To ask if anyone lives on a small Scottish Island?

[NewStartFamily]

Specifically Eday or Tiree but thoughts and opinions of any others very welcome!

DP and I are considering a relocation from the south coast to Scotland, somewhere with land we can use.

We have found a couple of properties that we like but we’d like to hear thoughts from people who live there about how life works in the smaller communities and places where not everything is on your doorstep.

We have one home educated son aged 9 so nearby schools not an essential consideration.

@LillianGish The weather is everything in a place like that. Where I live, in Edinburgh, it doesn't make a lot of difference to me on an everyday basis, but anything that shows the islands basking in glorious sunshine is only showing a small part of the picture.

I spent a glorious family holiday on South Uist in September, in hot sunshine, swimming on beaches that rival the best the Carribbean can offer. But...days like that are incredibly rare, even at the height of summer, and for every day like that, you'll get 20 where you can barely go outside.

Potentially very few. I think the roll of the primary school on Eday is about 10. Then aged 12 they have to go weekly boarding on the Orkney mainland. There won’t be cubs or football clubs or other activities as there just aren’t enough kids.

I agree it is super fascinating to read about the remote Scottish Isles and easy to have romantic escapist ideas about what life could be like there.

@NewStartFamily
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5522523-to-just-say-f-it-and-move-to-cornwall-and-homeschool-my-dc?page=1

Read this thread, posters had similar concerns about moving to Cornwall but could this be a more realistic alternative, especially if you'd consider not home schooling?

She's in for a shock then 🤣

Just to say there is a big difference in people being involved in real life and spilling details over the internet. I’m from a small enough town that everyone knows my family and me and as such is aware of past history. No one new needs to know about that but quite happy for them to know I bought chocolate 6 out of 7 days last week, got pissed last Thursday and I had to tell my son off outside the village shop.

Religion is more important in some island communities than others, but even in the Western Isles (which was the heartlands of the Free Church of Scotland and used to be famous for tying up the swings on a Sunday to prevent the Sabbath being broken by children playing) things are a much more relaxed now.

Honestly from reading your posts it does sound like you all have some significant mental health issues, you talk a lot about traumas and being triggered. Not saying this to be mean but a Scottish island is the last place I’d go at this point. Being lonely, cold, trapped indoors, grappling with power cuts and internet outages as well as no fresh milk/ bread, and without any support network and a 4 hr boat ride from mental health services sounds like a disaster.

In your position I would rent in Scotland, but somewhere an hour or 2 from a big town. Then see how you get on, whether things improve once you’re out of your current area and how your son’s health goes. Get a proper diagnosis and see if there are things that can help him- whether it’s medication, CBT, school or any other service. Possibly buy on the mainland if you like it. Then in a few years consider the islands again.

True, my friend lives in a remote rural community although she is on a peninsula rather than an island. She drove a 40 mile round trip to her local playgroup and library (40 minutes each way). She also used to drive an 80 mile round trip to horse lessons (75 minutes each way). The primary school had one class with kids aged 4-11 because there were so few of them. The primary school was in the same settlement as the library/playgroup and the kids were bussed there and back each day. There was an option to stay over at high school Mon-Fri because it was even further away. Opportunities for spontaneous get-togethers are limited because of the distances involved, there were no after school clubs because kids had to get on the one bus a day that would bring them home and no group activities like Scouts because there wasn't enough kids. Her children did have a wonderful childhood because they had so much freedom to explore, but it became more challenging to keep them entertained once they were teenagers.

there are literally 1000s of small places to be invisible to others if this is what you are looking for OP....on a small island you are going to be highly visible

Also, I forgot to add, because I have not read the entire thread and don't know if anybody addressed it, the issue of dislike towards all non-islanders and if those newcomers are from England, a palpable dislike of the English. My friend lives on the Isle of Bute, which is not remote or tiny and she, being German, said that she found the only place where the English are disliked more than the Germans. Monthly SNP leaflets through the door, blaming Westminster and the English for every incompetence of the corrupt SNP government, the island voted overwhelmingly for the SNP in the last election. Despite the ferries fiasco, the uncovered SNP corruption and lies, whose fault is it? Correct, Westminster's and of the English.

I've never lived on those islands but one of my cousins left her job, put her house on the market and moved to Shetland. She lasted 4 months.

Beautiful as they are, it's very different living there than it is having a holiday there.

Ferries and weather are not great and everything is expensive as it has to be ferried over. There is a high potential for your son to be quite isolated when he's older, and there may not be a high school/further education on your chosen island, so that travel will need to be factored in. And you'll all need to be able to get around under your own steam.

The scenery is stunning, and you will have more freedom in that you will have land.

