Best value/cheapest part of the country to buy land...?

marmalade76

marmalade76

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...for equestrian use or houses with equestrian facilities?

Just musing really. I live in Gloucestershire, near Cheltenham. House prices are really high and no one wants to sell land other than for building. Developers are approaching land owners who are not even trying to sell. They're building round here like nobodies business and it seems even greenbelt is not safe. There won't be any livery yards eventually, either.

So, where can you go to buy an affordable patch of ground to keep some ponies on or a house with a paddock without having to compete with developers?
 
Parts of Scotland, especially in the Borders and the North (more rural areas), but this is probably because there is a lack of employment in the immediate vicinity.
 
Wales is really cheap in comparison to the rest of the south of the UK for buying houses with land, and as long as you are in the right location the hacking is phenomenal
 
Throwing in another vote for Northumberland. Tons of public bridleways, Northumberland National Park, Kielder, North Pennines or the Cheviots, and some of the best beaches in the country. Blasting along the length of Druridge Bay early in the morning gets rid of the cobwebs.
 
I feel your pain Marmalade76 we are closer to Cirencester, previously Bourton and looked for years for a small bit of land to buy. The last one we were serious about was only about 5 acres and sold for £125,000
We have all but given up! I keep seeing affordable little properties with adjacent land elsewhere for much more realistic prices but we are pretty tied here with o/h job and family.
 
Around the Moray Firth in the north of Scotland. Low rainfall, moderate population, decent towns, fewer midges, cheap land, local airport...more hacking than you could ever want.

I'd guess my own place with about 34 acres and a tiny house almost at sea level would be worth around £300,000 to include plenty of land to build a bigger house and leave this one as a granny flat. Two miles from a decent sized town, 40 miles from Inverness, good roads and rail links... I'm beginning to sound like an advertisement!

But then where would I move to? I did have someone knock on the door and ask how much, but the question remains. They actually burst into tears when I said I wouldn't sell. Made me feel quite guilty!
 
Northumberland is great but not cheap universally. Round here it's pretty expensive (Hexham). We are thinking of eventually moving to the Cumbria border, or back to Wales. More value for money imo.
 
Dry Rot said:
Around the Moray Firth in the north of Scotland. Low rainfall, moderate population, decent towns, fewer midges, cheap land, local airport...more hacking than you could ever want.

I'd guess my own place with about 34 acres and a tiny house almost at sea level would be worth around £300,000 to include plenty of land to build a bigger house and leave this one as a granny flat. Two miles from a decent sized town, 40 miles from Inverness, good roads and rail links... I'm beginning to sound like an advertisement!

But then where would I move to? I did have someone knock on the door and ask how much, but the question remains. They actually burst into tears when I said I wouldn't sell. Made me feel quite guilty!
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Ooh! Swap you? :D
I got offered £250,000 for my just under 5 acre yard & paddocks, mains water, no electric or domestic accom (none and will never get planning for living there), 5* fences & 5 stables, shelters in most paddocks, only last month.
30 mins drive central london (if motorway/A roads not crawling lol)
 
The Fuzzy Furry said:
Ooh! Swap you? :D
I got offered £250,000 for my just under 5 acre yard & paddocks, mains water, no electric or domestic accom (none and will never get planning for living there), 5* fences & 5 stables, shelters in most paddocks, only last month.
30 mins drive central london (if motorway/A roads not crawling lol)
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When I leave here, I'll be looking for a pokey terrace house in a back street somewhere! I've seen the price of houses down south! :( Ideally, I'll stay in this house and let the land... No, I don't think I fancy 30 minutes from London either!
 
Depends if you are asking about England or the UK? If UK then I'd suggest a lot Scotland is pretty cheap compared to down south :) Its £3k-£5k an acre roughly up here. Other big plus point is far less traffic on our roads and the fact we are allowed to ride anywhere we like :)
 
Not Cheshire! My native Lincolnshire is reasonably cheap, and has some lovely areas. Getting around can be a PITA because of poor road links, though there are lots of lovely straight Roman roads, but no motorways (apart from a tiny stretch of the M17 I think it is to Hull).
 
I saw a really lovely place in Cornwall just over 3 acres had a small stream on part of it, it had permission for 28 days camping without permission needed and with electric cables over it the estate agents thought getting a supply would be easy...marketed at 45k...
 
Was looking for some land too and found a very tiny house which is terraced with 4 acres on south Oxon/south bucks border it was a lot of money I suppose and needs a huge amount of work! But still in high employment area. Lucky but a lot of money for what it is

edited to add that I am not sure how many people this type of place would suit?
 
I'm in Lincolnshire just north of Lincoln not far from wolds. much prettier than flat south Lincs . Decent road links to a1 / m62 green and woody not flat and featureless . You can get an ok house with land for less than £350000 . Nice hacking around me and not far from Lincoln city which is beautiful . I feel lucky !!!!
 
Thanks for all the replies, all rather interesting!

