The reason there are lots of tourists, is because tourists want to come here. You seem to want somewhere remote, but will " tourists " want to go the this remote place in sufficient numbers to make a business viable? Good luck.
I think there are two problems here. Well three actually, but two regards to where you want to go.
Firstly you are going by the headlines and not by experience of the place. I live in Devon. I took my dog for an hour and a half long walk yesterday in Devon on August Bank Holiday and didn't see a single person or car close enough to speak to (did see a farmer in the distance on his quad). Devon is a big, wide place and the tourist areas are pretty much all round the edges. If you avoid the main roads and stay about 5 miles from the coast, it's entirely different. Cornwall is more tricky because it's so long and narrow and the infrastructure is limited. It's still peaceful away from the beaches, but harder to travel around during the tourist season without encountering traffic. Having said that, 'tourist season' is about 8 weeks in Summer when it's totally bonkers. The rest of the year it's somewhere between nice and quiet and totally desolate.
I've lived in Bath as well - full on all year round tourist destination. Also used to walk for miles with hardly a soul in sight. If you know a place, it's always easy to avoid the crowds. That will be true in Wales, in Norfolk, in the Cotswolds, in the Yorkshire Dales, the Peak District, the Mourne Mountains and Argyll and the isles.
Secondly if you avoid the tourist destinations you won't make as much money from your holiday lets so you need to compromise.
My nearest neighbour moved out from London. Ex Londoners are all over the countryside because people born in the countryside can't afford to live in it unless they've lived elsewhere for enough years to have made some money. The only numerous exception is farmers who own their land (as opposed to tenant farmers). You're worrying about a problem you'll rarely encounter. There are much larger concerns you should have than that the locals won't like you.
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
I think there are two problems here. Well three actually, but two regards to where you want to go.
Firstly you are going by the headlines and not by experience of the place. I live in Devon. I took my dog for an hour and a half long walk yesterday in Devon on August Bank Holiday and didn't see a single person or car close enough to speak to (did see a farmer in the distance on his quad). Devon is a big, wide place and the tourist areas are pretty much all round the edges. If you avoid the main roads and stay about 5 miles from the coast, it's entirely different. Cornwall is more tricky because it's so long and narrow and the infrastructure is limited. It's still peaceful away from the beaches, but harder to travel around during the tourist season without encountering traffic. Having said that, 'tourist season' is about 8 weeks in Summer when it's totally bonkers. The rest of the year it's somewhere between nice and quiet and totally desolate.
I've lived in Bath as well - full on all year round tourist destination. Also used to walk for miles with hardly a soul in sight. If you know a place, it's always easy to avoid the crowds. That will be true in Wales, in Norfolk, in the Cotswolds, in the Yorkshire Dales, the Peak District, the Mourne Mountains and Argyll and the isles.
Secondly if you avoid the tourist destinations you won't make as much money from your holiday lets so you need to compromise.
My nearest neighbour moved out from London. Ex Londoners are all over the countryside because people born in the countryside can't afford to live in it unless they've lived elsewhere for enough years to have made some money. The only numerous exception is farmers who own their land (as opposed to tenant farmers). You're worrying about a problem you'll rarely encounter. There are much larger concerns you should have than that the locals won't like you.
Wherever you choose, the pace of life will be slower than within the M25. Took me ages to get used to taking the time to say hello and ask how people were before launching into the business at hand, even just buying bread and croissants at the local baker or stamps at the PO.
If you really don't like people enough to observe these social niceties you're not exactly the best person to set up a people based business and I agree, being too remote will limit your appeal, especially if you want year round clients as they need to be able to get there and back without being stuck on snowbound or flooded roads and they'll want access to decent restaurants/pubs/places to see/things to do even on a romantic hideaway weekend.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
This is what I am worried about I am a cash buyer who just wants a permenant home and to make a living From That home yes i am going to be a cash buyer but that does not make me a bad person I do not want to be thought of as I know many weekenders are as pricing the locals out as I have been pushed out of my home myself and i know how it feels.
