Relocating to Scotland

[saladfingers90]

Hi!
we are hoping to relocate to Scotland in 12-18 month time, give ourselves time to sort things out here in Kent and spend time in an area in all seasons too before the big move.
i have visited on numerous occasions, done the nc500, spent time in Inverness, Skye, Glasgow and Edinburgh, husband works from home, I run my own dog walking buisness for the last three years, although I’m not sure on the demand up there so it may be that I’ll need to find part time work in the area.
im from a semi rural village in Kent, no takeaways deliver to us so that’s not a big deal and we only have one shop in the village so that’s all stuff I’m used to.
im looking for similar I guess but within a reasonable proximity to a city, about an hour, as even though I like rural living we do like to go out to cinemas and concerts etc my daughter loves a hot chocolate and a Waterstones book shop too 😅
we have been looking at a lot of areas around Moray coast area like Lossiemouth and Elgin also looked at Keith and then back down towards the borders such as Coldstream.
I would love any locals insights on some good areas to look, I am slightly wary of some villages because as is the same in our village, you get clicky villagers who dislike outsiders? My confidence has been severely knocked due to years of physical and verbal abuse by my male sibling (hence the move) and I’m so very desperate to find somewhere relatively friendly where I can fit in, I am keen to get involved in stuff locally. My daughter would be just starting secondary here in England when we plan to move, but I believe in Scotland she would need to go to primary there for another year? Is this correct?

sorry for such a long post!

Hello - only thing that jumps out is question of which city you want proximity to. Edinburgh or Glasgow are (obviously) bigger but have much more to offer in terms of theatre, independent bookshops etc. Whereas Aberdeen or Inverness have a very different vibe - not really particularly like cities if you’re used to London.
Smart thinking focusing your search on the east coast, to avoid worst of the rain. Do you think the lack of light in winter will trouble you or your daughter? If so then Borders might be a better option than the NE (I’m from there, but it can be a tricky adjustment for some).
It feels like every household in Scotland got a dog during lockdown, so suspect you will find a market for your work. And if you’re an hour from a city likely to be lots of commuters which is presumably a key group who would need your services.

If you’re looking to go to gigs and things then somewhere near Glasgow is the best option.

Otherwise I’d suggest Angus, lovely countryside and within easy striking distance of Dundee. Forfar is nice, as is Kirriemuir.

Morayshire is lovely but a long way from the central belt, which is where everything happens. Same for Dumfries and Galloway, although the trains from Lockerbie make somewhere around there a reasonable option.

I would suggest one of the villages in the east borders, only an hour to Edinburgh and 90 minutes to Newcastle, preferably on the reopened rail line to Edinburgh.

We moved up there from England about a decade a go, never thought of it as cliquey.

Moved back now due to COVID.

What about the villages to the north west of Glasgow? Aberfoyle, Killearn, Balfron (excellent high school).

There are also some nice places in East Lothian with easy access to Edinburgh.

Oh, and also consider how very much colder it is up here. Even in summer, never mind the winter.

East Lothian prices are a different kettle of fish though, from Borders or Moray. Plus it doesn’t sound like they need very easy access to the city, if not for work?
Borders would historically have had a reputation for being cliquey but lots of people have moved there with the new railway, so presumably has shifted.

I came on to say look at parts of East Lothian and Fife. Good proximity to Edinburgh, also not too far from Glasgow but you can still get the village feel, be near the sea or in leafy areas. Theatre and gigs not too far away. Not at all cliquey imo.

I’m from moray coast and it’s a long way to go for decent shopping and gigs etc, Stirling has shops, Waterstones, cinema etc 40 mins to edin 25/30 to Glasgow I wouldn’t live near either but enjoy having the option to go for the day if I want, or need the airport etc. lots of villages round about Dunblane etc but really you need to narrow down where you want to be. Big difference between Lossiemouth and Coldstream not just in miles. How rural and cut off do you want to be, winter up north can be brutal if you need to travel.

I'm in Lossiemouth. It's expensive for houses there but nice and quiet and some fantastic beaches. No real demand for dog walkers though. Fochabers might be worth a look as a fair bit cheaper. Avoid buckie so I'm told just seems to be run down and bit shit but very very very cheap. Wish you all the luck.

Tain is nice too. Bit further up from Inverness.
My only thing to warn about is buses are shite. Sometimes they turn up sometimes they are late or early there's no consistency. Lossie/elgin area is good for city's. Hour to invenress. But also a drive to Aberdeen and Edinburgh

Oh, also think hard about your dc: realistically there is no proper public transport or access to taxis in rural areas, so think carefully as to what they will want to do and will have to be driven to. Also consider proximity to college or university.

Thank you all. Lots of helpful comments and food for thought. We have cars so driving isn’t an issue and we don’t rely on public transport. My husband works from home as is the main income so it gives me time to figure things out up there.
where I am now I am about 30 mins from a town and supermarket, obviously we don’t have brutal winters down here and it’s still light until 4.30pm in the winter so that is very different, we get a dusting of snow and -6 at worst really, but mostly just rain every day over the winter. So we will definitely be heading up over the February period to try and get a gist of the weather front we’ve only been up that way between April and November. Ideally I’d like a village shop at the least as that is what I am used to. I’m from farming so rural is fine but obviously I don’t want to be cut off over the winter so somewhere with more main roads near. It’s very overwhelming but we’ve given ourselves 12-18 months to decide and settle

East Lothian. Lots of nice villages and plenty demand for dog walkers. Easy access to Edinburgh but you can be as rural as you like depending on where you choose.

