Why 2025 Is the Year to Embrace Country Living

There’s a shift in the air. Not just the seasonal one that has the hedgerows bursting into life and the lambs springing through fields — but something more subtle, more cultural. It’s a quiet yearning that many of us are feeling: the desire to slow down, breathe deeper, and reconnect with something more real.

For many, that means looking beyond the city skyline and turning instead to the green folds of the British countryside. In 2025, country living isn’t a retreat—it’s a return. A return to community, to nature, and to ourselves.

For me, that shift became personal when I made the move from living on a housing estate to a riverside village tucked into a lesser-known stretch of the Thames. The difference was immediate and undeniable: better sleep, stronger friendships, and a renewed sense of belonging. There’s something about a slower pace of life that allows you to catch up with yourself—and 2025 is the perfect moment to make that catch-up count.

A Natural Antidote to Modern Life

With the cost of city living continuing to climb and remote working more embedded than ever, many are asking: why stay put? The countryside offers space—not just physically, but mentally. There’s a clarity that comes with seeing the sky properly or hearing birdsong as you open your back door.

Country properties remain, in many areas, significantly more affordable than their urban counterparts. Sadly not in my neck of the woods! However, you often get more land, more charm, and far more personality for your pound. But beyond the economics, it’s the lifestyle that’s priceless.

Gone are the late-night corner shops and Deliveroo drop-offs, yes—but in their place come the hum of bees in the lavender, the sound of the river, the slow joy of pottering to a village pub, and the ritual of popping into the village shop where they remember your name and ask how the dog is.

A Different Kind of Richness

Wellbeing isn’t just a wellness buzzword here. It’s baked into daily life. You move more without even trying — walking the dog or a stroll to the village. The air is cleaner, the skies darker, the nights quieter. The pressure to be constantly ‘on’, which I always felt before, begins to fall away.

And while rural living certainly has its challenges — you’ll need to plan ahead, get used to odd opening hours, and accept that broadband might not match fibre-city speeds, and you may be cut off by flooding or fallen trees— the rewards far outweigh them.

There’s also a distinct sense of purpose that comes with living more locally. Whether it’s joining the village panto, helping out at the fête, or simply stopping for a chat over the garden fence, the countryside reminds us that we are part of something. We are not just consumers—we are neighbours, custodians, contributors.

Work Where You Live (Not the Other Way Round)

One of the big enablers in 2025 is the continued evolution of remote and hybrid work. What was once a novelty is now the norm, and with more rural areas benefiting from improved connectivity, it’s increasingly possible to work from the middle of nowhere—without disappearing off the map.

Many of us now have the freedom to prioritise quality of life over commute times or postcode prestige. It’s no longer indulgent to want a home office with a view of the river or fields from the window. It’s smart. And perhaps overdue.

A Word to the Hesitant about Country Living in 2025

If you’re thinking about making the move, take your time—but take it seriously. Spend time in the places you’re drawn to, not just at the weekend but on a drizzly Tuesday. Talk to people. Walk the footpaths. Sit in the local café or pub and notice how it feels.

Whether you’re longing for the scent of cut hay on the breeze, the sound of hens (or quails in my case) and your own eggs in the morning, or simply more time to watch the seasons roll gently on, now is the time.

Because country living isn’t just a lifestyle—it’s a way of coming home to yourself.