Recently I heard from a lady who had made an enforced move from the heart of the country to a market town. Like me she is a country girl at heart and had found the whole process somewhat stressful. The decision wasn’t really hers. It was to allow her husband an easier commute to work, to find more affordable property and for the sake of her growing children who wanted to be where the action was. I sympathised………having been in a similar position a few years ago. It made me think about the way I advise clients who come to me yearning for the country life but who may not be prepared for the reality. For downshifters in particular it’s important to identify the reasons behind a desire to move to the country. Clients almost always mention living a simpler life, consuming less and a sense of community among their reasons. Many of these can be served equally well (if not better) in a market town rather than at the bottom of a muddy lane. So I thought I’d give you ten reasons why moving to a market town may be a very good thing.
- Market towns were the ancient hubs of rural life and many occupy a beautiful setting, close to a river or perched on a hill. If you want to live in a pretty place, look no further.
- Inevitably market towns have developed and expanded over time and often as a result of one particular trade. In the case of my own town of Bradford on Avon it was the cloth trade. As a result there is a greater variety of period housing from large merchant’s villas to artisan’s cottages. On the whole you get more choice for your money than you would buying in a village.
- Usually they are well served by specialist shops and markets - and you can walk there. How great is that?
- Your children can get to a good school, take part in any number of extra-curricular activities and see their friends without you spending your life in the car.
- Not only are market towns full of numerous opportunities to take part in leisure activities, you’ll have the time to do them because you won’t be commuting for hours every week.
- Public transport links are usually good so getting anywhere is easier.
- Many market towns still have a great sense of community so if this is important to you, don’t worry that you’ll become anonymous once you’re surrounded by larger numbers.
- You may not be in the middle of a field but you are still close to countryside. My walk to the shops is through a wood two minutes away from my front door and in fifteen minutes I can be in splendid isolation.
- You’ll be surrounded by a sense of history.
- Most facilities are easily accessible - doctor, vet, dentist - which is great, however old you are and really cuts down on stress.
Of course every market town has its own distinctive character. Some have been eroded by ill-considered development or the town centre may resemble that of any number of others but there are still hundreds of gems out there. My friend has settled rather well to town life. As she says herself “we may like to think that our heart resides in the country. It doesn’t mean that our body has to accompany it”.
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