Not so much the views and the tranquillity etc. but how does the isolation affect the basic essentials most of us take for granted

Work/school/food/utilities/transport/socialising etc

Just back from a remote holiday destination and wondering what it takes to live somewhere isolated

What do you mean by remote?

I’m a couple of miles from the village. In UK terms that’s probably remote. But it’s not really.

I used to live on the edge of a rural market town. Apart from not being able to walk to the pub/indian there’s no difference.

If you have internet connection (google to learn everything) you can live there forever otherwise you need good survival skills. You must also keep a Benelli M4, Glock 19 and Glock 27 plus some proper Kukri …

For some folk once they get out of Zone 1 they think they’re in a ‘remote’ location… 🙂

Where we live some of my sons’ friends are remote, as in an hour to school past nothing more than a few farms/cottages. You need a big freezer/pantry.

We’re just outside a small village and a little back road, only 15 mins walk to a decent-sized local shop and 20 mins drive into town. And can ride off-road from my front door.

All the advantages of the country, with none of the downsides.

I think the worse place to live would be in the middle of nowhere, but next to a main road.

We’re about a mile outside a small Scottish village, in turn 10 miles from the nearest town (and supermarket). Corner shop OK for small and emergency purchases but need to think ahead about any trip to town, plan for stocking up. Only 3 buses a day each way and don’t coordinate very well for return trips – you would have to plan on a stay of 20 mins or 3 hours in town. Car is essential, 4×4 in winter v. useful, but be aware that every trip to town will cost about £4-5 in fuel and take a min. of 1 hour so have to plan.

I work from home but have to travel for clients. Wife is able to organise work from home 2 days out of 4. Need broadband but connection is poor.

School buses good, collect from the house. Difficulties with kids and friends, need running around a lot. Any socialising usually involves driving somewhere.

Upside is the view and tranquility (apart from tractors on the road).

Well you’ve already experienced it so you can probably imagine what its like full time. I grew up in some fields, then used to live in the country a few miles out of town, but certainly not truly isolated.

I guess the main things that city types who like hanging out on the internet won’t realise are painfully slow internet, my little farm cottage was at the maximum distance possible from the exchange to have broadband, and that was only a few miles from town, it was about 0.5mbs max on a really good day and disconnected with every gust of wind, same at my parents house. You become much more reliant on cars too, for everything from shopping to socialising. Buses are surprisingly decent in rural areas, but you have to live to those timetables. You can’t nip out for a pint of milk so easily so you have to plan your shopping a bit more than living in a built up area. You have to argue with your mrs about who drove to the pub the last time and whose turn it is this time, ALL the time.

4×4 in winter v. useful

cobblers, ok maybe ‘useful’ for 1 – 2 days a year, and in no way essential. None of the houses up the steep hill in the rural highlands where I grew up has a 4×4. A small front 2wd will power through most UK snow conditions unless it starts to bottom out.

rocketman – I guess remoteness is a relative phrase. What do you mean by remoteness? Where? What situation?

I have often said I could happily live in a cave in the middle of nowhere, but I know its just a phrase I use and wouldnt relish it, wouldnt do it, unless WW3 kicked off or something.

I have read a few books that sort of explore live of people who did decide to try it and explore how it effected them, mostly they aimed for exploring it mentally but most books actually spend a lot of time sorting out the simple everyday survival needs – food/water/shelter.

Once sorted they touch on the mental aspects. A interesting read is: Solitude – Robert Kull. True solitude.

My Mum and Dad live in a fairly remote (for the UK) location (8 miles to nearest village/Shop, 12 miles to supermarket)
Their ‘hamlet’ is a dead-end, which only has one road in/out.

Broadband is non-existent. (too far from exchange etc)
3G mobile service sketchy/non-existent dependent on weather.
Sketchy land-line service.
Buses – only 2 per day in each direction.
Regular power cuts, occasional loss of mains water.
No mains gas/sewage.

A car is all but essential, particularly if you work.
a 4×4 would be useful if you absolutely had to be able to get out 365 days per year.
They have been properly snowed-in twice in the 15 years they’ve been there.

I’d struggle to live there, but mostly due to the total lack of internet/connectivity, as it just isn’t compatible with ‘modern’ life.

Remote as in a cottage at the end of a dirt road that leads to a lane with grass growing in the middle of it that leads to a slightly better lane without the grass and so on and so forth. Mains electricity from a transformer hung off a telegraph pole, water supply from a hosepipe that disappears into the hillside. Sewerage – not sure maybe a septic tank?

Basically a dot on the map, nearest neighbours approx 1 mile away, that sort of thing. OK for a holiday but just curious about what it would take to actually live somewhere like that.

it’s crap.

more-or-less what freeagent said.

it’s probably better if you grew up in the same area, you’ll have friends who *only* live 10 miles away, but expect to get very bored and lonely if you move into a remote area.

