Escape to the country: Enquiries about village homes from city dwellers almost triple in parts of UK

‘A slower pace of life, outdoor space and tight-knit communities come hand-in-hand with village living – something many have come to appreciate in recent months’

UK city-dwellers may be looking for a slower place of life (Getty Images)

The number of city-dwellers across the UK plotting an escape to the country has almost doubled in some places as urban life loses its shine in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Property website Rightmove said it had seen a surge in people currently living in the nation’s urban hubs who were now looking to village life.

In London, interest in a move to the country increased by 144 per cent across June and July compared to the previous year, while there was a surge in searches of 275 per cent in Liverpool.

In Edinburgh, interest in village locations increased by 205 per cent, while Birmingham saw an uptick in enquires of 186 per cent.

But the data suggest the shift is not being driven solely by a desire to escape cities - with villages vastly outperforming towns across the period.

Nationwide interest in moving from the city to a village was up by 126 per cent over the period, compared to an 68 per cent uplift from people in cities inquiring about towns.

Only Leicester saw more people interested in moving to a town than a village.

And it is not clear the interest is borne of a need to escape urban working life - with many village locations city-based house hunters are interested based within commuting distance to the city they currently live.

Mark Rimell, director in Strutt and Parker's country house department, said: "A slower pace of life, outdoor space and tight knit communities come hand in hand with village living - something many have come to appreciate in recent months and have enduring appeal."

Freddie Wright, partner at Knight Frank Bristol, added: "The city property market in Bristol is extremely busy at the moment - many of those selling are looking to move out into villages such as Banwell because people are looking for a slower pace of life post-lockdown, and these villages offer the best of both worlds."