I love watching Ben Fogle's, 'New Lives in the Wild.' I wouldn't have the courage to up-sticks like this, but dream of somewhere tucked-away, town or city, close to GP, interesting shops, library & hospital [signs of ageing!]. I now live in rented; a pleasant bungalow in the country, 2 fairly large gardens, but like many villages there are few resources.
What is your ideal dream home? Do you live there already? What makes it 'home' for you?
It sounds like you have a lovely setup with those gardens, but I completely understand the need for convenience as time goes on. Having a library and a GP nearby makes a huge difference in how "at home" you feel!
I’m not quite ready for a life in the wild either, I’d miss the local shops far too much. For me, the ideal home is all about that balance between quiet privacy and having the world within walking distance.
I feel very fortunate to live in a cottage in a nice quiet village. The bus one way takes me to the GP and local shops/cafes in a small town, and the bus the other way takes me to a small city for more shops, trains, hospital, etc.
What makes it home is my comfy bed and the cosy reception room I just renovated, where I go to read, listen to music and chill out by the fire with my dog and a big mug of tea.
Back in 2013, I had the chance to stay for a couple of months in a deeply rural working watermill with a smallholding and cafe, and learn how to run it. The idea was that the community would buy it and I would run it, but the mill was instead sold privately, so I came back home - with lots of stories and some new skills!
Are you sure about oil fired heating? I know a lot of people round here have it and are desperate to move away from it, it's expensive and the price really varies depending on who you get the oil from and there can be problems with deliveries. Another problem is theft, there seem to be small gangs that steel heating oil, usually when you've just had a delivery, they leave the taps open so anything they can't take just spills out on the ground. The polution this causes is down to you to sort out and it can render land unuasable for ages.
*********************
I think the trick to living in a village is to be friendly to everyone and friends with no one, that gives any gossips little to work with, especially if they don't come into your house or garden. That said there are a couple of neighbours I'm friendlier with than others, but thats probably because they feel the same way as me and don't want to live in other peoples pockets.
known as the village weirdo.
Yes, me too!
This is definitely just a fantasy way of existence and not something I would enjoy in reality. I really struggle with people, especially those I don't know. I probably wouldn't speak to anyone if I lived in a tight knit community and would just be known as the village weirdo. Haha.
He has recently revealed that he had been diagnosed as dyslexic and ADHD, his wife is also autistic. He has spoken about going through a breakdown. It must be hard to share when you’re in the public eye. A very brave and personal thing to do.
I'm ambivalent about being known by shop keepers. I like the idea of their knowing my favourites, but from experience not all shopkeepers are nice and village gossip often runs via the local shop. I would like neighbours who run community gardens and suchlike but not 'in your face. Mine tend to run off when they see me - they seem to think autism is catching. Or, it could be that sometimes my head is so full of thoughts that I have no capacity to speak, and other times I want to say hello, so this might be confusing for them.
I read that he struggles when he has to reintegrate with the world.
I wonder if he is autistic. He certainly seems reluctant to leave some of the places.
We moved to our current place 8 years ago and really like it here. It's a small village with a rural school and a pub (though we don't go there). No shops, but it's not that far to travel to get to them when needed!
The only thing is being beside a field, the grass just marches into the garden and relentlessly regrows whenever we tried to grow anything, but the wildlife has been great!
I’ve sort of found my dream home, I previously lived in a village about 25 miles from London for about 25 years. I am married and we have sold up and bought a cottage in Cornwall. It is quite off grid, we have water from a borehole that is pumped to storage tanks. No mains sewage but a new septic tank system. There is still a well in a small wooded area.
No gas, we heat with a wood burner but will be getting oil heating. We have a phone line but still haven’t had broadband put in or a phone connected. We have electricity and hope to get solar in the future. No neighbours and about an acre of land. I want to get back into gardening.
We are 7 miles from the coast, it’s near enough but also far enough. I tend to stay away from the tourist areas in the summer. About 3/4 of a mile away there is a community run Post Office and village shop. A chippy van visits the village every other week.
I also enjoy watching the Ben Fogle program, I read that he struggles when he has to reintegrate with the world.
I don't think I'd want neighbours by me so much. I think I'd like my house to be on its own. It's more the people knowing you when you go to a shop etc that I always like the look of. Probably TV making it look better than it would actually be. But I like the look of villages years ago when the shopkeeper would keep your favourite item aside and things like that.
Twenty years ago, I would of quite liked being off grid and self sufficient, but now I'd be quite happy staying on the island, just somewhere in a small hamlet or village, not on a road or surrounded by noisy people and BBQ's. I'd still have a decent sized garden to play in. I'd like to be a bit more inland too, just so as we don't get these salt laden winds that stop me from being able to grow so much of what I love to eat, like beans, peas and purple sprouting.
It's good having a shop and being on a bus route or something, neighbours are a mixed blessing, it depends on who they are and how nosy they are, I'd definately want to avoid the lawn mafia again though!.
I've never seen it. I would love to live in the countryside but closer enough to a town where I could get essentials etc. I'm not self sufficient enough for actual middle of nowhere. Weirdly, not liking people very much, I actually love the idea of a close knit community where everyone knows each other. I don't know why because I try to avoid people as much as possible. But I always like the look of places on TV that have communities that are close.
