Many aspire to live in the countryside and dream of rolling hills and rural views with cows grazing as they look out of their cottage window. For some this environment is a reality, but despite the idyllic views and the sense of open space, rural living has its challenges and finding love in the countryside is one of them.
Limited opportunities
One of the real challenges facing people who live in a rural environment when they are looking for a new love in their life, is the limited opportunities to meet potential partners. Countryside living is actually quite structured and there is often a calendar of specific social events that do not change much from year to year. This means that the country dating scene can appear bleak in comparison to city life where you can wander into a wine bar or a nightclub on a regular basis.
Socially Proactive
Rural dating is in one respect no different from trying to date in urban areas, it is a bit of a numbers game and basically the more opportunities that you give yourself to meet someone, the more likely you are to have some success. In the countryside you maybe have to be maybe slightly more socially proactive, which means that you have to take up every invitation or offer rather than picking and choosing.
In the same boat
There are plenty of single men in rural communities who are in the same boat when it comes to trying to find a new love in their life, or tractor to be more precise. According to a number of specialist dating agencies whose aim is to try and bring these people together, there are a good number of men in the farming community who want to meet someone who could end up being their wife and having children, but they work long hours and feel like they spend most of their time sitting on a tractor rather than socializing.
Dating strategy
How you go about actually finding a potential partner can differ according to your age group and you need to adopt the right strategy so that you can increase your chances of meeting a suitable person with the same interests as you. If you are over 25 years of age then you can look for organized events such as a Hunt Ball or pub grub nights, which are often structured to avoid any cliquiness, if groups of people already know each other. If you are younger then you may well want to go along to a Young Farmers Ball or a party or quiz night being run at the local pub.
Embracing new technology
Social networking has revolutionized our lives and rural communities in particular have benefited greatly from this phenomenon . Farmers often find it especially hard to meet new people and often do not have the time to attend every event being staged. By using sites such as Facebook, they now have the chance to get to know someone by chatting over the internet and doing some of the groundwork, before arranging to meet up for a drink or a meal.
Being a farmer’s wife or just living in the country with a like minded person is still considered a rural idyll by many, and with a bit of effort and by using all the channels of communication now available, there is every chance that you could find love in the countryside.
Hollie Nicholls is a dating and relationship counselor. She also enjoys blogging and her articles mainly appear on relationship websites.
