To want to move south?

I do not recognise the way you are describing Scotland - you could certainly move locally to somewhere lovely if you are in the central belt.

I'd say move, you don't need to worry about fitting in. In southern England people are very tolerant of others and are used to a wide variety of accents and so on. I suspect the reason for your fear is that you assume that the general nastiness shown to English accents in Scotland is reciprocated south of the border, but it's really not. The English generally don't give a toss about someone being Scottish (I don't mean that in a negative way, I just mean they'll treat you like you're just a normal human being like them.)

We live in the Bournemouth Burbs! The town centre has few large shops now ,Castle point(A large shopping centre) has all the big stores including a 3 storey M and S.I love it here ,there are all the beaches (great in off season)New Forest is beautiful about a half hour drive to Burley. Schools are good too.The weather is kind to us ! Whats not to like ?

There’s no problem with the English accent in Scotland, what do you think we are?

You moved back to Scotland for family and feel disappointed. You want to be near family down south but that might not be all you imagine too.

I live on the west coast of Scotland and think it’s a great location. Direct train to Glasgow, beach on our doorstep, surrounded by countryside on the edge of a decent sized town. Our schools aren’t ‘Scottish’ focused and provide a good education . We have great independent eateries and had a cracking Sunday roast out last weekend!
I would be concerned a sideways move might land you in a similar location with marginally better weather and think it’s so important to know why you really want to move before you uproot the DC.

Your 12 year old would be going into Y8 in September, so would have already missed the first year at secondary school in England if that’s a consideration.

It doesn’t rain “most” days in the central belt, particularly if you are in the east of the central belt. Glasgow typically has 167 rain days per year, Edinburgh 129, Weymouth 113.

If you would seriously consider moving your family 450+ miles away and potentially saddling them with £40k student debt each to have 16 extra dry days per year then … well … that’s interesting.

The highlands is significantly wetter, but op has stated many times they are in the central belt.

I moved a lot when young and got picked on in every single new place because of my accent. Can't say it bothered me too much though, I got through it pretty well.

The weather would be my dealbreaker. I live in the sunny SE and couldn't bear rain most days.

University funding is a huge consideration here. England’s nice but so’s not saddling your kids with a lifetime of debt.

I'm an English transplant in Scotland and have never had a word about my accent. Maybe it depends where you live... in our part of Scotland there are so many different accents that nobody seems remotely bothered.

I'm really surprised that access to coast/countryside is one of your reasons. The coast in southern England is so busy - Scotland has absolutely incredible, almost empty coastline (ok except Portobello beach etc). Yes parts of Scotland can be a bit parochial but tbh so can parts of England and I would include parts of Dorset in that (we have family in Wimborne so have spent a fair bit of time there).

For warmth and proximity to family fair enough... but some of what you're saying does sound ever so slightly pipe dream-ish?

I’d rather be up there so that my DS could go to university for free and I’d receive tax credits for the time he’s there.

Also as someone else said, climate change is a reality and in ten years you might want to return to Scotland. I don’t understand why there’s no countryside. Do you mean that it’s all farmland? Because surely that’s the same down here.

I think Dorchester would be a good bet. Decent local amenities (cinema, swimming pool etc). Thomas Hardye doesn't start until Y9, so DD12 would be able to start in the main intake there. Easy access to Weymouth for sea you can actually swim in, watersports and 'Weybiza' for older teens. Relatively easy access to Bournemouth/ Southampton for some proper shops.

My DH was physically beaten up at school for having an English accent. He was 5.

Exactly 😂 Glasgow is literally surrounded in three different upland areas; probably the same in Edinburgh. Stirling lies in the foothills of the highlands. You can also get to the southern uplands within about 30 minutes.

They may be fine but they will be saddled with debt which Scottish students aren’t. English people aren’t eligible to get free education in Scotland, Scottish people are, but OPs children will no longer be eligible for it if they move to England.

Yes sorry I was being stupid and didn't realise what you meant, and yes that's definitely worth factoring in.

Where exactly in central Scotland are you? Because I’m in central central Scotland and I don’t foresee you being more than an hour from the coast? I can get to either the west or east coast within an hour? Down South might be physically closer but in my experience traffic is far worse.

Education is absolutely not better in England either. Plus your kids would need to pay to go to uni down south, whereas we have no tuition fees, so you are potentially saddling your children with tens of thousands of pounds of debt.

It sounds to me like you have an ideal life and somehow you think moving will help you achieve that - a case of the grass being greener on the other side.

University fees (ie not having to pay them!) would make staying in Scotland appealing. Though of course anything can change. Surely there are lovely coastal bits of Scotland to rule out first?

@Stugs think its pretty obvious I meant that it's better to stay in Scotland as then the DC will get funded places at uni. Not that Dorset kids go to uni in Scotland, that makes no sense.

Also it's very different growing up in Dorset and having a network there as a teen, to being moved there as a teen. Lovely place, as I say, but not easy to get around and with the bucolic country pub life OP is talking about, it doesn't sound like she'd go to a city so while yes many kids in Dorset are fine, it's not the best move for her teens if she's factoring that in to the pro's and cons.

Can you stay for an extended period when the weather is poor, due to see if the grass is greener? I daydream about the south west but university and further study worries me. As do job prospects. I only go there in nice weather to see friends so I think I have a rose tinted view of it all tbh.

Bournemouth isn't Dorset 😉 I mean it technically is but it used to be Hampshire

This.

It really isn't one of the best schools in England. It's a nice school though.