To ask if anyone lives on a small Scottish Island?

Indeed. No need to update

usually when people help comment on a thread, they hope to know if you do actually do it and settle people like to know the who, what, where, when, how, why etc

I'm not sure how long you've been living in London but from my experience, there are so many English living in Scotland and Northern Ireland now, to the point that when I'm there I hear more English than I do Scots or Norn Irish.

I think most English have integrated well, things have moved on and less hostility these days (generally speaking).

OP I have relatives on an island off the west coast of Scotland, so don't have experience of living there myself, but we do go stay with them. We really love it there, but the midges are a fucking killer. Our relatives, one is Scottish but has an English accent, the other is English, both have spent more of their lives living in Scotland. They utterly adore Scotland and love their island life, they are well immersed in their local community.

That said, the winters are harsh, the ferries situation, the cost of the ferries, the length of time to reach the mainland - huge ferry queues in tourist season. Campervans and tourists everywhere. They are getting old now, and have long trips to the hospital. They may potentially move off the island when they get elderly, but I know it would break their hearts to leave their wonderful home there.

Lots for you to think about, I think it would be worth you renting a place there for a year to see if you can handle the winters and the isolation.

As it happens, we home educate too. There will most likely be other children on whatever isle you choose, and there will be ways for your child to make friends. People still seem to think that home educated children don't socialise with schooled children which is silly as all of my children's friends are schooled!

in what context and how are they different ?

But people are friendly, much friendlier than in England

Let's just say there is a great deal of regional variation in friendliness in England.

I don’t live on an island, but I have friends who live in the Western Isles so I know a bit about life out there.

Firstly, the climate. Don’t underestimate this. The Western Isles simply don’t have summers in the way people from the south of England would understand the term. Winters anre mild, but it’s overcast wet & windy all year round & temperatures rarely get above 15C even in July.

Secondly, the choice of food shops is very limited & prices are high. Supermarkets, like everything else on the islands, are totally dependent on the Calmac ferries, which are very old, very knackered & very unreliable.

Please do come back and update!!

Gulf stream

I grew up on a Scottish island. Lovely for childhood but I would be prepared for your child to leave I did as soon as was through school - there are limited employment, further education and social activities. I enjoy going back to visit family in summer the beaches are stunning but winters are harsh and isolating we have friends in Tiree and the supermarket can be empty when there are no sailings for a few days.
Healthcare is an important consideration, if you have long term conditions you may have to travel as far as Glasgow for management and treatment.

Well that’s a surprise

This is not going to happen. Not in a month of Sundays.

If it does…. Please come back and update 😂

Easy to say.

Bad idea. For your child. There is no way around that.

What would you do for work?

As someone with autistic children in mainland Scotland I certainly wouldn't consider moving to an island. Here in the central belt there are ASN schools, clubs, support groups etc. It's absolutley not perfect but far far more support than my relatives have in a slightly more remote part of Scotland. The further out you go the less likely you'll have access to those sorts of resources and support.

ND children very often find it easier to socialise with other ND children. So by restricting this you'll likely have issues.

So what should parents of sen kids who already live rurally do? All move to big cities? Where resources are horribly over-stretched anyway

Indeed

But as clearly this thread should demonstrate…. This has bad idea stamped all over it. I suspect both you and DP out of work and floundering for a solution.

and the idea of not needing to consider your other child in this move is… well, not something many of us can relate to.

Nor your stance on your boy and getting professional guidance

Stay put. And focus on trying to improve your circumstances where you have more of a chance

Have you been? Are you English? I’m scottish, living in London and married to a Londoner but I’m honestly not sure how well English people would be welcomed, maybe I’m being cynical and generalising but also worth considering.

They lived on Mull for a number of years before he won Interior Design Masters.

They'd certainly built a life there.

The move across to Ulva is for the TV series.

I live on Orkney and have for 10+ years. I live in the West Mainland. The Mainland is great and I live it - yes we have challanges with weather, ferries, housing, and the cost of living etc but we also have easy access to very good facilities - albeit without as much choice as you are probably used to. Lots of social events, clubs, sports.

Any of our ferry linked Isles have their additional difficulties just simply because of the transport issues (especially but not just in the Winter), additional costs and lack of facilities - schools will offer some community use but its quite limited. The smaller number of people can definitely be an issue and some islands are especially insular - and I'd say Eday has quite a reputation for that. I would certainly visit and spend some time sussing it out. There might well be a good reason why the property you are interested in is going for a good price.

So you have other children

But for some reason you don’t need to consider them (or even mention them in your Op). Ok.

And you don’t think relevant how you and your partner currently earn a living. Ok

So you have another child? Are they not to be considered in the move?

What do you and your DP currently do for work????