Good luck buying in Wales. I've tried to buy a few small holdings, first to view and offered the asking price only to be told they only take cash offers and all of them have gone as second homes to London buyers. Now the Severn bridge toll is planned to be scrapped the situation has only got worse. I wouldn't worry about the locals though as none of them are local anymore.
I don't mean to put you off personally with that advice, it's the second home buyers and the estate agents who are the problem in most areas. I've never known anyone from 'outside' getting grief around this way as long as they don't cause any.
Notable problems in my parents' very small village include 'investment buyers' who buy a house to improve and sell. We've had one that went out of his way to upset everyone in the village. I'm sure you're not like that though. The other problems tend to be the people who buy a house, immediately start ripping the gardens and fields apart before they understand the landscape and fitting very urban gates and fences. They've also had people move in and apply for caravan site permission without any regard for how this will effect the neighbours or the roads.
I'd be interested in how your holiday cottage plan works though. Barn conversions are expensive and would take a long time to pay for themselves. I've not seen any grants given out for that kind of thing for a while now and loans are hard to secure without any proven accounts and figures on how much use they will get etc. It's also very hard to rent one out while building work is being carried out on another adjacent barn if you plan to do it in phases. Location is absolutely critical for holiday lets too. If anything I'd choose my location based on how attractive it would be to guests if that was to be a large part of my imcome.
I've recently done work for a guy that rents out yurts on his small holding though and he's doing very well from that. He has a full time maintenance crew to keep on top of the place though.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
I wouldn't worry too much about not having enough uptake on holiday lets in remote areas. We have been holidaying on the Llyn Peninsula in a chalet which is very remote and they have quite a filled diary when we look at booking availability. They are on the books of a holiday agent though so are included in their brochure. I think remote areas with good walks and wildlife will attract like minded guests. The owners of the chalet have told us that they have seen a change over the last 10 years themselves though with regards to how people treat each other and endured an incident of crime (a gang from caernarfon had been driving round shooting and shot a ram they'd just bought straight through it's head) A lady who owns a little garden centre in a different Welsh town also commented on how it's changed in the last 10 years, at one point suffering aggressive abuse from tourists that made her not even want to go into work. It's a shame but there seems to be no total escape from the way things are no matter how remote, and I am very much like you nin, very much a hermit apart from family and love the non-materialistic things of life so I understand where you're coming from. I hope you achieve your aim as close as is possible.
My suggestion, as someone who's lived in rural East Anglia since it really was the back of beyond in the 1950s is to get to know an area first before you look for property.
One of the best ways to get an initial feel for a place is to read the local newspapers, find out what's going on ... good and bad ... if you're interested in Norfolk look at the Eastern Daily Press website regularly and see whether you feel drawn to a place or alienated by the problems you find being reported.
The cheaper properties in Norfolk are often on or near the coast. They are cheaper because the cliffs are crumbling into the sea and homes and land that were a mile from the clifftop are now on the brink. Also in some of the seaside towns there's a lot of deprivation and they can be used as dumping grounds for problem families etc and they're then targeted by drug dealers and unscrupulous landlords. Over in the west of the county places are cheaper there because there's poor infrastructure, limited employment possibilities and it's not as picturesque so few tourists want to go there ...
The lovely parts of Norfolk, and there are many, are much more expensive because they've been discovered by professionals who can afford to commute part of the week and work from home for the rest of the time. Some of these contribute to lively, vibrant and creative communities ... some don't. Again you need to get to know somewhere and get a feel for the place.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I had lived all my life in town and only escaped three years ago. Am only 9 miles from the town but it's the best thing I ever did. As others say choose wisely as living out of town takes time to get used to. No more shops around the corner( we have as moved into a small village) and will need a car for most things, so spend time visiting areas you like renting there as it might well take a year to find the right place to buy. Careful of areas around towns as most have building plans ( all our villages have plans for at least 200 more homes luckily not near here yet) and also think about what type of weather you want as West is wetter than Eastern England. Good luck.
