Where are you going to move to?

For people who want to move to the country there are three major considerations from the start:

1. Where are you going to live? In what sort of place? How are you going to find it? How are you going to acquire it?

2. What are you going to do when you get there? How are you going to earn a living? How are you going to survive?

3. Who are you going to move with? Do you want a nuclear family, a loose-knit community, or a commune?

We have tried to cover all these questions in this Handbook and to begin with, we are going to consider how to decide where to live. The price of properties in any area will reflect their desirability in normal market terms, which depends on factors such as their accessibility, the amenity level of the area, services, the quality of the land and buildings, the climate, the landscape, and so forth. Some of the features that make a property or an area 'undesirable' in market terms may make it desirable from the point of view of a rural re-settler. One of these is remoteness and inaccessibility. Which is the best part of the country from this point of view? A quick glance at a map can give you a rough idea - obviously parts of Wales and the North are quite remote; equally obvious is that commuter areas round London, Birmingham and the larger conurbations will be 'desirable' and therefore pricey.

But a more detailed idea can be obtained by the following method:

Trace a map of the area that interests you, say the West Country. Mark in the centres of population, motorways and major dual carriageways as well as-main-line stations. Shade in the following:

a 50 mile circle around London.
a 30 mile circle around very large cities.
a 20 mile circle around large towns and popular seaside resorts.
a 10-15 mile circle around other towns and mainline stations.
a 5-10 mile band around the coast and along motorways and dual carriageways.

									Have a look at what's left and shade in any beauty spots, downs sloping to the south, National Parks, air fields or Army camps. Now you will have a map that is mostly shaded (in the South anyway) but has a few visible patches in between the shaded areas and this is where you are most likely to find cheap country properties.

If, however, you are looking for farmland or for a holding large enough to be judged on its farming potential value rather than on its residential value, then different criteria apply. Every farmer is greedy for land and in the remote areas of Hereford, for example, land changed hands in 1978 at prices of over £3,000 per acre, and the figure of £4,000 is now beginning to appear quite frequently. On the other hand, in parts of Suffolk second-grade land can be bought (early 1979) for less than £1,000 per acre, and land in the North can be cheaper still.

Of course, it is all very well to say that land is cheaper in Northumberland than it is in Hereford, but this raises the question of what you are going to use it for, and how dependent you are going to be on it and its produce. It's no good buying a bit of East Anglian fenland, however cheap, if you are hoping to depend on it for a substantial part of your income. The section "Looking for Land" gives an introduction to the problem of how to assess the potential value of land for your purpose.

If you are seriously thinking of setting up your own business you should consider whether it's worthwhile limiting your search to areas that qualify for assistance from the Government, the Development Commission or one of the Development Agencies. This subject is referred to under 'Work'. Another possibility is to look for the sort of property that does not attract buyers: for instance large houses often represent surprising bargains. For example, in a small village the old rectory, with 21 rooms, 2 bathrooms and 2 kitchens, 2 acres of land and large outbuildings, recently changed hands at £40,000 - a cost of £1,600 per room. At about the same time a cottage almost next door with 4 rooms, a kitchen and small bathroom, fetched £17,500, a cost per room of £3,500. Sharing the purchase of a large house has its problems, both legal and personal; the legal ones are dealt with under 'Legal Frameworks' and some indication of the variety of personal ones that arise can be gleaned in 'From Ideas to Practice'. There is also the possibility of planning difficulties - if a house is divided up into separate living units planning permission for change of use is required, and although this is usually granted, it may carry with it all kinds of restrictions and regulations. You will also be required to observe various fire regulations, whereas if the house is regarded as a family unit and not divided, fire precautions are recommended only and not mandatory. It is, however, worth taking the fire risk seriously, as large old houses are extremely vulnerable to fire, especially those that were refurbished in the.l8th and early 19th century.

District Councils vary quite a lot in their attitude and it is worthwhile to enquire locally from other similar groups to discover how strictly the planning laws are interpreted and enforced in the District you are considering.

There are also possibilities near urban areas. Some 'Urban fringe' areas may be 'undesirable' in market terms and may therefore appeal to some resettlers. In some districts, industrial Yorkshire, for example, the transition from town to country can be very interesting - if you are attracted to industrial landscape, the semi-industrial villages round Pontefract, Barnsley, Wakefield etc., are worth exploring. Lancashire also has similar areas. There are villages made derelict by the closure of pits and other semi-rural industries, for example in Durham. It's always worth looking at small Victorian railway towns and villages that have been passed by. Remember, it is the simplest thing in the world to stop and enquire of neighbours, local farmers, or anyone in the vicinity, about a property you have just found. Leaving your enquiries until you get home to the phone will never produce as much or even as reliable information. Youth hostels and WWOOF both provide a very convenient way of getting around the country.

Back in the city you can spend the winter evenings reading estate agents' lists and advertising columns. Publications worth consulting for property are:

Country Life, Daltons Weekly, Exchange and Mart, Farmers Weekly, Practical Self-Sufficiency, Resurgence, Undercurrents.

Some newsletters may also carry details of property far sale, for example: Communes Network, HDRA, Scrutiny and WWOOF.

Details of all these are given under the Periodicals and Organisations sections.

Local papers are an obvious source of ads. They can be obtained by ordering through your newsagent, arranging with a -local newsagent to send you copies, or by visiting Fleet Street, where many local papers have their London office.