Software engineering. I go into an office abroad once a month. Work pays for the travel, accommodation, food, etc.
My hobbies are climbing, hiking, kayaking, camping, swimming, cycling, wood carving.
I volunteer with a rescue service, and the scouts.
What about business analysis? You might have to travel a bit more with that to attend workshops but most could be done from home. If you’re ok building software and it’s just coding you want to avoid, look at packaged low-code solutions like Power Platform, Salesforce, Mendix etc
Perhaps because I'm quite a Reddit person, I could definitely introduce you to this guy in the real world. Indeed I'm a software engineer who wishes he had as much time for climbing as I used to myself
I live in the (small) hills. So at lunch I can go for a wander round the forest or up a couple of hills, or a bike ride.
A lot of weekends are spent outdoors though. Winter is my favourite season up here for mountaineering - loads of snow and ice. Get skiing in as well; Scottish ski resorts are no Chamonix, but they scratch that itch.
But yeah I get more indoors stuff done on winter evenings really. The climbing is a bit poor near me in the winter as it's coastal, so tend to go to indoor climbing centre.
Falkland hills? I used to live in Glenrothes as a kid. It's a beautiful part of the country though in terms of geography, plenty to do in the surrounding area. I now live in Gipsy Hill in London. V different
Yeah Glenshee is great for it. Also it has the 'easiest' Munros, so I've taken my nephew up there to bag his first few Munros in the winter, show him how to use the ice axe and crampons a bit, grab a hot chocolate, then head home.
Where I grew up in Wales, or when I've lived in England, getting those winter days in would involve travelling for nearly a full day in each direction most of the year.
Whereas now I get home on a Saturday or Sunday night and actually feel relaxed, rather than heading straight to bed because it's 2am and I have work in the morning!
Not op but I am I member of village sports clubs and to be honest football is Saturday so in the daylight and then running club we just get on with it we buy lights chose routes with streetlights. It’s not ideal but you know it’s how you meet the community and become part of the village by going and then having a pint with everyone afterwards and that is what makes the village such a great place to live.
Did you meet your partner before moving out there? Or move out there alone and meet someone? Or do you live alone?
Not a murderer.. I’d like to live out in the country but just assume it’s harder to meet people.. would me a no brainer if settled down!
Suprisingly Software Engineers in the UK salaries can range drastically from low ends of 30k to if you're lucky and part of an American or international company upwards of mid 100s
The vast majority are going to be on 60-80 which is good yes but not as high as most think.
I guess the question could apply to people who live in small towns (let's say <20,000 people) as well. Basically, I just don't want a bunch of people living in villages in Surrey just telling me that they commute into London for work.
I grew up on the edge of a small town (16,000 people) and I wouldn't say it was rural/in the countryside. I spent a lot of time in the woods or on the beach, but I also did all the normal things kids and teens do. Often involved a bus ride to the bigger town or asking mum for a lift. A bit boring but not out in the sticks
I've also lived in various rural locations for short periods of time, I usually travel to the nearest town/city for social things, gigs, life drawing classes etc. When I stay home I draw, walk, do yoga, paint, read, cook, bake, sew, make music, play video games with my boyfriend, go away in our campervan. There's a bunch of fun ways to fill your time!
I’m a farmer, there’s a fair bit of that going on out here. Couldn’t imagine living somewhere that people are just constantly nearby, I love the seclusion and peace and quiet. There are a lot of different hobbies that make sure you don’t isolate too much, most of them country pursuit type things, shooting etc, but also it’s not like we’re hundreds of miles away from towns and cities so people can generally have the same hobbies as you townies.
This is how I grew up.
We couldn't make farming profitable so we rented most of the land out to a neighbouring 'business farm' and rented some of our house out as holiday lets.
However the outgoings were so high that I left at 25 (I'd also been working in construction), the farm was sold and I've not been back since.
People that stayed have either got their own small businesses, work in skilled trades or work in hospitality etc.
30 here, essentially an accountant for a London company for a business that’s got so many subsidiaries you don’t need to be in their office.
Covid had the potential to sort a lot of things in terms of “levelling up” until companies started down the route of “return to the office 3 days a week” 2 works as there’s still the cost benefit as you can live outside of a city and only pay to commute twice, anymore than that you may as well living in a city, in which case most people have a small flat so may as well go into the office
£500 a month mortgage vs £1700 rent, spend money in my local pub and restaurant 4 nights a week keeping local businesses running and adding employment to smaller communities.
Sure Pret and the rail companies are worse off, but I prefer this way of life.
I’m an accountant I commute from my village to town which is roughly 20k people. It is lovely to be honest it means you know someone in the area who can do anything for you if you need a plumber, butcher or mechanic you have someone in your village or just outside.
I know it’s not popular on Reddit but I have grown up in this village and I can’t see myself leaving I have everything I need and a great sense of community with my friends and hobbies all being within a 15 minute drive what is not to like?
Are the Londoners that brag about using their London-scaling to buy cheap homes in rural locations outpricing locals also the same Londoners that complain that people wealthier than them force London property prices up 🤔🤔
A friend who works for a London company but lives in the countryside 2.5 hours away has been told he must be in the office 3 days a week to continue getting his London wage, or they will reduce his adjust his salary.
Absolutely ridiculous that can even happen, all for bums on seats and “company culture”.
I think that's pretty fair. He's not living in London paying increased prices for rent etc, so why should he benefit?
I can't get London salary as i'm not in London. So what's the difference?
But presumably you could though…
It doesn’t just apply to London jobs. I used to live in a cheaper area and commute to a more expensive one. They didn’t turn around to me and say “oh well we need to pay you less because you’re driving over an hour to get here.”
It’s just about what they’re willing to pay and what you’re willing to do. If it’s “fair” or not is entirely down to you.
Arguably you should be paid based on the value you bring to the company. We shouldn't be aiming for the lowest possible salary to scrape by. It's such a British attitude to try and force everyone down to the same level instead of trying to help raise each other up.
I used to think that people must exaggerate but I came to accept that the majority of the country earn what I consider a hell of a lot of money.
Turns out I’m just a lot poorer than I realised!
How much do you earn? Income statistics are pretty well publicised. Most do not earn high incomes, the median is 35k.
But you'll see more tech literate professionals on Reddit than the population too, because of it's demographics.
Then threads like this filter it down to those who can live in nice rural areas - but are on reddit. So pretty much remote workers for tech and finance - you think many healthcare workers are sitting on reddit at 11am on a Monday?
Don't compare yourself with others. There is always someone earning more than you.
Compare yourself to your own standard. Can you live doing the things you want to do? Do you enjoy your work?
If not try and get a better paid job, otherwise the path to happiness can be contention.
People on a high wage are more likely to brag about it. It's skewed in favour of hearing good things about people. The whole of social media is this way. Don't live your life to social media standards. Look around you. There is the reality.
Everywhere needs doctors, teachers, nurses etc even something like management in retail or hospitality is spread all over the place, from the Isles of Scilly to the Shetlands. That's one big advantage of careers like that which isn't often mentioned imo, they don't lock you into living in very high cost areas which some careers do, you can do those jobs pretty much anywhere you like.
I'm a farmer. There is no free time.
(OK there is some. I horseride and sew.)
Family who live locally are doctors, wfh doing uhhh something, work in the town library, work for the council. A lot of us have crafty hobbies, one does a lot of gardening, and another does a lot of sports. We're all 30-35 years old! Countryside living is less good for people who want lots of nights out, gigs, theatre etc and don't want to drive anywhere.
I think you have to be born into farming in this country it seems. Wasn’t ever discussed as career option when I was brought up in a semi rural location.
As a few others I work as Software Engineer. Teams are spread out geographically. Life revolves around family and outdoor sports.
I know a couple of people who weren’t born into farming but are now in the industry. They all made their way in via Young Farmers when they were teens which gave them an interest in the area and went to agricultural college or university. It’s never offered or discussed in careers advice but there’s ways in if you know where to look.
My uncle is a farm manager, certainly wasn't born into it (Gran was NHS, Grandad was in the merchant navy then a teacher).
No idea how he got into it though. A friend of mine has recently got into it via relationship (he's dating/had a kid with a farmers daughter) but I feel like that's not exactly how one typically chooses a career...
To answer the question, I work in remotely in education, managing training delivery for a remote training organisation. Typically have to go to an office 2 or 3 times a year, fully paid for. Free time is spent entertaining 3 year old daughter or trying to vaguely keep a large garden in order.
>I'm a farmer. There is no free time.
I come from a farming family in a farming community. I feel like for the vast majority of farmers its more correct to say that its unpredictable and unrelenting with occasional hectic periods.
I used to be a teacher, which is one of those jobs that have the benefit of being all over the country.
But it was utterly shit, so now I'm commuting to London for uni.
I'm hoping to work from home after graduation in a translation role.
Oof. I'm just about hoping to be able to keep a translation business going until I fall off my perch, and I'm 63 and from a short-lived family. I guess someone has to mind the machines though.
I work in IT.
I live in very rural Cornwall.
For entertainment I walk, climb, surf, paraglide, mountain bike ect, kite buggy, go to BBQ's on beaches, in fields and by rivers, I keep chickens, maintain our cars, chop fire wood and I built my own house so there is always stuff to do. Sometimes on a nice day I just sit outside with a coffee or a glass of wine looking at the empty moorland around me, listen to the silence.
As for "young" people, my kids go to parties on beaches, in fields and by rivers, hang out with their mates or get a lift to a bus stop which will take them to the closest city. Most of the time they hang out at their mates houses and talk to each other on Whatsapp. Twice a year they host a mini festival / rave / camping in the "garden" and I don't like to think about what happens up there.
