Omlet cube and run

[Torrin]

Am going through one of those "feel there should be more to life" times!

 

Would love a smallholding with some more chooks and other animals but the area I live is so expensive don't think I'll ever afford to buy land here. Looking on the net it looks like I'll only ever be able to afford what I want in Wales - no offence to the Welsh, just not sure I want to move that far from family and friends.

 

So I was wondering, others in my position - any one esle out there fancy a smallholding???? - or others who've done it, how far away would you be prepared to move to get what you want?

 

Incidentaly I have 4 children and a really close family - see cousins, grandparents, aunties etc frequently. Makes it so much harder.

[Janty]

I don't know is the answer really. My son has autism and we pay for private school so we couldn't move in the next few years. However, I would move to Wales in a jiffy if personal circumstances allowed. I love Wales and the people. I've always wanted to live there.

 

I'd go, if you could.

 

[Lesley]

We were very lucky to find one on our doorstep as we would have found it very difficult to move away from family.

 

We had considered France very seriously for a few years but it was family that kept us here. We did also look at Wales as you do get such good value for your money.

 

It is something you have to consider carefully - if you move away from family it isn't only distance that you have to think about. If you needed/wanted to visit family then you will need someone to care for your stock - the nature of smallholdings very often mean that you don't have close neighbours.. We now can't go to visit my mother and stepfather, who live 200 miles away, as a whole family as my grown up son is our farm sitter.

[bronze]

I would go if you can.

I would love to live in wales smallholding or not so it would be two dreams in one for me

 

only you really know what you're willing to compromise though

[Guest]

why not start small and work towards it? Do you grow fruit and veg in your garden? Have you got an allotment?

 

we have 5 chickens, a small corner of the garden dedicated to fruit and veg and an allotment, it gives you an idea of how much work is involved in potentially having a smallholding and it's a LOT of work! LOL

 

if you do all that already then all I can suggest is keep looking, maybe register with landshare. Another thing we do is look at local land auctions. Sometimes parcels of land come up quite cheaply and if you're prepared to 'self build' then it can be a lot cheaper than buying an established property or you could just buy some land near to you and keep your animals etc there and stay where you're living?

[BeckyBoo]

I'd love the smallholding thing, but it's family that's keeping me here too. So then I think, when my parents are gone maybe that will be a good time (morbid I know but Mum and I have already talked about it at her instigation! ) but by then my children will be older and I'd be reluctant to move them so maybe there's never a "right" time.

Ex and i went to Australia in search of a better life, MD was born there, but in the end, it was family that bought us back - the better standard of life was totally overshadowed by being so far away - sharing what you love with family is a HUGE consideration, and as Lesley says, animals are a complete tie. Even just chickens dog and rabbits and cat keeps me in this country and limited with holidays, never mind sheep, goats, pigs.

 

Only you can know really, could you maybe look not so far away but maybe not a complete smallholding? Maybe just somewhere with a much bigger garden, or potential to rent a bit of land? I don't know where you are, round here you'd have to be a millionaire to have anything much bigger than a postage stamp

Good luck, when I get "grass is greener" pangs, I "virtually" property hunt, normally middle France, that's my ultimate dream......one day.......

 

BeckyBoo

[Valkyrie]

I go on Rural Scene a lot - then get depressed, but it does give an idea of costings in different areas.

[Redwing]

As Beckyboo and Poet have both said maybe consider starting smaller scale?

 

I would love a smallholding but working full time prevents me from having the time to run one properly but I do have a 200ft garden where I grow veggies and have a greenhouse.

 

Last August we decided that we would like some sheep so approached the owner of a run down stable block and three acre field behind our house to see if we could rent it and he said we could. Eight months on the land is unrecognisable, we have fenced part of it and now have a paddock and a field rather than a big field, we've worked on the stables and had the grass topped a couple of times to get it in to better condition and its wonderful, we have three sheep and room for pigs (though havent taken the plunge) and still use less than half the land!

 

I can honestly say that once we are in the field relaxing with the chickens and sheep around us its absolute bliss and its worth every single penny of rent even in mid winter

 

So small scale small holding for us

[Torrin]

That sounds good Redwing.

 

I do have a couple of veggie patches and a greenhouse in the garden, and I've just taken on an allotment - although I wouldn't like anyone to see the state of it all at the moment! I know it would be hard work but as I'm lucky enough currently not to have to work, although as I have 4 children aged 8 and under I don't have masses of spare time, I think it would be manageable.

 

I think I'm going to get reading (just ordered a book on keeping pigs!) so that if we ever do take the plunge at least I'll have some idea, and look for land to rent or buy in my area.

