Writer looking for quiet place

[GlasgowLondoner]

Hi. I am a writer with a three-book contract. I am a renter (might be a cash buyer at some point, however).

All I really want is a quiet place, can be anywhere in the UK (currently I am outside Glasgow), which has internet and where I can get on with my work undisturbed.

I am finding it incredibly hard to find anything, possibly because I am spreading myself too thinly. Anywhere outside the big towns only seem to cater for seasonal workers (like Aberdeenshire, Inverness, Moray coast - where I would love to rent, but there is virtually nothing there).

In the towns I get offered places and then they turn out to have hidden faults, noise I am not told about, etc. Naturally, I ask around, but cannot find anything.

I am a quiet chap and no problems paying the rent. I would be happy just in a caravan in a field! Are there any forums where people like me can post an ad? One where you get more genuine people posting (rather than Gumtree or Spare Room)?

 

[dances with sheeple]

Just rent a cottage somewhere, or wear earphones while you are writing?

[GlasgowLondoner]

That's the thing. It is not that easy. I have not lived back in the UK for long. So if you can point me to a forum where I can find such cottages for rent (viable offers), or specific examples, I would be very glad. It is not that easy; hence why I am posting after trying without much success.

[Watkins]

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-82427236.html

I've just done a quick search for Bungalows on Rightmove within 40 miles of Glasgow and found this interesting place.

 

Perhaps pick a place you'd like to live in for a while and search for either bungalows or detached residences. Select 1 or 2 bedrooms as a max or limit your spend and that'll narrow down a lot of possibilities. Here's a couple more from just the one search near Glasgow.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-95126537.html

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-77796775.html

Good luck with your search and your writing.

[frankief]

I read your post and it set me thinking about any locations which might suit you - say in the North of England - where you could get a quiet, remote place without paying a fortune.

Sadly I realised that there are not many options. The ever growing cities are getting more densely packed and the countryside now attracts a premium price.

So, the coasts? West side you have Cumbria (Lake District - v.expensive) then the holiday resorts, then you hit the metropolises of Manchester and Liverpool, then Wales.

East side you have Tyne & Wear, North Yorks (v.expensive), more holiday resorts, then Hull. As a writer you will know about Phillip Larkin of course - he found Hull inspiring.

Best bet might be South of the Humber on the Lincolnshire coast. Fishing ports and holiday resorts again, lots of caravan parks. Landscape I remember as flat and uninspiring. Windy and rainy.

I reckon the caravan parks may be empty this summer. Perhaps you could negotiate a rental on a caravan for the remainder of summer and take it through the autumn/winter. Or a bungalow on the cliff tops - say you'll take it till it drops! Might put some suspense into your writing!

I can't suggest any web sites - just choose an area and go down there for a couple of days and root about. A lot of locals still advertise in the local paper or in shop windows.

Good luck.

 

Edited August 7, 2020 by frankief