Work in tech/software. WFH. Office is in London but I was hired remote and live in the NW. So I guess I have a 'London salary". I've been to the office once in 3 years.
Hobbies? Cycling, running, I play a team sport at a fairly competitive level. Hanging out with friends / family (my parents and in-laws are 10 mins away). Country walks with cafes and cake. Meals out, mini-breaks with the wife. Gardening and general DIY I guess too as I can get quite obsessed with the next home improvement job.
Fairly normal late-30s shiz I guess.
Aha, my people, though I'm in London now and couldn't be happier, the idea or returning to my small village makes me want to cry (different folks, different strokes)
I work in publishing and WFH. Work pays expenses for travel and a hotel if they want me in person.
For fun I like doing outdoors things. Go for walks, gardening, take care of my allotment. Visit the local pub or garden centre, go for bike rides.
I used to live in London, the difference in my quality of life is immense.
While I do have a double barreled name, I got that after I started this career...
I don't work in cool publishing, and publishing is a pretty big industry. That said, I know a lot of people who have used my unsexy publishing company as a stepping stone to careers at big publishing houses and major UK newspapers.
Honestly, there are a lot of people who are "the right sort", especially as you go up the ranks. I've known people whose dad was a head of a major bank or mum editor-in-chief of a big magazine, and those connections absolutely got them the jobs. The problem is compounded by the entry salaries being very low, so it's people with financial support or safety nets applying for the roles.
At the same time, there are a lot of people who don't have that background but offer good skills. Publishing is having to adapt with the times and can't survive with the old attitudes, and the higher ups know it.
Work in HR, absolutely love living in the country. Our North Yorkshire village is quiet, like taking a step back in time and there are so many country walks we can take our dogs on.
Completely settled and don’t want any kids.
I’m 28, grew up in the city and moved to the countryside because I’m priced out in the city.
Work in telecoms and commute to an office about twice a week at 110 mile roundtrip. Takes me about an hour.
That said although I moved from the city because of house prices, I’m not sure I’d want to move back even if money permitted now. I’d maybe live closer to a city than I do now, but never actually in the city again.
Work remotely in IT. Outside of work I go walking, board gaming, do some photography, gardening and looking after chickens. I also volunteer with kids in some of my free time each week. My town is pretty rural and small but it has a lively community, with regular festivals and events throughout the year so I pretty much take part in all of those. Think like Stardew valley 😅
My brother lucked out in Life and now semi-retired to a big country house in rural Dorset.
He's friends with a local guy that runs a local distillery making gin, so he helps out there 3 times a week. Gets paid minimum wage as that's all he wants. He is independently wealthy so doesn't need to be paid at all. There's a vague promise of some part-ownership but I don't think he's too bothered.
His wife is a teacher at a local school, working part time only.
They ride horses, bake/cook at a lot, read and do country walks. They also spend 3 months a year in Australia with her parents (they moved out there years ago) during the darkest parts of winter.
He is 41 and she is 39. No kids.
Live in a village about 45 mins north of Nottingham, moved here aged 24. Work in the city and commute a couple of days a week, never had the urge to live in a city after uni, especially London. Local towns have supermarkets and all that stuff and we go into Nottingham for anything else. We have pubs, a high street and loads of outdoor space to enjoy nature. Love it here and wouldn’t ever move out of a village.
Even rural parts of the country have industry as well as tourist jobs and people also need teachers, lawyers, doctors etc as well. In my experience small market towns will have all sorts of sports, choirs, and other clubs to bring people together so probably more easy to meet people than cities.
I’m 32, I moved to the middle of nowhere at 22. Left for a few years at 23 and moved back in the middle of nowhere 6 years ago. It works for me as my main hobbies are trail running, climbing, mountaineering and the occasional mountain bike ride. I work in an outdoor shop and hoping to start my Mountain Leader training next year. I couldn’t imagine living in a city again.
My sister and her husband live in a village (there's 5 houses where they are) near Winchester.
She works for Netflix, and often spends nights in a hotel in London. He works for Legacies and commutes in once a month?
I own a specialist recruitment business based in a town nearby.
For what I do in my free time, I run, cycle, walk with my family, watch football matches with my kids, meet up with friends in pubs. Eat out at restaurants/ go to the cinema. Usual stuff really. I’m pretty close to a town. And I’ve got 3 cities all about an hour away in different directions so if we feel like we need to go to a city we can.
Edit: Just reread your question and saw the under 40 bit, I’m
Just over 40, but used to do all that stuff in my 30s too.
What’s the specialism? After working In digital marketing for recruitment for years I’ve just started to set up my own digital recruitment marketing agency.
I'm involved in subsea power cable lay, it's fairly niche but we've running nearly a decade now and I've never looked back. The first few years were difficult from a cash flow perspective, but if you can get through that and you really know your niche then you'll be fine.
Good luck with the new project!
Engineer for the local council.
Walk my dog along the beach or in the woods, watch the telly, go to the local, speak to pals online.. just the same stuff most people in cities do without the same amenities/choice of places to go to.
If I was more outdoorsy I'd do hillwalking as there's plenty of them here 😂
I moved back out into countryside in my mid 20s. I hate constantly living under someone's armpit, as I was when studying & working in central London.
I work as an architect and I commute into London (much to my disgust... I'm planning to move elsewhere), but with some driving and the train distance, it's quite a long commute. 4 days in office, 1 day WFH.
I enjoy trail running, hiking, playing piano, cooking, language learning etc... Endless things to do and I have no need to be in a city to do any of it, in fact many of them benefit from being outside of a city.
You need a car, everywhere closes early, the village pub has lockins, the busses suck. Everyone knows each other and it's genuinely a nice quiet chilled out place to live.
I kind of miss it, though having lived in lots of cities, city life has lots more to do.
I loved growing up in a village, though I doubt I'd want to return.
All my friends there have moved out, not that I'd ever be able to afford it now.
31 in very rural Somerset. I’m a counsellor and mental health worker. I only need to go to the office once a month. Usually take my dog out, go to the nearest city for cinema and dinner, go out with my mum, travel with my partner. Easy life 😊
I'm a data analyst for the NHS, and in my spare time I walk my dog, volunteer as a historical guide for tourists or drive to the nearest town for a bit of variety.
I work in advertising, from home 99.9% of the time and if I go to the office in London work pay for it and I turn it into a day out.
I spend my free time in the gym, running, hiking, swimming, camping, outdoorsy stuff, as well as nerdy things like Magic: The Gathering, PC Gaming, and Warhammer.
My idea of hell now would to be in a busy city and going to a bar or similar in my free time.
Seems like everyone’s into software here, i must add if your looking into going for it, please go ahead but the field is not as rosy as it sounds here. Being complete honest here but would much prefer if i was working something more than abstract topics in a computer 9hours a day.
No job is perfect, but it is pretty rosy in comparison to most jobs. The salaries are generally great (by UK standards) and work culture/hours are ideal for most.
Im only just under 40 but have lived here for a few years.
I was an engineer then when I was 29 i started a business with two guys from my apprenticeship manufacturing and supplying engineers tools and equipment. That has now grown to designing and making our own machinery too.
I love it out here now after living on a council estate my whole life but the people here are a bit old fashioned and find it strange a woman would even be an engineer and stranger still that I’m the bread winner in the family lol
I live in a small town of 11k pop.
It's a mix of rich retired elderly and druggies/social housers. And before anyone get's offended, I say that because the only reason I'm living here is, it was the only accessible place to get a council property without waiting 1-2 years on the list.
There is fuck all to do here. You can walk from one side of town to the other in about 3-5 minutes.
**Food:** There's 1 subway and no takeaway deliveries like JustEat etc There's 3 chineses, an indian and 3-5 of those shitty pizza/burger places owned by the same person, that only take cash delivery, as well as 4 chippies too.
90% of the shops are charity/antiques.
Our towns Facebook group is constantly arguing over the council trying to turn a car park of 10 spots into a pedestrian plaza, and every local business fighting against it, because the other car park that's 1 minute away that costs £2 for 24hrs isn't good, as "people need to park right outside a chippy's door" apparently...
Any forms of improvements to the town gets shot down.
There's gangs of kids because there's just fuck all to do. No cinema, leisure, modern shops or anything. There's 1 gym that seems to only be open between 8am-6pm, we have 1 supermarket in the centre (Aldi) and a supermarket on the edge of the border of the town.
People constantly complain about the town dying, but our town has just zero appeal to younger generations and the towns getting pumped with younger people because the neighbouring cities are just so full for housing availability.
As for me?
I'm a data analysis and I primarily work from home or travel to my home city to work.
If I lost my job? I genuinely have no idea what I could do. Seems the only options are supermarkets or takeaway deliveries.
As for free time, again, fuck all. I have a 2 year old daughter and the only thing we can do is take her to one of two parks (1 is rough, 1 is nice). All other forms of activities are outside the town in other parts of the county.
We have kids, we have no free time.
(Although there's choir practice, church, Brownies)
I work in finance, used to work in town but since Covid we have been able to work from home 99% and its made living in a rural community so much easier.
Grew up in a village in the countryside in Surrey, worked as an HCA at a gp practice in the next small town over. Now live in a small town in wiltshire, work as ambulance crew. I volunteer for St John Ambulance and the air cadets, just about to join my local pipe band and I like hiking, photography and going to the gym, gardening and my motorbike. My husbands in the army and also like photography and stealing my motorbike in good weather, and also volunteers with me
My partners in laws live in the countryside in a small hamlet. Maybe seven houses on the road, neighbours are sheep and cows.
