Moving out of London & finding somewhere ''horsey'' to live nearby...

[Whitehorsegirl]

It looks like my London flat is going to sell much faster than expected and I want to relocate out of the capital in the next few months.

One of the factors to consider if that I want to continue to ride and take lessons weekly as I have worked so hard to get to a decent level.

I was looking at moving to somewhere commutable to the capital (up to an hour) and place like a Kent seaside town (Folkestone maybe) , Hertfordshire, bedfordshire, Essex and so on but I want to be able to access stables regularly.

Does anyone in these areas lives near to good stables/riding schools and can suggest a location? I don't drive so I want to make sure I move somewhere where I can access riding facilities by public transport fairly easily.

My other option would be more ambitious and moving to Scotland but I think I will explore the South East first. I work from home so I am pretty flexible.

One of my reasons for moving out of London is access to countryside and being able to do more activities like riding, hiking and so on.

Any ideas and suggestions are most welcome!

@FlamingGoat you're lucky then, we're having real problems with constant erosion of local bus services where we are, I'm on the community council and it's one of the main issues we spend time on.
Its the downside of living in a posh area, a lot the little farms have been bought up and converted and most people have cars so apparently we "don't need buses" (unless you are young, old or can't drive!).
Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway are good value rural areas but I don't know what the riding school scene is like or transport though I suspect its probably better than here, at least near the big towns.
A lot of careful research is going to be needed to avoid being too isolated.
PS. I'm getting an E-bike too!

Folkestone is very horsey! Several good stables within five miles.

I'm just north of Milton Keynes and its a really horsey area and would be affordable depending on what you want. You could probably get a 2/3 bed with a garden. There would be problems with transport without a car in the villages though. Maybe near Winslow when that gets its train station? Really good riding just south of Winslow around Quainton

Well your budget would go a lot further in Scotland that's for sure - and there are horses everywhere!

@BlueWhippets I am going to the Scottish Equestrian Hotel, Lanark, to do a week of lessons and hacks. Don't know the area but I am travelling to Edinburgh by train and then making my way to Carstairs Station to get to them :)

Thank you everyone for all the helpful replies!

Yes, I don't want somewhere too rural and I still want access to a decent Trainline.

I do have a driving licence but being in London I haven't used a car for decades! I would need to take driving lessons again and then buy a second- hand car which to be honest I would rather avoid. But that is a possibility. I would never drive in London but quiet roads might not be so much of an issue.

@TheFormidableMrsC, yes Hitchin was on my list of potential locations but I would then need to take on a mortgage again and I would likely be stuck working for a London-based company for a very, very long time!

@Wbeezer ''plus £300,000 is not a large budget for the nice horsey bits of Scotland''.I live in a very urban part of East London now so anywhere green will look like Disney Land to me! Although in my current location I have the Lee Valley riding centre really close-by, a good riding school with lovely horses, and this made it really easy for me to get weekly lessons.

@unicormb · ''Folkestone is very horsey! Several good stables within five miles.''

That's really good to hear. A friend told me there were stables/riding schools near Deal but I wasn't sure about Folkestone.

Mid and West Lothian are cheaper than Edinburgh and generally very well served by busses. Most of the stables that offer lessons are on or very near bus routes too. Horse sharing is also very popular round here for those with a bit more time and ready to move past just weekly lessons. Tbh you'd even get decent property in Edinburgh it's self but it depends what you're looking for as obviously get less for your money. How about the Borders? 300k would go far in Galashiels and there are a couple of stables on bus routes there including Ian Stark equestrian.

I'm NE Scotland .. it's very horsey

For £200k you would get a nice cottage with land and stables around 1 hour drive from Aberdeen

If for a larger budget £400 a big house like this which has, stables, kennels ..it even has a swimming pool but that might be a negative not a positive

You could easily buy your own horse and join a very large horsey community that's in Aberdeenshire

@Whitehorsegirl I didn't see your budget before I mentioned Hitchin. It's bloody expensive there and a lot of the land and property in outlying villages is landowner bound or Crown estate.

I'm in a very pretty part of Stevenage, surrounded by open fields and farms, which would be doable and is only 10 mins from Hitchin. Property is a bit cheaper here but still pushing it with a 300k budget. I hear you though with being stuck! It sounds as if you'd be better further north. I'm considering moving up too for different reasons so this thread has been interesting! I wish you luck with your search

Buckinghamshire? Depends how big a property you want for 300k though, you won't get much. But direct lines to London and loads of riding stables.

Galashiels is a good shout @liveforsummer train to Edinburgh, horsey and good value property.