Buying a house up a country road - too isolated?

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ndp

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My wife and I are considering buying a house which is half a mile from a small village. It is up a small country road, on which there are about 20 other houses on the way to the one we are looking at. We have three young kids.

We are wondering would it be too isolated, particularly for the kids. For example, in an estate, they can just go and play with the other kids outside their front door.

I am interested in what other people think of this scenario and , particularly, what was your own experience if you grew up in such a house? Did you feel isolated?

We like the house ourselves, but in 20 years' time, would our kids thank us for buying a house like that?

Any opinions appreciated!
 
half a mile is only a stroll. Is there any life in this village?
From the kids point of view - I grew up two miles from the nearest village and it's not fabulous when your a teenager and you want to go out, you need cooperative parents. But apart from that it's a fabulous experience, space is great luxury, greenery is gorgeous. You can play loud music.
From the adults point of view make sure you will get to know local folks, see what people in the local shops/pubs are like to chat to. Make sure they are not adverse to blow ins or that there are enough blow ins to ignore the originals and make friends then you should be happy.
 
I guess it really depends on what your kids are used to, their individual personalities, and how old they are. You are going to have to be a little more active in taking them to various activities, and getting to know neighbours with similar aged kids, as compared to living in a housing estate.

I was born, and grew up in a similar environment to the one you are describing, and felt it was a great place to live - I certainly look back on it with fondness, and made sure I had plenty of things to amuse myself with.
 
I lived in a large town until I was 7 and we then moved out to a place like you describe. To be honest I hated it. I went to the small local primary school and was isolated as I was a blow in. My parents were great in terms of bringing me into town when I wanted and my mums second occupation was a taxi driver (or so she told us often enough :rolleyes: ).
As soon as I finished school I moved out of home as I couldn't stand it any longer.
I bought a house in a large town, in an estate around the corner from the large local schools. I feel my daughter will have a less lonely childhood here, especially as she is an only child.

This is just my experience. My dad grew up on the side of a mountain and loved it! Still longs to move into the middle of nowhere.

If your kids are very young and you feel they will adapt well then I'd go for it. If they are older and used to living near to amenities and being able to call up to friends etc then personally, I wouldn't see them settling in an isolated area.
 
Ah how wonderful for you and your children to live in natural rual area. ESPECIALLY if you are an 'active' parent and can introduce your children to the ways enjoy the 'county' life.

My parents were well educated 'bohemians' and we lived in remote logging camps in Sierra Nevada hills of California, Indian reservations of teh deserts of Eastern Oregon and a floating loggers camp out on the sea in Alaska. All this with 5 children. BUT my parents (extra clean and tidy German Mother who spoke very little english and a father who packed over 1200 books whenever we moved & bought the 1st battery operated Sony record player for his HUGE collection of LPs); were excited and committed to teach us everything there was to know about the 'land' the celestial heavans and the animals and plants. We often lived hours away from even a 'paved' road so we had our schooling managed in the POST.

But I still rememmber after 'kitchen-table-church-service' my Dad gathering us all up for an 'adventure' ......hiking, fishing, 'exploring' or perhaps a rowing boat trip....but allways without a destination the ONLY goal was to find (as he put it) beauty in our world. He would stop and have us 'listen' then write down what we heard. We had to gather bits of things and once home identify there reason to exist and how they affected us as humans.

He told us made-up stories every single night. No TV until you fall asleep but rather our minds were stimulated with the pictures we created in our heads from his voice.

Oh and we used a great deal of applied math....in this country lifestyle building, gardening, lots of geometry to figure out angles and weights etc.

We learned to listen, to be at peace without the NEED for external stimulation and our family was close. Yes when I became a teenager it was harder and I passionately covetted the 'townies' exciting life. But now as a grown woman whose traveled the world, built a multi million dollar global software company and raised a now grown family, I can only tell you that my childhood was wonderful ......really wonderful. My parents spend time (took the time) to fill our emotional pockets with love confidence and a grave respect for the world within which we live.

But you yourself aren't talking about Alaska you're only taking about a mile walk....good exersize for the body.

Your familys enjoyment of rual life will depend on how active you participate in teaching them the joys of the natual world. The friendships they make with neighbours will be lasting and reliable. I still have mine.

Well sorry for the longwinded note....got a bit impassioned I guess..... Good luck on whatever you choose to do.
 
It can be a great life but be prepared to be a taxi driver until some of your kids get a car. living in the country i think is a healthy way of life both physically and mentally.
 
Would there be a school bus by any chance. We have one and it is just brilliant. Probably saves me 1½ hours a day doing three runs (one in Junior Infants) to the school. So while I do have a lot of runs with all the sports my lot do, it really isn't too bad because I haven't the school runs as well. I would really recommend anyone buying/building a house in the country to choose a location with a school bus.

Regarding living in the country, we just love it, even my husband and he has never lived in the country before. The neighbourly spirit is great. Kids have a lot more freedom and space. We were renting in a housing estate and while it has it pros (no taxis on a night out, easy to walk to the shop for a pint of milk) must admit the droves of kids in and out of the house all day, ringing the doorbell every five minutes, is a bit wearing after a while. The icecream van came every day (often just at dinner time) and it drove me nuts. You do have to be organised as its a pain discovering at nine at night theres no bread for the lunches tomorrow. The other point people have made about teenagers is that you have to bring them and collect them from anywhere they go so you have a bit more control over them and they probably hang around the local town a bit less. We haven't got any teenagers yet so not sure about this point yet.

Good luck with your decision.

PS BurritoQueen - what a childhood you had! Wow!
 
I live a couple of miles from the nearest village and I think my kids would say that they find it a bit lonely. As said before, you need to be pretty accomodating, especially with a teenager in bringing them everywhere they need to go. My youngest struggles a bit with having no friends locally so I have to arrange "play dates" for her.

The secret with us was to keep them busy. They have school, a few after school activities, a houseful of pets and just about every games console and garden play equipment we could reasonably accomodate.

The plus side as far as I'm concerned is I have more "control" over who my children spend time with, I don't have kids banging on the door or screaming around outside (cept my own on occassion) and I see more of my kids.
 
Hi,

I'd agree with Bubbly Scot - I've been living in country now for 15 years am from nearest town originally which is 1.5 miles but lived in Dublin and then returned home and built house in the country. I wouldn't live in a town again, love the country, love bringing kids for walks on country roads - they have lots of freedom on the 1 acre we have - you can bring their friends over to play. Downside is you do have to drive them to activities but on saying that even if you were living in the town not all the activites that they may wish to avail of might be in town anyway so you'd have to drive them anyway.
 
Another quick idea ESPECIALLY when you start to have teenagers.... make YOUR home the 'in home' for the local kids.

My home is Bavaria had a huge celler.... I converted into a 'rec room' for the kids. But with 5 simple STRICT rules.

(1) when you come over greet me (QUEEN OF HOME) B4 you 'USE' my home and personally say good bye to me....feel free to bring me flowers, chocolets, baskets of fresh bread etc.
(2) Leave my home BETTER then you found it...at a minumum 100% clean
(3) NO drugs....no vomiting (not 'no drink' just don't be stupid)
(4) NO electronics of ANY kind (TV etc) for ANYONE is ANYONE had
unfinished homework
(5) Boys slept in one area the girls in another
(6) All guests had to eat Supper at the table with us parents AND help
cook and clean

IF ANYONE broke these rules I would tell their parents, send them home and they were barred from my home for 14 days.

In 10 years I never cleaned up a mess, never found ciggarette burns anywhere and my home was where I found my own kids most nights.
 
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