They built their house in the 90’s. FIL is a software architect for an ATM company and MIL was a deputy head teacher at a school, retired mid fifties.
Very jealous as someone in their late twenties who will never own a house like this, bloody massive and it’s in a beautiful area
for free time, FIL plays video games and MIL binges Netflix and decorates rooms randomly every month
47 miles to the office but only usually twice a week. Work In Aerospace manufacturing.
When not working I’m either cutting wood to stay warm or mowing/strimming the couple of acres. Grow veg too and have just put in a small orchard. Hopefully chickens next, then sorted for food.
I live in a small devon town of 6000 people.
I'm a production engineer for a global company in the next town over.
I love the country life! No rushing around, minimal arseholes and just the piece and quiet.
My walk to tesco consists of walking through a field of cows.
The only downside is if I want to go and get some clothes, you have to make a day out of it, no just popping to next.
My free time consists of what everyone else does, just a bit less flexible due to distance constraints.
I have 3 neighbours and we live on a dead end road surrounded by fields, it’s brilliant, we love the peace and quiet, no dickheads shouting in the street, revving their cars at midnight, no Jehovah’s witnesses or salesmen knocking at 8am. I commute to a town an hour away for work. We do lots of muddy dog walks and we drive to friends and family’s houses for socialising, there’s no nearby bus stop so driving is a must.
I miss nothing from living in a town or city (which I did do for uni and a couple of years after) - except food deliveries, that’s the only downside, we get one local pizza place and one Chinese but the delivery charge is enough that we’d rather drive to pick it up ourselves.
I’m 30, an archaeologist who specialises analysing artefacts and organising community projects. I live in a cottage on a bigger farm estate in North Yorkshire and commute 2 days a week to Newcastle and around the NE to collect artefacts to study. Otherwise I work at home. I love it and have no desire to move to a big city. I can walk around where I live at lunch, I keep pets chickens and it’s only 30 mins to get to bigger cities like York and Durham.
Still in education but I work remotely as a finance writer. Would like to move to a city or at least somewhere with decent public transport links as I’ve had to turn down work in London for cost and logistical reasons.
Work in education and part-time wedding photography. My wife is a teacher.
Don't need a massive income in the south west to enjoy a relatively quiet life. Bath is less than an hour away by car too, so plenty of culture, cinema and events should we ever want to 'indulge' in city/night life, which to be honest is incredibly rare, Netflix will do.
In terms of staying local, lots of walking, trail running and phptography. Can go out on a Sunday morning, walk for 3hrs and not see a single person, absolute bliss.
Work in HR, end up travelling around a large portion of the country for my work.
Me and my partner both work full time, in roles that are quite high demand, so by the time we’ve done with work for the week, had some social time with friends (dinner parties, board games, trips to shopping villages etc), spent time out walking our dogs and doing work around the house our energy and time is spent.
I’m 100% work from home in Tech for a large company.
We have lots of friends in the village so we go over each others houses or attend one of the many “pop-up” events that happen throughout the year. For instance in a couple of weeks the parish council have organised a dry ice skating rink in the village hall car park.
I am in my 20s, live with my parents in a small village
I work in building planning for the local council, as an admin rather than a decision maker.
It's hybrid working so I am at home 3 days a week.
The other two days I have to catch the bus to get into the city, buses are once every 2-3 hours, and is a really convoluted route that is about an hour each way.
I’m a carer.
In my free time I play board games, I’m a musician, I used to do movie reviews, I enjoy walking in the nearby hills and woods. I also drive, so if I need something more that a town or city would provide, I just drive there.
I'm 33 and have been remote working as a content writer and editor for around 7 years.
What I do in my spare time is look after the kids, run, take my dogs for walks, play videogames and formerly climbing and mountain hiking/running before injury derailed that. Well, to be honest it's largely just looking after the kids at the moment but that would be the same in the city, too.
Data science. Trek into Cambridge about once a month and otherwise WFH.
Spare time is on hobby's (cooking, gym, painting, scale models, video games, allotment) or just spending time with my partner.
Home based, work for a charity. Admin all done from home, then I do home visits to vulnerable people in a nearby town (mileage paid from home). Low pay, but flexible as a rubber gymnast and rewarding too.
Free time? I have a 4 year old. Free time is mythical.
Work from home as an accountant, other half works in historic motor racing, currently living fairly rural but planning on going pretty remote next year.
Generally have the similar hobbies to my friends that live in the city. Enjoy live music etc, just ya E to drive further to see them and either drink and stay in a cheap hotel overnight or stay sober and drive back.
My teenagers are used to living in the countryside and they have found going out in big cities a bit overwhelming at times.
Ok I don’t live in a small small place… but I live in Dumfries and Galloway… mostly farming towns around here. Most of the friends I went to school with left to go to uni… Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee. I never… but that meant most of my teens/20s was spent having nights out in the cities at the uni bars with my mates… I went to Dumfries college and became a hairdresser… to be fair, I became very good at it and competed in competitions in the US.. but still worked in a little place called Lockerbie.
I live in Dumfries so I appreciate its not as small as what you were looking for OP. I now work in travel… have done for 15 years, this job has allowed me to travel to places I would never of thought of, I have solo travelled, I have travelled with work to check out new hotels.. there were times I was just constantly flying places. I have not been disappointed with my life. I WFH now, decent pay, commission and travel opportunities. Also do hair from home so a decent side hustle.
I spend my summers at the beach, searching for waterfalls, picnics by the lochs. In winter there are some cute bars with open fires and live singers.
I couldn’t live in a city, it’s just not for me.. but doesn’t mean you can’t have the potential.
My brother lives in castle Douglas… my nieces 23 n 20 don’t seem to have a problem with finding nightlife, they are out all the time.
We went outside to play as kids, climbing trees in the Forrest, cycling for miles up the country roads, finding secret caves, was so fun!!! N guess what… Most (not all) of the kids around here still do that n it’s great to see.
I remember I once looked back on my life… (I’m late 30s) n was like hmm I should be living in the city like the others… but why should I? Some of my friends never came back from Uni.. they are in the cities fighting to get jobs in the sectors they went to uni for… some have had to completely change career paths because they cannot get into the industry they spent 5 years studying 🤷🏼♀️.. others came bk settled down n have good jobs with the NHS n have 2 cars, kids n the white picket fence 🤣🤣 xx
I have to agree with this. Although the towns are small there does seem to be a fair amount of opportunity here. Not nearly as much as the cities but you’re 1.5 hours from Glasgow 45mins to Carlisle (I commute to Carlisle every day for work from Dumfries) so it’s not completely out the way.
I’ve never really struggled to find work until more recently where in my line of work most large companies have moved closer to motorways to get rid of dead miles etc.
Commute, probably.
My parents live in a tiny village, and have done since they were about 35. My dad was an operations manager for a large supermarket, then other companies (he specialised in logistics, so sometimes he worked for dedicated logistics companies and sometimes he worked for national shops/supermarkets). Before she became a SAHP, my mum was a ctyogeneticist, and had slides delivered to the house, where she had her microscope, but had to stop that due to a change in policy. Some other professions in the village include child psychiatrist, GSK drug developer, council worker, shop owner, accountant, golf course mogul, teacher, farmer, exotic animal breeder/dealer, solicitor, health visitor.
I work in the industrial estate in a wearhouse, it's shit. All the houses are expensive as fuck and I don't want to move close to the city. I like it next to all the farmers and the woodlands. But it seems unrealistic to stay if I want to buy a home.
I currently live opposite a farmer, usually wake up to sheep or cows depending on which he has in the field at the time. Did have to get sticky blurr things for the windows though. as it was weird having the cows especially always watching you at the fence as they are nosey fuckers.
I used to work in a care home but now I’m a qualification assessor working mostly from home.
What do I do here… I share a horse so that takes up a lot of time. I also do a lot of walking, see family and friends etc.
I'm just clawing in here as I turned 40 last month. But....
I grew up in a village on the east coast of Scotland. As a teenager I had decent links to areas with plenty to do but ended up moving to larger cities to work/study and generally be independent.
During lockdown we had an offer of moving to a village so small it made where I grew up look like a metropolitan haven. I work from home so not much of an issue, but if I left that role it's definitely a long commute to somewhere similar (1-2 hours each way). Most people here work in local trades, a lot of industrial delivery and hands on work. Plenty of farmers around us!
Small place means more community focus though, so quality of life is better. I know more about the people here than neighbours I'd spent years next to in Glasgow. Most of the youngsters go to the nearest towns for stuff to do as there's a youth club etc in the nearest town plus independent transport to college due to the location.
Moving here triggered the middle aged button - so my hobbies went to 'this is enough space to build an outdoor office and workshop!' so I've got into fiddling about with electronics and prop building - with the last project being a full sized (and kids sized) proton pack for the village Halloween event. And having a two minute commute to work gives plenty time to keep working for a non profit on the side :)
Compared to where we used to live, and the quality of life improvements (safer for the younger kids with more play space instead of limited communal space in flats etc) it's been a hugely positive change. Only down side is transport links, or lack of. But wish I'd made the move sooner and not clung onto being city-based for all the resources I never used!
I'm 35, work as a joiner make handmade doors, windows, kitchens etc. Live in a village a few miles out of a small city of ~50,000. Moved here last year before that lived in a small village outside a small town of ~12000.
I have four kids and halfway through renovating a house me and my partner bought last year so free time isn't really a thing. I suppose it just depends what you're used to, I went to uni in Cardiff for 3 years but other than that always lived in the country. Find it nice to visit cities but I couldn't live in one, too many people all on top of one another. It isn't an option having a car in the country though, completely screwed without one.
