Where in the UK can you buy a piece of land of around 2-3 acres with a house on it, where you can be self-sufficient, i.e. farm the land non- commercially for your own family's needs only (without keeping any livestock), without breaking any regulations or requiring permission?
Is there anywhere where you can get this for less than say 300K?
Michael
What do you mean by self-sufficient? As you mention no livestock, do you just mean growing own veggies? What about heating / power / water - do you intend to handle those yourself too?
Yes. They are called smallholdings.
I've often noticed a small, green-mould covered caravan on the A939 somewhere about 10 miles out of Tomintoul.
The land around looks a little rugged, and you'd probably be cut off from November to March. Mutton is nice.
But I'd imagine they'd be open to offers under £300k.
X-post to uk.rec.gardening who are perhaps more likely to be expert in this subject.
ISTR my self-sufficiency books said that you needed a minimum of 4 acres to fully rotate crops and feed a family. They were keeping a pig, though, for meat and for ploughing up the land. I would have thought you might to keep at least chickens and bees (assuming you regard these as livestock).
AFAIK you can use all your garden to grow food without requiring any permission, so I presume the basic question is 'where can I get a house and two or more acres of land for under £300K'.
If you want a wide range of growing conditions you will need to be fairly well south, which will push the price up. Scotland can be cheaper but you have a restricted growing season.
Lincolnshire, perhaps?
HTH
Dave R
Highlanmds and islands. But realistically, you wont be able to do that anywhere.
At some level you need to store veggie over the winter. That means pickling or freezing or bottling, all of which require industrial use up the line, as does the very house you will live in. Not to mention the steel tools you will need.
And you need at least 5-10 acres for woodland to heat the house.
Land is not expensive. Agricultural land is 1500-5000 an acre depending on what its good for. Woodland/moorland is a lot less.
And of course after 2 years of crofting, you will probably kill yourself.
No one in the UK lives sustainably or self sufficiently. with a sort of iron age population of around 500,000 it might be possible.
Scotland! And quite large chunks of Wales too.
You can get a smallholding with 2 houses and 55 acres for offers over =A3280k between Thurso and Wick.
Or a 3-bed croft and 26 acres for =A3160k
What are you selling, a 1-bed flat in London ;-)
Owain
Surbiton. Although they had to make do with just the garden, a goat, and some pigs.
North of Scotland - done that. Some of the Scottish islands remain on the list, but for family reasons I'd prefer somewhere less than about
400 miles from London.People have recommended North Devon, and parts of Wales as you say. I haven't looked properly at Wales yet and only know bits of the country which I've always found extremely variegated. Around Carmarthen is favourite out of the bits I know. Other recommendations include parts of Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, and Lincolnshire as has also been mentioned here. I wonder whether Shropshire or Staffordshire should also go on the list.
Michael
When that was on the telly for the first time (1975-78) was about the time I last watched telly!
Michael
plenty of em in east anglia.
Of course :) You can also keep chickens and rabbits without further ado. Pigs, sheep, etc require a license, but that's not impossible either.
Look at the fens.
Some of the best land in the UK for arable crop yields - and remote parts are still relatively inexpensive.
Will you have an income? How will you pay for utilities/council tax/ vehicles/FUEL/etc?
Have you ever tried herding bees!? ;-)
I think the OP said that he didn't intend to keep livestock.
Yes, it's important to realise that no matter what proortion of your own food you source, you'll still need hard cash. Apart from the taxes you'll have to pay (incl. maybe metered water - it's surprising how much water you'd need to irrigate crops), you'll need transport, clothes energy, etc. So apart from feeding yourself, you'll need enough land for a cash crop if you're planning on being truly self-sufficient for all your other needs, too.
In message , snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.co.uk writes
I just lost out (sold behind my back) on an 11 acre farm with outbuildings and stables which failed to meet the £300,000 reserve at auction
If you are willing to put in a bit of work, this had a guide price of £275,000
if you can't see it type penstrowed hall into google
Yes, but I think that's going to be hard to be fully (or is the OP after
*mostly*) self sufficent without. You really need dairy even if you don't eat the cow (well, not until it's getting past it). I suppose a goat would be an more manageable option for milk. And I can't see how you could survive without some hens (eggs and meat).
which makes the whole thing pretty meaningless.
If you want to be a net producer of wealth, buy a farm and do the job properly.
Otherwise live in cardboard city and beg.
shot the friggin deer and bunnies?
grow soya beans?
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