Does anybody here live in / around Aberdeen?

[babydungarees]

Just looking for info on what it’s like living / working in or around Aberdeen! DH & I have been considering moving from London to Scotland for a while, DH is Scottish but his family are close to Edinburgh. I’ve found a job I’d love in Aberdeen, we’d be able to afford to buy a house which we can’t do where we live currently & we’d have so much more space for DS. Ideally we’d live outside the city but still commutable for me, DH works from home. SIL lived in Aberdeen years ago & DH remembers always liking it when he visited her, would it be total madness to up & move there? The romantic in me thinks it could be a great adventure, a fresh start and a better life for DS but it would be great to hear any real life experiences of living & working in / around aberdeen.

[dancemom]

Try asking in Scotsnet

[TitianaTitsling]

Commutable by car or train? What type of house are you looking for? Village-y or proper remote?

[babydungarees]

Commutable by car, would prefer villagey or in the city itself so we could build a social circle.

I wasn’t aware there is a Scotsnet, will go check it out now!

[nndifferent]

I live about 30 miles away ... Balmedie, Ellon, Oldmeldrum area, Peterhead, Inverurie, Fraserburgh, Huntly, Stonehaven, Banchory all very commutable and plenty of stuff for families . Dozens of smaller villages .

Trains only go up towards Inverurie way (Inverness line) or south (Glasgow/Edinburgh line) . Buses can be fairly infrequent - depends how close you are to Aberdeen though .

Driving commute far easier now with AWPR (city bypass) .

Not every village has much facilities - eg a lot you’d have to travel for a GP surgery, kids would more than likely have to travel to secondary school by bus (council will pay for bus to nearest secondary - if you want to choose another for whatever reason they won’t usually fund that), but it is quite doable . If you’re coming from a big city it is a bit of a culture shock though .

Aberdeen has three private schools and I think there’s one further south but nothing else further north. Two catholic schools in Aberdeen as well .

Aberdeen does have plenty to do, shops, beautiful parks and gardens, the beach, museums, three cinemas, lovely restaurants etc . Surrounding area is stunning - lots of hidden gems and you’re never too far to travel for eg mountain climbing, skiing, or a 5km unspoilt beach . Very lucky in that respect . Practical terms Aberdeen has a huge hospital site and A&E - some local towns some have a minor injuries unit/OOH doctor service . Couple have kept maternity units thankfully and big maternity hospital in Aberdeen.

Everyone’s very friendly - however in some of the smaller towns and villages a great deal of people are related and/or have lived together for years and years, that can be quite hard to fit into . Seems to be less of an issue nowadays though especially as more and more folk realise how much we have to offer by living up here !

Only downside is that oil and gas industry has taken quite a hit in recent times so that’s driving down the local economy a bit sadly, but that shouldn’t necessarily put you off moving up here .