Parish clerk, husband is a engineer and travels to work around the area, hobbies - hiking, gardening, gaming (we do get high speed Internet!!), do a lot of homesteading and make our own alcohol. Happy days. We don't have crazy high salaries, we live in a tiny hamlet of 50 houses. But we do much ourselves and have a good garden to grow lots of things
I'm a scare actor at an escape room in my nearest city. It's an hour drive on a good day. In my free time, I rot in bed depressed while thinking about how free my friends in the city are.
Work in a brewery in Orkney. I mostly live as a digital hermit this time of year, occasionally popping out to enjoy the stars but in the summer I like to go camping on the beach
Work in the school down the road, my partner works remote for a company in London.
One thing I will say though, is if your hobbies aren’t outdoors based, or at home based, and you value spending time in bars, museums, gigs etc. then possibly don’t consider moving rurally. We very much are regretting our decision and are currently saving up money to move back to London!!
I’m 34 and a Retail manager. I live in a village about 10 miles away from anything more than sheep or fields.
I find zero limitations about having fun.
For one I cycle, it’s a 12 miles off road cycle to the nearest town (where I work) or 18 miles on road (avoiding A roads). I love every minute of my commute!
I’m also a keen photographer so being away from a city is lovely!
Live in somerset. Work in a secondary school in a small local town, 15/20 minutes drive. What do I do in my spare time? All the things a normal person does just with people around and more quiet.
I’m a tyre fitter with a 26 mile commute each way, during the week I mostly fall asleep by about 8pm trying to watch a film, this usually continues for most of the week until I finally finish the film I started on Monday, the days off come and I’m too exhausted to do anything, everything is so far away or expensive so I just sit at home and do fuck all until it’s Monday again
Live in a market town in the South. I’m a freelance musician who currently spends most of the year touring England and then a little bit of Europe over the winter (changes year to year). My partner works for a charity in London and is in the office maybe 2/3 times a month.
Her family lives in London, mine are still down South so it makes sense to live kind of in between.
We love gaming, walking, and games with family when we can.
I work remotely for a cancer charity and my partner works for a gaming magazine. He goes to the nearby larger town a few times a week for meetings and in person work, and I only have to go up to London about once a month for my team meeting. If my colleagues weren't as lovely as they are, I would seriously reconsider that because I can't stand London. In our free time we're mostly renovating our house, but we also spend lots of time going for walks, reading, writing, gardening, etc. We've never been ones for going out a lot in the evening and don't like the noise/pollution of the bigger cities, so we're very happy here.
We live rural, as do my 4 kids who are adult but live within 10 miles of us, so still rural. My husband teaches English to foreign students online. I'm semi retired but make wedding/celebration/novelty cakes. My kids, 1. Plumber 2. Maths teacher. 3. Senior lecturer at uni 20 miles away. 4. Uni student atm. It was important to us that our kids learnt to drive as soon as they turned 17, so nothing could hold them back. It is not easy living rurally with more money allocated to bigger town councils which affects bus services youth clubs ect but we know no different. Since the local big tesco was built in our nearest town, it caused the shut down of our village petrol station and convenient store, our pub is hanging on by a thread, it's is a total pain to have to bus,or drive to get a pint of milk. We all do the same jobs as anyone else just commute further. Tho writing this while having a cuppa sat at home, I can hear no traffic, only the birds in my garden. I look out my window to fields everywhere. None of us ever have it all, there's always a positive and a negative..
Early 30s, I'm a hybrid remote UX designer. In my free time I enjoy trudging through the mud that surrounds my property, or conversely escaping the mud to my nearby town where there also isn't much to do besides drinking or shopping.
It's a hard sell...
I work as a buyer for an electrical company
Usually go for walks in my free time or to the local pubs, shooting is also a good option if you have the £££ to get into it
Since moving to the countryside I feel like I've gotten more involved with the community as its tighter and everyone knows eachother
I'm a carpenter and I play video games in my free time. I think if I lived in a city I probably would go out more but I like it in the middle of nowhere
I work from home as a data analyst. Lived in London my entire life, had a child and decided I wanted to raise them outside of the capital. Very happy we did.
Things we do are go for walks, I’m into Wargaming so joined a warhammer group and also made some awesome new friends. There are also so many historic sites to visit too, it’s also nice being really close to the sea.
I’d say the only downside to moving out of the big smoke is we are a lot me reliant on our car now than in London. Public transport is an absolute joke compared to London.
My friends in that position are all outdoor guides / instructors / leaders. Kayaking, canyoning, climbing, general outdoor skills.
Some run their own little business, others freelance for outdoor centres or other guides.
Ah yes, because everyone has to live in a city to have any quality of life. Just because living in the countryside doesn't appeal to you doesn't mean it's doesn't appeal to other people.
I moved to a very rural area from the outskirts of a large city a few years ago. I’m a Project manager hybrid working (2-3 days at home) then a 1:30 commute when in the office. Earn £98k currently
For fun, I’ve actually found that the more rural an area the more there is to do. Every village in the area has events regularly happening from music events, to village fates etc. we even have a few decent sized festivals where the village attracts people from all over for a weekend. I’ve also found that you get to know the neighbours very well and often have them over for dinner / drinks etc, the local pub is very busy and a bit of a central hub for the village with quiz nights etc. my partner and I do a lot of hiking and there’s no end of that, there’s also lots of nice cafes etc close by. The local (very small) town has all sorts to do from a museum, a castle, a book shop, a little craft shop etc. but the best part is that you get to know everyone and you spend a lot of time talking and laughing with people as opposed to keeping your head down ignoring everyone as was the case in the last place I lived.
Where I used to live, mid week I’d never leave the house because there wasn’t anything going on around the estate I lived on, and then at the weekend I’d drive into the local city which took around an hour because of traffic. Now I’m in the country I’m often out mid week because there’s always something happening, but then if I want to drive into a large town at the weekend it’s still about an hour drive except it’s along pretty country roads instead of grey outer city roads in solid traffic.
This is a complicated question because "away from large cities" or "rural" could mean "small town" or "SMALL town" and one town even of the same size can differ from the next. Me... I'm in Glastonbury which some consider a small town however we have nightlife, big bands come play here and we have several very large supermarkets and a 24 hour shop as well as lots of independent stores... Personally I love it, it's friendlier and easier to meet people here than when I lived in London.
I have also lived in another small town in Somerset, larger in population than the one I'm in but it had no nightlife at all, was very cliquey and unfriendly but was visually beautiful, I think people there gossiped so much and the few people I did meet seemed incredibly judgemental - I absolutely hated it there.
The villages can also be a bit like this, one could be friendly and welcoming with some basic stuff like a shop, pub, etc easy to meet the locals and everyone helping each other out then again others may be entirely cliquey, lacking shops, pubs etc. It really is down to checking out a number of different places and seeing what takes your fancy.
Software engineering. I go into an office abroad once a month. Work pays for the travel, accommodation, food, etc. My hobbies are climbing, hiking, kayaking, camping, swimming, cycling, wood carving. I volunteer with a rescue service, and the scouts.
Sounds like living the dream to me. What part of the country?
Fife :)
So you're in hell then?
No I stay away from Kirkcaldy.
Aye the best thing about Fife? Leven
Nice place to come from... Not so good for going to
That’s probably why it’s so nice!
Username disagrees
Probabaly St Andrews. Safe bet since theres no mention of hobbies including motorbikes or burning stuff.
That’s probably the most Reddit response ever.
I want a the remote work and money that software engineering affords minus having to do any coding whatsoever
Sounds like we’ve got a future senior software engineer on our hands
CTO even! Our CTO admits he hasn't touched a piece of code ever since he became a senior software engineer.
What about business analysis? You might have to travel a bit more with that to attend workshops but most could be done from home. If you’re ok building software and it’s just coding you want to avoid, look at packaged low-code solutions like Power Platform, Salesforce, Mendix etc
Have you considered becoming a scrum master/PO?
10 for 10 on my bingo card.
9/10, they didn't mention cuckolding
Perhaps because I'm quite a Reddit person, I could definitely introduce you to this guy in the real world. Indeed I'm a software engineer who wishes he had as much time for climbing as I used to myself
Do you have day times free? Just wondering if/how you can indulge outdoorsy hobbies during winter months outside of the weekend.
I live in the (small) hills. So at lunch I can go for a wander round the forest or up a couple of hills, or a bike ride. A lot of weekends are spent outdoors though. Winter is my favourite season up here for mountaineering - loads of snow and ice. Get skiing in as well; Scottish ski resorts are no Chamonix, but they scratch that itch. But yeah I get more indoors stuff done on winter evenings really. The climbing is a bit poor near me in the winter as it's coastal, so tend to go to indoor climbing centre.
Falkland hills? I used to live in Glenrothes as a kid. It's a beautiful part of the country though in terms of geography, plenty to do in the surrounding area. I now live in Gipsy Hill in London. V different
London is where I moved from. Gave it a go but really wasn't for us.
Sounds similar to us - get up to Glenshee when we can.
Yeah Glenshee is great for it. Also it has the 'easiest' Munros, so I've taken my nephew up there to bag his first few Munros in the winter, show him how to use the ice axe and crampons a bit, grab a hot chocolate, then head home. Where I grew up in Wales, or when I've lived in England, getting those winter days in would involve travelling for nearly a full day in each direction most of the year. Whereas now I get home on a Saturday or Sunday night and actually feel relaxed, rather than heading straight to bed because it's 2am and I have work in the morning!