What’s your budget and what size/type of house does that need to buy?

There are towns and villages around Glasgow that would meet your criteria like Renton, Alexandria and even parts of Dumbarton. There are suburbs like Newton Mearns or other areas like Muirend or Giffnock.

These areas have a rural feel with beautiful landscape and some are considered 'affluent' so have top rated schools and services and housing.

These locations would mean your child grows up with access to a social life, activities etc and you would have cafes and shopping within easy reach while having views of fields and hills and woodland.

For school - what month is your DD born? It's not as simple as one year down. Scottish school years are March to Feb instead of Sep to Aug. Eg current S1 pupils would be March 2012 to Feb 2013. But in England current year 7s would be Sept 2012 to August 2013.

I would base your search around schools above all your other criteria. There is a very wide range which could make or break your move for your DD.

East Lothian, rural Perthshire or Fife.
Will depend on budget

Another vote for East Lothian (or Midlothian/Borders) - East Linton, Haddington, Dunbar, Pencaitland, Pathhead, Fala, Lauder. All within one hour of Edinburgh. Just depends on size you're after and budget.

Can thoroughly recommend Montrose - midway between Aberdeen and Dundee and with a station so easy connections to Edinburgh or Glasgow and further south.

High St is a little tired but has lots of independent shops, also 3 supermarkets, sports centre, cinema and a good community feel. People are really friendly, property is good value and the beach is fab.

If you really want to through yourself into life I would definitely recommend moray, edge of the Cairngorms etc, it's so beautiful and people are friendly but you need to be able to adjust to the lifestyle, no saying to people "but in Kent ...!"

I actually ponder Shetland but with older parents it's too expensive to get back to the mainland regularly

Moray is really lovely. Fabulous beaches and not to far from Inverness for hospital etc. Some nice places around Stirling an some good High Schools in that area too. Bridge of Allan,Dunblane etc.

I'm in Aberdeenshire and live near Turriff, which is a lovely wee town. It's about a 50 minute drive to Aberdeen but also only around an hour to Elgin, so quite central to both. I prefer Aberdeen to Elgin though as I feel it just has a bit more in terms of shops. We're not far from some lovely beaches either and there are lots of activities in this area for children. The closer you get to the cities, the house prices do start to rise. The nearest major hospital is Aberdeen which deals with a lot more than Elgin hospital. I'm a nurse in Aberdeen and we often have patients from Elgin and surrounding areas.

If you prefer the other side then Forres is a lovely town near Elgin and also not far from Inverness.

I live in Edinburgh but I'd look at East Lothian if I wasn't working in town and had the budget. I think it would be super helpful for you to first set a budget and see what that gets you. If there are specific things that are important for your child (school? social options?) that will whittle it down too. I understand you are driving her around all the time now but there are options that are both quiet and still have some sort of transport option that might be really helpful as she gets older. It's not super common to go to a school outside your catchment (unless you go private of course) so schools will be quite important as you are looking around.

My daughter is 11 and just started high school this year as she has a November birthday.

I'm near falkirk for a few years (up from London to be near family while baby is small then off again) and while the town is a bit past its hay day, though the community groups are trying to improve it, there are cafes and a cinema. It has the bonus of being alot cheaper than east lothian but 20 mins from Glasgow on the train and 30 mins to Edinburgh, and a short drive to Stirling. 1.5 hrs if that to the trossachs, Ochil hills are beautiful over the town, and loads of places within ten min drive and feel like you're in the middle of nowhere. I like those elements of outdoorsy Arras and the amazing cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh nearby but I can't hack rural living for much longer, but we knew that when we came up but it sounds like it would fit your criteria:)

there are only 4-6 years in high school in Scotland (S1-S6) kids in Scotland do 7 years primary and 6 secondary so 13 years in total max but there is no year R

Children starting S1 in August 2026 ( 18 months from now) will have been born officially from about 1st March 2014- 28th Feb 2015 ( though some kids that were deferred will be from Nov2013- Feb 2014) most kids are 11 /12 starting high school and if stay to S6 will be 17/18 when they leave

provided your daughter was born before 28th february 2015 she would start S1 in august 2026, if after that she will be in Primary 7

Some services, like libraries, have been shut down in Moray, but Elgin tends to get left alone. It has a very friendly Waterstones and several places to get hot chocolate. In terms of shops, there are some like Next, Matalan, TK Maxx, Boots, as well as an Asda, Tesco, Lidl and Aldi. There are two secondary schools, and it would depend on which month your child is born as to which year they move up. There are loads of clubs and groups for children and adults, depending on what you're interested in. Some are free, like a very active Youth Cafe (The Warehouse), and an adult crafting group. The town hall hosts shows and tribute acts. The local park has also hosted the MacMoray festival the last few years with acts like Aqua, Steps and the Vengaboys. For bigger shows and shops, Inverness is just an hour west, and Aberdeen about 90 minutes east. With regards to dog walking, there's at least one I've seen out and about with a business van. For an extra bonus, the aurora borealis is visible a few times a year, gorgeous beaches are just ten minutes down the road, and it's possible to see dolphins, basking sharks, and on rare occasions, whales from the shore. In terms of weather, Moray has its own microclimate.