Thanks both! I grew up in Carmarthenshire and although its very beautiful I wouldn't live there again as there are so few jobs. Will check out the websites but think I'll be hard pressed to convince my o/h to move to Scotland (again.... woops). We are both in our early 30s and want to settle somewhere long term, just don't know where that somewhere should/could be. Maybe its all just a crazy dream.....
That last bit makes me think perhaps you are not yet fully committed ?? Or perhaps not both equally committed?
Taking on a smallholding is a major decision, something for which you need to be sure you are totally prepared. Was it working as part of a co-op which made your previous experience so miserable? I can fully appreciate that as I know my OH and I wouldn't last a day in that sort of set-up
We are far too opinionated and independent to live with others.
I think you would do well to take a breath and not rush headlong into such a major investment. Take the time to investigate the possibility of suitable locations and a suitable enterprise.
If you are both working then you are severely restricted in how much work you can actually do; could you get time off work for lambing; how would you cope with emergencies; how would you get the hens to bed in winter when you will be leaving for work before it gets light and getting home after dark; and so on. Then you need to decide if you can bring yourself to kill a sick chicken, or a meat bird, take the pigs and sheep for slaughter yourself, decide an animal should be put to sleep and take it to the vet to get that done. How would you divide the work between you - because one partner feeling they do all the work while the other swans around can lead to real strife. This brings us on to the question of children - having children affects the whole dynamic of life on a smallholding, mostly for the better but it does have its downside too, so that's something else to think about.
I'm not trying to put you off but I would hate to think you were coming into smallholding for idealistic reasons without realising what a hard slog it really is.
I'm a bit worried too that you are looking at a certain size of holding because that's how much you have to invest. Perhaps thinking about the points above first will help you to decide that perhaps you really only need a couple of acres, which you could afford somewhere well suited to your jobs, rather than going for the most acreage you can buy but somewhere so obscure there are no jobs so you can't afford to live.
Topic: Is there anywhere out there?? (Read 6194 times)