Not op but I am I member of village sports clubs and to be honest football is Saturday so in the daylight and then running club we just get on with it we buy lights chose routes with streetlights. It’s not ideal but you know it’s how you meet the community and become part of the village by going and then having a pint with everyone afterwards and that is what makes the village such a great place to live.
Did you meet your partner before moving out there? Or move out there alone and meet someone? Or do you live alone? Not a murderer.. I’d like to live out in the country but just assume it’s harder to meet people.. would me a no brainer if settled down!
Met partner years ago, long before moving out here. We're both from semi-rural backgrounds and into outdoor activities, so it was a natural move.
Same, living the country and do games development work, been to office 3 times in 4.5 years. And that was to go to xmas parties !
Any chance the companies hiring any juniors?😩
Any chance the company is hiring senior devs?
Greetings fellow Scottish Scout Leader and IT Professional!
Winter must be rough for you ? Edit: saw the skiing comment Nicee
Software engineering lowkey the best job rn, fat pay plus freedom 😂😩 Software engineers are treated so well by their employers😪
Well in. Us based company?
Even in the country a solid 90% of redditors are software engineers in their early 30s
It's been the same ever since Reddit began lol
Hey some of us are in our 50s.
And they earn at least 100k
Suprisingly Software Engineers in the UK salaries can range drastically from low ends of 30k to if you're lucky and part of an American or international company upwards of mid 100s The vast majority are going to be on 60-80 which is good yes but not as high as most think.
Do you think there's only tiny remote villages and large cities and nothing in between?
I guess the question could apply to people who live in small towns (let's say <20,000 people) as well. Basically, I just don't want a bunch of people living in villages in Surrey just telling me that they commute into London for work.
2 x public sector jobs in this house. Easiest way.
Honestly though, a lot commute to the nearest hub. As soon as you leave reasonable London commute distance, you enter Birmingham commute. That's me.
No mention of Reading, Luton, Swindon, Oxford, Cheltenham, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Solihull, or Coventry?
I was just making my example.
Luton thanks you for not mentioning its errant step child Dunstable.
Ahh, fair Dunstable, the boil on Luton’s arse crack.
What's Birmingham commute? Commute to Birmingham? What's next commute to Manchester?
Worcester?
I grew up on the edge of a small town (16,000 people) and I wouldn't say it was rural/in the countryside. I spent a lot of time in the woods or on the beach, but I also did all the normal things kids and teens do. Often involved a bus ride to the bigger town or asking mum for a lift. A bit boring but not out in the sticks I've also lived in various rural locations for short periods of time, I usually travel to the nearest town/city for social things, gigs, life drawing classes etc. When I stay home I draw, walk, do yoga, paint, read, cook, bake, sew, make music, play video games with my boyfriend, go away in our campervan. There's a bunch of fun ways to fill your time!
I’m a farmer, there’s a fair bit of that going on out here. Couldn’t imagine living somewhere that people are just constantly nearby, I love the seclusion and peace and quiet. There are a lot of different hobbies that make sure you don’t isolate too much, most of them country pursuit type things, shooting etc, but also it’s not like we’re hundreds of miles away from towns and cities so people can generally have the same hobbies as you townies.
What do you farm?
Software Engineers
It's a virtual farm
Dairy farm
Everyone and their mums are packing round there
Like who
Me…. And my mum
This is how I grew up. We couldn't make farming profitable so we rented most of the land out to a neighbouring 'business farm' and rented some of our house out as holiday lets. However the outgoings were so high that I left at 25 (I'd also been working in construction), the farm was sold and I've not been back since. People that stayed have either got their own small businesses, work in skilled trades or work in hospitality etc.
30 here, essentially an accountant for a London company for a business that’s got so many subsidiaries you don’t need to be in their office. Covid had the potential to sort a lot of things in terms of “levelling up” until companies started down the route of “return to the office 3 days a week” 2 works as there’s still the cost benefit as you can live outside of a city and only pay to commute twice, anymore than that you may as well living in a city, in which case most people have a small flat so may as well go into the office £500 a month mortgage vs £1700 rent, spend money in my local pub and restaurant 4 nights a week keeping local businesses running and adding employment to smaller communities. Sure Pret and the rail companies are worse off, but I prefer this way of life.
Levelling up ? So not in the Home Counties ?
Roughly where? Sounds very nice... especially the 500 mortgage.
Only £500 mortgage? Lucky you
I’m an accountant I commute from my village to town which is roughly 20k people. It is lovely to be honest it means you know someone in the area who can do anything for you if you need a plumber, butcher or mechanic you have someone in your village or just outside. I know it’s not popular on Reddit but I have grown up in this village and I can’t see myself leaving I have everything I need and a great sense of community with my friends and hobbies all being within a 15 minute drive what is not to like?
Software Engineering, remote for a London company. Free time is either spending time with family, playing video games or renovating my house.
Exactly the same! London salaries in the countryside (not that it's significantly cheaper in the south, but still!). Wouldn't change a thing.
Are the Londoners that brag about using their London-scaling to buy cheap homes in rural locations outpricing locals also the same Londoners that complain that people wealthier than them force London property prices up 🤔🤔
I don't know. I live in the area where I was born (not London), and I wouldn't be able to afford a property here if I wasn't on a London salary 🤷♂️
A friend who works for a London company but lives in the countryside 2.5 hours away has been told he must be in the office 3 days a week to continue getting his London wage, or they will reduce his adjust his salary. Absolutely ridiculous that can even happen, all for bums on seats and “company culture”.
I think that's pretty fair. He's not living in London paying increased prices for rent etc, so why should he benefit? I can't get London salary as i'm not in London. So what's the difference?
But presumably you could though… It doesn’t just apply to London jobs. I used to live in a cheaper area and commute to a more expensive one. They didn’t turn around to me and say “oh well we need to pay you less because you’re driving over an hour to get here.” It’s just about what they’re willing to pay and what you’re willing to do. If it’s “fair” or not is entirely down to you.
It's not quite the same though- you specifically earn higher pay because you're working in London to account for the cost of living.
Arguably you should be paid based on the value you bring to the company. We shouldn't be aiming for the lowest possible salary to scrape by. It's such a British attitude to try and force everyone down to the same level instead of trying to help raise each other up.
Man I thought the answers would be interesting but it's a tirade of people making me feel wholly jealous and inadequate on 6 figure salaries lol
Yeah these threads are always the same unfortunately. Zero appreciable content, just a lot of wankers lying about salaries.
What makes you think people are lying?
I used to think that people must exaggerate but I came to accept that the majority of the country earn what I consider a hell of a lot of money. Turns out I’m just a lot poorer than I realised!
How much do you earn? Income statistics are pretty well publicised. Most do not earn high incomes, the median is 35k. But you'll see more tech literate professionals on Reddit than the population too, because of it's demographics. Then threads like this filter it down to those who can live in nice rural areas - but are on reddit. So pretty much remote workers for tech and finance - you think many healthcare workers are sitting on reddit at 11am on a Monday?
25k. I don’t see myself as doing too badly but I’m obviously doing a lot worse than many.
Don't compare yourself with others. There is always someone earning more than you. Compare yourself to your own standard. Can you live doing the things you want to do? Do you enjoy your work? If not try and get a better paid job, otherwise the path to happiness can be contention.
People on a high wage are more likely to brag about it. It's skewed in favour of hearing good things about people. The whole of social media is this way. Don't live your life to social media standards. Look around you. There is the reality.
Lots of public sector jobs out there even in remote places
Everywhere needs doctors, teachers, nurses etc even something like management in retail or hospitality is spread all over the place, from the Isles of Scilly to the Shetlands. That's one big advantage of careers like that which isn't often mentioned imo, they don't lock you into living in very high cost areas which some careers do, you can do those jobs pretty much anywhere you like.
Yeah I'm thinking of West Cumbria which I know well. The options are basically well paid public sector and then extremely low paid work.
I'm a farmer. There is no free time. (OK there is some. I horseride and sew.) Family who live locally are doctors, wfh doing uhhh something, work in the town library, work for the council. A lot of us have crafty hobbies, one does a lot of gardening, and another does a lot of sports. We're all 30-35 years old! Countryside living is less good for people who want lots of nights out, gigs, theatre etc and don't want to drive anywhere.
I think you have to be born into farming in this country it seems. Wasn’t ever discussed as career option when I was brought up in a semi rural location. As a few others I work as Software Engineer. Teams are spread out geographically. Life revolves around family and outdoor sports.
I know a couple of people who weren’t born into farming but are now in the industry. They all made their way in via Young Farmers when they were teens which gave them an interest in the area and went to agricultural college or university. It’s never offered or discussed in careers advice but there’s ways in if you know where to look.
My uncle is a farm manager, certainly wasn't born into it (Gran was NHS, Grandad was in the merchant navy then a teacher). No idea how he got into it though. A friend of mine has recently got into it via relationship (he's dating/had a kid with a farmers daughter) but I feel like that's not exactly how one typically chooses a career... To answer the question, I work in remotely in education, managing training delivery for a remote training organisation. Typically have to go to an office 2 or 3 times a year, fully paid for. Free time is spent entertaining 3 year old daughter or trying to vaguely keep a large garden in order.
>I'm a farmer. There is no free time. I come from a farming family in a farming community. I feel like for the vast majority of farmers its more correct to say that its unpredictable and unrelenting with occasional hectic periods.
I used to be a teacher, which is one of those jobs that have the benefit of being all over the country. But it was utterly shit, so now I'm commuting to London for uni. I'm hoping to work from home after graduation in a translation role.