WorkingGSD said:
Parts of Scotland, especially in the Borders and the North (more rural areas), but this is probably because there is a lack of employment in the immediate vicinity.
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If you could manage to move without a mortgage you could afford to be a bit less fussy when it comes to employment.

fattylumpkin said:
Throwing in another vote for Northumberland. Tons of public bridleways, Northumberland National Park, Kielder, North Pennines or the Cheviots, and some of the best beaches in the country. Blasting along the length of Druridge Bay early in the morning gets rid of the cobwebs.
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Sounds absolutely lovely :)

poiuytrewq said:
I feel your pain Marmalade76 we are closer to Cirencester, previously Bourton and looked for years for a small bit of land to buy. The last one we were serious about was only about 5 acres and sold for £125,000
We have all but given up! I keep seeing affordable little properties with adjacent land elsewhere for much more realistic prices but we are pretty tied here with o/h job and family.
Click to expand...

It really is ridiculous round here. Born here and lived here the majority of my life but it's changed way too much now, I don't like it anymore. Way too many folks about and way too much traffic. The world and his wife seem to what to come and live here! The yard my ponies are on ATM has had a building option sold on it. The YO hadn't even thought of selling but she was approached by developers and due to her age and the fact that her daughter now lives abroad she took it, that will be another yard gone and I have a feeling there just won't be much in the way of livery available in ten/twenty years time. A friend of mine is trying to find somewhere to buy 'cause the place her ponies are at is on the market but can't find anything that doesn't flood despite a reasonable budget. Also stuck here by OH's work, for the time being at least :(

Dry Rot said:
Around the Moray Firth in the north of Scotland. Low rainfall, moderate population, decent towns, fewer midges, cheap land, local airport...more hacking than you could ever want.

I'd guess my own place with about 34 acres and a tiny house almost at sea level would be worth around £300,000 to include plenty of land to build a bigger house and leave this one as a granny flat. Two miles from a decent sized town, 40 miles from Inverness, good roads and rail links... I'm beginning to sound like an advertisement!

But then where would I move to? I did have someone knock on the door and ask how much, but the question remains. They actually burst into tears when I said I wouldn't sell. Made me feel quite guilty!
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Sounds fab - keep it!

spacefaer said:
Ssh! Don't tell everyone!

There's 7 acres with a very useful modern barn for sale in the next village. All services, flat land and road access for 70k.

Might be planning available in the future. .....
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Sounds perfect!

Magicmadge said:
I'm in Lincolnshire just north of Lincoln not far from wolds. much prettier than flat south Lincs . Decent road links to a1 / m62 green and woody not flat and featureless . You can get an ok house with land for less than £350000 . Nice hacking around me and not far from Lincoln city which is beautiful . I feel lucky !!!!
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Didn't know there were nicer, non flat parts of Lincs, cheers.
 
jhoward said:
I saw a really lovely place in Cornwall just over 3 acres had a small stream on part of it, it had permission for 28 days camping without permission needed and with electric cables over it the estate agents thought getting a supply would be easy...marketed at 45k...
Click to expand...

We love Cornwall, were down there a couple of weeks ago for our hols.
 
marmalade76 said:
Thanks for all the replies, all rather interesting!



If you could manage to move without a mortgage you could afford to be a bit less fussy when it comes to employment.



Sounds absolutely lovely :)



It really is ridiculous round here. Born here and lived here the majority of my life but it's changed way too much now, I don't like it anymore. Way too many folks about and way too much traffic. The world and his wife seem to what to come and live here! The yard my ponies are on ATM has had a building option sold on it. The YO hadn't even thought of selling but she was approached by developers and due to her age and the fact that her daughter now lives abroad she took it, that will be another yard gone and I have a feeling there just won't be much in the way of livery available in ten/twenty years time. A friend of mine is trying to find somewhere to buy 'cause the place her ponies are at is on the market but can't find anything that doesn't flood despite a reasonable budget. Also stuck here by OH's work, for the time being at least :(



Sounds fab - keep it!



Sounds perfect!



Didn't know there were nicer, non flat parts of Lincs, cheers.
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The Lincolnshire Wolds are lovely, rolling landscape and not far from the sea. Its just not a very good place to commute into London the last time we looked, or I would be very tempted.
 
By the coast no for comuting, I went to London the other day for the weekend , left home at 7 am from 10 miles north of Lincoln got to Newark, driving , for 7.35 train for London 8 in kings cross 9.30 . It's so lovely here. Rural living you expect inconveniences but I'm in Lincoln (small city ) in 15 mins and on A1 in 1/2 hour . Hidden gem !!!!
 
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marmalade76 - I'm loving Shropshire. I was brought up in the Cotswolds, went to college in Cirencester - I love the country, but I just can't cope with the number of people/cars and the cost of everything!

Moved to Shropshire 5 years ago and it's fab - the pace of life is slower, there is more of a connection to rural/agricultural life, fewer cars, fewer people.... amazing countryside - we're between the Long Mynd and the Severn Plain, so plenty of hills and flat land.... no complaints at all!
 
I know of a place in Yorkshire coming up. Large family house in a lovely village and land is 5 mins away. 10 acres of good land and great hacking. Super place for someone who needs to think outside the box in terms of cost as if it were joined together it would be double the price.
 
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