How far south are you just now? It cant be overstated how much the long winters here can impact your psyche after months and months and months - and I'm on the east coast which gets the most sunshine in the country

Just wondering if you have your heart set specifically on an Island as opposed to living somewhere rural like Brora or Golspie where you are a bit remote with lovely community living but still with easier access to healthcare and a high school for your son if that’s something which appeals to him as he gets a bit older.
Whatever you choose it sounds like you’ll make it work but as others have said the ferries up here are a nightmare at the moment, good luck with whatever you choose to do.

Not to be rude but your post is a tale as old as time - jaded southern english person thinks that shortbread tin Scottish rural spot will solve their ills, meanwhile they're contending with an area that's experienced hundreds of years of oppression (clearances), local jobs crises, lack of governmental support and funding, dismal transport links and a brutal weather system that renders whole communities off the grid for days or weeks at the time. The weather is not simply quite bad, it can be life and death for many. Wealthy property buyers are fuelling a modern day clearances and the issues needs to be addressed in the land reform act by the Scottish govt. Bringing your suspected SEN son to be homeschooled with no mental health support on an island that potentially has no local GP and who will be further ostracised from the community due to being homeschooled is farcical. Scotland will not solve your problems.

I don’t recall saying Scotland would solve any problems. Also I have stated multiple times that I’m not against his return to schooling in the right circumstances.

Again, I really must point out to everyone that at no point have I said this is something that is being definitively planned. My only hope in starting this thread was to get viewpoints from those with first hand experience which I have got and which will help my partner and I as we consider further.

I personally do not want to stay in the South. I also can not and will not move to the West Country. So looking for other options means considering moving North.

My friend is from a very rural part of West Scotland and they are still very cut off from people there.
I think it might be worth asking where there are good areas of the country where you can live away from people where it’s still reasonably cheap. Might give you more options, especially with work.

One other thing to add regarding schooling. You mentioned that you would consider enrolling your child into the local school and also that the move is possibly in one to two years when your child will be 10/11.

Scottish schooling and school years are different, typically at age 11 children will be moving up to high school and if you are remote, your child may have to board unless there is a junior high nearby which covers first to fourth year. Depending on your child, this could be a huge jump for them so definitely one more thing to consider.

It is indeed! And also one of the windiest! If we don’t leave with sunburn, we leave with windburn!! Honestly love it there but wouldn’t want to experience a winter there!

There are still Gaelic speakers on Tiree so be prepared to start learning some Gaelic - it’s a beautiful language

There is a lot of Scotland that isn’t remote islands, @NewStartFamily - some places that are really remote, some that are bustling inner city, and everything in between.

We have never regretted moving from Essex to near Glasgow - we live in a village within an easy drive of countryside, city and coast. There are good transport links, good schools, good hospitals, and plenty for kids to do - my dses did so many different things - hockey, drama, musicals, choir, cricket, BMX style biking, off road cycling and even tractor appreciation with the Young Farmers.

Where we are is probably more urban than you are looking for, but I would encourage you to look at different areas of Scotland, not just the islands. I am sure you can find the balance between the rural escape you are looking for and somewhere that still allows you fairly easy access to a social life and services for you and your son.

As I said in my post earlier on this thread, I would be very careful about how isolated you choose to be - as a kid, my parents moved us to a very remote, tiny village, where dsis and I were complete outsiders, and that really damaged my mental health. Honestly, after a decade living there, I could count the number of friends I had on the fingers of one hand - not for want of trying.

@NewStartFamily I think you are getting such negative reactions because you've specified Eday and Tiree.

Just the fact it's these two grouped together suggests you know very little about it. They are totally different from landscape to language and hundreds of miles apart. People usually set on the west coast, or the Hebrides or the northern Highlands for example and take it from there.

You pick geographically where appeals to you either for the landscape, the local culture, the weather if choosing east versus west, transport etc. I can't see how both of these would fit a short list of criteria other than property price.

It's like when people come on here because they've seen a really cheap property in Wick. It's very different from someone who is asking about moving to say Nairn. The first is usually in the 'look what we could buy' category with no understanding of the place, the second more likely to be 'we've weighed up what we want and this seems a good fit, can you advise '.

You obviously don't have to tell us your personal circumstances but explaining what the appeal of these two specifically is would help people to give better advice.

I don't really get the need to go so remote, anyway. I used to live in London, I now live ten miles from Edinburgh in a small town. It's nothing special, but it's surrounded by beautiful scenery as far as the eye can see, and has great local services. I regularly hike in very remote areas, and can reach them easily whenever I want to.

I have family in Orkney. Getting there takes 12 hours and costs an arm and a leg.

