Self-Sufficiency in Style
the lure of the sea
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Self-Sufficiency in Style the lure of the sea
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At Hangman's Cottage we get rooks, not seagulls, following the plough. |
Seagulls following the plough has long been the favourite subject for
artists that combines sea and countryside. Self-sufficiency is not just about providing oneself with the material things of life; it is also about enjoying life and living somewhere attractive. |
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can't eat the view, there is little doubt that people dream about such
things in conjunction with living a more independent life and fending for
themselves. Ironically, mountains, estuaries, big river and mountains can actually hinder your freedoms. True they can provide power, timber and fish, but there are some snags. |
Mixed blessings. |
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Practical possibility? |
Fishing may offer some real possibilities for
feeding yourself. Many communities in history have lived with little meat
and substituted protein rich fish. We explored the possibilities in FISHY ALTERNATIVES following a trip to Ireland. But the main reason that many self-sufficiency enthusiasts look to the coast and other tourist areas for their homestead almost certainly owes nothing to fishing. The idea of the seaside suggests a perpetual holiday. |
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The obsession with the seaside owes much to the Prince Regent and the 17th century idea that sea air was healthy. Indeed it probably was healthier than crowded dirty London. Spas aside, the Victorians took the idea further, the Edwardians embellished it with yet more piers. The thirties saw a return to the alleged health advantages and the seaside bungalow; the forties only barbed wire and minefields on the sand. The fifties brought holiday camps and the sixties flights to the sun. Things got hotter still towards the end of the century with Europeans flocking to Florida and Bali. |
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Clearly the self-sufficient miss out on all this, unless they have the
foresight to move to the coast. You can't milk a goat and take off to the
airport. It does help explain why so many of the prime self-sufficient areas, if not exactly on the beach, are close enough to be considered seaside - and consequently touristy. |
Beach boy? |
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"There are too many tourists here Madge, smile please." |
We all, entirely reasonably, hate hordes of tourists, unless of course, we are
the tourists. If you live in a tourist area, you won't be able to park in your local town from May to October - and the shops will be full of rubbish. |
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But tourists are not the only problem with living next to the sea or ocean, a big lake or massive river Short of taking a boat, your horizons are limited. You can't travel in every direction. |
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It is even worse if you live on a peninsula. Take a walk and you will finish up staring at the sea. Bicycle rides finish when there is perhaps no nearby bridge or ferry to cross the river. And every journey by car starts with the same monotonous stretch of road: the only way out. |
and the only way too. |
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Castaway! |
Living by water can be like living
on half a desert island - searching for possibilities to escape. The one road out blocked with snow or water half the winter, and tourist cars all summer. Your immediate vicinity will have maybe half the resources and facilities; most of which close all winter. |
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So, inland is not so bad. Cheaper property prices too. Far from the summer crowds, you can take off in any direction, by foot or wheels. You can vary your town for shopping and even park all year. The shops will be cheaper and full of really useful things- and open in winter. |
Endless directions. |
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Harbouring nostalgia. |
However, if you were born and raised by the great rivers, paddled the lakes or watched the ships sail the great waters.... Maybe a life of wheeling and dealing with merchants and longshoremen of "living and dying by the times of the tide".... Just once in a while, the cry of a lost seabird will turn an inland face skyward to remember, with affection, the dockside tavern and the smell of salt and fish. |
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There are many more articles and series on this site dealing with the "where" of self-sufficiency. Some take some finding, just like the ideal smallholding or homestead. Try Floods! - for some thoughts on other problems on living near water - and access to some other series on deciding on a location. |
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...navigating the routes - from Hangman's Cottage, just to the south of Misery Corner. August, 2006 |
