City Girl or Country Mouse.

Country mouse but I live in a small market town. I'd love to be out in the sticks but don't drive and it's hard enough to get anywhere from here, much less from a village with a weekly bus.
My town is choked with traffic but there's no alternative to the car if you work or have children, public transport is abysmal.

I grew up in the gritty bomb site world of the East End, and now live in a Suffolk town. I am a Londoner - Thames water courses through my veins I think - but I love this town with every convenience of trains, buses, good shops, water meadows, glorious scenery, Victorian houses and a lovely pace of life. I do really need those trains, buses and shops - 'could not live in the places some friends do where there is absolutely nothing but a few rows of houses, not even a village shop and you have to drive for twenty minutes to get a newspaper. I would be in a straight jacket within six months.

I used to think I'd like to live in the country (we are in a green bit of outer SW London) but not now. We have friends in avery rural area and I love it for a few days, but you need the car for absolutely everything - nothing is a reasonable walk away. Sounds daft but when these friends had dogs it was a lot easier for them to walk them here, because we have a big park close by. There, you had to get in the car and drive 10 mins minimum before there was anywhere you could let them off the lead for a good run.
My sister has I think the best of both worlds - lives tucked away in a quiet corner of a lovely little Dales town - a 2 minute walk from enough shops for most things, but a 5 min walk in the other direction and you are on the fells. I would find it hard to move from here now, though - mind you we are very spoilt with the Freedom Pass and fantastic public transport. I use the car so much less since I had that and I know many others similar. Whatever else - I know a lot of people think it unfair that people who could afford to pay get such a perk - but it does keep an awful lot of cars off the roads!

Nonnie1
My life's not idyllic, by any means, but the place where we live is pretty damn good!
We're very lucky as we got onto the housing ladder before prices went to ludicrous levels, and I inherited my mum's house and am selling it to my DS and DDiL, so they live in the next road to us.
We actually live on the promenade, and DS and DDiL live in the road behind us, but we can't see one another's houses, although if we climbed onto our roofs we could!

Thanks to everyone for your replies. I've really enjoyed reading them. We are quite a mixed bunch arent we, but then thats why I enjoy Gransnet. We have different life styles, live in cities or rural areas, and have different opinions on life. Its great. I'm off on holiday on Friday to CRAIL on the FiFe Coast, looking forward to visiting all the fishing villages and St Andrews.

juggernaut, your life sounds Idyllic !

I always wanted to buy a little holiday flat in Filey. N. Yorks, and have holidayed there with my children when they were small for many years. We had good old fashioned family fun and although they are grown now and go abroad, they still have those lovely memories of what we did.
I take my grandson there now for the odd day out, and he scampers among the rocks with a net and a bucket catching crabs with me just like his daddy did when he was little.

Then when we have finished and let them go... we go and eat fish and chips and get dive bombed by the gulls. It's what they call FUN!

You can't get that in Ibiza !

Anniebach what a beautiful river the post industrial Taff is now, from its source in the Brecon Beacons all the way to Cardiff.

I live North of Leeds. Close enough to get in there for shopping etc and far enough away to be in the middle of the countryside. Perfect combo.

To know the system in Leeds is to love it ! You have to drive around for about two years and then one day you suddenly realise the one way system is there to help you.

PMSL

Still living in the small coastal town I was born in!
Apart from a major golf tournament every few years we have very little tourism, as we have no funfair or other seaside 'attractions'.
A drive inland for less than a mile takes us into glorious countryside, and we have two busy bustling cities within 40 minutes drive or 25 minutes train journey.
I have never, and will never want to live in a city, too noisy and far too many people!

I'm a country mouse. I was born in the city but get really stressed out visiting now and I hate driving in Perth or Dundee (the two cities nearest to me). I much prefer driving rurally and if I go into town I like to do it early, just after the morning rush hour, so that it's quiet. Although, sometimes I wonder if I should push myself more - use my driving skills or lose them, you know?
Anyway, I love living in the peace and quiet, walking my dog and watching the changing seasons.