I wouldn't worry too much about not having enough uptake on holiday lets in remote areas. We have been holidaying on the Llyn Peninsula in a chalet which is very remote and they have quite a filled diary when we look at booking availability. They are on the books of a holiday agent though so are included in their brochure. I think remote areas with good walks and wildlife will attract like minded guests. The owners of the chalet have told us that they have seen a change over the last 10 years themselves though with regards to how people treat each other and endured an incident of crime (a gang from caernarfon had been driving round shooting and shot a ram they'd just bought straight through it's head) A lady who owns a little garden centre in a different Welsh town also commented on how it's changed in the last 10 years, at one point suffering aggressive abuse from tourists that made her not even want to go into work. It's a shame but there seems to be no total escape from the way things are no matter how remote, and I am very much like you nin, very much a hermit apart from family and love the non-materialistic things of life so I understand where you're coming from. I hope you achieve your aim as close as is possible.
Thanks Karen really nice that someone understands holiday lets do not have to mean gangs of screaming kids at the beach but also can be for people who want remote and quiet. I know a lot of people many are teachers who just want to escape noise . I am a solo creature and want holiday lets for others like me and walkers, quiet sole vacations for this who's soles need some peace.
Posts
Good luck.
Firstly you are going by the headlines and not by experience of the place. I live in Devon. I took my dog for an hour and a half long walk yesterday in Devon on August Bank Holiday and didn't see a single person or car close enough to speak to (did see a farmer in the distance on his quad). Devon is a big, wide place and the tourist areas are pretty much all round the edges. If you avoid the main roads and stay about 5 miles from the coast, it's entirely different. Cornwall is more tricky because it's so long and narrow and the infrastructure is limited. It's still peaceful away from the beaches, but harder to travel around during the tourist season without encountering traffic. Having said that, 'tourist season' is about 8 weeks in Summer when it's totally bonkers. The rest of the year it's somewhere between nice and quiet and totally desolate.
I've lived in Bath as well - full on all year round tourist destination. Also used to walk for miles with hardly a soul in sight. If you know a place, it's always easy to avoid the crowds. That will be true in Wales, in Norfolk, in the Cotswolds, in the Yorkshire Dales, the Peak District, the Mourne Mountains and Argyll and the isles.
Secondly if you avoid the tourist destinations you won't make as much money from your holiday lets so you need to compromise.
My nearest neighbour moved out from London. Ex Londoners are all over the countryside because people born in the countryside can't afford to live in it unless they've lived elsewhere for enough years to have made some money. The only numerous exception is farmers who own their land (as opposed to tenant farmers). You're worrying about a problem you'll rarely encounter. There are much larger concerns you should have than that the locals won't like you.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
If you really don't like people enough to observe these social niceties you're not exactly the best person to set up a people based business and I agree, being too remote will limit your appeal, especially if you want year round clients as they need to be able to get there and back without being stuck on snowbound or flooded roads and they'll want access to decent restaurants/pubs/places to see/things to do even on a romantic hideaway weekend.
One of the best ways to get an initial feel for a place is to read the local newspapers, find out what's going on ... good and bad ... if you're interested in Norfolk look at the Eastern Daily Press website regularly and see whether you feel drawn to a place or alienated by the problems you find being reported.
The cheaper properties in Norfolk are often on or near the coast. They are cheaper because the cliffs are crumbling into the sea and homes and land that were a mile from the clifftop are now on the brink. Also in some of the seaside towns there's a lot of deprivation and they can be used as dumping grounds for problem families etc and they're then targeted by drug dealers and unscrupulous landlords. Over in the west of the county places are cheaper there because there's poor infrastructure, limited employment possibilities and it's not as picturesque so few tourists want to go there ...
The lovely parts of Norfolk, and there are many, are much more expensive because they've been discovered by professionals who can afford to commute part of the week and work from home for the rest of the time. Some of these contribute to lively, vibrant and creative communities ... some don't. Again you need to get to know somewhere and get a feel for the place.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.