When most of us think of either big city living or enjoying a rural setting, we tend to think of one extreme or the other. We see cramped terraced houses in busy streets with limited parking and congestion charges. Busy public transport, busier supermarkets and a generally hectic lifestyle. Either that or we think thatched roofs, duck ponds, growing our own vegetables, the WI and next door neighbours who live half a mile down the lane. It has to be said that these scenarios do exist and not just in our imagination. Some people enjoy those ways of living and why shouldn’t they? Both have their advantages and drawbacks.

Over generations families have tended to gravitate to where the bread winner worked.  However as the industrial revolution began, families who had historically worked on the land moved to find new higher paid jobs in the factories in the emerging cities. Other cities developed because the industrial output from the factories needed to be shipped to wider markets across the world. Ships needed to be built to do that, so more jobs were created around these shipyards. At that time there were no commuter trains or buses, very few cars, but bicycles were accessible, so most working men and women had to either cycle or walk to work and back each day. This meant that most families needed to live as close as they could to their place of work.

Step forward a couple or more generations, people are still working in factories, but now also in offices. We now have access to better public transport, with buses and commuter trains, we don’t need to walk or cycle to work, also more people own cars, so they can live in the suburbs of the cities and commute in and out to work.

With the advent of computers and IT came the ability to communicate with others, not in the same room, or building. We could video conference with people across the world, attend meetings being held in other countries and as technology evolved, we were able to do other things remotely.

Then came Covid and suddenly we were being told to stay away from the workplace and work from home if possible. Many of us began to establish home offices and this quickly became accepted to the extent that companies realised that they didn’t need all their expensive space in city centre office blocks. After two years of lockdown and home working, many of us found we liked working from home and started to think that maybe this could be a long term alternative to the daily commute. Instead of attending meetings across the world, we could use video conferencing allowing us to communicate with colleagues, also working from home via a webcam and computer screen.

As working from home became a more established practice, the fact that a larger property with more space to work from could be found at a reasonable cost, away from the main cities and in a more rural situation became apparent. So began a movement from city dwelling to small towns and even villages. But how practical is it for city dwellers to make such a significant life change?

Living in a large town or city, means living close to most amenities, such as doctors, dentists and hospitals. You have ready access to supermarkets and shops, leisure facilities and libraries, almost to the extent that we take them for granted. If you forget to get something in the supermarket, you can nip down to the corner shop to get it. There will normally be a regular bus service, taxis on hand, all ensuring that you can be constantly mobile and your needs easily serviced.

What if all you had was a village shop and a pub, four buses a day, the nearest school being 10 miles away and no hairdresser? Not all rural areas have high speed internet, with some areas even having little or no mobile phone coverage and others are prone to power cuts during stormy weather. Thatched roofs and duck ponds are of little comfort when these gremlins strike, so when planning a move to a more rural location, practicality needs to be the order of the day. Before you move to a new way of life, work out what that new life needs to deliver to make it practical.

When moving to remote working, it is essential to have a dedicated workspace, a place where you can shut the door and get on with your days’ work without interruption. That space can be an attic conversion, a spare bedroom or a garden room and it must have access to a robust internet connection and mobile phone signal. These are all must haves if working from home is to be a viable option.

It is also beneficial to have reasonable access to a mainline rail connection to the town or city where your employer is based so that you are able to attend the office when called on to do so. Living in the suburbs involves travel time and if we take London as a prime example, travelling by train from suburbs such as Dulwich, Streatham, or Staines takes around 40 minutes. Contrast that with provincial centres such as Oxford, Winchester, Tunbridge Wells, or Southend-on-Sea, where commuting to central London can take less than an hour. This means that by moving from Dulwich to Winchester and visiting the office once a week, you have added 40 minutes a week to your train commute. Both of these have a 20 minute train service to Central London.

Work is only part of the work/life balance and the change to lifestyle that you and your family will encounter by moving to a more rural location will far outweigh the changes to your working life.

Living in an urban area, you are surrounded by infrastructure, a choice of supermarkets, wide selection of shops, bars, restaurants and ready access to medical attention when needed. Friends live nearby, your children have their friends close by and there are endless opportunities for socialising. Moving to a rural area doesn’t mean you won’t have this, you may just have less of these and they may not be as accessible. How much less depends on how rural you want to be. Most provincial towns will have all of these amenities but maybe less of a selection, small villages, less so. A trip to the hairdresser may mean a 30 minute drive rather than a 5 minute walk, while Friday night take-away delivery for the family might become more of a challenge. Having said all that, there are definite advantages as well as disadvantages to living in a more rural location, so let’s look at the pros and cons of rural life;

Pros

• Property prices tend to be lower, so a bigger house and garden are likely to be within your budget
• Reduce or clear your mortgage
• Improved quality of life, with more green spaces, better air quality and less congestion
• Wide range of locations, from isolated cottages to small villages or provincial towns

Cons

• Potentially longer commute if you need to attend your city centre office
• Cost of travel
• Public transport may be more limited
• Possible issue with internet broadband and mobile phone coverage
• More limited choice of restaurants, local shops and leisure facilities
• Schools and sports clubs for family likely to be more distant
• Need for you and your family to make new friends

When making life choices it is important to set out what you and your family are hoping to achieve and what benefits you are looking to accrue. Make a list of must haves, nice to haves and don’t wants. Involve the whole family and discuss the implications of your lists and start to make decisions on the type of area you want to live in. Take your family to visit some areas which are typical of locations which would tempt you, spend some time there, get out of the car and walk about, get a feel for the place and speak with some local residents. Once you have found your “ideal spot”, start to look for properties in that area.

Making a change from living in a well serviced urban environment to a rural location where priorities can be different is a big change in lifestyle with no guarantee you or your family will adapt to the change in culture. That being the case it might be worth considering renting for a period. Dipping your toe in rather than jumping in with both feet. The other benefit in that ploy is that if you do decide that country life is for you, you will be a chain-free buyer.

Regardless of how you approach a possible move to a more rural location, it is important to ensure that you are making a move that suits the whole family. As with any other major lifestyle change, it is important to consult with the whole family and give then all input to what is a major change to their lives.

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