I love the idea, my wife isn’t so keen. Our compromise for the time-being is a village which her family consider remote (it’s a 2 minute walk to the shop and a 5 minute walk to the pub and less than 10 minute drive to a Tesco the size of an aircraft hanger!) . Your holiday destination sounds like my kind of place 🙂

Know several people who live places where there is a local shop close’ish but hour/s to supermarket. I’ve never understood why the local shop can’t act as a collection point for a supermarket local delivery with the order done on-line or through point in the shop.

I’m remote for the South. Nearly 8 miles to the nearest Cappucino 🙂

4 miles to nearest shop, and often impassable without 4×4 or winter tyres in winter, due to council spending rather than gnarliness – we’re at the junction of three counties, so get ignored by all in the various directions we might drive out.

I like it. Not sure I’d want to be anymore remote, as the pub in staggering distance is nice. Downside is everyone knows your and everyone elses business, and a lack of choice (utilities, schooling, public transport) on a lot of things you take for granted in a small town for example.

Lots of goods and services are more expensive (especially fuel costs)

Travel times if you need to commute often mean nights away from home.

Can be challenging for children socially especially when they become teenagers (isolation etc)

When gamekeepeing I lived in two locations one a cottage on the edge of a 800 acre wood, no post had to walk to nearest farm where it was delivered too. (1 mile away). Gas was bottled, water was from local spring but ok. Electric was ok had a few power cuts in bad weather but not too bad.Phone line was ok internet what internet 😀

Life there was good it got to the point if someone was in the wood within 500 yards of the place the dogs would spark up. In fact you got that a tuned to the surroundings I was remembered being able to smell a woman perfume in the wood for 100’s of yards away. (there was 1 footpath through the wood).

The second place I lived was a caravan right on the top of a hill by some old farm buildings. No water (had to be lugged by Landrover and 5 gallon drums) No electric ran small tv/radio off 12v truck batteries and gas for heating and lighting was out of bottles. No phone, no internet(still not invented really.

At night it was amazing could see 1000’s of stars, during the day 5 counties. Used to have some top parties up there but god was it grim in winter. Everything used to freeze, my water, the toilet, even the bloody pot towel I had dried the washing up with the night before 😯

Having to go into woods for a dump in blizzard conditions was not that much fun. Living up there alone my imagination used to play tricks on me in winter with strange noises as the wind whistles round the old buildings good job I always had at least one firearm with me. Very strange place to live when the mist/fog came down as well. Was there 8 months character building best describes it I think 🙂

I quite like the idea of living in a remote (for the UK) location, but just not really compatible with modern life and working. Working from home in IT I need a decent broadband connection. Or a long commute to an office. Plus commute to large city required for wifes job. Plus schools etc etc

This is really remote, and a facinating read…

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/For-40-Years-This-Russian-Family-Was-Cut-Off-From-Human-Contact-Unaware-of-World-War-II-188843001.html

Remote for the south 8 miles to supermarket, my village has no pub, shop or facilities. Internet is slow but useable.

Sometimes I’d like to live somewhere where I could just walk ( getting in a car to go anywhere is a bit if a PITA ) but the upsides, peace, tranquility. The countryside [opens front door]there…are worthwhile

I’ve never understood why the local shop can’t act as a collection point for a supermarket local delivery with the order done on-line or through point in the shop.

So the local shop that sells milk, bread and stuff lets people pick up their orders of milk, bread and stuff from the supermarket? I can understand why few shop owners would keen on that plan.

Lived in rural oxfordshire for 15 years. We had a shop and an hourly bus to Oxford/Swindon. Was fine with two cars and small children but could see that it would be very limiting as they became teenagers. So we moved to an urban village with a fine rail service into London.

I would not chose to live anywhere without a shop and public transport.

cobblers, ok maybe ‘useful’ for 1 – 2 days a year, and in no way essential. None of the houses up the steep hill in the rural highlands where I grew up has a 4×4. A small front 2wd will power through most UK snow conditions unless it starts to bottom out.

I couldn’t have got out with a 4×4 for a week this year. My neighbours were using tractors as the 4x4s were marginal as it was. A 2wd wouldn’t last long on out drive anyway…

I quite like the idea of living in a remote (for the UK) location, but just not really compatible with modern life and working. Working from home in IT I need a decent broadband connection. Or a long commute to an office

That’s what I do in deepest Wales. Broadband is adequate and I can be in the office (North London) in 4 hours door-to-door which is fine for meetings. I wouldn’t fancy commuting though.

Nearest neighbour 1 mile away, nearest bus stop 4 miles away, nearest supermarket 25 miles away, nearest traffic lights 25 miles away, nearest tarmac 1 mile away. No TV (through choice these days), no mobile signal, water from spring. Internet via satellite in exchange for vast sums of money per month.

GF is away (in the van, so I’ve no transport) from this morning until Fri night, which means there’s a very good chance that I won’t speak to / see anyone until she gets back. To me that’s normal but I know others who would go mad by Wednesday.

