Chosen Places: Small Town Nowhere, England

Cait Flanders takes us to the hills.

You ever read someone’s writing and think, “they get it”? That’s how I felt about

Cait Flanders

when I first read her writing. She has such an appreciation for the inherent value of little things. She pays attention! She’s thoughtful of her surroundings! She cares about hedgehogs! And I immediately wanted to be her friend.

You’ll probably feel the same reading The Lighthouse, The Year of Less, or Adventures in Opting Out. Her writing always leaves me wondering how to be a bit better to others and a bit better to myself.

Cait, take us away.

Where have you lived so far?

Ok great, let’s start with the most complicated question, haha. I’ve been on the move since I was a kid. I was born and raised in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, but had lived in 7 different homes (and neighbourhoods) by the age of 8. We stayed put for 10 years or so after that, but then I started moving around as an adult and basically never stopped. I’ve lived in Victoria, Toronto, Greater Vancouver, Squamish, then was a nomad for a few years, before eventually making the decision to immigrate to the UK in 2022. In total, I have lived in 24 different homes. I define “lived” as staying for at least 30 days (there have been a few 30-day stints, going back to childhood). Since arriving in the UK, I’ve lived in 3 different homes: an Airbnb in Edinburgh after I first landed; then an Airbnb in North Yorkshire for a few months; then in May 2022, I rented a house in a small town I like to call: the middle of nowhere. It’s in the North East of England. I’m still living here now, which is a record for me. Literally. This is the longest I’ve stayed anywhere in my adult life.

How did you end up where you currently are? What drew you to this place initially?

There are two different answers to this question, depending on which “place” we are talking about: the UK or this small town. I first came over to the UK in 2018, and it only took a few weeks of traveling around solo for me to think: I might like to live here one day. Then I came back and spent 6 months here in 2019 and knew I wanted to stay. I loved all the things the tourism board would tell you to love: the history, the castles, their appreciation for arts/culture/books, and the rolling green hills (and all the sheepies!). I also loved the pace of life, the culture around work (there’s a much better work/life balance here than in North America), and the ability to travel by train (not an option in most of Canada). But thanks to the internet, I was fortunate to have a number of friends in cities across the UK, so I got more of a local experience than many tourists might. I stayed in a few different flats in London, visited friends on the coast and out in the country, and was taken on hikes in England, Wales and Scotland. From the surprising turquoise water to the mountains (yes, they have mountains here!), I was able to see a little bit of everything—and I loved it. I also visited family here on my first trip: my grandma’s last surviving sister. My dad’s parents were born here and got married here, before they immigrated to Canada. In the end, I was able to move over on a UK Ancestry Visa.

As for how I ended up in the middle of nowhere in the North East? Well, it’s the most classic story of all: I met someone. ☺️