Page 2 | Buying in the highland

scotlandcountry · 2022-10-05T22:15:26+00:00

I want to buy a house in the countryside, ideally away from all other houses and as cheap as I can get that for. Please can anyone offer advice on locations and houses? I want to be in the countryside and I work from home so travel isn't a worry

IseeScottishhills · 07/10/2022 13:07

FamilyTreeBuilder · 06/10/2022 16:54

I think you're going to come up with a better set of criteria than "remote", "cheap" and "Highland".

By some definitions the Highlands is everything north of Aberfoyle - 2/3 of the country. 1 bed? 2 bed? land? Within 30 minutes of a big Tesco superstore, or a wee Co-Op? There are just as many "remote" locations in the Borders or Galloway. Are you prepared to do work to a house or are you looking for something perfect? Do you need access to schools for children, or a station, or to be within X distance of a station/airport etc?

Or is the one of those "I live inside the M25 and OMG look at how cheap Scotland is" posts?

I moved from England to Dumfries and Galloway which is just over the boarder contrary you might think it’s very quiet here and very beautiful we have a very low population density. D and G is often described as “Scotland’s forgotten corner” so I suspect less tourists than the Highlands or “Scotland in miniature” because we have everything Lochs hills and mountains, green pastures, uplands and moorlands, a long stunning coast line and acres of forestry. We are on the Gulf Stream so it’s meant to be warmer here my neighbours have only had snow 3 times in 20 years and my geraniums survived the winter outside. We do have supermarkets mine is a 20 min drive but if you want to go to a large shopping centre it’s 100 miles to Glasgow. Public transport is local buses trains are non existent where I live the nearest one is a 40 + minute drive. The days are gloriously long in the summer and significantly shorter than southern England in the winter. The wind blows a lot here and rain and mist are the norm much of the year round. Like the Highlands I don’t always get next day delivery. Every Scot I’ve met couldn’t be more welcoming, curious as to why Im here but very friendly. I meet many from England who’ve moved here and too a man (or woman) we all love it most comment on the glorious peace and quiet and the beauty of the area. Property prices historically were fairly cheap but I understand that’s changed in the last year. Oh and we have excellent broad band better than we had in England in a very up market expensive area.

SilverLiningPlaybook · 07/10/2022 21:59

IseeScottishhills · 07/10/2022 13:07

I moved from England to Dumfries and Galloway which is just over the boarder contrary you might think it’s very quiet here and very beautiful we have a very low population density. D and G is often described as “Scotland’s forgotten corner” so I suspect less tourists than the Highlands or “Scotland in miniature” because we have everything Lochs hills and mountains, green pastures, uplands and moorlands, a long stunning coast line and acres of forestry. We are on the Gulf Stream so it’s meant to be warmer here my neighbours have only had snow 3 times in 20 years and my geraniums survived the winter outside. We do have supermarkets mine is a 20 min drive but if you want to go to a large shopping centre it’s 100 miles to Glasgow. Public transport is local buses trains are non existent where I live the nearest one is a 40 + minute drive. The days are gloriously long in the summer and significantly shorter than southern England in the winter. The wind blows a lot here and rain and mist are the norm much of the year round. Like the Highlands I don’t always get next day delivery. Every Scot I’ve met couldn’t be more welcoming, curious as to why Im here but very friendly. I meet many from England who’ve moved here and too a man (or woman) we all love it most comment on the glorious peace and quiet and the beauty of the area. Property prices historically were fairly cheap but I understand that’s changed in the last year. Oh and we have excellent broad band better than we had in England in a very up market expensive area.

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Gorgeous area!

Notimetothink · 08/10/2022 21:38

30 mins to a supermarket isn’t really that rural. It’s still commuter belt for Inverness, say, and house prices will reflect that. Journey times are slower once you get off the main roads.
Many people who live out west will save up chores and have a day visit into town once a month or less.