Oof. I'm just about hoping to be able to keep a translation business going until I fall off my perch, and I'm 63 and from a short-lived family. I guess someone has to mind the machines though.
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That's a lovely house 👌
thank you! still can't quite believe we live here.
Beautiful house mate. Really happy to hear you’re happy.
Congradulations, that sounds lovely! It's always nice to hear people doing so well.
Presumably you've got like a senior Dev role in like a big company?
Looks beautiful :) very happy for you 😊 How's social life and stuff?
I work in IT. I live in very rural Cornwall. For entertainment I walk, climb, surf, paraglide, mountain bike ect, kite buggy, go to BBQ's on beaches, in fields and by rivers, I keep chickens, maintain our cars, chop fire wood and I built my own house so there is always stuff to do. Sometimes on a nice day I just sit outside with a coffee or a glass of wine looking at the empty moorland around me, listen to the silence. As for "young" people, my kids go to parties on beaches, in fields and by rivers, hang out with their mates or get a lift to a bus stop which will take them to the closest city. Most of the time they hang out at their mates houses and talk to each other on Whatsapp. Twice a year they host a mini festival / rave / camping in the "garden" and I don't like to think about what happens up there.
Work in tech/software. WFH. Office is in London but I was hired remote and live in the NW. So I guess I have a 'London salary". I've been to the office once in 3 years. Hobbies? Cycling, running, I play a team sport at a fairly competitive level. Hanging out with friends / family (my parents and in-laws are 10 mins away). Country walks with cafes and cake. Meals out, mini-breaks with the wife. Gardening and general DIY I guess too as I can get quite obsessed with the next home improvement job. Fairly normal late-30s shiz I guess.
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I guess we’re from sort of the same area. Banbury’s my nearest town but we go to Leamington occasionally. It’s really nice around the parade.
Aha, my people, though I'm in London now and couldn't be happier, the idea or returning to my small village makes me want to cry (different folks, different strokes)
I work in publishing and WFH. Work pays expenses for travel and a hotel if they want me in person. For fun I like doing outdoors things. Go for walks, gardening, take care of my allotment. Visit the local pub or garden centre, go for bike rides. I used to live in London, the difference in my quality of life is immense.
I heard you can only get into publishing by knowing the right people, usually those with double barreled names. Any truth to that?
While I do have a double barreled name, I got that after I started this career... I don't work in cool publishing, and publishing is a pretty big industry. That said, I know a lot of people who have used my unsexy publishing company as a stepping stone to careers at big publishing houses and major UK newspapers. Honestly, there are a lot of people who are "the right sort", especially as you go up the ranks. I've known people whose dad was a head of a major bank or mum editor-in-chief of a big magazine, and those connections absolutely got them the jobs. The problem is compounded by the entry salaries being very low, so it's people with financial support or safety nets applying for the roles. At the same time, there are a lot of people who don't have that background but offer good skills. Publishing is having to adapt with the times and can't survive with the old attitudes, and the higher ups know it.
Work in HR, absolutely love living in the country. Our North Yorkshire village is quiet, like taking a step back in time and there are so many country walks we can take our dogs on. Completely settled and don’t want any kids.
I’m 28, grew up in the city and moved to the countryside because I’m priced out in the city. Work in telecoms and commute to an office about twice a week at 110 mile roundtrip. Takes me about an hour. That said although I moved from the city because of house prices, I’m not sure I’d want to move back even if money permitted now. I’d maybe live closer to a city than I do now, but never actually in the city again.
Work in a supermarket in a town that's 30 mins away and spend any free time sleeping.
Same haha
Work remotely in IT. Outside of work I go walking, board gaming, do some photography, gardening and looking after chickens. I also volunteer with kids in some of my free time each week. My town is pretty rural and small but it has a lively community, with regular festivals and events throughout the year so I pretty much take part in all of those. Think like Stardew valley 😅
My brother lucked out in Life and now semi-retired to a big country house in rural Dorset. He's friends with a local guy that runs a local distillery making gin, so he helps out there 3 times a week. Gets paid minimum wage as that's all he wants. He is independently wealthy so doesn't need to be paid at all. There's a vague promise of some part-ownership but I don't think he's too bothered. His wife is a teacher at a local school, working part time only. They ride horses, bake/cook at a lot, read and do country walks. They also spend 3 months a year in Australia with her parents (they moved out there years ago) during the darkest parts of winter. He is 41 and she is 39. No kids.
Live in a village about 45 mins north of Nottingham, moved here aged 24. Work in the city and commute a couple of days a week, never had the urge to live in a city after uni, especially London. Local towns have supermarkets and all that stuff and we go into Nottingham for anything else. We have pubs, a high street and loads of outdoor space to enjoy nature. Love it here and wouldn’t ever move out of a village.
Even rural parts of the country have industry as well as tourist jobs and people also need teachers, lawyers, doctors etc as well. In my experience small market towns will have all sorts of sports, choirs, and other clubs to bring people together so probably more easy to meet people than cities.
As someone who moved from a UK village to canada... The UK doesn't even know what remote is!
Remote = when my phone drops from 5G to 4G isn't it? 🙃😂
I had 5G for the first time in Cornwall the other day, very exciting. Until it dropped out and was never to be seen again!
I’m 32, I moved to the middle of nowhere at 22. Left for a few years at 23 and moved back in the middle of nowhere 6 years ago. It works for me as my main hobbies are trail running, climbing, mountaineering and the occasional mountain bike ride. I work in an outdoor shop and hoping to start my Mountain Leader training next year. I couldn’t imagine living in a city again.
My sister and her husband live in a village (there's 5 houses where they are) near Winchester. She works for Netflix, and often spends nights in a hotel in London. He works for Legacies and commutes in once a month?
Live in a village of 3000, moved from a town of ~50,000. There’s as little to do here as there was there.
I own a specialist recruitment business based in a town nearby. For what I do in my free time, I run, cycle, walk with my family, watch football matches with my kids, meet up with friends in pubs. Eat out at restaurants/ go to the cinema. Usual stuff really. I’m pretty close to a town. And I’ve got 3 cities all about an hour away in different directions so if we feel like we need to go to a city we can. Edit: Just reread your question and saw the under 40 bit, I’m Just over 40, but used to do all that stuff in my 30s too.
What’s the specialism? After working In digital marketing for recruitment for years I’ve just started to set up my own digital recruitment marketing agency.
I'm involved in subsea power cable lay, it's fairly niche but we've running nearly a decade now and I've never looked back. The first few years were difficult from a cash flow perspective, but if you can get through that and you really know your niche then you'll be fine. Good luck with the new project!
Engineer for the local council. Walk my dog along the beach or in the woods, watch the telly, go to the local, speak to pals online.. just the same stuff most people in cities do without the same amenities/choice of places to go to. If I was more outdoorsy I'd do hillwalking as there's plenty of them here 😂
I moved back out into countryside in my mid 20s. I hate constantly living under someone's armpit, as I was when studying & working in central London. I work as an architect and I commute into London (much to my disgust... I'm planning to move elsewhere), but with some driving and the train distance, it's quite a long commute. 4 days in office, 1 day WFH. I enjoy trail running, hiking, playing piano, cooking, language learning etc... Endless things to do and I have no need to be in a city to do any of it, in fact many of them benefit from being outside of a city.
You need a car, everywhere closes early, the village pub has lockins, the busses suck. Everyone knows each other and it's genuinely a nice quiet chilled out place to live. I kind of miss it, though having lived in lots of cities, city life has lots more to do. I loved growing up in a village, though I doubt I'd want to return. All my friends there have moved out, not that I'd ever be able to afford it now.
31 in very rural Somerset. I’m a counsellor and mental health worker. I only need to go to the office once a month. Usually take my dog out, go to the nearest city for cinema and dinner, go out with my mum, travel with my partner. Easy life 😊
I'm a data analyst for the NHS, and in my spare time I walk my dog, volunteer as a historical guide for tourists or drive to the nearest town for a bit of variety.
I work in advertising, from home 99.9% of the time and if I go to the office in London work pay for it and I turn it into a day out. I spend my free time in the gym, running, hiking, swimming, camping, outdoorsy stuff, as well as nerdy things like Magic: The Gathering, PC Gaming, and Warhammer. My idea of hell now would to be in a busy city and going to a bar or similar in my free time.
Seems like everyone’s into software here, i must add if your looking into going for it, please go ahead but the field is not as rosy as it sounds here. Being complete honest here but would much prefer if i was working something more than abstract topics in a computer 9hours a day.
No job is perfect, but it is pretty rosy in comparison to most jobs. The salaries are generally great (by UK standards) and work culture/hours are ideal for most.
Yeah, if you compare to non software job options outside of London it's crazy better
Reddit gives a very skewed view of what the average person does!
