AIBU to want to move to Scotland?

[kisaki333]

Hi, please help me make a decision as my heart and brain are not in the same place.
Background:
DH and I are in our 40's, we have a 6-month old and we are currently in a waaaaaay too small rented flat in SE England.
A while back, we've had an offer accepted on a house (SE England). The mortgage offer is for a 5 year fix under 2% which, by today's standards is incredible. It runs out in Sept, though, so we can only use it for this house.
The house in question is an OK house in an OK area with OK-ish schools. Nothing spectacular and it's about all we can afford in this area of the country.

While we were waiting for our sellers to get a move on with their chain (it's been months), we became convinced the sale will fall through and after viewing umpteen other properties, we realized we can't afford any other house we like around here. So we started thinking about moving to Glasgow where we lived years ago (when we were young and wild!). In Glasgow, we could afford either a superb house in an OK area or an OK house in one of the best areas with the best schools (like Bearsden or Milngavie etc). But to get there we have some bumps:

• DH would have to ask for a transfer from his work. It would probably be granted but no idea when, it depends when there's an opening. Risk is where-ever he gets transferred might not be as nice as his current setup, it's a gamble.


• I would also almost certainly have to change jobs as my current employer wants us 3 days in the office (although I can do my job from home without any issues) . Risk is the new job would probably not be paid as well. I am the main earner so that would be painful but not disastrous in the short term.


• We would likely have to first move into rented accommodation in Glasgow and only after buy a house (very hard to do viewings from miles and miles away and the market is hot there at the moment). Risk is: really nasty to move twice with a small baby.

My head says to buy the SE property (bird in hand etc). My heart wants to go back to Scotland.
A third option would be to buy the house in the SE now and then move up north in a few years. But by then DH will be almost 50 and he's the social one of us two. Really hard to start fresh in your 50's...

I am so very torn. I want to do what's best for my DC and I just can't decide what that is.

So please let me know what you think!
YABU - buy the SE house, Scotland is just a dream which might easily become a nightmare!
YANBU - listen to your heart and go north

I would love to move to Scotland. I live in the SE too, it's so expensive and there too many people and too much traffic. Family are keeping me here. I would go for it!

I live in Scotland

When I holiday in England , I'm always thankful of living in Scotland

I cannot stand how cramped England is.

I'm NE Scotland though and it's lovely up here.

You might find it a struggle to secure a house in those areas as they go quick but it will be worth it in the end

Come to Scotland, I moved here from England and don't regret it for a second

We moved from SE to Scotland recently and it’s been great for us.
We can afford to get on the property ladder with a nice house in a quiet village (something we couldn’t do in the SE). There are a lot less people in general - so less traffic, fewer queues, more space etc.
There also seems to be more traditional communities and community events (we have horses so have fully embraced common riding / Rideout season).
I love that I can go to the beach with the dogs and be the only person there.
There is also a lot of Scottish produce available in the supermarkets which I really like.
It was a big move and it has meant we are living further away from family but it is worth it for our quality of living.

I live in Glasgow but worked in London on/off for many years. I loved London for the buzz and job opportunities but was always shocked at the quality of life for average earners, people older than me who couldn't afford cars, had to live in house shares etc, travelling hours to work for affordability. I absolutely love life in Glasgow, there's plenty to do here and we have great schools and uni's, typically people don't do long commutes to work, so many scenic beautiful places nearby, it makes a huge difference to life I think. The southside of Glasgow and East Renfrewshire are excellent, the latter having many of the top schools in the country with loads of cool areas like strathbungo, shawlands, battlefield nearby to pop into for great cafes, bars restaurants and you've places like loch Lomond close by. If you pick a small area like Giffnock, Clarkston, netherlee you'll build up a friend network quickly with local groups schools etc. Good luck with your decision

‘Mon back

Come back but please be advised that the SNP has run the country into the ground.

that being said, check out Giffnock, clarkston, busby, East Kilbride, cambuslang, Rutherglen, Shawlands

I would love to be brave enough to move to Scotland but family (and familiarity) keeps me in the north of England.

Do it now while your child is very young and will know nothing else. Speaking from experience, it can be very traumatic to move from one end of the country to another as a school aged child.

Genuine question, but do any of you English posters who have moved to Scotland get any hostility from the locals? We would love to move there and the lifestyle would really suit our interests, but wouldn't want to be surrounded by people who don't want us there

I live in one of the areas of Glasgow named above and I love it! I'm from England but I've been here for over 20 years and would never move back.

Areas like Giffnock, Netherlee, Clarkston, Bearsden are lovely. I don't really like Newton Mearns but it has good schools I suppose. Everything is easy to get to.

I work in Glasgow and it takes me about 20 minutes to drive to work.

Glasgow hands down (although I may be biased as I'm Glaswegian!)

• even if your new job is slightly lower paid, everything is proportionate - Glasgow is significantly cheaper to live than the SE

• it's a fantastic city with loads to do with kids

• thinking to the future, once you've been there long enough (I think it's 5 years) your kids will be able to go to a Scottish uni without paying any tuition fees

I never have, despite my relatives panicking about that when I moved up here. I have an English accent and people generally just ask where I'm from. There's a bit of banter around football stuff, but I'm not into football so it goes past me.

This^^ couldn't agree more

And university is free here for your child/Rens future

Come back - west end of Glasgow will give you all the social buzz, great schools, cafes, restaurants, museums, botanic gardens, parks etc etc

None whatsoever. Always been accepted and made to feel welcome. I think Scotland is the best country in the world I really do

I'm from England , (RAF)

I speak with a very English accent. I get no hostility at all but I have lived here for 38 years but not in the same place.

Also I don't agree with the schools thing someone else mentioned. My sister had 9 schools due to forces and moving and I also had a few

Forces kids do it all the time with no affect.

Tunnel - nothing beyond banter, husband is English, and football, accent banter is no different from what I, a Glaswegian, get in England. All good. (Just take a sense of humour)

We haven’t found any hostility towards us at all - everyone we’ve met so far is really friendly. We have made some good friends already because of our horses, and our neighbours are really friendly (but not too overbearing or interfering!!!). We had an absolutely awful neighbour when we lived down south so that has made us quite wary of neighbours.
Everyone is so chatty and friendly - in shops for example, and so helpful.

My parents (then mid 40’s) left Hertfordshire when I was 14 and my sister was 11 moving an hour North of Inverness. It’s only in the last few years that I’ve thought about what a huge upheaval that must have been, especially for my Mum. I don’t think they had any regrets.

I wouldn’t leave Scotland now.

I wouldn’t be so sure on being able to get a house easily here. House prices are ridiculous just now and availability is horrific. Most houses go for well over what they are worth with several bidders these days.

I need to ask though, all these posters who say they have moved here from England. What’s wrong with England? I’ve only ever holidayed there so no idea what it’s like to live there but so many English insist on moving up here.

I moved from England to Scotland twenty some years ago.

I wouldn't even want to go back to visit. I'm love it here.

This thread warms my heart ❤

@kisaki333 what type of jobs would you be looking for? Depending on the industry you might find the job market really good just now.

@ThisIsNotThePostYourLookingFor I wouldn't say there's anything in particular wrong with England if I'm honest. It's pretty much the same but with different accents! But I live in a small Scottish village and I just adore it. It's so nice. There's probably tonnes of quaint English villages I'd love as much too but this place is my home and I wouldn't go anywhere else. I don't need to go back to my English roots anymore except fleeting visits to family and popping down to Blackpool for a holiday once in a while.

Oh and there's scotch pies and red kola here. Nuff said.