The ‘most isolated village’ in the UK that’s just 25 miles from London and is so cut off it takes an hour to walk to the local food shops

Sometimes living in a big city like London can get a little too stressful. Many of us talk about wanting to leave the city and start a new life by the coast or in the country. One of a number of reasons why life in the capital can often feel like it’s getting too much is the congestion.

London is a city of 9 million people and that figure is only increasing, and while many Londoners might be dreaming of buying a property outside of the M25 boundary, it seems people are moving into London faster than they’re moving out. But if you’re fed up with all the traffic and all the crowds, and you just want to get as far away from people as possible, then you’re in luck, because there’s a village just 25 miles from the capital that is said to be the most isolated village in the UK.

Meesden, in East Hertfordshire, is just a 40 minute drive up the A10 from Waltham Cross. However, getting there by public transport can be a little tricky, and could involve an hour-long bus journey from Bishop’s Stortford, its nearest major human settlement.

READ MORE: The commuter town just 45 minutes outside of London dubbed one of the best places to live in the UK

But in Meesden, you kind of get the impression that that’s the whole point. There are only around 45 houses in the whole village, which has a population of just over 100 people who all seem to like the fact that they don’t get a lot of visitors.

Most, if not all households in Meesden have their own car, without which getting around would be almost impossible. Besides really the one road they have that passes through the village – Mill Lane – the people of Meesden have no other transport links.

There are no GPs, no schools and no food shops in the village. The nearest primary takes around 20 minutes on foot to get to, while older pupils who aren’t fortunate enough to get a lift would have to walk an hour and 20 minutes to get to their nearest secondary school.

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The nearest GP is also about 20 minutes away when walking, while a walk to the nearest hospital would take around two hours. Even by car the nearest hospital would be just under a 40-minute drive.

Meesden locals have always got to make sure that their fridges and shelves are stocked up, because there are no nearby convenience stores or supermarkets to pick up the groceries. Without a car, one would have to walk up to an hour to find their nearest food shop.

But it seems that the residents of Meesden are quite used to this way of life. First of all, according to ilivehere.co.uk, the people of Meesden are in relatively good health.

The number of people in Meesden who said that they were in ‘very good’ health was above the national average, even though the people living there were generally older than the average age of the UK population. The median age in Meesden is 42.7 whereas the national median age is 40.5.

Also, there aren’t a whole lot of children in Meesden, which explains the lack of schools. That would also likely explain why the village is so quiet.

Saying that, there isn’t a whole lot to do in Meesden either. The village has a mini nature reserve which consists of a large pond which is surrounded by wildflowers.

Meesden also has a village hall, which funnily enough used to be the village school before they decided they no longer needed one. It can be rented by locals and outsiders to host various events.

There’s also a historic Grade II*-listed church called St Mary’s about a mile outside of the village, and a few barns, farms and cottages that are also listed, including the famous Thatched Cottage.

Even the nearest pub, The Black Horse, is 1.5 miles away. Nonetheless, happiness levels in Meesden are quite high.

An average semi-detached house in Meesden currently costs around £474,677, a pretty penny worth paying for those who value silence and isolation, but with only 21 house sales since 1992 according to RightMove, you might have to wait a bit for the next ‘for sale’ sign to go up.

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