Oban lifestyle

[ClreMc]

Hi there,
I'm considering moving to Oban from the Peak District and I would really appreciate any information or advice people might have, which would help with my decision making.

The job I'm applying for seems great, it's by beautiful coastline and mountains, just don't know what the winter would be like living there, or how desperate the midges would be in the summer.

Thanks
Claire

Oban is beautiful, a wonderful place to live and work. Winters are mild being on the west coast. You get used to midges they are not the big problem everyone thinks they are, especially by the coast, a bit of sea breeze and they can't fly so won't bother you. Go for it, you won't regret it!

Depends how outdoorsy you are really - winter is pretty depressing if you’re not. It’s wet and dark and a lot less people about.

Depending on the job you’ll need to factor in that changing jobs might mean moving again, there might not be another one commutable if you need a new job ever.

Is it just you or kids? It’s not always that great a place for teenagers...

It certainly used to be quite rough, once you get off the tourist drag. I'd have a good look at the schools (if that's relevant).

School... there’s only the one secondary school, with a huge catchment.

It performs better than it used to, but not amazing. It’s one of the schools it’s hard to recruit teachers to, as if they’re looking for promotions or just a different job... there isn’t another school to move to without completely uprooting.

And it’s a very mixed catchment, lots of little pockets of deprivation covered by it.

Which is why I mentioned it not being always a great place to be a teenager, limited opportunities, easy access to drugs.

I’m making it sound awful - it’s not, by any means, but, it’s not like living in a village or small town further south where there are bigger places nearby. Being the largest town in a rural area isolated like that does cause some issues.

Well I had the interview, and I accepted. It is just me moving up there. I love the outdoors and am really keen to live by the sea. Looking forward to the move.

Good luck! Hope you love it, and there is definitely plenty of sea to live by...