COUNTRY LIFE

Moving to the countryside has been absolutely the right decision for my family, although it did take us some time to feel ready.

My husband and I had lived in London since we were in our twenties, and we spent the best part of the last two decades in Chelsea. We loved our life in London and having everything on our doorstep, but I knew I didn’t want my children in London schools as they got older.

Gloucestershire had been our weekend home for the last 12 years, so we knew the area well, and we were lucky enough to have a few friends who had also moved out of London in the same direction. It meant our transition between town and country was a lot smoother, as we switched from weeks in London and weekends in the country, to full-time be bleak), and I’d also recommend joining a few fitness classes with other mums, getting stuck into the school community or working with a charity. I started volunteering with the National Foundation for Retired Service Animals which has helped me build my life here as well as giving my family what they need.

When considering country prep schools, we knew we wanted Tabitha to go to Beaudesert. We had friends with children there and knew it was the place for us, but we didn’t realise how amazing it was until we joined.

The space is unparalleled. Both my children loved their London school while they were younger, but it was just one building with no playground or outdoor space. Whenever they played sports, they had a 15-minute walk or a coach journey to local country living. After lockdown – and with my eldest moving to Marlborough College – I lost the love for London life.

Moving full-time to the countryside is very different to spending the weekend here; when you are visiting, you can dip into the country lifestyle of roaring fires and village pubs. When you are here full-time, all the everyday chores still need to be done and the mud…there is so much mud!

We also found it extremely difficult to find a house here. Over a year on from our move, and after three years of searching, we are only just completing on a property – although, it was definitely worth the wait.

If you are considering escaping to the country (this term makes me laugh as it really is ‘freeing’), I would recommend going slowly. It can be a bit of a culture shock and you might find you aren’t ready to leave the city permanently; my husband is still hanging on to London by his fingernails!

It’s definitely worth renting in an area first, and make sure you have something to anchor yourself to, whether that’s family, friends or a school you know you want to join. Think about the time of year you are moving in (doing the school run in the darkest depths of January and February can facilities. It was a happy school, but I knew they would outgrow it.

Beaudesert has acres of space, with so much land for the children to run around in and climb trees! It has so many more facilities for the children to enjoy: science labs, cricket pitches, art studios, AstroTurf for hockey, tennis and football and a performing arts centre, to name a few.

For us as a family, the move has been the best thing. Tabitha has excelled. She spends much less time on a screen than she would have done in London, and instead she is out in our garden (yes, we have a garden now!), or at school, building a den in the trees or constructing a mud oven with her friends at break time.

We are both riding again, which is a wonderful bonding experience for us. She loves her sport so much more and is playing with and against children of a higher calibre, purely because they do so much more of it out here!

I would recommend the move to anyone. Instead of crowded streets and busy commutes, two deer crossed in front of my car this morning as I was doing the school run. You can’t get more quintessential than that! Make sure you are ready for the move but do it and enjoy!