the idea of living in a village there fills me with dread.
I live in a village in eastern Poland and love it. It's five Km from a town with a hospital, supermarkets, banks, etc., and an hour from a medium-sized city. When the street lights go off at 1100 pm the night sky is a marvel. It is quiet and the neighbours are friendly. Different strokes for different folks. I lived in cities all my life until seven years ago, and this was the best move I've ever made.
As for the op's question, I wouldn't do this if the property were on sale for 50PLN. He would be entering a world of pain.
no pub worth the name, no decent shop,
I'm glad there's no pub where I am. There used to be a shop where farmers would go for a few early morning beers after milking and then roll home for breakfast. As for shops, we have a car. In fact we have two.