You’re likely reading this article because you’re fed up of living in the big smoke and long for countryside living. Despite its small size on a map of the world, Britain has plenty of areas that are rural and away from the hustle and bustle of major towns and cities.

There are a plethora of benefits to countryside living, some of which you can read about here on this blog. But, it’s worth mentioning that you’ll have to make some adjustments to your lifestyle depending on how rural you want to go.

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Employment

You’ll obviously need to pay your bills each month, so the first thing to consider is employment. There are fewer employment opportunities in rural parts of the UK compared to neighbouring towns and cities. With that in mind, what can you do to earn a living?

One option is to consider a career change. Depending on where you move, a career in agriculture, horticulture, or in a supportive industry could pay dividends. Another option is to work for yourself and become part of the UK’s army of five million self-employed people.

Transport

Have you always used public transport to reach your destinations? If so, you’ll be pleased to know that much of Britain’s rural areas have some form of public transport. Buses are predominately the way that countryside dwellers get around.

In some areas, you may find your new location gets served by a heritage railway too. While such railways don’t offer regular services like mainline ones, they’re still a great way to reach neighbouring towns.

Ideally, it makes sense to have a car as doing so will provide you with the most convenient way of traversing the local area and beyond. A vehicle such as a people carrier or pickup truck is a good idea if you need to transport a lot of cargo as well as passengers regularly.

Internet Access

One of the downsides to countryside living is that Internet access is virtually non-existent in some locations. Only 93% of all homes in the UK have Internet access. These days, Internet access is just as important to have at home as electricity, gas, and running water.

With that in mind, what should you do if you move to an area that has little to no Internet connectivity? Believe it or not, you’ve got a few options at your disposal. The first one is to use mobile broadband if you’ve got good 3G or 4G connectivity.

The second rural broadband is to consider Wi-Fi-based or satellite-based Internet access. And last but not least, you could always join forces with your neighbours and set up a rural ISP that serves your village or town!

Shopping

Finally, one important adjustment to make is adapting your shopping habits. When you live in a major town or city, it’s easy to pop down to your nearest shopping centre or supermarket. Out in the sticks, however, you may not have as much choice.

If your nearest supermarket is 10-20 miles away, for example, you may need to bulk-buy your food and household essentials. And if you’ve got a lot of land at your disposal, it’s a good idea to grow the fruit and vegetables that you need.

Another alternative is to consider buying what you need online and getting it delivered to you.

Thank you for reading this article; hopefully, you’ve enjoyed it, and it’s been of use to you!

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