Moving to the countryside may seem like something that you do when you’re old and grey and settling into retirement, but nearly 3 years ago as newlyweds, Alfie and I decided to move to the country from the city and haven’t looked back. We absolutely love village life and although it may not be for everyone we really feel like we’ve found our groove and couldn’t imagine living in the city again.
One of the major things that we adore about our village is that sense of community, we actually know our neighbours and consider them to be friends. We’re not suspicious when someone is being nice to us or greets us in the street, it’s totally genuine. When we lived in the city together, we knew our immediate neighbours, who were very lovely, but not the entire street. Our little village is a close-knit community and everyone seems to look out for each other, which is just lovely. Everyone is happy to offer a helping hand and stop and chat for a while, I’d never had so many invites for afternoon tea from complete strangers when we first moved in.
This is a really little thing, but something that I’ve got used to and would be sad to not have in my life now. You can actually see the stars twinkling at night, something that I never really appreciated in the city because of the over-polluted skies. Not to say that there is no pollution in the countryside, but there seems to be less of it and the skies are clearer. It’s quite nice going to sleep under a blanket of stars every night.
We are surrounded by so many farms here, which means that there are lots of fresh local and homemade produce available. The village shop is very supportive of our local farms and food manufactures and stocks a lot of their items to sell. Equally, the farms will sell their own produce like eggs left on the roadside for people to help themselves and leave the money in a pot (very trusting!) or you can pop in and buy their hand-reared meat. We’re off strawberry picking next week at one of the local farms and I can’t wait as I used to do this a lot with my grandparents when I was a child.
Another thing that I love is the miles and miles of green that we are surrounded with compared to the grey concrete jungle of the city. There are lots of wide open spaces and large gardens, which makes the countryside great for raising children. Since becoming parents, I think this has cemented our love of the countryside even more.
We do have the best of both worlds here, we’re remote enough to have all the benefits of living in the countryside, but we’re only a 10-15 minute drive from the city and very close to the motorway, which when you’re actually in the village is hard to believe. I would never say never, but I’m not sure that we would ever live in the city again, not when we now know that we can live so close to the city, but also enjoy the peace and tranquility of the countryside too.
I totally agree. I live in a little village in Hertfordshire and it is such a fab place to have grown up in and to bring my children up in.
The fact that you still live there is a true testament to how wonderful the countryside is.
I wish I had the guts to move to the countryside. I just love the city lights too much. Well done you for taking the leap! R
I thas been the best leap ever!
I’ve always been a city girl and I can’t imagine living in the countryside.
However, the city can make you feel lonely. Everyone seems to be in a rush and there’s no sense of community like in the countryside.
I used to think that I would always love to live in the city, but I really surprised myself when we moved here.
Oooh that’s a tough question. I really do need a bit of both but I’m lucky to have that in my bit of the North London suburbs.
We have a london post code. Its just a half hour commute to work right on the Thames, and just 15 minutes to a night out in Islington. We are still on the tube travel is cheap!
But, we are also surrounded by fields, plenty of local farms selling eggs at the roadside? Long walks in the woods at weekends and the community here are awesome. I’ve recently joined up with a group of other foodies to write a local food mag.
I will probably drift further into the countryside after I’ve had kids but right now I think where I live is perfect. I get to have my cake and eat it 😀
You sound perfectly located, considering that you’re based in London. You have the best of both worlds. 🙂
We moved from the countryside to the city a couple of months ago, and I really miss it! We’ve moved to York though, which is a beautiful city – and quite green – so that softens the blow a bit! I do try to get out into the countryside with the dog as much as I can though; there’s nothing more therapeutic than a walk through some open fields 🙂 x
York is such a beautiful city and you have lots of greenery around you so it’s a win-win really. 🙂
Love this! I’m just about to graduate and want to spend a few years in the city first, but definitely ultimately want to live in the countryside!
Laura xx
aviewfrom-thebalcony.blogspot.co.uk
Good luck with your graduation Laura. Yes, the city is a great place for finding new opportunities.
