising my colleagues driving. I smiled sweetly and told him "we'll be off your private track and onto the smoother tarmac road soon!" He then switched to moaning about how far away the hospital was.

I guess there's no guarantees that we will get to retirement or old age.

Oh dear Egon not cool. And an occupational hazard working on the land; I know so many people who have had accidents with tractors, cows, chain saws...the list is endless!

I have a chuckle at the number of people on Wanted Down Under who need 3 guest rooms for everyone to visit regularly. Even if my own sister moved to Australia I wouldn't be able to afford the flights to visit regularly.

The retired couples on Escape To The Country also want plenty of space for family to visit at weekends. If they didn't move so far away from their families they wouldn't need 3 guest rooms to accommodate them all...

It's the only thing really that puts me off a life like that - what do when we are too old to live it, and have probably run out of money and have nothing to sell to buy a new place back in civilisation. I think the general hope is that you die there, but painlessly in your sleep, not under a log you failed to lift

I do think it's the life for me and DH though and wish we could make the jump! Just need a little nest egg to save for our 80s.

It’s the same thing to a lesser extent with Escape to the Country. They nearly all want to move hundreds of miles from family, to a house far bigger than they need with acres of land.

When you are newly retired and in good health, I can see how appealing that lifestyle would be, but surely you should at least consider the future. Carers may not be available when you are so rural and the family that enjoy coming to visit for long weekends in your lovely new home will probably be unable to commit to regular help, due to distance and their work and family commitments.

DH and I are planning on moving nearer our adult children when we retire and looking for a sensibly sized property in a decent sized town, which we can remain in for our old age, where any services we need are nearby.

@Gliblet

It's absolutely not just you

"We're both retiring soon. I have sciatica and bad hips, and Roger's on his 3rd heart bypass, so we thought what better time to move halfway up a mountain in the arse end of nowhere, a 4 hour drive from the nearest hospital on an unadopted road that's never seen a gritter, and start keeping livestock? Now it's true I've never actually kept goats, but I've seen lots of pictures in books and I'm sure we'll manage..."

That made me laugh. I often have similar thoughts when watching those shows.

@OlivesTree

I always think about this when watching ‘new life down under’. People struggling with work life balance in England and they think they will be better off in Australia, away from their entire support network…. because it’s lovely and sunny and there are beaches.

And that they are motivated to move to the other side of the world so that they can upscale their lifestyle to an en-suite.

Years ago it used to be interesting what property their UK money could buy in Australia but now all the programmes have people massively disappointed that they are actually downsizing.

I know a couple like this. Moved to an Outer Hebridean island from Surrey. They moan like mad about the poor health services locally, but they knew when they moved that she has a condition that requires regular visits to a major London hospital and he has a heart and lung condition. Madness.

I thought the same thing watching 'new life in the wild'. It's great that you can manage on your tiny income and only have to pay for food and fuel for the van you sink your life savings into, but what happens when a) the van starts needing more and more repairs to stay on the road and b) you become too old and frail to live in a van?

Or you become disabled. It's not like anybody plans to become disabled, but at least if you're not living in a van / pushing a piano around the streets / living on a farm on the side of a mountain because the plot of land was cheap, you can adapt your life to accommodate your disability.

I find it a little perplexing when people proudly declare how in touch they are with the cycle of life and how completely self-sufficient and sustainable their new lifestyle is - whilst living a life that is totally incompatible with their own cycle of life for anything other than a very limited window of time and with no exit plan at all. So not actually sustainable and still very much in denial about the cycle of life.

Are these tv programmes? Some people are unrealistic about their needs, especially for when they get older. My mother lives in a popular beauty spot. The houses opposite have steep driveways and lots of steps to the front doors, and yet still elderly people buy them….and then fall and break hips…

Have any of you watched 'Win the Wilderness' on netflix? (Or read what happened next?)

@user16395699

Have any of you watched 'Win the Wilderness' on netflix? (Or read what happened next?)

I'll have a look out for that one.

I do wonder how the parents who move to the arse end of nowhere with little ones think they’ll enjoy being a permanent taxi driver once the small children become teenagers. I had so much more freedom as a teenager from living in a city with good public transport than my university friends who lived very rurally and relied on lifts had.

There’s one of these near me. They were on “escape to the country” a couple of years ago.

From what I can see from the road - absolutely NONE of their money-making plans are coming to fruition…

They were going to convert and air bnb etc.

When I'm watching Escape to the country most of the time I'm screaming at the TV! Yes Janet and Derek now you are in your 70s you will be very happy in this tiny Hamlet (of 4 houses and a church!)"

The nearest village is only a 5 mile drive around windy country lanes, and the nearest hospital is about 50 miles!

But hey it's oozing character....

@user16395699

Have any of you watched 'Win the Wilderness' on netflix? (Or read what happened next?)

Very sad what happened. Has he been found yet? I last read an update a couple of months ago

@MissyB1

When I'm watching Escape to the country most of the time I'm screaming at the TV! Yes Janet and Derek now you are in your 70s you will be very happy in this tiny Hamlet (of 4 houses and a church!)"

The nearest village is only a 5 mile drive around windy country lanes, and the nearest hospital is about 50 miles!

But hey it's oozing character....

Janet and Derek are always looking for an extra-large dining kitchen ‘for entertaining’, too. How often do you think all your friends will be heading up from Henley-on-Thames to a hamlet up a mountain road an hour outside Tregaron for some light dinner and charades, Janet and Derek?

@user16395699

I thought the same thing watching 'new life in the wild'. It's great that you can manage on your tiny income and only have to pay for food and fuel for the van you sink your life savings into, but what happens when a) the van starts needing more and more repairs to stay on the road and b) you become too old and frail to live in a van?

Or you become disabled. It's not like anybody plans to become disabled, but at least if you're not living in a van / pushing a piano around the streets / living on a farm on the side of a mountain because the plot of land was cheap, you can adapt your life to accommodate your disability.

I find it a little perplexing when people proudly declare how in touch they are with the cycle of life and how completely self-sufficient and sustainable their new lifestyle is - whilst living a life that is totally incompatible with their own cycle of life for anything other than a very limited window of time and with no exit plan at all. So not actually sustainable and still very much in denial about the cycle of life.

^ Yes user16395699 you have nailed it! There's never any thought given to contingency plans when the van needs repairing, the boiler breaks down, or your partner has a stroke?

And don't berate your family if no one drives 300miles to come and and see you in your rural idyll, but equally don't complain if everyone wants to visit in the summer for a free holiday and you spend your summers scrubbing!

I thought the piano one was particularly barking and that in all probability he would give himself a hernia.

Will definitely check out the Netflix series user16395699 . I haven't heard of it either.

And yes Monestera I suppose there are no guarantees and I live rurally because I am done with city life, but equally there is a train station not far away, a doctor in the next village, and a major city 40 mins away by train and our place doesn't provide our main source of income.