Im a country mouse, where I live used to be near fields and trees but gradually the buildings spread I now have to drive to find peace and quiet. I just love to go into the country to eat my lunch or just dream.
If in the future I cannot drive/or don't have a car, I will just buy online. I live on a busy road and from 5.30am I have heavy lorries thundering just about 3 metres from my bedroom, sirens from about 7am till midnight. No wonder I hate town life, as for amenities I go swimming, visit the library and go out for coffee/drinks occasionally and could do all these in a country area. My friend lives in a rural part of Northumberland and there is nothing she cannot do, she just has to travel a bit further for it.

Not city and now in beautiful countryside , but brought up in a Welsh mining valley, not town, not country, just one mining village running into the next , coal tips and only river was the Taff which was very dirty, row after row of very long terraced houses - the most beautiful place on earth for me

I have changed from city girl to country bumpkin.

I was born and brought up in Glasgow which is still my favourite city, then lived in two other cities, one in this country and one abroad, before settling in a very rural area where I have lived for most of my adult life.

I enjoy visiting cities but love the breathing space we are able to enjoy, It is to us a better quality of life but each to their own,

Brought up in semi rural Northumberland, love the coast and countryside and going back for holidays but very settled in London ways after 35+ years.

I live in a small town very close to all the local shops but we had some lovely countryside and some fantastic places to walk the dogs.

I am a Country Mouse - I was brought up in a small village which had 3 shops (1 a Post Office & Store), a pub & 2 Chapels - now only has 1 Chapel rest have become house. We only had 2 buses a day & 3 on Market Day. Since then I have moved around a great deal ending up on the outskirts of London, Heathrow, M3 & Shepperton to London train as companions!! from there moved to Somerset to a very small village where you needed a car for everything. My last move was to a small Town (we've got a Town Hall) on the edge of Dartmoor National Park - Post Office & General Store 5 mins walk away. Frequent buses to Exeter for major shopping - town has some lovely shops including butchers, baker & greengrocers & Doctors Surgery + 2 Chemists - love my location, fairly quiet but loads going on if you want to join clubs etc - sheer bliss - I have no intention of moving again - best of both worlds forme

We babysit DGS2 in your area, mrneduc. We find driving in central Leeds difficult too, though DD1 says it's easy when you know how! I'm really envious of your rail link into town though - two an hour. We use it a lot. The other week we got the train in, hopped onto the water taxi just outside the new exit, and sailed to the Royal Armouries at Leeds Dock for a free day out. I think we enjoyed it as much as the little one! Unfortunately we haven't a station within walking distance - a rail link is such a boon.

Im a Londoner moved north. Im happy to drive anywhere in north London and parts of south London and all the M25. I now live in ilkley Yorkshire,
and find driving to and in Leeds horrendous. Poor signage. stupid one ways etc etc.

I think I would say that I could be either. I am currently a country mouse living on the edge of a small town. I know it is a town because it has a 'town hall'! I love my peaceful spot with views across fields, hills, farm and river. I have also been a town mouse and a city mouse in my time and enjoyed wherever I have lived.
You do adjust to where you are anyway because it is what it is and so you work out the best way to live in the way you would wish.
Nowadays I live within my bungalow and use the internet for my shopping with only a very occasional foray to a shop so it doesn't really matter where I am living although at the moment I feel truly blessed with my lovely garden, the beautiful views, peace and quiet and the fresh air.

both

I agree, especially when we can take advantage of the bus pass. ?

Andyf I agree it's no picnic now. My d-i-l brought one of her boys and his friend down for a concert recently, thinking the venue was the Motorpoint Arena (which she knows) and it turned out to be the O2 Arena in the city centre. She found it ok, but then couldn't find her way back to the ring road to get to us, where she was going to have dinner and kill some time till she had to pick them up again. She was driving round in circles for a while! We never drive into the city centre now, and certainly not to Meadowhall; the tram is much more convenient.

Born and brought up on the Firth of Clyde, I hanker after the coast. However, having lived in suburbs and commuter villages while working in cities, I am now in a small town in Cheshire, a long way from the sea but with very easy access to beautiful countryside. I'm just grateful for what I have - not far from the Airport, motorways and with good rail links.