Ballater/Braemer doable or too expensive?

[Treesandsheepeverywhere]

Hi, anyone know/live in or around Ballater or Braemer please help.

We are planning a move with a 300k budget for possibly a detached/semi 2 bed.

Is this realistic and which place is better?

Londoners all our lives with lots of country breaks, so love the countryside but have only ever done 2 weeks max.

Favourite places are Northumberland, Lake District & the Yorkshire Dales.
Love outdoorsy activities and are both big walkers and cyclists.

YABU - Boring villages with nothing for that budget.
YANBU - Go for it, you may find a gem and learn to love the different pace of life.

The climate in aboyne tends to be pretty good in summer. Often warmer than Aberdeen and braemar cos it’s inland and not too high up.

So we're over it all now and just want a forever home.

How old are you and your husband, OP? Because you need to be thinking about future care requirements.

Totally get the wanting a "forever" home but it's a big expensive decision. It's not one to be taken lightly.

As a Londoner I am hyperventilating at the idea of this move. Braemer is described as the coldest village in the UK! Think of the public transport! Shops that might shut at 5 pm! No Deliveroo! Think carefully, OP ;-)

Have you been to the area on welsh border near chester? I'm assuming not if you think it's as built up as Dorking!
No where in Surrey is very rural, it being in such a densely populated area and so close to london (that's not to diss it, plenty of charming places).

If you thought moving to Dorking was moving rural it does make me think you are very much a city person by upbringing and possibly need to heed the warnings of the PP re rural Aberdeenshire!

Also, not sure how you'll hide that you're from London if people ask? Maybe that was a joke!

There are plenty of rural parts of Scotland that are much less isolated than the places you've set your heart on- pretty much everywhere outside the central belt- with glorious landscapes and quiet settings, but drivable to larger cities like Glasgow instead of Aberdeen. Perthshire or around sterling for example.

I do think it's bonkers to buy somewhere you've never lived that is so starkly different, without renting for a year first.

In fact, if I was you, I'd do a few 3 month stints in different locations to narrow it down- west coast, borders, etc

Seriously though, I would rent and get an idea of the ‘vibes’. Former Londoners are not liked everywhere, as I have read from many threads on MN, if they don’t make an effort to integrate. Find out how they react to newcomers. Are you happy with a complete change of life as you can’t uproot your life to elsewhere and expect the same level of services.

And what if, god forbid, something happened to one of you? Starting afresh somewhere remotes with no social
connections could be very lonely. I am thinking worst case scenario of course.

Good luck, whatever you decide!

A relation in north Norfolk lives in a village with one 'bus a day.

Of the two, Ballater has more amenities, great restaurants, and the larger part of the village is not affected by the flooding. Still waiting for the council’s flood protection scheme though🙄

The main supermarkets deliver. No Waitrose or Ocado. No mains gas , but there is water/ sewage as long as you are within the village

Re the Fife Arms fuss. It’s a mixed bag. Residents in Braemar complained about frequent fireworks and the attendant noise of guests enjoying those. But other residents are glad of the increase in visitor numbers and attendant spending.

I live in West Aberdeenshire, having lived all over the world. It is a different lifestyle but it’s not a remote island. Airport, train station are 1 hour away.

Try before you buy.

You wouldn’t be tied to a long rental here. It doesn’t work like that. So you could stuff your things in storage and try a few areas. Moving after just a few months.

Echoing others - go and rent for a year. Surrey is definitely not rural. Brief trips no matter what the weather conditions are no guide to the reality of life.

aye it might be a good bus service for rural areas but it'll be one heck of a shock to the system if you're used to London public transport!

Renting first would be a sensible idea, however rentals are like hens teeth in Ballater and Braemar due to the ridiculously high number of holiday and second homes. It’s a beautiful part of world though, be prepared for long harsh dark winters and lots and lots of tourists in summer.

There are also plenty of beautiful rural areas of mid Wales that are within reach of Hereford or even Birmingham.

