We chose to move from Tynemouth to a remote valley in the North York Moors (‘I had rose-tinted spectacles’: UK city dwellers on relocating during the pandemic, 25 April). It is a long drive (over country roads) to get anywhere or to do anything. I gave up a secure, well-paid job to go self-employed, extended the mortgage (which would have otherwise been paid within a year), and we live in one of the moors’ coldest spots. A converted chapel is not the easiest home to heat.
At 7am on the day your article was published, I walked across the fields with the dogs, not a soul in sight bar a local farmer (we had a long chat about how the lambing was going) and a 360-degree view of glorious scenery. The thought of moving back to a city? Not a chance.
Mark Newbury
Farndale, North Yorkshire
