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Rural living

Looking to relocate to the countryside? Find advice in our Rural Living forum.

Original poster

Moving to Skye from down south advice

211 replies

AmilyChestnut · 04/06/2023 07:16

Good morning all, this is my first post! We have wanted to move to The Highlands for the longest time, and my partner has just had a transfer request approved for Skye! We have never been to Scotland, but need to buy a house and put 2 of our children into school. We want the remote rural living, as we live in a busy town centre and we are both hermits at heart.

I've read about buying a house up there, but it still baffles me, could someone please explain how one goes about making an offer on a house, as it's offers over for the most part..

My partner will be working out of Portree, but needing to travel all around the island and the highlands. We don't want to live more than an hour from Portree but don't want to live somewhere busy, any recommendations please?

What's the market like at the moment? At what speed are properties selling? We live 11 hours by car, or a flight away, we aren't sure how we are going to manage viewings and such yet.

The secondary school.. there is only one and from what I can figure out there are buses, does anyone have children who use this service already?

We want to come and add to the island, we will be working there and making a life there, we aren't trying to make money off the island, we just want to enjoy the peace and quiet, beautiful views and space for our children and dogs.

Any advice greatly received, and anything else I should know is too. Thank you in advance to anyone who replies!

OP posts:
ChatterMonkey · 04/06/2023 08:21

Dont buy a house in skye without having spent a good chunk of a winter there.

I grew up in the outer hebrides, and saw numerous people come up for a holiday in the summer, love it and decide to move up. Then after their first winter in the islands, they sharp move away again.

Original poster
AmilyChestnut · 04/06/2023 08:24

We haven't been because we haven't had chance. We have been planning to visit and move there for a few years now, this isn't an off the cuff idea. I fell pregnant and ds is only 15 months, and between my other two going to school we haven't managed a trip there yet.

I think what I'm going to suggest to dh is he talks to his boss again about location, and we look into Inverness, and visit. I hope we can make our dream come true and live a rural life, good for the children.

My eldest is excited about the move, my middle child doesn't know yet

OP posts:
Thebigblueballoon · 04/06/2023 08:24

AmilyChestnut · 04/06/2023 08:15

I really appreciate everyone saying we haven't thought this through, we have and researched as much as we can without having been there.

Does anyone live in Inverness and surrounding areas? Is that more obtainable?

You can research it on paper 24 hours a day, but until you’ve actually visited, you don’t know what you’re getting yourselves into.

Notamum12345577 · 04/06/2023 08:25

Inverness is the fastest growing city in the UK, so a bit different to an island

Original poster
AmilyChestnut · 04/06/2023 08:29

Big blue balloon you are absolutely right. I felt like I was stuck in my research efforts, but we do need to go.

I was counting on my partner going up there and doing the research as we are very in tune with what we need. I was being naive thinking we didn't need to visit. I'm going to book us a trip. Any recommendations where we would holiday around Inverness to give us the best feel for it? Again, we want to be rural so a village surrounding would be best.

OP posts:
LauraNorda · 04/06/2023 08:35

You sound totally insane. You want to move to a totally different environment over 500 miles away that, by your own admission, you have not experienced for a single day.

You don't appear to know how anything works there or anything. This move will break you.

twistyizzy · 04/06/2023 08:36

We frequently visit Skye/that area of Scotland but in May when the weather is mainly glorious, the midges aren't yet out and everything feels fantastic. I'm pretty hardy and love being out and about in bleak weather but even I wouldn't visit in the depths of winter!
Going from living in the South up to Skye is going to take some acclimatising too just for the change in temperatures, let alone the change in living. You have to seriously plan ahead with regards to food/supplies etc. Things that you take for granted now eg easy access to emergency health care etc are not easy once you move to an island.
Definitely recommend you visit the area a few times, not in summer but in winter too, and see how you feel then.

