[country soul]

my current employment contract is coming to an end and I'm considering my next move which may be geographical as well as work related.
I  long thought of moving and have always liked Wales as a holiday destination,but moving there?
I have looked at small holdings in Pembs /Carms on the net and it looks like I'd get more for my money than the 7 acres I currently have.
Has anyone made such a move and what were your experiences, for instance did you find a sense of community  conducive to smallholding.
Any thoughts welcome

[Backinwellies]

Hope you get positive responses .... I am moving into smallholding in Carmathenshire in early Jan!

Linda

[Small Farmer]

Do you speak Welsh?  It's not the practicalities of day-to-day communication but the fact that many jobs in local government and education want Welsh speakers which could be limiting if you or partner needs a "proper" job.

I've been visiting relatives in Pembs for over 30 years and have a lot of friends there.  People are very friendly and hugely helpful though it is said that Welsh doesnt have a word that expresses the urgency of the spanish manăna!

But it is very remote.  It's more than 4 hours drive from London and longer to Manchester.  The intercity trains stop at Swansea and the local lines are slow.  There is no airport nearer than Cardiff.  The main roads are dramatically better than they were but its slow after St Clears.  But my bigger concern is the local economy.  Pembrokeshire was one of the last places to see huge house price inflation as English incomers saw the county as cheap.  I think 2012 was a worse year for tourism than 2011, so there's a lot less money about.

There's now a vast amount of houses for sale judging by the estate agent boards. I think prices have dropped but it still seems expensive to me compared to the North of England or the South-west.

[mab]

Well I only moved here (Carms) at the end of March (from E. anglia, & like you 'cos I could get more for my limited budget).

I still don't know many people, but so far I've found folks very welcoming, and my farmer neighbour is always very helpful. I've joined the local veg growing circle (as I'm an absolute beginner) and they're very good.

Come to think of it most of the neighbours and people I've met are incomers too - I still don't know many welsh people.

The worst experience I've had is the weather - and the locals assure me that it's not usually this wet.

[in the hills]

 


Nearly 4 years since we moved here .... Powys.  Live in a small, scattered rural hamlet.  Four miles from the nearest village. I can't say whether it is the same everywhere in Wales but the sense of community here is really special. My "neighbours" are all that live in a 5 mile radius. Everyone knows everyone .... most are related    and we all help each other as much as we can. We were totally welcomed here and although visitors talk about us being "isolated" it is not the case at all. In the town, neighbours hardly managed a smile and wave at each other, let alone being willing to help each other. Here, we are never alone. If we are snowed in we all ring each other and check we have food, collect post, shop for each other etc. and the same if anyone is ill. Christmas is a time for a little party and giving gifts, usually hand-made. We could not believe how different life is here and would never return to the town. I think it's maybe like going back in time to how you imagine communities used to be.

[size=78%] Welsh language not a problem where we live though some of my neighbours are first language speakers. Neighbours told my children they must think of themselves as Welsh now and same has been said to us .... "You can't say now that you are not Welsh".[/size]

[size=78%]Pace of life is slower and yes nothing gets done in a hurry. You may think that people have forgotten but they do turn up albeit a year later [/size] .


Do it  !!!!!!!

[lachlanandmarcus]

I agree inthehills, (tho I am in Scotland). People say - how can you live up on the hill with no visible neighbours, and I say, well my neighbours are just round the hill and unlike in the city, I know them, I trust them and we know we would be able to ask each other for any help we needed.
And in the shop, it may take a little while to get to the front of the queue cos of the chatting, but when you do, it will be your turn for a chat!
I reckon the combination of a 1950s community spirit and 2012 communication technology to make life easier is pretty hard to beat!
I also love the 'old boys' I have met, who love their vintage machinery and whatever question you have, they always know of someone (usually another lovely old boy) who can solve it (need a ram, need some small bale straw whatever it is - they are worth their weight in gold!)

[Blinkers]

"Probably the Best Country in the World".....is what it says on the front of my T-shirt....and it is  .  We moved here (Pembs/Carms border) nearly 5 years ago and its just beautiful.   People are friendly and helpful, stunning scenery and a wonderful much slower pace of life in general.  Everyone has time for you and even people you've never met before will chat to you like old friends even if you're just waiting in a queue in the Post Office.   We've never even been back over that bridge  .

