Before the 1960s and the Beeching Cuts, it was fairly easy to get everywhere in the UK — tiny villages included — by rail. I live in tiny village in Devon with a population of 250 people. It had a train station until the 60s. Today, my village has excellent bus service: two or three buses an hour into the nearest large cities and towns. That's likely because it's a big draw for tourists and hikers, and the roads around here aren't designed for lots of cars (many of them are too narrow for more than one vehicle at a time), but it's certainly possible.

If the government had the will to invest in infrastructure, public transport is a reasonable option in the UK.