The rural idyll it’s an urban myth

Why an escape to the country was a road to disillusion for this writer
Matt Gaw with his son, Seth
Matt Gaw with his son, Seth
JOHN FERGUSON

The rain is driving sideways across the fields in front of our cottage. Squalling winds have ruined the TV signal, defeated the already weak internet connection and are now threatening to do away with our flickering electricity. The kindling and coal are damp, the fuel tank has not been refilled — despite a summer of promises — and the only form of heating comes from a long forgotten jumper that reeks of mothballs and high fashion circa 1997.

This, I imagine, is the point at which many former townies, attracted to the countryside by a vision of the good life at a good price, will find their expectations rudely brought to heel by the realities of a rural life that can at times be unsatisfying,