Town or countryside living, which do you prefer?

I’ve lived in London all my life, I like the idea of living in the country but I know I’d miss everything that’s available to me, cinema, buses, tube, shops, hospitals and much more.

I like living in the countryside. There is a larger village about a mile away with doctors, dentist and shops and the city is about 6 miles from here.

Countryside for me every time. I think I'd go mad living in a large town or city. In many ways, where we live now is ideal, because we're only a short distance away from Edinburgh with everything it has to offer, but I can step out of our garden and be surrounded by nothing but fields and woodland.

I am in a village jn the country which suits me perfectly. Public transport absolute pain though. Whenever I go to London I am like wow so this is how it should work.

I was born and grew up in a town about 30mins rail journey from London and stayed there until I was 38. We took advantage of the proximity of London and the benefits of a town.

We've been back to visit. It's crowded, noisy smelly...

We've lived in a country village for more than 30 years now and I hate having to spend more than a few hours in a town. There's enough going on here to keep us occupied although we have worked in town and visited for essentials and cultural things during those 30 years.

No way would I go back to live in a town!

I have lived in the Yorkshire Dales all my life. I have been to cities ( holidays ) and I have been by the sea ( holidays ) but my heart is right here in Yorkshire ....

So countryside it is.....

To me, it doesn't really feel like a choice. I was born and bred in a rural area, and it is part of my soul.
I have, when training, lived in a city and a market town (where I at least had good access to the countryside).

Although mostly I am 'live and let live' I have become aware of a few newcomers to our village, who must have a lot of money, but no real feel for the place. They are not 'second homers' but they have what they call 'pieds-a-terre' in European countries, and they seem to go on a lot of other holidays. They get supermarket deliveries, and say 'oh aren't you good' when I tell them about our local independent shops and markets. I don't shop there because I am 'good', it's who I am.
Fortunately our village is a good mix, so they don't affect us too much, and are generous at fund raisers (unless they're away!).

Countryside, I like the slower pace and the scenery. You have to be a bit more organised when it comes to shopping but that’s not a problem when anything can be delivered.

I live in the country in a very quiet village and I have got used to the slower pace and less noise (in winter) You do have to drive though, our bus service only comes one day a week and I always wonder what happens if you miss the bus back. Are you stuck in town for a whole week?

I live somewhere between the two. In a large village in a populous part of the country, 3 country towns, one very much a new town within 5 miles a university town replete with culture 15 miles away. There are science parks and warehouse developments everywhere and plenty of buses to all the three towns and the city and a major railway ststion in one of the towns. We have a goodsized co-op in the village with a post office, primary school and choice of secondary schools in all three towns.

I have had two stints of country living with 15 years apart and the difference, for me has been technology, now nearly all the research materials I want are available on my desk, as are all the shops I want whether main stream or esoteric. So many of the downsides of country living have gone.

What I have is trees and greenery and wildlife, and solitude. I live in a 550 year old house in the conservation area of the village, it is quiet, even though we live opposite the primary school. I can walk out of the house to a netork of footpaths through fields and woodlands without going near any road that goes anywhere. I can stand on the hill behind the house and look across miles of countryside. The wind can whip my face, or freeze it in winter and the sky is enormous

I've lived in good sized towns (with nature within walking distance) for the last 20 years.
Good friend also in her 60s, recently moved out to a one shop village with a bus every couple of hours. Another, ten years older, hasn't considered her position once she can't drive, even though she's nowhere near any shop at all.
Being near amenities is important to me, post-retirement.

Times have changed a lot in my lifetime. It feels to me, recently, that living in a village is desirable and a lifestyle choice (certainly house prices have risen). Then the assumption of policy makers is that we all drive & that we don't need much in the way of public amenities.

We’ve just moved from a rural area. We loved living in the countryside but the local services had all gone and this past winter, when we had a week without electricity, crystallised for us that living there in old age was going to be difficult especially if we became unable to drive.

We’re now on the edge of a large town and all it’s services, with the countryside just two minutes walk away in the other direction. Funnily enough, I hadn’t realised how noisy it was living in the countryside, with all the farm vehicles whizzing about! It’s very quiet here.

In my dreams I’d live up a mountain with no neighbours but with my sensible head on, I’m going to enjoy all the new experiences and services available to me instead.

I prefer the countryside , but it can be a bit too cold in the winter .
I like the city for cultural things .

In an ideal world there would be both options !

This country mouse has had to learn to be a town mouse over the last year.

It became a lot easier once I joined U3A and made friends. There’s so much to do and I live just ten minutes from the beach!

I know I will miss country living when the nights draw in and there’s no wood burner to huddle in front of. I’ll miss the amazing bird life and smell of bonfires mixed with wet dogs and welly boots! ?

However, my car is much cheaper to run, I have a bus service just a ten minute walk away, supermarkets galore and very friendly neighbours. My garden is manageable and my bungalow so easy to keep clean.

On balance I think my vote has to go for town living.

Merlotgran, hope you have a good autumn and winter.
And the beach will, I am sure, be balm for your soul

A lot of it is horses for courses. There will always be some ingrained town dwellers and country dwellers, but for most people it is a question of different environments at different times of our lives.

We started life in a town when we were both working and commuting, moved to a very large village with all amenities when we had babies and toddlers, to the country when the children were at primary school, but back to the heart of a big town when they were at secondary school and then to a big village with most amenities, when we retired.

While deep rurality has its charms, I must say that I prefer my country village to be more urban.

I have done both in my life, and whilst I absolutely love country living, I so miss the theatre, the activity and convenience of town/city living.

So we have compromised and live on the edge of the country. 10 minute walk to the glorious South Downs. So we face the country but our back faces the city?

The idea of country living is very appealing but the reality of little or no facilities would be a worry. Doctors, dentists, hospitals and shops are but a bus ride or short drive away and these are necessary for me so it would be a town for me.

All our married life we’ve lived in villages, but I’m fed up now, I’m fed up with the very villagyness of villages, I’m fed up with the nimbyism, I’m fed up with people telling me how I should think on village matters , I’m fed up with loads of new money pouring in, which is fine in itself, but some people seem to be under the impression that they have actually bought the village, basically I’m just fed up.

I think now I want to live in a small town, lots of things I’ll miss, but I want a change.

City for me.

Like Monica, we live in a large village with all amenities, lots social things going on.

We are about 4 miles from a Univerity town. The town is struggling in the present circumstances but the students give a lot of life.

We are also within striking distance of 3 County towns and various shopping destinations. There is a mainline train station 3 miles away.

We live in the old village Board School so are very near the centre of the village. I feel we have the best of both worlds.

I’m a real townie. However it’s a very pretty town and not huge (75k). And surrounded coy lovely countryside but I do like to walk into town most days and have a coffee etc, see the shops and the people

I've lived in a tiny village for 40 years. I love my house and would hate to leave it. However DH and I are contemplating a move now before we are too crock.
Hate cities but my ideal is a market town so we are still close to countriside but also can walk to a shop or pub.