[smallholder in the city]

We're planning on moving out of London and buying our smallholding in the next 12-18months and Cambridgeshire is our most likely spot, mainly because it's affordable and I can commute to my job in London. Over the past few weeks I've been hearing a fair bit of negative opinions about rural Cambridgeshire. Mainly along the lines of ''they'll never accept you, it'll be really difficult to fit in'' We're planning on being about 10-20 miles from Peterborough, Ely, Cambridge or Whittlesey (for the trains). Are there any TAS members around the Cambridgeshire area who could let me know what it's like moving into a rural community in Cambridgeshire? We're not native /city bonus type Londoners , I'm from rural South Wales and my husband is from Stoke, (originally from a farming family whose farm was compulsorily purchased by the council.) 

Any experiences from those not in Cambridgeshire who've made the move to a rural community would be helpful too. 

[Fleecewife]

Although I live in Scotland now I was born in the Fens and grew up in rural Norfolk, with family there and in Cambridge still.  We always joked that we were never accepted when we moved to Norfolk (not a great distance), but in fact once someone else moves into the area you are no longer the newcomer and slowly shuffle up the line.  I don't think Cambridgeshire is any better or any worse than any other rural area.  Your neighbours are all individuals and will be friendly or otherwise just as in town.  Scotland is a bit more friendly than England in general and we have settled in here more quickly than my family did in Norfolk, but we have tried harder too.
One thing we didn't expect here is that everyone seems to be related, if only distantly, to everyone else.  Something else is the grape vine - in town (where we had to live for a few years), the neighbours who know/speak about you live in houses up to perhaps 3 or 4 streets away, but round here people up to maybe 20 miles around have heard what you are doing almost before you know it yourself  . The numbers of people involved are probably fairly similar, they are just spread out over a much greater area.   Everyone has binoculars, ostensibly to see what's going on in their fields from the kitchen window, but of course they are useful to see what everyone else is doing too - mostly in a nice way  and it can help if you get into any trouble.
If you move into your new home with the view that you will be acquiring new friends as well as new neighbours, you won't go wrong. Particularly around Peterborough, I don't think there can be many 'locals' left as the area has been filled already with people from London.

[smallholder in the city]

Thanks Fleecewife I feel a bit more reassured now. Growing up in Wales I'm used to the everyone knowing what's going on in your life, even now when I go back the whole town seems to know what's happening with me in London ( I'm sure there are secret spies)  . If we didn't need to think about work I'd quite fancy Scotland but the husband has a strange aversion to living anywhere further north than Stoke. 

[Fleecewife]

Oh well, Scotland has hospitals too, even quite good ones, so you could work here.  Climate and weather are another matter  .  If you are used to the dry south with four seasons including one for growing, Scotland can be a bit of a surprise, even compared to Wales.  Mostly there are plenty of plus points but just occasionally, like this year, the weather does get me down.  The sun was shining wonderfully today though so I won't moan.  I'm sure you'll fit right in when you find your new home - it's always weird at first when you move in and you can't believe that this whole place actually belongs to you, but it's a great feeling to know it does    Good luck in your search.