Relocating to Scotland

[BipolarBabe34]

hi MN (not sure where I was supposed to post this one) but once again I’ve been thinking a lot again about relocating. I currently live down south it’s very expensive rent ect I’ve been thinking of moving up north more so to Scotland. I have family up there and the rent is so much cheaper. I’ve found lovely cottages up there with land for only a small amount more than what I pay in the south for a smaller property.

my question is anyone that has relocated such a long distance how did it go? Do you regret it? Are you glad and how did you go about viewing properties as it’s not like I can just pop over for context we are about a 9/10 possibly even 11 hour drive from the highlands.

thanks for reading again.

There is a housing crisis in most areas of Scotland, rentals are not easy to come by, they're snapped up and prices are inflated. In places like the Highlands locals can't get accomodation as they're being priced out by wealthy incomers. I love Scotland but it's not a move to be made on a whim. It's not some sort of fantasy life.
As has been said already remote Highland living is very different from the central belt.

Baking sunshine and blue skies here today!

Mea culpa. Yes I meant to write England or other parts of the UK. Generally my geography isn’t bad or ignorant!

As I said before, your gauge is not supposed to be in the sun or maybe it is faulty.

I’ll let you off @Yetone(my geography is awful!)

I’ll often use rUK when I mean the rest of the UK but that does always assume that rUK = NI, Eng and Wales! Scotland so special. 😜

Maybe the poster is seeing into the future?

Just mentioned this to my sis who is currently 3 miles south of you. Her response Are you kiddin'? @Blondiebeachbabe
Met and bbc weather saying maximum high of 24 today and dropping to 19 tomorrow.

meanwhile I’m outskirts of London… 33 atm. 34 tomorrow.

She's the other side of Dunoon!

There's a family on YouTube living in Scotland (near Aberdeen I think) but originally from Cornwall. They lived for 10+ years there in a large RAF house but are now in a council house. They are whining all over YouTube (and tiktok, Facebook and Instagram) about wanting to move home to Cornwall, but realistically they will need a miracle to be able to afford it. So maybe think longer term than just "I want somewhere cheaper or larger". You say you have family in Scotland, but are these immediate family? Have you siblings or parents near where you live now that you would be gutted not to be able to see more of them especially if they were in poor health?

no different to England here

@Blondiebeachbabe 😆

It was beautiful here yesterday. Supposed to be high of 16c today but it’s already 16c and sunny. I love the spring and summers we get here for the most part. But it’s not the same as where we used to live in England.
I would consider further south of the county (Aberdeenshire) at some point as we are exposed here in rural north west Aberdeenshire.

No different to England? That’s madness.

I'm from Scotland (Edinburgh) but unfortunately don't live there now although all my family do and I go to visit regularly.

I love it and wish I lived there and hope to move back someday. My main piece of advice would be to take time to research different areas. As a PP has said, Scotland is very diverse in landscape, weather, lifestyle, etc.

Why in particular do you want to go to the Highlands?
I understand the appeal as there are so many beautiful places but there is generally a degree of isolation that comes with that. Lack of work opportunities too.

Agree with other posters that there are other places worth considering (unless what you really want is a highland croft and to live from farming).

• Fife is beautiful and not far from Edinburgh.

• The Borders - good value for property and land.

• Dundee is a great city that is also good value and has quite a lot going on culture wise (Dundonians try to keep it secret what a great place it is to live as they don't want to be invaded by hoards of people seeking a reasonably priced town with a great quality of life).

• Some parts of East Lothian are affordable (some not so much) and you are near Edinburgh and also lovely coast and pretty market towns and villages.

• Ayrshire also very reasonable, nice coast and not so very far from Glasgow.

• Central belt towns, some are pretty reasonable price wise and between Glasgow and Edinburgh for work. Not all of them are particularly beautiful and charming but there are lots of lovely bits too.

From anywhere in Scotland you can easily visit the Highlands if you love it there and enjoy what it has to offer whilst living and working somewhere more practical.

Highland here. The Highlands are a huge and sparsley populated in some areas. The winters are long, cold and dark. We sometimes dont get day light at all and we often get snow. It looks gorgeous but is a blooming menace. The summer nights are lovely and bright and sometimes it never gets dark. Warm summer nights are brilliant and the beaches are fantastic. However the weather isnt always great. Its 18 just now whilst the rest of the UK is way hotter. Small towns can have limited amenities and limited school options plus parents often end up going to Inverness for activities anyway so you mayve better near the city. Rentals are hard to get and when you get one look at the council tax band and heating type. I am a band E for a 3 bedroom property which is over £3k a year in council tax. My gas and electric are about £1500 a year for a well insulated new build but older properties are far more expensive. Heating is more expensive here and its also colder so we get a double whammy. Factor in fuel bills to as the bus service isnt great though getting better.

Rentals will be cheaper but are highly sought after. The Highlands is a lovely area to live though and relatively safe. Kids walk to school, play outside and most of the schools are good