is the countryside better than people think

Ms2011 · 10-05-2020 8:22pm

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

Are you going to build on to it like he did?

No reason to, it's a big house, can't imagine what you would need to build onto it.

jazz_jazz · 10-05-2020 8:33pm

I grew up in the countryside about 10 minutes from a big town and about 15minutes from a city, so we were pretty close to everything.You did have to drive everywhere though.

Now I'm renting in a town and I'm surrounded by very young families. I love the town, everything is so convenient but every day during the good weather lately when I've been sitting out in the garden trying to read my book I've had to give up and go inside because all I can hear is kids screaming and fighting and people blaring crap music. And I know they're kids and kids scream and fight, I'm sure I did a lot of it myself when I was young but it really made me reconsider where I'd like to buy a house in the future.

arctictree · 10-05-2020 9:01pm

stevek93 wrote: »

Not a hope no public transport no decent healthcare you need to travel for it, s*ite broadband and mobile phone reception no shops for miles in some places. Countryside is lovely to get away but that lovely feeling will be short lived.

Live in a rural area here. Great broadband and mobile reception.....

Ms2011 · 10-05-2020 9:05pm

arctictree wrote: »

Live in a rural area here. Great broadband and mobile reception.....

Just off a video chat with my SIL who lives in Lucan, it's always a nightmare, her internet connection is terrible

10-05-2020 9:39pm

I'm living in a fairly rural spot with a garden of about half an acre that has been very important to me over the last couple of months. I have thought about people homeschooling kids or entertaining toddlers in apartments during lockdown many times. I know not everyone has a choice but it really must be very difficult not to have any outdoor space for kids to play in during these periods of restrictions. I would have been a basket case without the garden to sit and potter around in the last few weeks.

10-05-2020 10:04pm

jazz_jazz wrote: »

I grew up in the countryside about 10 minutes from a big town and about 15minutes from a city, so we were pretty close to everything.You did have to drive everywhere though.

Now I'm renting in a town and I'm surrounded by very young families. I love the town, everything is so convenient but every day during the good weather lately when I've been sitting out in the garden trying to read my book I've had to give up and go inside because all I can hear is kids screaming and fighting and people blaring crap music. And I know they're kids and kids scream and fight, I'm sure I did a lot of it myself when I was young but it really made me reconsider where I'd like to buy a house in the future.

In the meantime, get some noise cancelling headphones for your own sake so you can sit outside and get some fresh air.

KaneToad · 10-05-2020 10:19pm

stevek93 wrote: »

Not a hope no public transport no decent healthcare you need to travel for it, s*ite broadband and mobile phone reception no shops for miles in some places. Countryside is lovely to get away but that lovely feeling will be short lived.

Currently living in rural location 1 mile outside small village.

Public transport. No.
Decent healthcare. Yes. (GP in village. Hospital 25mins away)
S*ite broadband. No. (Have fibre to house)
S*ite phone reception. No. (GoMo & Vodafone both excellent)
No shops for miles. No. (Choice of 2 in village, albeit limited variety of products. 25 mins drive would get you to an Aldi/Lidl/Tesco/SuperValu/Dunnes).

Rural living will never compete with urban living for access to amenities. But it does offer many other things that appeal to some. For me, the absence of traffic is a big plus. Distances travelled are greater in rural areas but time taken to travel can often be less. The distance between neighbours is greater too. (Although it is relative - noise will travel 50 unobstructed metres as easily as it would between semi d's)

Rural living isn't necessarily more peaceful than urban. Farming activity, barking dogs, neighbours guntering around their properties...all of these happen frequently and impact on the rural idyll idea.

For me, the key factor is time taken to travel to your place of employment. You're kidding yourself if you live rurally but spend 1.5 hrs travelling to Dublin each morning.

KaneToad · 10-05-2020 10:25pm

jazz_jazz wrote: »

I love the town, everything is so convenient but every day during the good weather lately when I've been sitting out in the garden trying to read my book I've had to give up and go inside because all I can hear is kids screaming and fighting and people blaring crap music.

You get this in rural Ireland too. Although the distance between neighbours is obviously greater. Relatively, however, it's nearly as intrusive. Kids making noise - I can understand, but I believe there is a special place in hell reserved for people who inflict their music on others. Its the sure sign of a mouth breather to behave like this.

Orchids · 10-05-2020 10:29pm

jester77 wrote: »

I grew up in the countryside, you couldn't pay me any amount of money to move there now. It was the lonliest, must miserable existence growing up. Wouldn't wish it on any kid.

×1000

bilbot79 · 10-05-2020 10:31pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Its also believed by many to be irelands best city

Not..C..C..Cork???? What??

Spanish Eyes · 10-05-2020 10:53pm

I dunno. The OH is from the NW, you know that undiscovered, unspoilt part of our country that is absolutely beautiful, but stark and isolated to a large extent with a very low population. (But is Covid free!)

Anyway we decided no, we would not buy that lovely house on a couple of acres for our retirement. Too far from civilisation, hospitals, shops, GP, life in general I suppose.

OH has lived in cities since graduation way back in the day, and I'm a Dub/Townie. I think it depends on your mindset and what your way of life is. Going from a city to the country seems to be a huge change, but it doesn't seem to be as difficult overall to go from country to city. Maybe it is, not judging here!

