Escape to the country?

By Emma Goodwin, Account Director

Full disclosure: I can’t wait to move out of London. I am desperate to desert my Herne Hill flat for the rolling hills of the Home Counties. I’m a true country bumpkin at heart, and despite having lived in the capital for the last six years, I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with city living – something the pandemic has only served to exacerbate. 

It looks like I’m not the only one feeling this way. Since the property market reopened in mid-May, we’ve all read the endless swathes of headlines on how London’s residents are set to move out to the country en masse. 

Research and data from the industry seem to support the idea of the great London exodus. Rightmove reported a marked rise in Londoners searching for country homes, while research from Savills shows that as a result of the pandemic, almost four-in-ten people currently considering a house move are now more inclined to explore a countryside location. 

It does make sense. We’ve all recently spent more time at home than ever before, so it stands to reason that many are reassessing just how suitable their property is for them, especially with the potential for more flexible home working long-term. Arguably, nowhere has felt this dilemma as acutely as London, with its abundance of smaller-than-average flats and cramped house shares with little or no outside space. 

Having spent the majority of lockdown hunkered down in the Sussex countryside at my parent’s house – something that only reinforced my desire to move out of London - returning to the hectic city was quite the culture shock. 

However, I do have to wonder whether my feelings are genuine, or whether these dreams of the (commutable) rural idyll are simply a knee-jerk reaction to lockdown life? As things start to return to normal a little more - and with cultural institutions, venues, restaurants and bars continuing to re-open - I’m starting to remember exactly why I fell in love with living in London in the first place. 

The culture, convenience and choice London offers is what makes it an amazing place to live, but whether that will win out over the prospect of a house with a garden, guest bedrooms and countryside on the doorstep (albeit with a longer commute!) remains to be seen. Only time will tell how many Londoner’s will take the leap and leave the city… and whether I’ll be one of them.