To believe that a very high % of mumsnetters are Scottish

[greedygal]

I get this impression and have no idea why - is this my imagination or is this the case?

Where are you originally from?

I am thoroughly English.

I was at university in Aberdeen. Old Aberdeen is beautiful and Aberdonians don't hate students. My son went to Aberdeen continuing the traditional migration northwards of Edinburgh private schoolboys. He was in the same halls as me and they had not apparently had a lick of paint in the decades between.

I find Aberdeen a bit depressing away from Old Aberdeen, despite being one of the richest cities in the UK a lot of it is very shabby.

I was at university in Dundee. Mostly it's a blur.

I was born in Aberdeen :) It has such a strong character and seems so alien to Central Belters. It's now impossibly expensive too due to oil and gas, but have you seen Union Square?

Any takers for the glorious isle of Arran? My dad has a caravan there, happy days :)

I spent a year in Aberdeen and didn't really warm to it. However, I liked the view of the sea (and ferry) from my bedroom window, the park with formal planting at the north side of town and the shopping centre with the John Lewis in it (I think there is a new shopping centre now and I understand Union Street has been hollowed out by this). I loved a venue called the Lemon Tree but I don't think that's there any more. I also liked the boy racer riggers lined up in their souped up fiestas along the stretch of road near the leisure park - so many of them, it was some sight.

I was completely skint at the time though so probably couldn't properly appreciate.

I went to Glasgow. Ditto.

shockingly I don't remember prostitutes in Aberdeen. Husband used to work in a very blue chip solicitors' firm in Glasgow which apparently used to feature solicitors of the other type servicing their clients in the back lane you could see from his office if you were working late.

Beach Boulevard :)

shockingly I don't remember prostitutes in Aberdeen. Husband used to work in a very blue chip solicitors' firm in Glasgow which apparently used to feature solicitors of the other type servicing their clients in the back lane you could see from his office if you were working late.

Sorry double posts, East Coast wifi playing up.
Oh and the weather today is deteriorating rapidly the further south this train goes.

Is Union Square the other shopping centre?

I might be moving to Aberdeen later in the year. I'll certainly be going back for a few more visits before I do,but I did love it. I liked it much more than Edinburgh tbh. Living there of course will be a very different experience.

I wasn't really expecting to love it so much.

Going to be cheeky,and hijack the thread,but does anyone here have any experience of living in Perth? I have the option of moving there.

Eddie The Lemon Tree is still there.

We are going to Arran on holiday again this year. Love it.

I'm Scottish living in England, am up in Aberdeen for weekend as I type love it here wish could move "home" but cost of housing means it's v unlikely to happen

In Perth you can have the Edinburgh/Glasgow thing with Perth substituting for Edinburgh (or so the Perthites? would have you think . I would prefer to move out but he has the Edinburgh thing of not being able to cope with living somewhere else )and Dundee for Glasgow. The lack of a university means the analogy falls down, in Dundee's favour.

Sorry that last post is gibberish.

Meant to say In Perth you can have the Edinburgh/Glasgow thing with Perth substituting for Edinburgh (or so the Perthites? would have you think)and Dundee for Glasgow. The lack of a university means the analogy falls down, in Dundee's

Aberdeen is great too. DH went to uni there. Books and Beans Cafe is fab.

Another Weegie here. I do like Edinburgh too but always think it's beautiful but a bit soulless. Whereas parts of Glasgow are a bit of a dump but there's more heart here. But that's probably just my natural bias showing through!

I'm in Aberdeen. It's fab when the sun is shining, so about 2 days a year for an hour before the haar rolls in.

Union Street has got tatty, especially the west end away from the Bonn Accord / St Nicholas centre, and George Street is full of cash converters. John Lewis is fab, but still waiting for a Waitrose. Council is toying with the idea of pedestrianising part of Union Street, but god knows what that would do to the traffic, it's bad enough as it is.

Lemon Tree keeps going bust but manages to struggle on, the Music Hall still has good bands.

House costs here are horrendous for anyone moving into the area.

I'd move to Aberfeldy. I was looking at commuting times to Edinburgh but couldn't make it work.

I grew up about 20 minutes from Perth. Loved going there but not lived there so no current knowledge for those thinking of moving.

Give Dundee a few months to get the new road layout sorted out. The change it is going to make to the waterfront is amazing. No more shoebox Hilton and Tayside House.

Born in Dundee and bred across the water looking at it.

Fanjo - we are going to Arran too this summer.

From the moment I get to the ferry port in Ardrossan I feel all my stress ebbing away. I can't count up how many times I've been to Arran. I just love it.

wildthong I worked in Goldbergs! was still at school but not in the trendy bit chidrens clothes sadly, hated it, but giving age away loved the boutique downstairs too, we always got a Saturday afternoon off because the shop was closed as the owner was an elderly Jewish man and he went to the synagogue so he closed it . You cannot imagine that happening now a major store closed on Sat afternoons!

Fanjo tell us more about your Arran trips? We go to Lamlash, it's fab.