 

At least until next time the bug gets me, then I too am back on Rural Scene and Uk Land and Farms

[Redwing]

That sounds like a plan

 

I found this book useful, its an American book so some of the information isnt that relevant but its good for helping you understand the needs of each of the main 'smallholding' animals

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Barnyard-Your-Backyard-Gail-Damerow/dp/1580174566/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271796961&sr=8-1

[bronze]

Hi Torrin

I'm the same , couple of veg patches and a greenhouse and have just taken on an allotment. My eldest (of four) has just turned 7.

I would love a smallholding but I just know I couldn't do that amount on my own. Would your other half be up for it because to be honest without their help I just don't think that there enough hours in a day however hard you work.

Just my pennyworth#

SO maybe just planning and dreaming (plus getting in practical experience) is the way to go for now

 

so one minute I say go, the next not

[craftyhunnypie]

We have decided 4 years time is right for us. Hubby is retiring then & we will sell off our business which is doing well. We are aiming for the Ceredigion area, but no where is out of bounds to us really. Hubby only has his sister left & we don't see that much of her. I've got my parents, but they are more interested in my sister - as she has given them what they always wanted... a grandchild. We have decided to put ourselves before others & do what we want for a change!

 

Emma.x

[missuscluck]

this is a long running topic of conversation at our house round and round in circles we go and never get much further.

 

In our case both our children are now at high school and doing very well thankyou and dont want to move, particularly my daughter who has made it quite plain she dosent want to go.

 

We are the same as you, cant afford something where we are, so would have to move areas.

 

We could move to something with a little bit more land but we really want a bit more than we can afford here and dont want to go half measures then still be wanting more. So, we have decided to hang on for a couple of years till they finish high school. We are in the same boat as craftyhunnypie and also would have a business to sell as well as our house which makes things all the more complex. Also we have 2 elderly mothers that need taking into account.

 

So we are still waiting. Dosent stop us from doing small scale self suficiancy though. We have got vegi's and chickens in the garden, an allotment, bees and we keep pigs and chickens for meat on land begged and borrowed wherever we can.

[Lewis]

I'd love a smallholding

 

We always go on about it, but see a lot of all our family and so couldn't move too far away. Parents work + I'll be going to uni so we wouldn't have the time (or money ) to do it yet.

 

Parentals have said in a few years when they retire they want to downsize the house and get a bit of land just for a more chickens and a few more animals, but still close so we can see family etc.

Don't know if it'll ever happen, but thats the plan as yet

[sunshinesupernova]

I managed to buy 10 acres of land not long after I moved down here from Scotland - so about 7 years ago (been here . We were renting a flat at the time paying for a grass let for the horses.

 

Whilst house hunting, we came across a field for sale. We went to go and see it - but there had been nothing in there for 10 years and it was overgrown with thistles to chest height. We got permission to scythe our way in ! We couldn't view the whole field as you simply couldn't get to it. The access was also down a track and we couldn't find the track according to the map ! The neighbours were adamant the access was not as on the map provided.

 

With some research and not going into a marathon story, it turned out the original access rights had been revoked - so there WAS no legal access despite the fact that we were told there was. Access was going to have to be granted via the wildlife trust who originally revoked.

 

Anyway - we made an offer based on access being granted which was accepted. A year later, the cash sale still hadn't been completed due to no access and the vendors were threatening to pull out.

 

I did a stupid thing (but it was my money !) and took the risk and completed. It took a further year to sort out legal access which is agricultural use only. Several years later, we've bought a semi about 4 miles away.

 

It's taken us until this year to get rid of the mountains of rubbish, bricks, old fencing etc left by the previous owner (who, it turns out) used to accept money to let others dump on the ground. The weeds are starting to come under control after a fashion. It's been a bit of a money pit - but it's worth FAR more than we paid for it and is a nice place to be.

 

Our 4 ponies and donkey live there with some chickens. We raised meat chickens for the first time last year - and have more this year. We've built a stable yard and bought a tractor for land maintenance. I've got a fenced off veggie growing area too - and this will be our third year of growing veg.

 

We could certainley never call it a small holding as such and live off it or make money from it - but it's already paid itself off as I'd have spent more money in grazing for the horses since I bought it than the value of the land !

 

To afford a house and land together is a dream that is at the best many years away - but it's nice to be able to go to the field and play with the ponies / donkey, grow veg, chill out and have a barbeque or kick a ball round the yard with my toddler.

 

IT was a very very lucky purchase in more ways than one !

[chickenanne]

I would seriously consider either trying to find land to rent which is near enough to work, or look at properties which don't come with land, but which are in areas where you are likley to be able to buy or rent land nearby. Could you downsize on property to free up cash for land without moving TOO far from your prefered area? Say within a couple hours or so of current location?