Tork · 10-05-2020 11:03pm

Everyone has their own definition of what's right for them. After spending 2 months listening to thumping footballs, screaming kids, inhaling barbecue smoke and every neighbour around us, the countryside is becoming more and more attractive. Not the arse end of nowhere countryside but a few miles out.

bilbot79 · 10-05-2020 11:14pm

I grew up in a town with loads of green space. Moved to a city for college but within a few months I was cracking up with the concrete. I learned that I have an innate need to be close to nature

John_Rambo · 10-05-2020 11:18pm

Julissa Eager Matchless wrote: »

No matter how well behaved they are in theory teens that can easily hang around with groups of friends will without doubt end up doing stuff they should and also end up gone late at night and not be able to find them etc.

A bit confusing, but I think I know what you're trying to say. This is your limited experience of fairly rough towns close to you. There are plenty of very nice urban and suburban areas that don't have the problems you've seen to the same extent, although teens can be anti-social everywhere. A friend of mine experiences gangs of rural teems hooning and doughnutting their cars close to her house in cars into the early hours of the morning close to her farm. I've stayed with her a few times and it's very loud, disruptive and annoying for her young family. The West Clare isolated area means a very late Garda response.

Multipass · 10-05-2020 11:38pm

Julissa Eager Matchless wrote: »

I was insured the minute I tuned 17, named driver and it cost over 2000 punts. Anything I’ve seen says that insurance is cheaper now for young drivers so doubt a named driver would be paying anywhere near 3k.

No matter how well behaved they are in theory teens that can easily hang around with groups of friends will without doubt end up doing stuff they should and also end up gone late at night and not be able to find them etc.

Nothing stopping rural teens meeting with friends, playing sports etc I did all these things I just needed to get a lift there and back mostly so much easier for my parents to know where I was and who I was with etc though. The “nothing to do” if you live in a rural area is a total fallacy. Anything you can’t go locally can be done in your nearest big town or city, I missed out on nothing growing up but had all the other advantages of country living. Looking back I would have hated to grow up anywhere but countryside.

3000 is my cheapest quote (which is the value of my car). Learning to drive has cost close to 1000. It’s one of the worst rackets in the country.

Multipass · 10-05-2020 11:43pm

Tork wrote: »

Everyone has their own definition of what's right for them. After spending 2 months listening to thumping footballs, screaming kids, inhaling barbecue smoke and every neighbour around us, the countryside is becoming more and more attractive. Not the arse end of nowhere countryside but a few miles out.

Hate to break it to you but you get all those in the countryside and more. Forget barbecue smoke, out here everyone burns their garden waste on a lovely sunny day - they might throw a bit of household rubbish on just to give that lovely plastic smell. Sunny weather is when the slurry gets spread too, joy.

Leg End Reject · 10-05-2020 11:43pm

Surrounded by green fields yet 20 minutes in the car from a town is the dream. The problem is the town will eventually sprawl to catch up with you.

I couldn't live in a city, I'd crack up even with the amenities and transport options.

cj maxx · 10-05-2020 11:48pm

I hate living in a town.
Country side X 1000 for me, but only the locality I grew up in.

Turbohymac · 10-05-2020 11:58pm

Countryside for me ..most towns are grotty.and choked with traffic. As for all the cities in Ireland there absolute crap holes ..dirty and crime ridden

Tork · 11-05-2020 12:14am

Multipass wrote: »

Hate to break it to you but you get all those in the countryside and more. Forget barbecue smoke, out here everyone burns their garden waste on a lovely sunny day - they might throw a bit of household rubbish on just to give that lovely plastic smell. Sunny weather is when the slurry gets spread too, joy.

I am originally from the countryside. Slurry doesn't bother me, nor does burning. I've come to realise that the so-called convenience of walking to the shops once or twice a week is a poor subsitute for peace and quiet.

spurious · 13-05-2020 4:18pm

My grandfather's house is in Laois. We used to go down there for the holidays. A nice spot, and I could easily live there, but the geniuses involved stopped the fibre broadband a hundred yards short of the local school, which is across the road from our house.

Crappy broadband would be the deal killer.

ablelocks · 13-05-2020 6:14pm

spurious wrote: »

My grandfather's house is in Laois. We used to go down there for the holidays. A nice spot, and I could easily live there, but the geniuses involved stopped the fibre broadband a hundred yards short of the local school, which is across the road from our house.

Crappy broadband would be the deal killer.

would ye not dig a trench as far as the pole and get them to cable it from there for both the school and the house? I've ftth, but I'm about 150 metres from the pole with the fibre box. I'd get on to Eir networks to talk to them about it - they were very good to our community in situations like that - and so were the sub-contractors KN Group or whatever they're called now.

every day I thank our lucky stars that ftth was brought to our area.

whisky_galore · 13-05-2020 6:28pm

I'm fine with either and lived in both, one drawback with town or city living is being cheek by jowl with arsehole neighbours, like party animal students, and not being able to do much about it.

Deebles McBeebles · 14-05-2020 8:03pm

Spent time in the countryside, towns and Dublin city. Wouldn't live in Dublin city again for any money. Just outside a big town, as I am now, is the perfect mix.

andekwarhola · 14-05-2020 8:13pm

I couldn't live in the country - at least not at this stage in my life - but I really love spending time there.

Portmanteau · 14-05-2020 9:04pm

I grew up in the country but only six/seven miles from Cork city, so it was sorta partially suburban. Ideal really. Boring in winter for my teen years all right, but otherwise a really nice environment in which to grow up. And wonderful in the summer.

Not that I'd like either, but if I had to choose between really remote and really built-up, I'd choose the latter. For convenience and security.

I live in a quiet suburb which is lovely, but if I could afford it I'd move somewhere a bit more rural.

I think the pandemic will make people more interested in living in the country all right.

is the countryside better than people think

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