Woman Ditches Car by Moving Closer to Scottish Village

When Joolz Christie fell in love with cycling during lockdown, she never imagined it would lead her to sell her remote Scottish cottage and move to town.

The 57-year-old had lived in a small home miles from the nearest shops in the Scottish Highlands for 23 years. She relied on her car for everything, from grocery runs to taking her two daughters out.

During the Covid lockdown six years ago, Christie discovered cycling. The empty roads near Inverness gave her space to explore, get fit, and boost her mental health. She loved it so much she became a local cycling trainer for a British Cycling programme.

But when lockdown ended, the winding main road to the nearest village filled with traffic again. With no bike lanes and dangerous curves, cycling became too risky.

Christie faced a choice. She could keep paying for fuel as prices climbed, or she could rethink where she lived. When she inherited some money, she made a bold decision.

In December, she bought a house in Muir of Ord, the village she used to drive to. Within months, she ended her £156-a-month car lease and started biking everywhere.

Now she cycles to shops, the bus station, and the train station for longer trips. She's saving money and staying healthy while fuel prices have surged to 159.7p per litre following global conflicts.

The Bright Side

Christie acknowledges her solution isn't available to everyone. Moving house is a big step, and she had the financial means to make it happen.

Still, her story shows how creative thinking can solve modern problems. Instead of complaining about dangerous roads or high fuel costs, she changed what she could control.

Since 2019, 150 community cycling projects have launched across the UK. British Cycling hopes the government will fund 250 more, making safer cycling accessible to more people.

Christie misses some things about her old cottage, but she's closer to community now. She's not at the mercy of rising fuel prices driven by conflicts halfway around the world.

Sometimes the solution to our challenges means reimagining what's possible.