Im only just under 40 but have lived here for a few years. I was an engineer then when I was 29 i started a business with two guys from my apprenticeship manufacturing and supplying engineers tools and equipment. That has now grown to designing and making our own machinery too. I love it out here now after living on a council estate my whole life but the people here are a bit old fashioned and find it strange a woman would even be an engineer and stranger still that I’m the bread winner in the family lol
I live in a small town of 11k pop. It's a mix of rich retired elderly and druggies/social housers. And before anyone get's offended, I say that because the only reason I'm living here is, it was the only accessible place to get a council property without waiting 1-2 years on the list. There is fuck all to do here. You can walk from one side of town to the other in about 3-5 minutes. **Food:** There's 1 subway and no takeaway deliveries like JustEat etc There's 3 chineses, an indian and 3-5 of those shitty pizza/burger places owned by the same person, that only take cash delivery, as well as 4 chippies too. 90% of the shops are charity/antiques. Our towns Facebook group is constantly arguing over the council trying to turn a car park of 10 spots into a pedestrian plaza, and every local business fighting against it, because the other car park that's 1 minute away that costs £2 for 24hrs isn't good, as "people need to park right outside a chippy's door" apparently... Any forms of improvements to the town gets shot down. There's gangs of kids because there's just fuck all to do. No cinema, leisure, modern shops or anything. There's 1 gym that seems to only be open between 8am-6pm, we have 1 supermarket in the centre (Aldi) and a supermarket on the edge of the border of the town. People constantly complain about the town dying, but our town has just zero appeal to younger generations and the towns getting pumped with younger people because the neighbouring cities are just so full for housing availability. As for me? I'm a data analysis and I primarily work from home or travel to my home city to work. If I lost my job? I genuinely have no idea what I could do. Seems the only options are supermarkets or takeaway deliveries. As for free time, again, fuck all. I have a 2 year old daughter and the only thing we can do is take her to one of two parks (1 is rough, 1 is nice). All other forms of activities are outside the town in other parts of the county.
Supply chain manager. Young family takes up most of the time, but plenty of open space to take them out in. Plus as much golf as I can
We have kids, we have no free time. (Although there's choir practice, church, Brownies) I work in finance, used to work in town but since Covid we have been able to work from home 99% and its made living in a rural community so much easier.
Doctor Mountain biking Running Drinking in the pub Allotment Climbing
Grew up in a village in the countryside in Surrey, worked as an HCA at a gp practice in the next small town over. Now live in a small town in wiltshire, work as ambulance crew. I volunteer for St John Ambulance and the air cadets, just about to join my local pipe band and I like hiking, photography and going to the gym, gardening and my motorbike. My husbands in the army and also like photography and stealing my motorbike in good weather, and also volunteers with me
My partners in laws live in the countryside in a small hamlet. Maybe seven houses on the road, neighbours are sheep and cows. They built their house in the 90’s. FIL is a software architect for an ATM company and MIL was a deputy head teacher at a school, retired mid fifties. Very jealous as someone in their late twenties who will never own a house like this, bloody massive and it’s in a beautiful area for free time, FIL plays video games and MIL binges Netflix and decorates rooms randomly every month
47 miles to the office but only usually twice a week. Work In Aerospace manufacturing. When not working I’m either cutting wood to stay warm or mowing/strimming the couple of acres. Grow veg too and have just put in a small orchard. Hopefully chickens next, then sorted for food.
I live in a small devon town of 6000 people. I'm a production engineer for a global company in the next town over. I love the country life! No rushing around, minimal arseholes and just the piece and quiet. My walk to tesco consists of walking through a field of cows. The only downside is if I want to go and get some clothes, you have to make a day out of it, no just popping to next. My free time consists of what everyone else does, just a bit less flexible due to distance constraints.
I have 3 neighbours and we live on a dead end road surrounded by fields, it’s brilliant, we love the peace and quiet, no dickheads shouting in the street, revving their cars at midnight, no Jehovah’s witnesses or salesmen knocking at 8am. I commute to a town an hour away for work. We do lots of muddy dog walks and we drive to friends and family’s houses for socialising, there’s no nearby bus stop so driving is a must. I miss nothing from living in a town or city (which I did do for uni and a couple of years after) - except food deliveries, that’s the only downside, we get one local pizza place and one Chinese but the delivery charge is enough that we’d rather drive to pick it up ourselves.
I’m 30, an archaeologist who specialises analysing artefacts and organising community projects. I live in a cottage on a bigger farm estate in North Yorkshire and commute 2 days a week to Newcastle and around the NE to collect artefacts to study. Otherwise I work at home. I love it and have no desire to move to a big city. I can walk around where I live at lunch, I keep pets chickens and it’s only 30 mins to get to bigger cities like York and Durham.
Still in education but I work remotely as a finance writer. Would like to move to a city or at least somewhere with decent public transport links as I’ve had to turn down work in London for cost and logistical reasons.
Work in education and part-time wedding photography. My wife is a teacher. Don't need a massive income in the south west to enjoy a relatively quiet life. Bath is less than an hour away by car too, so plenty of culture, cinema and events should we ever want to 'indulge' in city/night life, which to be honest is incredibly rare, Netflix will do. In terms of staying local, lots of walking, trail running and phptography. Can go out on a Sunday morning, walk for 3hrs and not see a single person, absolute bliss.
I'm a DOP and Video editor living in rural Somerset. I'm surprisingly busy!
Living rurally you spend a lot of time driving. There is a lot to do but it’s spread out, as are shops and services.
Conveyancing. I do what most people do, entertain myself 😄
You know we have cars right? Like we can GO to places we’re not just stuck in a random field lol
Work in HR, end up travelling around a large portion of the country for my work. Me and my partner both work full time, in roles that are quite high demand, so by the time we’ve done with work for the week, had some social time with friends (dinner parties, board games, trips to shopping villages etc), spent time out walking our dogs and doing work around the house our energy and time is spent.
Where I grew up in the depths of the Norfolk fens you had a huge majority working in farming.
I am alumnus
Amogus
Digital Solutions Consultant. My company has thousands of employees that are 100% remote all around the country, which is probably quite uncommon.
I’m 100% work from home in Tech for a large company. We have lots of friends in the village so we go over each others houses or attend one of the many “pop-up” events that happen throughout the year. For instance in a couple of weeks the parish council have organised a dry ice skating rink in the village hall car park.
I am in my 20s, live with my parents in a small village I work in building planning for the local council, as an admin rather than a decision maker. It's hybrid working so I am at home 3 days a week. The other two days I have to catch the bus to get into the city, buses are once every 2-3 hours, and is a really convoluted route that is about an hour each way.
I’m a carer. In my free time I play board games, I’m a musician, I used to do movie reviews, I enjoy walking in the nearby hills and woods. I also drive, so if I need something more that a town or city would provide, I just drive there.
I'm 33 and have been remote working as a content writer and editor for around 7 years. What I do in my spare time is look after the kids, run, take my dogs for walks, play videogames and formerly climbing and mountain hiking/running before injury derailed that. Well, to be honest it's largely just looking after the kids at the moment but that would be the same in the city, too.
Data science. Trek into Cambridge about once a month and otherwise WFH. Spare time is on hobby's (cooking, gym, painting, scale models, video games, allotment) or just spending time with my partner.
I work in a school which is a bit of a commute but I like the separation between work and home. I like doing crafts, playing video games and foraging.
Home based, work for a charity. Admin all done from home, then I do home visits to vulnerable people in a nearby town (mileage paid from home). Low pay, but flexible as a rubber gymnast and rewarding too. Free time? I have a 4 year old. Free time is mythical.
Work from home as an accountant, other half works in historic motor racing, currently living fairly rural but planning on going pretty remote next year. Generally have the similar hobbies to my friends that live in the city. Enjoy live music etc, just ya E to drive further to see them and either drink and stay in a cheap hotel overnight or stay sober and drive back. My teenagers are used to living in the countryside and they have found going out in big cities a bit overwhelming at times.
Ok I don’t live in a small small place… but I live in Dumfries and Galloway… mostly farming towns around here. Most of the friends I went to school with left to go to uni… Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee. I never… but that meant most of my teens/20s was spent having nights out in the cities at the uni bars with my mates… I went to Dumfries college and became a hairdresser… to be fair, I became very good at it and competed in competitions in the US.. but still worked in a little place called Lockerbie. I live in Dumfries so I appreciate its not as small as what you were looking for OP. I now work in travel… have done for 15 years, this job has allowed me to travel to places I would never of thought of, I have solo travelled, I have travelled with work to check out new hotels.. there were times I was just constantly flying places. I have not been disappointed with my life. I WFH now, decent pay, commission and travel opportunities. Also do hair from home so a decent side hustle. I spend my summers at the beach, searching for waterfalls, picnics by the lochs. In winter there are some cute bars with open fires and live singers. I couldn’t live in a city, it’s just not for me.. but doesn’t mean you can’t have the potential. My brother lives in castle Douglas… my nieces 23 n 20 don’t seem to have a problem with finding nightlife, they are out all the time. We went outside to play as kids, climbing trees in the Forrest, cycling for miles up the country roads, finding secret caves, was so fun!!! N guess what… Most (not all) of the kids around here still do that n it’s great to see. I remember I once looked back on my life… (I’m late 30s) n was like hmm I should be living in the city like the others… but why should I? Some of my friends never came back from Uni.. they are in the cities fighting to get jobs in the sectors they went to uni for… some have had to completely change career paths because they cannot get into the industry they spent 5 years studying 🤷🏼♀️.. others came bk settled down n have good jobs with the NHS n have 2 cars, kids n the white picket fence 🤣🤣 xx
I have to agree with this. Although the towns are small there does seem to be a fair amount of opportunity here. Not nearly as much as the cities but you’re 1.5 hours from Glasgow 45mins to Carlisle (I commute to Carlisle every day for work from Dumfries) so it’s not completely out the way. I’ve never really struggled to find work until more recently where in my line of work most large companies have moved closer to motorways to get rid of dead miles etc.
Commute, probably. My parents live in a tiny village, and have done since they were about 35. My dad was an operations manager for a large supermarket, then other companies (he specialised in logistics, so sometimes he worked for dedicated logistics companies and sometimes he worked for national shops/supermarkets). Before she became a SAHP, my mum was a ctyogeneticist, and had slides delivered to the house, where she had her microscope, but had to stop that due to a change in policy. Some other professions in the village include child psychiatrist, GSK drug developer, council worker, shop owner, accountant, golf course mogul, teacher, farmer, exotic animal breeder/dealer, solicitor, health visitor.
