I grew up in Scotland and lived in the country. I went to a 2 room school house that sat on the edge of the woods. There was an old ruined castle close to the school and we would play there after school. There was also a burn (stream) that ran along side the road and there was a stream that came out of the side of the hill. It had an iron lions head around it and the water came out of it's mouth. The fresh water always hurt our teeth because it was so cold.
I always walked the three miles to school and back with my big brother and our friends in all kinds of weather.
I loved it and as I think back I was living and going to school in what some people would consider a fairy land setting.
I would not swap those memories of my beginning school days.