@gilla.walmsley off grid doesn't mean going without but providing your own. A lot of land can have natural springs or a stream. Water purification equipment can be installed and you can provide your own electric via solar power. That is like I say, an extreme version of the lifestyle but you can adapt it to your own needs 😀
I think one of the things to bear in mind when going off grid is the management of an efficient composting toilet as we get older ... that's why being part of a community can be so good.
Just to say that there are places in the UK where space, and peace are affordable. My area, Scottish Borders, is one of them. Our garden is about 3 acres, and although we do have neighbours they are at some distance .... and they are nice! The area is not remote ... we are about 1.5 hours from Edinburgh, Newcastle, and Carlisle .... so we can easily get a "city fix" if we start missing the bright lights (we are originally from Liverpool).
There will be similar areas in other parts of the UK ... so if you are in a position to relocate then it might be worth considering.
Bee x
Gardener and beekeeper in beautiful Scottish Borders
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
Hi @gilla.walmsley, I know the dilemma you are experiencing, I like my quiet garden space and don't want to hear or experience anything beyond tolerable limits!
I last moved to get away from a neighbour with a penchant for lighting a bonfire at all times of the day and night, in all seasons, and having drinking parties around it! Plus they thought the space outside my house was a parking space for one of their three cars! The last straw was when they lit a fire very close to the house and two fire engines turned up! I had created a wonderful garden but, after seven years, I realised I was fighting a losing battle.
When I chose my current property, a detached ranch style house (bungalow!), I spoke to the neighbours on both sides and made observational visits during the day, evening and at weekends to discover any "nasties". I accepted that there was a family at the back but they were only doing normal things - not shouting or screaming (or lighting fires!).
Your neighbours aren't going to change - the adults have set the behaviour pattern for the children. I'd say sell now and don't make expensive additions to your garden, you can't block out such noise except with noise cancelling headphones! I know that when you move the neighbours will change and you could be faced with the same situation, or worse, but to reduce the risk, avoid a large open adjoining garden which will attract unruly families and do your research carefully, using the map/overhead feature on Rightmove and other sites to see if there are any sheds, trampolines, children's play areas, fire pits(!) near your possible quiet garden space.
Don't take yourself off to the wilderness, you will miss the amenities you have got used to and will feel vulnerable when the weather gets severe or there's another health or utility crisis! I wish you well in your search for a garden sanctuary!
Bee witched, funny that you mention that - my favourite place in the whole world is the South West of Scotland (around the Galloway coast). With this house move I actually seriously considered moving to Scotland, but panicked at the last moment at the thought of being on my own SO far away from my family (I'm down in Essex). My grandparents are Scottish so I've always felt a strong connection there.
Plantminded thank you, this is such helpful advice. My gut feeling is that you are right - nothing that I can do in the garden is really going to fix the problem and as I mentioned it's even so bad that I have to keep all the windows closed in the summer because they're so loud out there so it's not "just" in the garden. That's some really good advice on choosing my next property - I have definitely been eyeing everything on Street Move and the Satellite view closely. The trouble is in this part of the country we're all just packed in like sardines (unless you're very wealthy).
I'd be amazed if there's true quiet anywhere on this island anymore. We used to book a cottage in Snowdonia every year and it's at the end of a dead-end valley in the middle of nowhere. It's about as far from noise as you can find around here but we'd still get hours of the RAF flying jets around the hills, the rescue helicopter out on training runs, the rally running stages through the woods, dogs barking or someone chopping up a tree with a chainsaw. People seem to move to the countryside for the peace and quiet and then spend their weekends endlessly strimming or finding some other way to shatter the silence.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Plus they thought the space outside my house was a parking space for one of their three cars!
Unfortunately for you the space outside your house is a parking space for their car, or anybody else's car assuming it's taxed and insured and the space outside the house is a public highway. I know it can be annoying, but everybody has an equal right to park on the highway. My old neighbour used to get annoyed if anybody parked outside her house, despite the fact that she didn't drive and there was space for 3 cars on her drive.
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https://cat.org.uk/info-resources/free-information-service/water-and-sanitation/composting-toilets/
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Just to say that there are places in the UK where space, and peace are affordable.
My area, Scottish Borders, is one of them. Our garden is about 3 acres, and although we do have neighbours they are at some distance .... and they are nice!
The area is not remote ... we are about 1.5 hours from Edinburgh, Newcastle, and Carlisle .... so we can easily get a "city fix" if we start missing the bright lights (we are originally from Liverpool).
There will be similar areas in other parts of the UK ... so if you are in a position to relocate then it might be worth considering.
Bee x
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
I last moved to get away from a neighbour with a penchant for lighting a bonfire at all times of the day and night, in all seasons, and having drinking parties around it! Plus they thought the space outside my house was a parking space for one of their three cars! The last straw was when they lit a fire very close to the house and two fire engines turned up! I had created a wonderful garden but, after seven years, I realised I was fighting a losing battle.
When I chose my current property, a detached ranch style house (bungalow!), I spoke to the neighbours on both sides and made observational visits during the day, evening and at weekends to discover any "nasties". I accepted that there was a family at the back but they were only doing normal things - not shouting or screaming (or lighting fires!).
Your neighbours aren't going to change - the adults have set the behaviour pattern for the children. I'd say sell now and don't make expensive additions to your garden, you can't block out such noise except with noise cancelling headphones! I know that when you move the neighbours will change and you could be faced with the same situation, or worse, but to reduce the risk, avoid a large open adjoining garden which will attract unruly families and do your research carefully, using the map/overhead feature on Rightmove and other sites to see if there are any sheds, trampolines, children's play areas, fire pits(!) near your possible quiet garden space.
Don't take yourself off to the wilderness, you will miss the amenities you have got used to and will feel vulnerable when the weather gets severe or there's another health or utility crisis! I wish you well in your search for a garden sanctuary!
Plantminded thank you, this is such helpful advice. My gut feeling is that you are right - nothing that I can do in the garden is really going to fix the problem and as I mentioned it's even so bad that I have to keep all the windows closed in the summer because they're so loud out there so it's not "just" in the garden. That's some really good advice on choosing my next property - I have definitely been eyeing everything on Street Move and the Satellite view closely. The trouble is in this part of the country we're all just packed in like sardines (unless you're very wealthy).
Unfortunately for you the space outside your house is a parking space for their car, or anybody else's car assuming it's taxed and insured and the space outside the house is a public highway. I know it can be annoying, but everybody has an equal right to park on the highway. My old neighbour used to get annoyed if anybody parked outside her house, despite the fact that she didn't drive and there was space for 3 cars on her drive.