I’ve lived in and around this area for the vast majority of my life. It’s such a beautiful place in which to live but there’s an awful lot of downsides to rural life.
I may have spent time living the city life but I chose to return home as I couldn’t cope with the hustle and bustle, that and the fact I was struggling with terrible home-sickness.
Despite forcing myself to forge into becoming a city chick I never truly took to being in the big smoke. I did however enjoy the social side of city life, the endless activity which kept the city alive for twenty-four hours a day. There was never a time when there was nothing to do, there was always somewhere to go, something to watch, somewhere to eat, something to see and something to keep you occupied should you have spare time to play with.
Being a parent, I tend to lack spare time these days. However, when we do get the opportunity to get our glad rags on and to go out, it feels like there is very little for us to do at all.
Don’t get me wrong, I am incredibly lucky to be surrounded by The Lake District and such natural beauty but I’m hardly the hill climbing type. A quick blast down the beach is about the extent of my exercise these days!
Back in the day I would travel into town for a few drinks with friends followed by a boogie on the dance floor. Business obviously isn’t booming when it comes to evening entertainment as skip forward however many years and barely any clubs, pubs or bars are open and if they are then they are usually empty.
I guess people are happier spending their weekends at home with a box set and a take away, whereas I long for a decent night out on the dance floor. It’s not as if we get the chance to get out all that often but when we do it’d be great if we could actually get our groove on.
We’ve got an amazing circle of friends who we’ve spent a fair few weekends with over the past few months. We tend to congregate at each other’s houses though, cooking up meals or sharing a takeaway as other than propping up the local bar, there’s next to no other venue options.
It’s not just the adult side of entertainment that’s lacking but when it comes to kids days out, there isn’t all that much either. We once had a bowling alley, a go karting centre and even an ice rink but they too are now closed.
Even swimming is no longer an easy option as our local pool is due to be demolished within the next month. This makes swimming slightly impossible, unless I fancy a fifty minute drive with a travel sick princess to the nearest leisure centre.
Transport is yet another issue which seems to be causing chaos within my local area. We once had a terrific train service, brilliant bus service and a wide range of taxi options.
These days though our trains are forever on strike. Should you manage to actually catch a train, then it’s highly likely to be either late or lacking a return service, that and you will most likely be travelling upon an old diesel chugger brought back from the eighties to provide a ‘make do’ service.
‘Making do’ is precisely what us Northerners seem to do as not only as our rail services a joke but to add insult to injury – we no longer have a functioning bus service thanks to the endless government funding cuts.
Without a rail or bus service we are then forced to rely upon wheels; that’s all very well if you are old enough and wealthy enough to pass your test and purchase a car but even then the roads around this area are an accident waiting to happen. You’d think that in this day and age that we’d have smooth, safe roads to drive upon, yet once again us Northerners have been left to ‘make do’ with narrow, dangerous roads which are littered with cracks and potholes posing danger to drivers.
Should you fancy and are able to get out and about then it’s at least a fifty minute drive to civilisation and after paying out for petrol and the general ware and tear of your vehicle, you often don’t have the energy left nor feel like spending your hard-earned pennies on entertainment.
How is it that we have advanced so far in terms of technology yet have regressed so terribly in terms of amenities and entertainment?! No wonder kids are forever glued to their tablets, laptops and whatever else – all their entertainment options are being swiped away!
I sooo miss the city-style entertainment; the hustle and the bustle, the entertainment options, the nightlife, the shopping and the general buzz of living an urban life. I don’t miss the city though and I’d much rather raise my children in a rural area but still, I’m saddened by the silent streets, the lack of play, the lack of culture and the lack of life.