Original poster
AmilyChestnut · 04/06/2023 08:38

LauraNorda · 04/06/2023 08:35

You sound totally insane. You want to move to a totally different environment over 500 miles away that, by your own admission, you have not experienced for a single day.

You don't appear to know how anything works there or anything. This move will break you.

How do you know it'll break me? I've admitted I was short sighted, but it's taken outside perspective for me to see what I was missing. With respect Laura, you don't know me and I'm here asking for help and advice to make the right decision.

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PotteringAlonggotkickedoutandhadtoreregister · 04/06/2023 08:41

I have friends who live on Arran which, although not the same place, is still island living.

they say they could not get through the winter without 2 chest freezers! Stockpile everything because you never know when you will get stuck

Girlintheframe · 04/06/2023 08:42

I've spent a lot of time on skye, and while it's beautiful it's not somewhere I could live. This is from someone who already lives in rural Scotland. It's just too remote. An hour outside of Portree sounds good but with little transport links your going to be spending an awful lot of time ferrying about your children especially when they become teens.

Inverness is a 100% better choice. You can live rurally in stunning countryside but also have the option of airport/train station/decent sized supermarket/theatre/cinema etc. You might think you don't want/need these things but its surprising how important they become when they are no longer an option.

Inverness will also provide more opportunity for your children as they become older.

Original poster
AmilyChestnut · 04/06/2023 08:43

Girlintheframe · 04/06/2023 08:42

I've spent a lot of time on skye, and while it's beautiful it's not somewhere I could live. This is from someone who already lives in rural Scotland. It's just too remote. An hour outside of Portree sounds good but with little transport links your going to be spending an awful lot of time ferrying about your children especially when they become teens.

Inverness is a 100% better choice. You can live rurally in stunning countryside but also have the option of airport/train station/decent sized supermarket/theatre/cinema etc. You might think you don't want/need these things but its surprising how important they become when they are no longer an option.

Inverness will also provide more opportunity for your children as they become older.

That's great advice, thank you.

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ApolloandDaphne · 04/06/2023 08:48

Inverness is a great idea. There are lots of lovely rural areas nearby but you get all the amenities a city has to offer. I love the Black Isle and watching the dolphins at Chanonry Point.

toomuchlaundry · 04/06/2023 08:49

Who makes decisions like this without actually having been there?

buddhasbelly · 04/06/2023 08:54

there’s v few properties to rent in Inverness and surrounding at the moment too… 6 in the whole of Inverness on right move at the moment.

for surrounding places to holiday to around Inverness

fortrose / Rosemarie v busy at the moment (coastal tourist area) N of inverness

Cawdor to the east and then Nairn on the coast. Both get busy with tourists in their own way, one for the castle, one for the beach.

to the west there’s kiltarlity, beauly, kirkhill. All different in their own ways with beauly popular with tourists.

if you want to go further out there’s other options… how far away from Inverness would you want to be? And how rural? (Eg small shop but no pub/ takeaway)?

Original poster
AmilyChestnut · 04/06/2023 08:54

toomuchlaundry · 04/06/2023 08:49

Who makes decisions like this without actually having been there?

I feel like I should have added that we have the option of the whole Highlands and Islands area, but bought if we are going to do this then let's choose Skye as my partner doesn't want any city working. On further reflection, thanks to the replies to my post, Inverness may be best. I now feel like I am more informed on the decision, and our next step is some visits

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Snowflake760 · 04/06/2023 08:56

Your lifestyle may be totally different, but look for ‘Living the Skye Life’ on you tube. It looks beautiful and most of the story of remote living is great as the couple are musician/artist rather than parents, but you also see the downside of cost of food / unable to get deliveries/ bad roads etc

alwaysmovingforwards · 04/06/2023 08:56

toomuchlaundry · 04/06/2023 08:49

Who makes decisions like this without actually having been there?

Just read it through... in the space of a couple of hours we've gone from advice on buying a place on Skye to Inverness based on a few comments...

