Living on a Scottish island

[Keeplookingforwards]

Tell me about living Island life!!!!!

How is Island living?
Would you recommend it ?
Up sides and down?

The best and worst ?
COL is it massively higher than say rural highland mainland
Is everyone friendly to “outsiders”

Would like as much chat/info as can muster lol

Not really an AIBU but here I am 😊

1. Are you getting a government lump sum to live there?
2. Is he really handsome and great in bed?

Demonstrating my belief that the only reasons to live on Scottish islands are money and sex. Don't go if they can't prove you'll get them. Beautiful there, though.

If the island is Gaelic speaking, people coming to the island who have no Gaelic contribute to the erosion of the language which many people are protective over.

are you entitled to live somewhere where you don’t have the primary or preferred language- and presumably will expect people to speak to you in english?

You’ll also be contributing to pricing out locals. Many countries have immigration restrictions- so on a global scale it is definitely accepted that not everyone is entitled to live wherever they would like.

By 'contribution to the community' - I'd think about the following:

• do you or your family members have a useful profession/trade skill - this can be anything from nursing to teaching to accountancy to engineering or building or plumbing or the licence/ability to drive a bus. Remote communities have to be self-sufficient (there is a whole strand of Highland Council policy devoted to 'community resilience', for example). You'll most likely be accepted quickly if your skills fill a gap in community needs. Ask around your chosen island to find out what these are. They will vary from place to place.
• Think about this scenario. It's February, dark (very, for a lot of the day) and cold and wet and maybe freezing. Your neighbour's private water supply pipe has sprung a leak. Or perhaps their septic tank has got blocked. What would you do? Saying 'sorry, I'm afraid I can't help' would not be the right answer.
• The village hall badly needs a spring clean. Or there is a collective clean up of the local beach, to get rid of litter left by tourists. A poster advertisers for helpers, on one of your few free Saturdays. Do you turn up?
• The local volunteer fire brigade/emergency responders (=care until a qualified medic arrives) schemes need more helpers. Would you consider training for this?
• Old Mrs MacSomething's son normally takes her to the doctor's (the GPs visit the main town on the island once a week, IF you are lucky). But he's away on the rigs/out at sea. It's not especially convenient for you, but do you offer (BEFORE being asked)?
• the local school needs equipment/games kit mending and/or work done on (for eg) the pupil's play equipment and/or garden. Are you there?
• (frivolous but important) can you bake? ALl sorts of community events require cakes/scones - or - depending on the event - other more refined comestibles. Offers for catering for community functions are usually very much appreciated.
• You have a return ferry ticket to the mainland. Hooray! So have you asked your neighbours/the most needy people you know whether there is anything you can get for them - this might be just their favourite brand of shampoo or 'exotic' fruit and veg. That means nothing fancy, but just such items as salad perishables - watercress, for example. An offer - however temporarily inconvenient to you - really will be much appreciated.

Everything other posters have said about costs of fuel, costs of routine deliveries, difficulty of access to medical treatment , difficulties for bored/having to travel teens rings very true.

There is a great deal more I could say but I think you get my drift. Locals will have seen countless newcomers mooning around the place enthusing at the views and waffling on about (mostly 19th cent) 'folklore'. Yes, the views are wonderful. But making a realistic living (apart from tourism) if you are not a crofter (and therefore part of that very speciaised and sometimes separate community) in remote places can be very difficult.

What island or islands are you considering as that will make a huge difference.

I live on the mainland but in a very remote/rural part of the west coast. We have had so many people move to the area since 2020 that it's become a bit overwhelming for some of the older locals and it's had an impact on our healthcare provision, housing and schools. In fact available rental housing here is extremely hard to come by these days.

The welcome you get will absolutely depend on how much you get out there and integrate but there's lots to consider. Ferries for one, the lack of air travel for many of the islands is another. Lack of facilities is another and lack of choice in supermarkets. Our local hospital is small and while we have an X-ray department, A&E, physio, you're likely to be referred to the city for specialist treatments or significant trauma.

Winters in rural communities are long and hard, plus dark with the sun rising late and setting early.

You would think Wouldn’t you ?
This post isn’t really optimist.
I suppose thats what I was looking for when posting .
Someone to say something nice or something positive .

Maybe not going to much to ask

Yes we have a 2 large chest freezers. We have quite a large garden and I freeze a lot of produce as well as stock up on meat. I batch cook a lot from September onwards and freeze meals so the meat and veg are fresh when I cook them. I always have frozen milk and butter too as it’s not the first time we’ve been cut off for a week or so.

Island life is very different to living on the mainland in the Highlands.

Mull is FULL of wealthy incomers. (Some parts used to be known as 'the officers' mess' since so many Scottish regiment officers and their wives chose to settle there, for cheapness - no longer the case - I suppose). Not at all typical of other Scottish islands. But even Mull people can't get the ferries to run on time - or sometimes at all. There have been MAJOR problems over the past few years. See, for instance: https://www.facebook.com/mullandionaferrycommittee/?locale=en_GB or here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/crucial-summit-over-calmac-ferry-services

There will be lots of positives to island life OP, but you have to be realistic about how what everyday life will be like and consider the issues that have been pointed out. You absolutely have to be up for joining in with the community way of life.

Mull is huge but most roads are single track so it can take ages to get anywhere, especially in the summer with lots of tourists around and some of which won't have a clue about how to drive on said single track roads.

From experience: if you want to build a house/extension/ buy a washing machine/ get rid of waste from a building project it all has to be transported via the ferry and costs an absolute fortune!
And then it’s windy so the ferries are cancelled and there’s no bread or milk or veg unless you’re organised.
And someone injures themselves badly and has to be helicoptered out , thank goodness it wasn’t windy that day !