@Herdinggoats what’s happening with the Fife Arms? I did wonder if it would be good news (jobs and spending) or dominant/too many people a la Rick Stein

Lots of very good advice from people - one thing no one has mentioned much is the difference in culture between England and NE Scotland, it is massive. I don't mean culture in the sense of arts and coffee shops, just day to day life, attitudes and opinions. Villages do not have a same feel as English ones, the whole hens and veg and village life will have a totally different vibe to the same setup south of the border... not to mention it's hard to grow much other than root veg unless you have a polytunnel😂

There are areas where racism towards English folk is still apparent (although Deeside is much less like that to be fair)

How old are you? Would you need to be looking for work? Everything is more expensive because of the travelling times to get anywhere. What you are describing would be much more likely to be found in the borders or norther England. I think you would be mad not to come and rent first.

a vegetable garden Are you an experienced gardener? I'm in Yorkshire, and my growing season is over a month shorter than in the south east, You'll lose another month going that far north. It will severely limit what you can grow.

I found this

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/money/11950358/braemar-fife-arms-hotel-noise-row/

@KimberleyClark thank you. 😳

@Treesandsheepeverywhere we live rural and at this time of year I am all over RightMove, dreaming about life in a town. We are cut off regularly with flooding. The potholes are awful and many local roads are breaking up in patches. We have got through three tyres and one wheel this winter. We are very careful drivers. Night driving in rain is dangerous and exhausting.

I love your idea but just have two caveats. 1) go for a town or small city. Inverness is fab and reasonably welcoming. Has main road, rail and airport. Countryside and coast are very accessible and locals talk about the micro-climate of being between mountains and sea. If you have DC they will appreciate a town for school choice, activities and then teen independence. Sports facilities are big thing. Easier for you all to get jobs when needed. 2) sadly Scots are not always welcoming. They can be suspicious of English and just quite self contained in their social lives. Again, being in a town/small city will help you find your gang as there will be more people/opportunities.

I love your idea and ambition.

Me again! Also think Nairn would be good.

@FantasticElasticBand bit of discontent amongst some with the amount of noise. But if the OP liked the hotel then they’ll probably be in the supportive camp liking the facilities it brings

Go for it, I say. You can always move again. And yes, I know Braemar well. No Doric needed. Lots of English and Dutch families and families where the kids board in England.

I prefer Braemar to Ballater as easier to get to Perth (rather than Aberdeen).

If you are on to options, Dollar is lovely and nearer the cities.

Oh and locals are not kicking off about the Fife Arms. A couple of fuss pots getting a few hundred £ from the parts for a story.

I have relatives in Ballater, and have spent lots of time there. It's grim. Damp, cold, dark, depressing. Yes, the surrounding countryside is lovely if you like being cold and wet most of the year but the town has nothing to offer. Even the buildings look depressed.

We are in Aberdeenshire but north of Aberdeen in a rural area. Like many have said our winters can be bad, this year we have had a lot of flooding and then days where the roads are treacherous with ice and just had to stay home. Aberdeenshire council aren't great with gritting!! Braemar and surrounding areas can get the coldest temps in scotland and you will get some significant snowfall there. We work from home but our internet is not the best so that's something to consider too, although there are options like Starlink these days. We do get power cuts when there's bad weather so be prepared to be cut off for potentially a few days at a time. You may find the darkness in the winter months hard to adjust to. You'll have to think of things like the fact you will be off the mains for water and unlike to have gas so you will have private water supply and oil/lpg for heating. But we dont find that a big issue.

I think you have to just try it, and be prepared for a very different way of living. As others have said renting may be the way to go and see how it goes.

If you like the options of shops, theatre etc we do have decent shows coming to Aberdeen but the city is not what it was. The main high street here is very run down with lots of empty units etc. but I imagine most of the uk is the same these days.

We were going to buy in Dorking but decided to go proper country and embrace it fully.

This actually made me laugh out loud 😂