Is it still half term in places?

BeethovenNinth · 04/06/2023 08:59

So I would spend tlme on Skye in January first. There is no underestimating the Scottish winter. And especially the north of Scotland.

summer is incredibly busy.

I like Skye but it wouldn’t be my first choice not least as there aren’t enough trees!

spend some time up here. Bizarrely I would live somewhere like Gairloch if I was going for the NW.

Original poster
AmilyChestnut · 04/06/2023 09:00

Too much laundry what do you mean? I was asking advice on Skye as that was what I thought was our first choice. We have considered Inverness also. I can't edit my original post to say that my partner has got the transfer on the principal he likes it up there after working and staying there for a while, if he thought it was suitable we would move. If not, we would look elsewhere. All decisions we have made are preliminary and based on the place being suitable for our needs, which we couldn't possibly know until he had been, which is why I am asking here from advice from parents who already live there, or have knowledge of it

OP posts:
Original poster
AmilyChestnut · 04/06/2023 09:01

BeethovenNinth · 04/06/2023 08:59

So I would spend tlme on Skye in January first. There is no underestimating the Scottish winter. And especially the north of Scotland.

summer is incredibly busy.

I like Skye but it wouldn’t be my first choice not least as there aren’t enough trees!

spend some time up here. Bizarrely I would live somewhere like Gairloch if I was going for the NW.

Thank you, I'll have to Google there!

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buddhasbelly · 04/06/2023 09:02

But yes as others have said and you’ve acknowledged visiting would be the best thing to do.

some of the main challenges for the area at the moment = lack of housing; healthcare infrastructure not meeting demand (can’t get registered with GPs or dentists); lack of tourism infrastructure; artery roads continually having very bad accidents; career growth opportunities out with public services and engineering/energy being quite stalled off the top of my head.

there’s lots of lovely things about the area but it very much does have its challenges

BeethovenNinth · 04/06/2023 09:02

I don’t think you are insane BTW. I love that people make these moves - one life and all.

just make sure you get it right.

there are so many places I would love to live in the highlands but we made a more sensible choice but there is always the what if!!

BeethovenNinth · 04/06/2023 09:04

amily I’m happy to Chuck suggestions at you as I know the NW well and would love to have done this

don’t rule out the NE either - Black Isle and Morayshire and gorgeous. Easy access to hills and beaches and a lot drier and easy access to Inverness.

Elipse · 04/06/2023 09:05

We moved to Scotland 5 years ago. In the nicest way, you're going about this all wrong. You need to spend some time looking at different areas carefully, otherwise you could make a huge mistake, particularly having children.

We spent several weeks travelling round the parts of Scotland we were considering, making notes on every town and village we visited. Once we got home with a narrowed down list, we did more research. We pored over maps to consider how easy travel would be, we looked at the weather which varies hugely from West to East, researched whether midges might be an issue, took advice from family who already lived in Scotland, looked at the SIMD to get an idea of what areas are actually like to live in, and of course looked at what the property market was like from place to place.

Only then did we start to narrow things down, so we rented for a few months, and even then, we ended up somewhere completely different from where we first thought, and it's perfect.

You need to visit Skye in summer and winter before you consider moving there. It's absolutely heaving in summer, and in winter many places (shops and cafes) are shut.

I'd also add that access in Scotland can be difficult due to the terrain. This means that truly rural houses can be up tracks or single track lanes (we looked at a few of those!) and far from the facilities you will need. Others will be rural, but again, summer tourism will impact - we looked at several houses with amazing views, but tourists migrate there in the summer. Village properties are often, out of necessity, ribbon developments along a busier road than you might want.

I'm not sure you've thought your plans through (and I've not even mentioned schools!).

ForbiddenColour · 04/06/2023 09:06

How old are your older DC. You mention secondary school
in your first post, are they secondary school age? The school system is very different - depending on age you may get advice on when would be best to move.