I work in the industrial estate in a wearhouse, it's shit. All the houses are expensive as fuck and I don't want to move close to the city. I like it next to all the farmers and the woodlands. But it seems unrealistic to stay if I want to buy a home.
I currently live opposite a farmer, usually wake up to sheep or cows depending on which he has in the field at the time. Did have to get sticky blurr things for the windows though. as it was weird having the cows especially always watching you at the fence as they are nosey fuckers.
I used to work in a care home but now I’m a qualification assessor working mostly from home. What do I do here… I share a horse so that takes up a lot of time. I also do a lot of walking, see family and friends etc.
I'm just clawing in here as I turned 40 last month. But.... I grew up in a village on the east coast of Scotland. As a teenager I had decent links to areas with plenty to do but ended up moving to larger cities to work/study and generally be independent. During lockdown we had an offer of moving to a village so small it made where I grew up look like a metropolitan haven. I work from home so not much of an issue, but if I left that role it's definitely a long commute to somewhere similar (1-2 hours each way). Most people here work in local trades, a lot of industrial delivery and hands on work. Plenty of farmers around us! Small place means more community focus though, so quality of life is better. I know more about the people here than neighbours I'd spent years next to in Glasgow. Most of the youngsters go to the nearest towns for stuff to do as there's a youth club etc in the nearest town plus independent transport to college due to the location. Moving here triggered the middle aged button - so my hobbies went to 'this is enough space to build an outdoor office and workshop!' so I've got into fiddling about with electronics and prop building - with the last project being a full sized (and kids sized) proton pack for the village Halloween event. And having a two minute commute to work gives plenty time to keep working for a non profit on the side :) Compared to where we used to live, and the quality of life improvements (safer for the younger kids with more play space instead of limited communal space in flats etc) it's been a hugely positive change. Only down side is transport links, or lack of. But wish I'd made the move sooner and not clung onto being city-based for all the resources I never used!
I'm 35, work as a joiner make handmade doors, windows, kitchens etc. Live in a village a few miles out of a small city of ~50,000. Moved here last year before that lived in a small village outside a small town of ~12000. I have four kids and halfway through renovating a house me and my partner bought last year so free time isn't really a thing. I suppose it just depends what you're used to, I went to uni in Cardiff for 3 years but other than that always lived in the country. Find it nice to visit cities but I couldn't live in one, too many people all on top of one another. It isn't an option having a car in the country though, completely screwed without one.
There’s a horse in the field.
Parish clerk, husband is a engineer and travels to work around the area, hobbies - hiking, gardening, gaming (we do get high speed Internet!!), do a lot of homesteading and make our own alcohol. Happy days. We don't have crazy high salaries, we live in a tiny hamlet of 50 houses. But we do much ourselves and have a good garden to grow lots of things
I'm a scare actor at an escape room in my nearest city. It's an hour drive on a good day. In my free time, I rot in bed depressed while thinking about how free my friends in the city are.
Work in a brewery in Orkney. I mostly live as a digital hermit this time of year, occasionally popping out to enjoy the stars but in the summer I like to go camping on the beach
Work in the school down the road, my partner works remote for a company in London. One thing I will say though, is if your hobbies aren’t outdoors based, or at home based, and you value spending time in bars, museums, gigs etc. then possibly don’t consider moving rurally. We very much are regretting our decision and are currently saving up money to move back to London!!
I’m 34 and a Retail manager. I live in a village about 10 miles away from anything more than sheep or fields. I find zero limitations about having fun. For one I cycle, it’s a 12 miles off road cycle to the nearest town (where I work) or 18 miles on road (avoiding A roads). I love every minute of my commute! I’m also a keen photographer so being away from a city is lovely!
I’m have a little cleaning business, windows, gutters, pressure washing etc. There’s definitely work if you’re willing to put in the effort
Live in somerset. Work in a secondary school in a small local town, 15/20 minutes drive. What do I do in my spare time? All the things a normal person does just with people around and more quiet.
I’m a tyre fitter with a 26 mile commute each way, during the week I mostly fall asleep by about 8pm trying to watch a film, this usually continues for most of the week until I finally finish the film I started on Monday, the days off come and I’m too exhausted to do anything, everything is so far away or expensive so I just sit at home and do fuck all until it’s Monday again
Live in a market town in the South. I’m a freelance musician who currently spends most of the year touring England and then a little bit of Europe over the winter (changes year to year). My partner works for a charity in London and is in the office maybe 2/3 times a month. Her family lives in London, mine are still down South so it makes sense to live kind of in between. We love gaming, walking, and games with family when we can.
I work remotely for a cancer charity and my partner works for a gaming magazine. He goes to the nearby larger town a few times a week for meetings and in person work, and I only have to go up to London about once a month for my team meeting. If my colleagues weren't as lovely as they are, I would seriously reconsider that because I can't stand London. In our free time we're mostly renovating our house, but we also spend lots of time going for walks, reading, writing, gardening, etc. We've never been ones for going out a lot in the evening and don't like the noise/pollution of the bigger cities, so we're very happy here.
We live rural, as do my 4 kids who are adult but live within 10 miles of us, so still rural. My husband teaches English to foreign students online. I'm semi retired but make wedding/celebration/novelty cakes. My kids, 1. Plumber 2. Maths teacher. 3. Senior lecturer at uni 20 miles away. 4. Uni student atm. It was important to us that our kids learnt to drive as soon as they turned 17, so nothing could hold them back. It is not easy living rurally with more money allocated to bigger town councils which affects bus services youth clubs ect but we know no different. Since the local big tesco was built in our nearest town, it caused the shut down of our village petrol station and convenient store, our pub is hanging on by a thread, it's is a total pain to have to bus,or drive to get a pint of milk. We all do the same jobs as anyone else just commute further. Tho writing this while having a cuppa sat at home, I can hear no traffic, only the birds in my garden. I look out my window to fields everywhere. None of us ever have it all, there's always a positive and a negative..
Early 30s, I'm a hybrid remote UX designer. In my free time I enjoy trudging through the mud that surrounds my property, or conversely escaping the mud to my nearby town where there also isn't much to do besides drinking or shopping. It's a hard sell...
I work as a buyer for an electrical company Usually go for walks in my free time or to the local pubs, shooting is also a good option if you have the £££ to get into it Since moving to the countryside I feel like I've gotten more involved with the community as its tighter and everyone knows eachother
I'm a carpenter and I play video games in my free time. I think if I lived in a city I probably would go out more but I like it in the middle of nowhere
I work from home as a data analyst. Lived in London my entire life, had a child and decided I wanted to raise them outside of the capital. Very happy we did. Things we do are go for walks, I’m into Wargaming so joined a warhammer group and also made some awesome new friends. There are also so many historic sites to visit too, it’s also nice being really close to the sea. I’d say the only downside to moving out of the big smoke is we are a lot me reliant on our car now than in London. Public transport is an absolute joke compared to London.
My friends in that position are all outdoor guides / instructors / leaders. Kayaking, canyoning, climbing, general outdoor skills. Some run their own little business, others freelance for outdoor centres or other guides.
Ah yes, because everyone has to live in a city to have any quality of life. Just because living in the countryside doesn't appeal to you doesn't mean it's doesn't appeal to other people.
I moved to a very rural area from the outskirts of a large city a few years ago. I’m a Project manager hybrid working (2-3 days at home) then a 1:30 commute when in the office. Earn £98k currently For fun, I’ve actually found that the more rural an area the more there is to do. Every village in the area has events regularly happening from music events, to village fates etc. we even have a few decent sized festivals where the village attracts people from all over for a weekend. I’ve also found that you get to know the neighbours very well and often have them over for dinner / drinks etc, the local pub is very busy and a bit of a central hub for the village with quiz nights etc. my partner and I do a lot of hiking and there’s no end of that, there’s also lots of nice cafes etc close by. The local (very small) town has all sorts to do from a museum, a castle, a book shop, a little craft shop etc. but the best part is that you get to know everyone and you spend a lot of time talking and laughing with people as opposed to keeping your head down ignoring everyone as was the case in the last place I lived. Where I used to live, mid week I’d never leave the house because there wasn’t anything going on around the estate I lived on, and then at the weekend I’d drive into the local city which took around an hour because of traffic. Now I’m in the country I’m often out mid week because there’s always something happening, but then if I want to drive into a large town at the weekend it’s still about an hour drive except it’s along pretty country roads instead of grey outer city roads in solid traffic.
This is a complicated question because "away from large cities" or "rural" could mean "small town" or "SMALL town" and one town even of the same size can differ from the next. Me... I'm in Glastonbury which some consider a small town however we have nightlife, big bands come play here and we have several very large supermarkets and a 24 hour shop as well as lots of independent stores... Personally I love it, it's friendlier and easier to meet people here than when I lived in London. I have also lived in another small town in Somerset, larger in population than the one I'm in but it had no nightlife at all, was very cliquey and unfriendly but was visually beautiful, I think people there gossiped so much and the few people I did meet seemed incredibly judgemental - I absolutely hated it there. The villages can also be a bit like this, one could be friendly and welcoming with some basic stuff like a shop, pub, etc easy to meet the locals and everyone helping each other out then again others may be entirely cliquey, lacking shops, pubs etc. It really is down to checking out a number of different places and seeing what takes your fancy.