To move from the big smog to the Highlands?

[Rattusn]

I have lived in London all my life, and it has been a bit of a love/hate relationship. I do love all the local facilities, and rarely for London, we do have some community. We do however live in a very deprived area, and I can already see my primary school age child becoming very streetwise, and being exposed to things I would rather she wasn't. The local secondary options are appalling ( very rough - think heavy gang involvement and frequent physical fights). If we stayed I would be dreading what will happen at age 11.

Our area is very high crime, and has a lot of social problems. Very ethnically diverse without much integration, with the resultant issues.

We have holidayed in the Highlands and it has been divine: Stunning scenery, with lovely friendly people, and altogether much more child friendly. Afaik all Scottish children go to their local school, so no more trekking across London because I couldn't get a place at a nearer school. House prices here are also incredibly good value for money after being used to London prices.

Altogether it seems like a an easy decision, but I'm not sure that it is pie in the sky. Aibu to uproot my dc across the country?

katedotness I don't think this is representative of Inverness. I have lived here for decades and have never seen a drugs-related incident. Yes, there is a drugs problem here the same as in other places but it is not a daily feature in most people's lives.

Even in the Central Belt you can be surprised to come across areas where drugs are an issue, where you never expected.

Dh had to go to the loo in the Sainsbury's in Greenock. He was surprised at the UV lighting in the loos and commented on it to one of the Customer Service staff. He was told that it was to stop people shooting up

pretty being rather naive, I have no idea how uv light would prevent drug taking.

You are right that drugs can be an issue everywhere, to a greater or lesser extent. I have seen drug deals in rather posh areas of London, which makes sense as the locals have more disposable income.

The difference between the nice areas (and I'm including Inverness in this) and rough areas such as where I live, seems to be how blatant the drug dealing and drug use is. Here it is on nearly every street corner, and I have been offered drugs while out with my DC. When we visited Inverness I did not see any drug use, dealing, nor was I offered drugs.

I agree it is everywhere but it's quite easy to not be involved. I've never been offered drugs in my life and neither have my DSs.

I could probably find a way to lay my hands on some if I was inclined to though.

I think that the UV light makes it difficult/impossible to see where the veins are, Rattusn.

Harder to see where veins are...and harder to do things like cut coke as well.

Greenock's pretty well known for having pretty huge issues with drugs btw, and just in general...it isn't exactly a middle class kind of town.

May I suggest ABERDEEN, or just outside it.
I'm a Londoner and I worked in Aberdeen many years ago, at the height of oil & gas exploration. I was very pleasantly surprised, and felt at the time that I could live there quite easily.
Mind you, may have changed dramatically in the last 30 yrs.

The areas around Aberdeen were lovely, a 30 min car drive.

Rattusn - we were equally naive and had to have it explained to us

Rattusn, I think you were fortunate in Inverness. Not saying it is any worse than anywhere else, eg Victoria in central London, but there was a certain amount of dealing just off from the tourist info and around falcon square when we were there a fortnight ago. Every day. And quite a few people, mainly men, who were high.

Of course they might just be there for the summer and the tourists...

I don't know about the suburbs though.

I've been in inverness many times and never seen any drugs dealing/raids/arrests. Not saying it doesn't happen but I've never seen anything.

Well, there you are.

I've never ever been offered drugs or even seen drugs being dealt

I must have led a sheltered life

Actually, I tell a lie: I was offered a joint when I was at Uni (over 30 years ago ) but because I've never smoked (before or since), I literally didn't know how to inhale, so it had zero effect.

It's interesting talking to just about 16 year old ds: he says that he has friends who smoke weed (and drink alcohol), but he's not interested (they're not his "main" friends - he's with the "nerdy" group). I'm not going to take all the credit for his attitude though: he's very sporty, so he says he's never going to drink alcohol (but his main sport is rugby ); plus his interest in Cycling means he's very anti-drugs (has been to British Cycling "Regional Schools of Racing" where they drum in the anti-drugs/anti-cheating message).

His "my body is a temple" attitude means he's not interested in recreational drugs either. Long may that last.

My two are not interested in sports so have no interest in their body being a temple :o

However DS1 sticks with his few geeky friends and can be a bit stubborn. He is also fussy in the extreme so I can't see him taking anything without thoroughly investigating whether it tastes like "green".

DS2 just thinks the few at school who smoke and drink are idiots and to be pitied.

Aberdeen could be a good job in the sense that the property market is dropping due to all the job losses in the gas/oil industry. It all depends on your job situation (haven't RTFT). Personally, I find it the most miserable, grey place I've ever been.

I'd avoid Aberdeen-it's a very have and have not contrast that is only going to get worse as oil companies lay more off. The accent is also really difficult for 'outsiders' I think!

It's also bloody cold. None of that nice warm Gulf Stream.

On the plus side, the university has a magnificent choir and I find the Doric pleasing if incomprehensible and butteries are scrummy.

Ignore fanjo what you've said is a statement of fact.

Why don't you move to central Scotland? if you're near Loch Lomond then Glasgow is pretty close to it on its south side

Thanks for dragging that up again.

Well..in your opinion maybe.

In y city, which has immigrants, if people speak their own language or fraternise together I don't blame them for crime or view it as a big problem because I'm not xenophobic. The OP agreed vociferously with a deleted post saying immigrants can fill out forms when or comes to getting perks, . Hardly a wonderful attitude. Anyway I am hiding this thread. I have no intention to derail it and it's others who keep making the digs. I hope OP finds the genteel drug free ethnically balanced place she is seeking.

Dh who is from Highlands read the post and said that attitude wouldn't be welcome there. So I wouldn't go around doing saying such things if you do move OP. Tread carefully.

doing

Well, I live in rural Scotland, Fanjo and I am finding your attitude on this post pretty odd. You seem determined to pick a fight, which would go down badly in any community, but would be more noticeable in a small rural one. Tread carefully, eh?

I can't find anything racist in what you said OP. And how do you integrate with people who don't wish to integrate with you??

I think this is unfair, actually. It's often not easy to integrate with many English/white people unless you drink alcohol, like going out to drink. etc. They are not rude about it but will treat you as 'other'.

It seems that 'integration' often means living on white people's terms. But it's minorities that always get accused of not integrating.

integration definition :
the act of amalgamating a racial or religious group with an existing community
the UK is the existing community (nothing to do with the odious term 'white people' ) as most of us have lived here for many generations (and that includes previous immigrants as well as those of us who are 'indigenous' for many hundreds of years)
sorry OP for derailing your thread but I cannot let the pp go un-challenged.

I didn't mean to cause offence. Happy to say 'indigenous' instead.

I just think people have to meet each other half way, otherwise it becomes disheartening.