Hi everyone,
I realise this forum area is for property talk, but does anyone have any experience of purchasing land in the UK?
Thanks,
Julie

I did look into the possibility of buying a small wood. Not so much for the investment point of view, but it was something I always fancied. The wood in question would have cost 35K and would be ready to crop in about 10 years. But eventually I decided I'd left it a bit too late. The wood would need managing, rubbish clearance, fences maintained and the like, and I would be well over 80 by the time it would need cropping. Had I been younger. . . . . . . But then, when I was younger I had neither the time or the money. But I can dream.

I can't see direct ownership of land being maintenance-free. Even though in the right circumstances it might help with IHT.

it isn't maintenance free, but it shouldn't need much up keep. Beware of annual taxes though.

Rural land prices have increased over the past years, the rise fuelled partly by two myths:
1. Agricultural land is exempt from IHT - sometimes it is, but rarely will a punter or their heirs meet the strict criteria.
2. Field to farm : Smallholders thinking they can buy a field or two and openly or surreptitiously live on it - again, this is only possible if very strict criteria are met over a very long period.

Living in a rural area, I've seen smallholders, weekend farmers, make life hell for everyone including themselves:
Pigs escaping and running riot through nearby villages, destroying gardens and injuring people.
Cows ambling onto A roads and causing accidents.
Loose horses terrorising ramblers on footpaths.
RSPCA and local authority wardens trying to track down which idiot owns the animals but can't care for them or contain them. Heavy fines and even prison sentences have resulted.

Then there's the absent owner who just lets fields run to thistle, bindweed and ragwort. There is a legal obligation on landowners to control certain plants, there is a moral obligation on them to not be a nuisance to neighbours.
So there is a third factor fuelling land price increases, responsible land managers buying idiots out so they can maintain a safe and healthy countryside, a not too subtle form of blackmail.