I’m with you! We moved into a country town from the city years ago and can’t imagine moving back. It’s a lovely feeling being part of a community and the quality of life for us and the kids is superb! The city is a short train journey away for when I need it.
The quality of life is pretty fabulous and I love that Aiden is able to grow up here. We’re not far from the city either, so I don’t feel like I miss it that much.
I totally agree – I love the country side, thats why I love Sussex so much. I cannot imagine living in a place like london where the countyside pretty much doesnt exist, it would drive me insane! A sense of community is a must!
I don’t think I could live in London full stop, it’s far too hectic for me. Sussex is such a lovely part of the world. I’m actually coming to Brighton in a few months time.
I couldn’t live in the bustling city. I far prefer being closer to the country – being able to walk out my house and go find a nice walk through some pretty woods! Plus running would just be nightmare with all the cars.
I’m the same Anna, the city is far too busy for me now – man I sound like an old woman! The scenery is stunning in the countryside for long walks and runs.
I prefer living in a town – I would never want to live in London, but living in the middle of nowhere feels very isolated too. I love where we are as we are a short train ride into London, close to Heathrow, but also close to the countryside, with fields on my doorstop for running, but also a cinema within walking distance.
An isolated house on a hill doesn’t appeal to me either, which is why we like our little village. We have the best of both worlds here because we’re really close to the city but still remote enough to get the best of the countryside too. 🙂
The army moved us to Kansas for the time being and I agree with a lot of your perks. I love buying milk from the local dairy farm and my middle child loves the cows in “our back yard”. (Our yard backs up to farmland!) Seeing stars and lightning bugs at night is pretty great too, but it drives me CRAZY that the closest Target is almost half an hour away.
I need something in the middle of country and city. Maybe the outskirts of the suburbs?
An hour is a long drive to your local ‘big’ store.’ For us our local supermarket is less than 10 minutes away, so we are very luck in that respect.
I am 100% a country bumpkin. I grew up in a really small town surrounded by villages and greenery! The nearest city was an 45min-1 hour journey away in the car. I have lived in cites for the past 7 years and everyday I wish I could live in the countryside again! At the moment living in the city is best for jobs/college but when we are older and move back to England I hope we can find a place, just like you guys, that is in the country but close to the city for work. Best of both worlds! Cities are fun and I am loving living in Sydney but you can’t beat fresh air, star filled skies and people who are genuinely friendly!
There is just something about the city, it lacks so much but has a lot to offer in terms of job opportunities etc. I do like having the best of both worlds as it means that we get the benefits of country life and don’t miss the city because it’s so close to us.
I’m a country girl at heart and if I could move, I would tomorrow.
Katie. X
http://www.katiejaneonline.com
Lovely to hear Katie. I hope you get to move to the place you love the most soon.
I live in a village, but we are also close to a few towns, and not too far from two cities, so I guess that is the best of both worlds.
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Just like us, the best of both worlds!
I’d like to think that I’m a healthy mix of the two 🙂 I love the fresh air of the country but i love the hustle and bustle of the city!
I can definitely see the benefits of living in the countryside. Although I think I’m a city girl through and through – I don’t drive and can’t imagine being more than a 5 minute walk away from everything I need! x
Oh I’m so a city girl but with great appreciation for the countryside. I love going back home to see my parents, and like you say, walking out the door to be greeted with a blanket of stars above my head 🙂 it’s kind of magical.
I could never live in a city. I grew up in a tiny village with all of the things you describe in your post. Dan and I live in a very small town now, and it makes me sad that I don’t really know our neighbours. We will be moving in the next fortnight, although remaining in the same town, but moving into a small close on the outskirts – I’m planning on getting to know our neighbours as soon as we move. I am grateful that I can just nip down the road at any time of day for any groceries I’ve forgotten though.
When Dan first stayed over at my parents’ house he was amazed by just how bright the stars were at night, and it’s something I really notice each time I head ‘home’ to the parents now.