Considering moving to Aberdeen

[babydungarees]

Hi all, DH and I are considering moving from London to Aberdeen. We have one young DS and would like to live somewhere with more space, affordable housing & less pollution than where we are currently, and I’ve found a job I’d love in the area. DH is from Scotland, his family live near Edinburgh though.
What’s life like in / around Aberdeen? We’d need to live somewhere we could build a social circle, and if I did get the job I’d need to be able to drive in to the city if we were to live outside of it, and somewhere with a good nursery / school for DS. DH works from home so just needs a decent internet connection! Any info is much appreciated

We're in the North of the city, new builds going up all the time around here £200,000+. Access to city centre is good now, new bridge built over the river so there are three crossings now plus a new bypass so traffic from the north avoids the city on the way south. About 15 mins to city centre by car, park and ride available too.
Danestone primary and Bridge of Don Academy good schools, can't speak for others in the area.
Fibre is widely available, and as far as socialising there aren't many pubs etc. but couple of good Indian restaurants, sports centre, couple of golf clubs near by including Trump's.
The beach is nice when the sun's out but even then there tends to be a bracing wind coming in off the North Sea, 10 mins away from Danestone/Bridge of Don areas.
Less than an hours drive and you're into the highlands with all the open spaces you can wish for, NT properties, castles and the like.
Aberdeen city is ok, main street is a bit run down and not much going on but plenty of historical buildings. Like any other city there are areas to avoid but for the most part not bad.
Local economy relies heavily on oil so has been suffering a bit for the last 5 or 6 years with no sign of recovery yet but as I mentioned there are new houses being built all over the place so there must be money around.
Hope that helps.

Have you considered the weather?

We have considered the weather! I’m very fair and don’t particularly like hot weather so Scotland suits me fine, DH would struggle more but is happy as long as he gets a sunny holiday once a year.

Thanks so much for the info @MrBattersby that’s really helpful :-)

Thing to keep in mind re holidays in the sun, few if any cheap flights from Aberdeen. Generally cheaper flying from Glasgow/Edinburgh even accounting for travel, parking etc..

Whereabouts in Aberdeen will your new job be? I would start from there when thinking about where to base yourselves. The new bypass has made things much easier, but your quality of life can vary so much depending on your commute. I'd then look at Secondary catchment - the Grammar or Cults for Aberdeen City itself, plenty of good schools in the Shire - Banchory, Mackie in Stonehaven. It's a great area, though be warned that people aren't always the smiliest - it doesn't mean they don't like you.

We're a bit south of Stonehaven. I love it here. Dh works just off Union St normally and finds the commute okay (although he's working from home for the foreseeable). Despite having only been here 5 years, we've got a solid local friendship group and it feels like a permanent home.

I agree with @EightWellies, where are your jobs based?

@TurinBrakes @EightWellies I would be based at Robert Gordon university if I got the job

Ah ok, I'd probably go for the wider Cults area if you want more countryish or Ferryhill/Broomhill (Harlaw catchment) if you want to be into the city. That way you could easily commute by bike or on foot.

Aberdeen is a great city, my daughter is at RGU currently. I’m originally from Banchory which is west of the city, great school and good community spirit. I now live south of the city, beautiful coastline and both Mackie at Stonehaven and Mearns at Laurencekirk are great schools. The new by pass has made a huge difference too

What’s your budget? If you want to be in the City I’d be looking at Cults or Bieldside if you’re going to be working at RGU. Be aware that prices have fallen in those areas quite a lot since 2014 (probably about 15-20%) and some properties have been on the market a long time and are more open to offers (even at fixed price). With the massive job cuts in oil & gas over the last few years and no signs of recovery I suspect prices will continue a downward slide. Whilst there are a lot of new builds going up, my gut feeling is that Stewart Milne’s business model relies on constant building whether there’s a market or not for them.

Cults Primary is OK, I think Milltimber is probably a better primary, but there’s not a lot in Milltimber (at least in Cults / Bieldside there are shops and a pub). Cults Academy is good, although don’t know what the new(ish) head is like.

Your money will definitely go further in Banchory, and it’s an easy enough drive into RGU. Not sure what the primaries are like, but Banchory Academy has a good reputation, and along with Cults Academy is in the top 20 state schools for students achieving 5 Highers.

Lots to do in the area, especially if you like the outdoors - lots of walks / hikes, miles of beaches, NTS castles, dozens of golf courses, skiing etc. RGU has a good sports centre (there’s a big David Lloyd Centre if you have money to burn) and there’s also Kippie Lodge which is more family oriented. Lots of other sports available too (ice rink, curling rink etc).

Entertainment wise there’s a theatre, several cinemas, bands and comedians will play venues like the Music Hall and the Lemon Tree, and big names will be on at the exhibition centre. Like all cities, it can be a bit of a zoo downtown late at night.