I live on the Mainland of Shetland, was born here. I was away for six years, but moved back in 2006 and have been here ever since. A few things, in response to you and to some of the comments I've read. I haven't read the full thread because I don't have time. But didn't want to read and run.

Mainland Shetland has two towns, Lerwick (pop. 7000) and Scalloway (pop. 1100, and there is the large village of Brae which also has a population of 1100. Brae is close to Sullom Voe Oil Terminal and Gas Plant which accounts for its size.

Mainland Shetland's population is about 15500. There are three supermarkets, music venue, cinema, leisure centres, and various country halls. There are a lot of things for children to do, sports clubs, Guides, Scouts, music clubs, a whole variety of things. I do not recommend moving to an island any smaller than Shetland Mainland or Orkney Mainland. The smaller islands might have a shops, Unst is the most northerly of the Shetland islands, pop. of 650, a junior high school, primary schools, leisure centre, a couple of shops, but don't go to a small island like that expecting to find everything you might need or want. And then there are the tiny islands with less than 50 people and no shops. I think you need to be a certain type of person to cope with that, I certainly couldn't.

Ferries
The inter island ferries in Shetland are a nightmare, they are old and are constantly breaking and Shetland Islands Council (SIC) can't get staff like they used to to work on them. This has a huge impact on businesses in the small islands, especially mussel and salmon farming and fishing.
Getting off the islands is a challenge especially if you want a cabin and to book a car (in passing you need to be able to drive if you live in Shetland) on the ferry. You need to book quite far in advance and the Scottish government are forever making a mess of the ferries. Google it.

Schools
Your child is SEN? In that case you're going to find that there is support, BUT there a lot of SEN families needing support and you'll be at the end of a line. The support that there is thought is very good, and once your child reaches adulthood there are services run both by the SIC and charities which provide a range of opportunities. I don't recommend home-schooling here. There are a few families that do it but your child will be quite isolated, and you'll find that if you have your child in school the support you'll get is probably more than you'd find elsewhere in the UK. There are a few excellent ASN departments in a few of the primaries. And the same with high school. I work in SEBN.

Community
You will need to fling yourself into everything that you can, and you will find that you'll be welcomed. We need to make our own entertainment here and so community activity is really strong and there are many different sorts of things you could get involved in: music, sport, arts, hospitality, church. I'm on the committee of my local history group, and as a tour guide the Shetland Islands Tourist Guide Association. We need volunteers for everything.

Employment
Someone commented on your post that you won't be able to find work, or you child wouldn't and it's who you know. That's not true. Our unemployment rate is about 1% below the Scottish average. There is oceans of work available in Shetland. It's really hard for businesses to get staff, we want people to move here.

Land
I don't think you'd find it particularly easy to buy land. It very much depends how much you want and how much you're prepared to pay. But you would find that if you could buy some land and wanted to work it as a croft (which it very likely would be) you would find advice and support from the people around you. But be aware of trying to set up a 'new' business. You might have ideas that have been tried before and failed. Seek advice is my advice.

Winter
The winter is long and dark, so very dark. If it was snow and ice all the time I'd nearly prefer it. But it's the wind and rain, the wind really starts to get to me about February, the noise can be quite wearying. That type of weather is punctuated by a couple of days here and there of snow, which is like balm for the soul. The awful brownness of everything is made bright and cheery for a few days. I would recommend spending a bit of time here in the winter if you can. But that's not possible for everyone.

Summer
The summer makes up for winter! It really does. We've had a beautiful few days of weather, 13C degrees which is balmy for April. But the light, it's so bright and clear and when the sun shines there is nowhere like it, especially the evening light. It's lovely here right now. The sun is streaming in my window.

People
You will find nice people, I have a lovely book group with people in it from various places in Europe and Asia. You will trip over people from all across the world. I'm not entirely sure what draws them. Most of my best friends are 'incomers', which is a word I loathe. Very snobby, we're all just people.

I would say to the negative posters that they don't know you, nor your situation. You might move up, really love it, get thoroughly involved and be here for life. On the other hand you might hate it and not last six months. Only you know, and only you would know why you'd love it or why you'd hate it. But please do lots and lots of research. Mumsnet isn't the best place for that.

Feel free to DM me
I haven't proofread this, sorry for typos.

I have a friend who moved to Orkney a couple of years ago with her husband so not as isolated as some islands but they’ve had enough and are selling up to come back to England.

I don't think that getting an SNP leaflet through your door is a sign that foreigners aren't welcome. SNP are fairly inclusive and migrants - check out the work they've done in government under the New Scots banner. There's also over 100 Syrian refugees resettled on Bute, very successfully with a number of refugee-led business being set up very quickly and now thriving.