[henchard]

We moved to Carmarthenshire 2 years ago and love it.

We live in a fabulous secluded valley but only 15 miles from the end of the M4 so we actually think road communication is pretty good.

see a page from our blog about our valley here

http://lizburton.co.uk/wordpress/everyday-stuff/a-glorious-evening-in-may/

As someone else has pointed out it is quite a Welsh speaking area and you will require it for many jobs.

How you get on in any community is down to how you treat other people and interact. If you're ever house hunting/looking feel free to drop in to ask any questions.

[Mel Rice]

All the above comments could apply to our village....except for the Welsh laguage substitute German.
The big advatage of here is that properties start in the HUNDREDS , most are in the THOUSANDS but hardly any (except the ewly renovated or new) in the hundred thousands.
living costs are cheap too, the roads are great. 2/3 hours to Prague/Berlin. 12 hours to Calais. (empty m-way this side too)

[Bionic]

We moved to Carmarthenshire last Feb and apart from the weather I love it. Its been very wet and even though its known for the rain here the locals say this year has been very unusual.
We moved from the Dorset/Hants borders because we couldn't afford land where we were. Luckily neither of us need to work these days which is just as well as I wouldn't fancy my chances against the Welsh speakers. I guess it might depend on what you do. There seems to be plenty of work for carpenters/builders/electricians etc
Old friends who have visited think we are very remote and in terms of where we used to live I agree with them but I wouldn't want to go back. The clean air, fantastic views amd the chance to have a bit of land are worth it.
Sally
As lachlanandmarcus has said because of 2012 communication you don't feel cut off. We have reliable internet and I do a lot of shopping on line, both weekly groceries and anything else. Its just as cheap to have things delivered as it is to use the car.

[MAK]

2012 communication -  "you don't feel cut off".
We live in a very isolated area too and English is not the local language - it would be easy to watch UK TV or listen to the radio and live in a bit of a bubble. Even this forum means for example that I know more about the UK weather than my own. Our TV is set up to watch BBC Look East news so our bubble has floated 600 km
I try and make sure I read the local news etc but 2012 communication may have it's pros and cons when living in Wales, Germany or France.     

[tizaala]

After almost 4 years we can safely say we are part of the community, all our neighbours are helpful and friendly , and will help you when you need them , for instance two days ago found I had a flat tyre on the car so I called in on one of our neighbouring farms and he dropped what he was doing ,got his compressor out and got me fixed, another one will say " we hope you're coming to the quiznight ,we've got you tickets"  ( so you have no choice in the matter)
As the others have said, this year has been wet , when the sunshines splitting the stones it's lovely....Go for it.

[FiB]

After almost 4 years we can safely say we are part of the community, all our neighbours are helpful and friendly , and will help you when you need them , for instance two days ago found I had a flat tyre on the car so I called in on one of our neighbouring farms and he dropped what he was doing ,got his compressor out and got me fixed, another one will say " we hope you're coming to the quiznight ,we've got you tickets"  ( so you have no choice in the matter)
As the others have said, this year has been wet , when the sunshines splitting the stones it's lovely....Go for it.

what tizz said!!!       The ONLY fly in the ointment is work (finding it). Many families round here are either retired, or 1 works away (as my OH does).  The reason Pembrokshire is relatively cheap I think is that its pretty poor commuting territory to any major work centre (city).  We chose N wales because at a push we have Brum, Liverpool and Manchester possible.  Sort some work first Id say then go for for it - Wales is ALL nice!!!

[kumquat]

Do it..... Do it....


For all of the reasons mentioned above. We are in North Wales as most of our family are in the north west.


The sense of community is brilliant, when we moved in within 24hours we had batch of scones, gooseberry crumble, rhubarb crumble (all homemade) and an invite to the pub to meet everyone.....

[country soul]

Thanks everyone for the positive replies,all very encouraging.
Its certainly food for thought,as a few of you have mentioned work is an issue.We would both like some sort of work but only part time and it need not be high flying.It would be as much about  meeting people  as earning money.
We would have a healthy budget and may consider buying some where with holiday lets etc.
I am very happy to  be remote but my partner does like to shop now and then so that would be another consideration.Your comments are all very inspiring .