RiderOfTheBlue · 08/10/2022 22:48

I moved from England to Skye last year. We love it here but it's not for everyone. We're very remote in this part of the island and the weather last winter was "challenging". We're 45 mins from a supermarket (Co Op) but we alternate between that and click & collect from either Morrisons or Tesco. House prices in the Highlands probably mean that the only "budget" property you'd get is a doer upper.

2bazookas · 09/10/2022 02:57

@Highlandpony Ferries on the west coast aren’t really that bad.

They really are. Calmac run the west coast ferries and the service is now a fiasco (elderly ferries constantly breaking down, millions squandered by SNP on replacements which are years late and no sign of being finished) . You should watch the recent Disclosure Program on BBC to see the damage its doing to island business and therefore the economy that affects all islanders.

<www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001cdcz/disclosure-series-5-the-great-ferries-scandal>

garlictwist · 09/10/2022 04:25

Fundays12 · 06/10/2022 14:41

OP the Highlands is pretty big so it really depends on what you need. In Inverness or on the outskirts you will have very little issues with broadband etc. However we do get bad snow, my kids have been known to sledge to school as schools and work places rarely if ever close, it gets dark in the winter at 3pm sometimes it doesn't get light. The summer nights are long and bright though the midges can be a pain. We have fantastic beaches with shops. If you go further north road closures, poor shops and heavy snow fall are common. The summer has a lot of tourist's but in general the Highlands are clean, friendly and nice to live in

I live near Ullapool so not "remote" as such. It does get light in the winter! I used to live in Finland. Now that has dark winters. The highlands have less daylight than other places sure, but still a good amount in winter.

I am not Scottish either and I have faced some hostility if I am brutally honest. People can be a bit small minded.

But it's a nice place to live if you're not expecting things to happen quickly and can live at a slower pace of life.

Pufflings · 09/10/2022 05:21

Why don’t you look in Perthshire instead? If you look west of Aberfeldy into Glen Lyon or around Loch Tay you’d be around an hr to Perth which has the big supermarkets.

Orangesare · 09/10/2022 07:14

Definitely look at Dumfries and Galloway. The coastal areas are quite expensive but prices are lower in the uplands
There are some fairly remote places in England nor as cheap but not expensive either. Allendale, the English side of the Solent, many parts of Yorkshire.
I live in a very rural part of Yorkshire with only 2 near neighbours and satellite broadband.

SilverLiningPlaybook · 10/10/2022 07:26

Aberfeldy is lovely. It had a nice town and a decent supermarket.

Hilarymantelspencilsharpener · 10/10/2022 07:37

Was coming on to say Borders or D&G - lots of space, cheaper than the Highlands, Borders particularly is not as remote (within an hour of Edinburgh), some decent sized towns for shopping, peaceful, glorious landscape.

Original poster

scotlandcountry · 10/10/2022 10:27

Thank you all for the suggestions, this is really helpful. I am going to come up for the week in December and have a few days to see where I might find suitable. Me and my partner will be moving together and we do not have any children

OP posts:

skilpadde · 10/10/2022 10:52

SmartCar · 07/10/2022 04:14

Have a look at a place called thurso/caithness. And set you miles too 30 miles radius. Lots of little villages dotted about. Cheaper than most places.

Caithness may be gorgeous, but the weather can be utterly wild.

There was a couple who fell in love with (the idea of) the place, bought a cheap plot of land on a (very windy) hill, started building a house in autumn, didn't get insurance, then were surprised when a winter storm demolished their part-built house. You can imagine what the locals thought of their bright idea to start a go fund me!

Like many places in rural Scotland, the energy is even more expensive than in urban areas (despite wind farms in sight in every direction), it costs a fortune to fill your car, groceries are extortionate, and you need to pay through the nose for online deliveries, despite it being on the mainland.

And that's even before you consider broadband availability / speed / cost / reliability.

Decent research is definitely required; living somewhere remote year-round is very different to enjoying a holiday there in the height of summer when the sun barely sets.

TightDiamondShoes · 10/10/2022 11:54

Pretty standard autumn day here in the north - BAU. Southerners would be “sobbing and shaking” thinking the roof’s gonna come down.