To ask if anyone on here lives on the Isle of Arran?

[fairyteepee]

thinking of moving there having spent many a happy summer there, but is it too remote?

I don't, fairy, but my parents do. They moved there after they retired. We visit regularly - it is one of my favourite places on earth!

Based on their experience:

1. On the island the health care seems to be very good. There are a lot of GPs and most other services, plus the cottage hospital at Lamlash. If you need more specialist care you get referred to a hospital on the mainland and all the local hospitals are used to making appointments for Arran residents that fit in with the ferry times. At Crosshouse in Ayrshire there is a flat where Arran residents can stay so they can be near a loved one who is an in-patient. If necessary people are airlifted off the island or taken off by ambulance on the ferry. There is also a car service run by volunteers to get people from Ardrossan to the various mainland hospitals (ARCAS, I think).

You might have to go to the mainland for a dentist. Not sure about opticians. Also can't speak for maternity/health visitor services as my parents are long past that stage!

1. Schools seem to be good, judging by many years skimming through the Arran Banner when we go to stay up there! There are bus services to get the children to the primary schools. All the children go to Lamlash High School, which is in a new building. That has bus services from all over the island.

1. On the west side of the island it might be a bit remote in the winter. In Brodick, Whiting Bay or Lamlash, a lot less so. However, you do have to be prepared for disruption to the ferry service from time to time. The issue mainly seems to be with Ardrossan Harbour rather than Brodick. There is the Lochranza ferry too, but that won't run in really bad weather either.

1. Shops - there's a Co-op in Brodick and a smaller one in Lamlash. There is talk of Bilsland's in Brodick becoming a Tesco. Asda at Ardrossan right by the ferry terminal. Not sure if you can get any of the other supermarkets to deliver to the island - wouldn't have thought so. Post Office in most of the villages. Pharmacies in Brodick and Lamlash (not sure about Whiting Bay). Very good butcher in Blackwaterfoot who delivers all over the island.

1. Brilliant community spirit. Two years ago (or was it last year? can't remember now) when Arran was cut off by snow the whole community rallied round to help the elderly, disabled etc. The Kinloch Hotel in Blackwaterfoot was especially good, letting local people come in to use showers, hook up to their generator etc etc. [NB Arran gets very little snow most winters - this was a real freak event!]

Hope this helps - feel free to ask me anything else and I will see if I can get more answers for you!

Thank you that was a very detailed and informative response, thank you for taking the time to write that out its been a big help. Brodick is a personal favourite i terms of areas

forgot to say i LOVE Kinloch hotel!! i met Daniel Radcliffe in there after the first harry potter film, he was there with his grandparents. I am the same age as him and was absolutely star struck!

I do have one question, do you know if you get good value for your money house buying wise? and if so are there any particular areas where you get more for your money? Would be looking at a three bedroom house

Would you work out there?

Never lived there ore than a few months but know it well.
Like PP said health care good but you may need to go off island for a Dentise. I know kids with special needs sometimes have appointments off island which can be an issue.
The air ambulance is used in emergencies.

For shopping a lot of people I knew would do their big shop (monthly etc) off Island a lot would go to Irvine where there is a big ASDA and a Tesco extra, argos etc. if they had school kid they would usually do this during the school day some had it down to a fine military precision exercise .

There seemed plenty to occupy youngsters on the Island, the family I worked for the kids had a very Enid Blyton style childhood.

Schools are good but some (most?) have composite classes of many year groups together. Some saw this as a postive giving a real community spirit amoungst the children others didn't like it because the feel the quite ones get ignored. And that siblings can be in the same class.

The one thing that is an issue for us (I would love to live there permantly) is that getting of the island is expensive especially if you take a car. That can really up the cost of living if you have jobs or commitments off island. It didn't bother me on visits but when I spent longer spells there I noticed it really ate into our budget.

I also felt as wonderful as the community is on the island (large and varied to for island living) it could be transient. Partly due to not everyone realising they might not be suited to island life. Or people getting job offers off island and tiring of th commute.
One long term resident said on average many people seem to stay only 3 years, especially if they come up from down south with kids.

fairy family houses can be expensive now a days die to 2nd homes and the fact many move onto the islands from cities etc meaning they can afford better once they have sold their properties.
But there can be good value properties in more rural locations or in need of repair. Are you any good at DIY?

LittleBairn, I'm not surprised at that last comment. My mum and dad are in a completely different position to the OP. We have family connections to the island and the retired people have different interests, no need to find work etc etc. It must be very different living there as a younger person.

Re getting on and off the island - that's something we've not been aware of as retired people get such a good deal! Can't remember if the ferry is free to pensioner foot passengers or just heavily subsidised. Bus travel is free. All a lot more expensive if you have to pay normal rates. Petrol is very expensive so whenever possible people fill up on the mainland, of course.

I don't live there but visit every year at least once and know it well. Healthcare is top notch. I sadly had a miscarriage while on holiday there. I phoned the closest GP who immediately arranged for me to be seen in the cottage hospital and within 20 mins I was with the midwife there. Utterly lovely, every one of them.

Our impression this summer, backed up a brief chat with my mum and dad, was that it can take a long time for property to sell. Definitely worth trying to make a lower offer for the sake of a quick sale, I'd say.

All yes I agree people that have family and connections to the island seem to manage Island life much better and put down their own permant roots.
its good to know OAPs get a good deal that helps finalise my retirement plan.

Oh and there is very little crime, I'm sure petty crime goes up in the summer months with tourists and kids out of school but over all its a very safe place to stay.

Yes, v. little crime! We enjoy reading the Arran Banner with its detailed accounts of a local man pulled over for speeding or an under age youth found with a tin of lager. It makes a very pleasant change from the local papers here in SE London!

mimsy

Literally the worst thing I can say about Arran is that there's only one chippy on the whole island.

Where are you moving from?

Town, city, rural?

One thing I would say is that very few of the local young people stay on the island after school age. There aren't the jobs and I get the impression that a lot of them are desperate to get off to the cities for a bit of excitement. No shortage of summer holiday jobs for those who do hang around then, of course!

Looking for a long term let on the island. We used to live there but as to move off because of work and would like to return home. Does anyone know of anything that might be available?

I grew up just over the water on the mainland but could see Arran daily. The Area benefits from the Gulf Stream so snow is rare. During 2010 I was battling ice and snow in Glasgow and my mum had no idea how bad we had it. We went to visit down at the coast and the roads were just wet. ‘Ach we’ve not had any snaw here!’ It’s beautiful in the summer, just Glorious but in winter I’m nit so sure.

We miss Arran terribly, both summer (midges as well) and winter when the rocks would be thrown onto the road in the storms. Desperate to get back home again.

Ferry fares have descreased considerably since the introduction of the RET (Road Equivalent Tariff). It's around £25 return for a car and one passenger now (it was about double that until about five years ago).

I lived there as a child, in Whiting Bay.

Lots of memories- getting the ferry to the mainland to buy school shoes, going to the hotel in Blackwaterfoot with school for swimming, going to Brownies and Sunday school, piano lessons, could basically run wild, to the beach and up the glen to see friends. The waterfall and giants Graves- standing stones up the hill.

I went to Whiting bay primary school which was small- 3 classes so 3 year groups in one class I remember. The playground was quite big and some dodgy accidents there (but was in the 80s and probably changed since then!) I remember someone falling off the monkey bars and bashing their head badly on tarmac, also a mudslide with trees and someone was injured there and the air ambulance came to take them to the main hospital, a new one, on the mainland. My brother went there to have his tonsils out, but a minor op I had was managed at the cottage hospital in Brodick.

Hope that helps a little! It rained quite a lot.