More and more people are choosing a simpler way of life.  For some, this means switching to a less stressful job. For others more adventurous, it has meant leaving a career, house and city behind to start again in the country.
               
For us, it was about having more time with our family and doing the things we love to do, instead of those we felt were obligatory.  The more complicated our lives became, the more we craved simplicity.
                       
My husband, Peter, was working for the Prince’s Trust as a Business Manager and I was running a busy stress management consultancy, travelling around the country, speaking at conferences. I was also volunteering my time on countless committees as well as being a business mentor for the Prince’s Trust - all this whilst running a home and trying to start a family.

The irony was, that I was spending my working day advising people about balancing their work and personal life and reducing their stress, when all the time I was adding to mine.  I knew this wasn’t the life either of us wanted and from professional experience, I knew that it wasn’t a healthy way to be.

It all came to a head in July 1997 when our daughter Zoë was born.  Like a lot of people, having children made us look at the bigger picture and ask that one uncomfortable question: Are we really happy?

After nearly losing our lovely daughter at birth, our priorities in life changed. There was something missing and we realized that a simpler life in the country was the answer. 

Reading everything we could get our hands on about downshifting became the norm.  All our research told us that our new lifestyle would mean no more fancy holidays, expensive cars or designer clothes.  That was no problem.  Our next big decision was where to relocate.

I had wonderful memories of living in Scotland when I was in my twenties and had always dreamt of moving back.  Peter had always loved to holiday there when he was younger. We just knew it was the place we wanted to be.

While this all sounded like an exciting fantasy, it was not something easily achieved. As time went on, we thought about it more and more. Then, on New Year’s day 1998, as we wrote our resolutions, we both agreed that we should put it down on paper and commit to it.  We wrote:  “Within the next ten years we will be living in the Scottish countryside, leading the life we want and deserve.”  Then we quickly sealed the envelope and put it away. 

The very next day we sat down and devised a plan.  We would both work hard and save as much money as possible.  We would renovate our 1930’s semi and put it on the market (it had hardly been touched since it was built, apart from having central heating and a new kitchen installed back in the 70’s. Everything needed replacing including all the windows and some of the floors).  Every weekend we worked on the house and each holiday we went house hunting. 

Dumfries and Galloway was the ideal place for our new home but we had lots of searching to do to find the perfect spot.
 
We traveled to a different area on each visit, discovering yet another little village that we liked.  We visited schools and talked to the locals to get a feel for a place and to find out what it would really take to make a go of it.

In the end, it took us over 8 years to save enough money to achieve our dream.  The journey was long and sometimes hard.  We struggled financially and we went without, but it was worth every minute.

The house eventually sold. Peter took a redundancy package from work and finally, on 1st Feb 2006 we moved into our beautiful farmhouse.  Situated just four miles from the local village of Wigtown (Scotland’s famous Book Town), it was a dream come true.  The house is perched on a hill overlooking panoramic views of the most beautiful countryside.  There is a path from our house that leads down to the River Bladnoch, where we can sit and watch the deer drinking and the otters playing.  

We all love it here and, because we spent so much time planning ahead, we felt that we’d thought of everything. With a year’s worth of living expenses in the bank and the rest safely invested, we gave ourselves plenty of time to settle in. 

There are so many advantages to living here: Property prices are affordable. There are great local food producers, so we can have a healthy diet without worrying about food miles.  Our eggs come from a nearby farm, are cheaper and bigger than you would get in the supermarket and we can see that they are free range and organic. Zoë adores her new school and because it is such a tiny village everyone knows each other and they have all been so friendly to her.

We have been overwhelmed by the welcome that we’ve received.  Everyone has been so lovely and genuinely pleased that we have moved here.  The locals are very proud of this place and they love it when someone else appreciates it.  Neighbouring farmers have come to introduce themselves and total strangers have helped us when we were stuck.
                       
We were reminded of their generosity of spirit in the summer when a friend came to visit with her 3 young children.  She had got as far as the village but didn’t know the way from there. Being very early in the morning and having no mobile phone to call us, she was stranded. 

The local postman came to the rescue and led her four miles out of his way to make sure she arrived safely.  He then came over later, after his shift; to make sure she had settled in – all part of the service!
 
Of course there is a down side too! You have to really like living in the middle of nowhere and it isn’t for everyone.

In the first week we had a power cut, ran out of oil, the snow brought down the telephone lines and our lovely neighbours who had promised to look after us had gone away for the weekend.  The roads were impassible because of the snow and we were stranded.

So, we chopped up some logs and lit a fire, broke out the candles and the blankets and made the most of it.  Our first adventure!  We have since invested in a generator and won’t be taking any chances next winter.

And if we were expecting the same kind of lifestyle, then we were in for a shock.  We go out for dinner only on special occasions now and a trip to the cinema is a big treat for us all (we get the films here a few months after the big cities).

But that’s part of its charm. Life has a slower pace here and people have time to stop and chat.  

And now (November 2007), we are ready to launch our new website which means that we can both work from home.   When I speak at events around the country, I feel that I can do it with a lot more authority these days.  When I advise people about bringing a balance to their lives, they know I’m ‘walking my talk’. 

So, has it been worth all the hard work? 

Absolutely! Sometimes it is hard to describe how amazing it is up here. Moving has totally changed our lives.  Everyday we stop and appreciate what we have. 

We see ourselves staying here for the rest of our lives. Our only regret is that we didn’t do it sooner. We love absolutely everything about Downshifting, apart from the word itself.  It sounds as though it means doing without, when actually, we feel richer than we ever have.

Copyright © Heather Bestel 2007

Heather Bestel & Associates - Dalreagle Farm - Wigtown - Newton Stewart - Dumfries & Galloway - DG8 9BG - UK