Semi-rural living - esp nr Bristol/South Glos

We moved to a semi rural location from London about 18 months ago. We all love it (H, 2 kids and I). It's quiet, pretty, relaxing. We grow our own veg and have chickens. We are surrounded by old people, which I have to say I enjoy. No foxes here yet, there were far more in the city. The only downsides we have found are:

1) in the winter the roads are very dark / icy

2) it's quite a long drive to civilisation, but I enjoy driving so that's not a huge problem for me. Going out for dinner is a pain as someone can't drink.

3) you have to be well organised with food / medication etc in case you are ill

that's about it really. On balance, it's a good thing. And certainly appropriate for couples and families.

This is one of my worries. I am neither a couple nor a family. I live alone and am single. Hopefully I won't be single for ever, and I wonder if moving out of the city will make me too isolated...although I'm not one for hanging out in the local bars waiting to pick up someone anyway!

I have friends nearby who if I was ill I am sure would bring me food parcels etc, although I'm not ill that often, bar the odd cold or hangover!

? I half read your post and got completely the wrong end of the stick, didn't I?

Well our neighbours are very friendly and very helpful. As a single woman, they'd be very keen to help out if you needed it, I am sure. We live in a village, so there are lots of men around here too ? I guess you meet new people, male and female, wherever you live.

Would you feel alone, do you think? Able to cope with some of the countryside nasties (vermin, for example)? I think I feel safer living in a semi-rural location, especially at night. However, I am a bit of a country girl at heart, I can see that other people might not share this view. If you don't drink much, I don't think the driving thing will be a problem.

It's a shame you can't have a test really, isn't it?

My MIL lives in the area that you're looking at - though they are really out in the sticks. They have a generator for when the power goes down and everything ?. They're near Latteridge (B4059) if you want to look it up. You could look towards Alveston or Thornbury I suppose. My husband's grandmother lives in Frampton Cotterell, which has some nice bits (but some not so nice bits too). She likes to go to Yate to do her shopping. Along the Westerleigh Road is nice, though again might be 'too' rural.

Hi KJB! I live in Nailsworth which is a thriving 'town' although it's actually pretty small. We live right next to a big tract of woodland and none of the foxes have ever eaten our cats or vice versa. It's a good compromise between being completely in the middle of nowhere and being on the main A46 Bath Road! Might be a bit too far for you, depending on whereabouts you have to travel to work. (Train station at nearby Stonehouse!)

My mum lives in Pucklechurch which is nearer Bath and has good infrastructure, viiliage life and is a bit more of the rural side. PM if you think I can help at all with more info.

Hi

We are going through a similar thought process, thinking about moving out of Bristol. We have considered Chepstow - big enough town for some cafes (they have a Costa!) but small enough to be friendly, and not too far from Brizzle for friends to travel. But close to/in some beautiful countryside. Are you after semi-rural as in, "in a small village" or as in "outskirts of small town"?

Red

Thanks all for your replies.

At the moment I work in Westbury-on-Trym, so I'm thinking Almondsbury, Tockington, Rudgeway etc as they are only just over the other side of the M5.

I guess somewhere just off the M5 at J14, 15, 16 or 17 would be doable too.

As for 'in small village' or 'outskirts of small town' - I'm not sure really as long as it's nice! I need to think about this more - hence the post to make me think about little things like this.