If you’re happy with your own company, can learn to enjoy rather than endure a certain amount of hardship and have a good level of practical skills then it’s fantastic. If you enjoy nights down the pub, eating out, going to the cinema and your practical skill set starts and ends with finding your arse with both hands … you’ll last a fortnight at best 😉

one year you couldnt drive anything but a 4×4 to our house in auchenblae from november till march.

was permafrozen with shiny ice. Even then i had to drive quite a few other peoples 4x4s out as they managed to do it wrong.

This year there was a month where the only way out my house was to travel in the wrong direction and join the procession on the main road in the wrong direction for 10 miles at 2mph as only the school bus route gets cleared and thats to my door and back ….. when the schools closed they dont clear it. we had 4ft drifts at one point this year on the road up to the house.

Ive lived in the middle of no where and ive lived on the edge of no where…. its much nicer to be on the edge – able to cycle to work/shops etc. im still 4 miles from a spar and 12 miles driving from a supermarket.

Frankly the more remote for me the better IF we worked from home , id love to live on the road to crask inn or over on the west coast or even the islands But i am a unsocial hermit anyway.

Id rather live ANYWHERE than in a city.

so I’ve no transport

might raise an eyebrow if you rode the llama in to town 😉

If you enjoy nights down the pub, eating out, going to the cinema and your practical skill set starts and ends with finding your arse with both hands … you’ll last a fortnight at best 😉

O hai!

Id rather live ANYWHERE than in a city.

Yeah, going to London makes my skin crawl.

i dont mind visiting the city but after a couple of days i just want to scream. recent excursions to paris and amsterdam reconfirmed that for me.

one other thing to add is we found that we do need 2 cars more often than you think.

both our cars only do 4/5000 miles a year (and thus are bangers) but we tried going down to one and it was a royal PIA with meetings and such like. your milage may vary.

might raise an eyebrow if you rode the llama in to town

I could use 2 and harness them to a chariot made from a wheelbarrow and an old sack truck … choose your weapon 😀

Interesting question. For several years, the Mrs and I have harboured the dream of selling up and moving into some remote location in the Scottish Highlands. However, now it’s actually time to do so, all the practicalities come into play.

Picture it; You wake up in the morning and open the curtains to a wonderful scene. Heather and hills, waterfalls and lochs. The deer gambolling past. You decide to have a wee cuppa to take it all in, go to the fridge and find there is no fresh milk. It’s a 12 mile drive along a single-track lane to the nearest shop…..

Nah. Being out of the city is good but I still want to know I can find a shop and a pub without a major expedition.

trail_rat – Member

Id rather live ANYWHERE than in a city.

i live in this city:

🙂

(or at least, that’s the view 5mins ride from my house)

planning planning planning.

this results in you drinking milk just for the sake of it because you never remember if there is milk or not but that people in the house get cranky if theres int milk for the tea so any time you pass the shop you buy a 4 pint of milk.

😀 luckily i like milk …. unlucky for everyone else im intollerant of dairy which results in really really foul odours from my behind.

we also keep the freezer pretty full of food as theres nothing worse than finding no food in the house.

Frankly, I’m disappointed you don’t have a cow!

id rather a goat – less damage to the grass :d

its not the inability to get out to the country side ahwiles – its the people in the city , too many ,wanting too much ,too quickly.

rush rush rush cram cram cram and dont get me started about living in a flat , that alone drove me up the wall …. moving to a flat in the city probably wasnt my brightest move.

i can survive now with that as my view.

My brother and sister in law lived in a small village in the Yorkshire Dales for many years. Although it did have a local shop, this was only open so many hours a week.
They relied on a mobile library, chip shop and back in the day a mobile video van.
Petrol was really expensive, food too and getting to work could be a problem in heavy snow. They lasted until child number 2 was of school age.
It was a case of being really organised and relying on visiting friends and family for many things.
They now live in a village which has very few facilities but they grow a lot of their own food and are now only 7 miles from a market town with plenty of shops.

we moved away from city and twn and 40 miles from nearest tesco/asda (big home delivery use), 20 miles from work (good cycle commute road or mtb), 15 miles from school (bus drop off), 1 mile from nearest farm (for sheep mower in garden)etc etc

yes remote. Love it.

I don’t want to be a negative Nellie, but the STW idea of remoteness seems to rely an awful lot on lots of other people not living in remote areas, those who bring you your shopping, those who provide your broadband, your electricity, your water supplies, your educational needs, your medical care, your fuel and so on.

Some folk obviously live a different way, but for the most part it seems that people just want a very big garden…

I am reminded of a friend who decided country living was for her. They bought a beautiful old converted barn, attached was a large garden and some outbuildings. On my first visit she was moaning about the noise of sheep in the field next door, also the dawn chorus.
They also hired a digger, deciding the next step was to have ducks. After a few days constructing a pond and filling it with tap water, she moaned that there weren’t any ducks. Oh well!
As townies though, the husband was happy buying all the sit on mower and other country machinery type things to play on.

Where’s sharki?