Thankyou for your input.

It sounds like you’re on the Isle of Skye to me possibly .
Im not clueless to rural jist wondered about an insiders perspective .

I grew up on Bute from a young child till my mid 20s, and honestly while in some ways idyllic as a child (the beaches, walks, generally roaming all over the place with freedom), there was nothing to do which meant the teenagers really went out of their way to fill their time in ways I don't see now I live on the mainland (not positive ways). The schools were awful, barely any shops, any time you needed to do anything major had to book hotels as you couldn't get back in time for the last boat. However, there were great points too, I think it depends on where you are in life. Lots of retirees used to move there, honestly though I wouldn't with young children. Not sure what the other islands are like, but Bute is the most accessible, only a 40 minute boat and around an hour drive to Glasgow. Also had to be helicoptered off the island for a medical emergency once. Still have family there and visit regularly, but couldn't imagine moving back, it's nice to visit but prefer the mainland. Locals can be a mix like anywhere of really friendly and welcoming and really not.

Depends on the Island!

Skye has the bridge so doesn't have the ferry dependency others have.

I depends on the lifestyle you have/want.

Eg kids
Schools may be 1 or 2 classes so all mixed ages. It is likely to be a long journey to high school. Some island kids go to state weekly boarding school in Oban. Island schools tend to be poor performing in exams (except Shetland?) as they can't recruit teachers do have vv limited subject choices/subjects taught by the 'wrong' teachers. There isn't much childcare/wrap around care on any island. So forget about being both full time working unless you can WFH.

Lots of islands don't have mains gas.

You both need cars. And be able to use passing places & reverse back into them!

Holidays will take an extra day of travel either side.

Gossip/lack of privacy.

Most young adults move away so not good if you want to be close to your DCs post 18. Very few flats so hard for them to buy a starter home.

Lots of houses are holiday/second/short lets which can make places seem like ghost villages.

There's a lack of skilled labour/tradespeople so getting work done can be impossible.

Everything is more expensive.

You don't need fancy clothes & spend less as there's no tempting shops.

No gyms so it's just outdoors or living room exercise!

If you liked lockdown life it'd be ok.

Thankyou this is the type of replies I think I was looking for .

I think I should be more specific.
Do the parents chat at school gates do people say hello . Would they have play dates with new comers in time or at least share a coffee on a social environment say?

Or are new Comers shunned ?

It thought people would what to say nice things about their island living .
I came across a video online recently and an islander blogs their life .
The Island wasn’t one I’d choose though.

I have visited the western isles a lot. NameX’s post is really well written and highlights some of the key factors of island community and life.

I think people are trying to give you the realistic view, rather than the romantic view. If I were looking at doing this for the first time id probably rent for a year with a view to settling permanently. Some people love it, some people hate it. There really is no right
answer to give you here.

People have seen others come and go for years.

Sometimes they just can't be bothered to put in effort with yet another 'stranger' that might disappear, never to be seen again, after six months.

You must know what I mean ?
Richard Branson may lol and a few others

I suppose I just think we live in a beautiful
country and why can’t we enjoy it whichever part they may be. .

Im not going back to the history of the highlanders loosing their homes or talking about the main subject on everyone’s lips these day , the second home owners .

I mean it’s a free country .Its really not for anyone to dictate. .

Fair point

OP Do you not see - the 'good bits' depend on the 'community contribution'? If you help others - just a simple thing like picking friends'children up from school at an extra-busy time such as lambing - they will be more inclined to help you.
Not just for you, but for all concerned. It's what makes island living so remarkable. When the chips are down, everyone's septic tank issues - and they happen - are the same as everyone else's, and it's as well to remember it.

That’s it!
I’m no stranger to highland life I was looking to see how much they differ. .

You’re going to get the negatives though because the positives are obvious and people often don’t consider the negatives properly.

like if you ask what having children is really like, or owning a dog or well loads of stuff.

Again it all depends on which area you go to and which island. My community wasn’t that friendly, even to locals but the neighbouring one was!

As for chatting at school gates, again this will depend on where you live as I was always bussed to school so no opportunity to chat at school gates.

You need to be very open minded and prepared to integrate into the community on their terms.

You mentioned that you have a lot to give but is it what they want?

I knew of two families who moved in the year before lockdown. First family was very much of the opinion that they knew best and was going to tell these bumpkins how to do things properly. Second family got involved in the community, volunteering wherever they could and staying well away from community politics/gossip.

Guess which one is still there and a welcome addition to the community.

You did ask for the realistic part of island life and being told these details but if these aren’t too much of a concern then go for it.

I do see it.
I was working my way through to
your post .
It’s a great reply . Everyone needs to chip in and help.
It’s who i am but not everyone is sadly.

So you would think if you want to be part of the community you will be welcomed on that theory then .

Curious to know which islands you've visited already? And where you are considering living?

You're right, no-one can dictate, no-one owns the island, but it doesn't mean people can't dislike it. For far too many years London/ Edinburgh money has bought up island property, pushing islanders whose families have been there for generations out of the area.

I have 3 good friends who all grew up on different remote islands (2 with secondary school on the mainland type islands), & they all can't stand yet another programme/ news broadcast about island issues spearheaded by a home counties accent with a million in the bank who's been there 5 minutes.

They live in the central belt, but all still have lots of family there who feel increasingly stressed about house prices/ exploitation of the islands.

Take that as you will. You seem to have quite a privileged attitude from your posts.