Thinking of moving to Inverurie...or somewhere like that. Any recommendations?

[Homeagain76]

Hi, my husband has recently been offered a job in Westhill, Aberdeen. We currently live abroad. We know Aberdeen pretty well but don't want to live in the city and are looking to move to a more rural, out of city area such as Inverurie. What do you think of the area? We have a young family so would like to know which are they good primary schools and nurseries. How is the commute to Westhill? Etc etc Or would you recommend another area? We have considered Banchory or Stonehaven. Sorry for so many questions. The move will happen over the next few months but we have make some decisions now so that we can get my son settled in school as easily as possible. Thanks in advance for any tips :-)

Hi there - I live south of Stonehaven (not a local). I know someone who lives in Inverurie and she hates it; says it's very gossipy and insular. To be honest, I find that way all over here though.

I like Banchory, but I only ever visit - I've been told by someone who was born and bred there that it's a very money-focussed place (again, I find Aberdeen/shire like that all over too!)

Not much help, sorry .

Thanks Floofy... That is helpful. We did visit Inverurie recently and got a good initial impression about it and I liked its size which I hoped wouldn't make it feel too insular (we've lived in a smaller town elsewhere that felt like that at times). But you never know do you until you live somewhere...How do you like the area where you live? We have considered Stonehaven too actually but not sure about the commute.

Tbh the commute from Stonehaven probably won't be any worse than the commute from Inverurie to Westhill. It can be a nightmare at peak times wherever you are coming from. I prefer some of the littler places around Inverurie like Blackburn.
Stonehaven is nice. Banchory is lovely and I'm not sure what money focused means but it probably is leaning towards people with a bit of cash. Not been there much in recent years so couldn't tell you what the feel of it is.

If you're driving in every day it might be a lot, but there is a train station (although not many parking spaces). I live a bit further out than there, somewhere even smaller, and I have found it hard actually. There is such a drive to get anywhere and not much to do when you get there!

Feel free to PM if I can help at all . Good luck!

I live out by Alford, it really depends how rural you want to go? I agree inverurie has an insular quality to it. Alford is a twenty minute drive along one road, it has all the services you need, good schools and nurserys and a really nice strong mixed community. BUT we don't have a big supermarket, the winters are harsh and anytime you need to go into the centre of Aberdeen it's a bit of a haul. If you're looking for a large house with big garden, few hens and a greenhouse we are putting our house on the market soon. That's another thing the housing market is on its knees up here so you are in a great position.

Banchory is all about the money, my friend lives there and it's all I hear. Inverurie is well set out with a good range of amenities, don't know about gossip etc but it's up to you whether you get involved in that sort of thing. Schools are good in most of the shire so not too much to worry about there and with the bypass coming the commute should improve from all areas. Right now getting to and from anywhere is a slog.

Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply. This is really helpful information. Lots to think about.

You could look at Aboyne as well which is also 20-25 mins from Westhill. It has nursery, primary and secondary schools, community centre, library and swimming pool on one site. There is a small supermarket, but bigger ones in banchory are 15-20 mins drive.

Gosh, I've lived in Banchory for 8 years and haven't noticed it being all about money! We don't have a lot, maybe that's why! Anyway, we are very happy here, 2 good primary schools, very good secondary, reasonable shops and fair sized Tesco, smaller Morrisons. Dh commutes to Aberdeen, takes 35 - 60 minutes depending on the time of day. We have found it to be friendly and the children are happy.
Good luck with your move, I hope it all goes well