How does Scotland differ from England/Where should I live?

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I'd like to hear from people who have lived in both!

At the moment I'm considering moving to Scotland but I'm not sure if I'm totally romanticising it. I'm planning a year ahead of time so I'm going to be doing lots of visits and research but just wanted to get a feel for things ahead of time.

I work from home so commutes etc aren't a problem. Shite weather isn't either as it's my favourite kind :-D

How does Scotland "feel" different from England?

At the moment my thoughts are all over the place and pretty vague. I'm quite drawn to Edinburgh but I'm also drawn to Inverness and places like Forres.

I'm 32 with no children. What I'm looking for is somewhere either in a city or with good access to a city. I like open mic nights, I'm a writer so would be great to have a creative community. I'm really looking for somewhere that has a bit of energy but isn't necessarily a big city. Somewhere where people are friendly. Glasgow doesn't appeal. I'm looking for something like a Scottish Brighton

For goodness sake @Chocolatedeficitdisorder it's really not unsettling to walk around

"You wont get an open mic night anywhere other than Glasgow/ Edinburgh"

Fuck me I've heard it all now.

I've lived in the North East of England and the West of Scotland and it 'feels' exactly the same quite honestly. There's absolutely no difference in the pace of life, cost of living, cultural/political attitudes etc. (apart from the rampant sectarianism in Glasgow but the less said about that the better). I have also lived in the South of England very briefly, and that did feel very different from Scotland/Northern England in the sense that it was so much more crowded, felt noisier/more polluted, and obviously way more expensive so you got much less for your money.

I do find (in the West of Scotland anyway) that the weather is genuinely more depressing for a lot of the year. It really does rain quite a lot, and I find the winter months when it's so dark and damp can be pretty hard going to be honest.

I agree with posters above that without knowing which bit of England you're coming from or which bit of Scotland you're going to, that's an impossible question to answer.

My Ds is at Uni in Dundee and, while there are great things to do, I find that many of the locals appear very socially deprived

really

The V&A is shit btw, don't go to Dundee for that

For goodness sake @Chocolatedeficitdisorder it's really not unsettling to walk around
really

Yes, really. Every time I've visited I've been struck by how many drunk people are hanging around outside the pubs during the day. My son has seen a few incidents at the bus station too. Definitely an issue.

I also used to work in the only female prison in Scotland where the majority of the inmates came from either Kilmarnock or, you've guess it, Dundee.

*guessed it

Ok, I'll set aside my 24 years of living here entirely hassle free aside then for your extremely limited view.

You can't rubbish how someone else feels just because you feel differently though, it's good that you can both give your views. For example, I always feel similar to that in Glasgow, I avoid going as I don't feel relaxed or comfortable there, however I know that facts are that I'm not likely to come to harm there and that many people love it, and practically I can see why, but it's not for me. Familiarity has a lot to do with these things and the more you go somewhere or if you live somewhere, you feel differently and see things differently to a visitor.

OP, I'm not aware that Stirling has an open Mike type thing, but there is a lot going on for a small place, it really depends on what type of thing you are after. I know of small places that have a particular type of culture, such as folk music and tend to draw similar people to them, so it might be the case that somewhere small fits the bill while still having access to one of the bigger cities. Stirling is good for that as you can be into the centre of Glasgow (30 mins) or Edinburgh (under 60 mins) by train for anything you need.

It's not about 'feelings' it's about dissing an entire city based on the minimal experience of an occasional visitor, versus the lived experience of over 2 decades.

I know which one I'd put more money on being closer to accurate.

@TrollTheRespawnJeremy I'm there and we love it. Never moving. OP, Strathbungo was voted one of the best places to live in the whole country.

So are you saying there are no drunk people or that they don't appear socially deprived? I agree that you need to qualify these things in terms of how often you've actually seen it though. I think these things exist in everywhere. It's just the luck of the draw if you encounter similar things on multiple occasions that aren't statistically the norm. It colours your judgement and that may be at odds with how others see it.

It's good that you can give a wider view as a resident.

If you're discounting Glasgow (which actually offers exactly what you're looking for) then Edinburgh out of the places you've suggested. Not Forres it's a very small town. It's beautiful and I would imagine a great place to live but not really what you're looking for.

I also wouldn't discount Inverness, small beautiful city with lots going on. I'd choose that over Dundee any day.

Of course not, it's a city of 150,000 people and I'm sure some of them are pissed on any given day

It's the idea of it being 'unsettling' to be among the 'locals' that I take exception to.

😁 I get it a bit though as I feel the same about Glasgow but I accept that it's irrational. However, every time I'm there and I see something unsavoury, it validates my feelings and makes me feel justified in dissing a whole city...

I don't need to learn to love it as I can just go elsewhere mostly.

So, I suppose the difference is that I rarely get involved in discussions about Glasgow as a place to live as A, I have no knowledge, and B, I would never recommend it anyway. Plenty of misguided Glasgow lovers about to give their views

I wouldn't get involved either if I didn't know it to be an excellent place to live

Like a PP my suggestion would be Portobello for a (vaguely) Brightonesque vibe, though probably more like Hove.
I struggled to imagine living in Glasgow until my brother moved to a gorgeous flat in the West End, i then had fantasies about moving to the city when the kids have left school, nice cafes, independent book shops, culture, parks, leafy streets. the really nice bits are almost as expensive as Edinburgh though and my brother moans about the living underwater feeling in the winter!
I'd be happy in Inverness/Forres, drier climate etc. but I'm a bit of a country bumpkin.

Have you considered the accents? When Scottish people talk amongst themselves I struggle to understand them, and you might start offending/annoying people if you keep saying pardon 10 times within their sentence.

God sake @Monday55 it's not a different language! Are you also one of those people who think that the roads run out at the border?

The accents??Jeezo. Just listen to yourself.

Thank you so much for your thoughts, keep them coming! I'm going to go to Scotland for a few weeks and try staying in various cities for a few nights at a time to get a feel.

I am going to retract my "Glasgow ban" because it was based on pure prejudice. I imagine it as kind of "scary" and aggressive, I kind of imagined it as a Scottish Manchester (which I dont like) but realise that's totally baseless and unfair.

I have lived in London, Brighton and Sheffield.

Going to rule out smaller beautiful places because I realise that just isn't realistic. I do need a city.

That's a good idea, good luck with your decision!

Hope you can make yourself understood among all the weird accents

With regards to staying in cities, choose air b&bs in particular neighborhoods rather than city centre hotels, it'll make a big difference. I'm sure people on here could suggest a shortlist.

There are places in Glasgow which are scary and aggressive. Just as there are in every big city. However the areas which have the cosmopolitan, creative vibe you're looking for aren't those areas.

I think coming up and spending some time is a good move. Check out sites like Eventbrite, Meetup, sign up for local facebook groups in areas you think you might like. See what sort of things are going on in the community.

Feel free to ask for pointers on your travels on where to stay/visit etc

Hope the weather is not completely honking.