Moving to Scotland on retirement- good idea or not?

[Lansonmaid]

Our daughter moved to Brechin 4 years ago for work and son is hopefully going to move to Scotland too. We currently live in the South West of England, I'm about to retire and DH is 10 years older. Our interests are walking, sailing, basically outdoors type stuff. I like choral singing as well.

What's healthcare like, will we be able to make friends? Any ideas / thoughts welcomed

The A9 has had a massive reduction in fatalities and accidents in general since the speed cameras were introduced, so don't let that put you off.

I would say that the east coast is drier but colder, but being an NE Quine it's much better and you can always visit the west.
The loganair flights to Newquay have just stopped though which is a shame, there are more flights now although maybe more expensive than you are used to.

Shops in Aberdeen and Inverness both gone downhill in my view in last 4-5 years.

For outdoorsy folk such as yourself, I would defo say to do some exploring, rent a place and decide where you fancy
Fife is a lovely area and near to Edinburgh if you need a city?

There are lots of flights to Bristol from Glasgow Edinburgh Inverness Aberdeen on Easy Jet not my favourite airline but much cheaper than the train.

There were 15 fatalities on the A9 last year. It may have improved but it is not something to be minimised and is definitely important to consider. We hate driving south and always worry for family when on the road because it is still very much a concern.

That's a shocking statistic.

I live very close to Brechin and have no problems getting a doctors appointment on the day/that week depending on the issue.

I used to regularly travel on a road in England that was notorious for accidents (lots of signs up all along it stating this) mainly because it was an exceedingly bendy road and people loved to overtake when they can’t see. The UK has loads of roads which can be described as dangerous. Interestingly I’ve just googled most dangerous roads in the UK out of the top 10 only 1 was in Scotland and that was on Orkney.
This thread is interesting because it shows you how the same people view where they live completely differently. Most of my colleagues and many of my friends are Scottish I don’t get the impression that they are unhappy here, in fact most seem to have no desire to go “down south”. But I notice on MN that a sizeable minority seems to be with dissatisfied with their lives in the UK be it Scotland or elsewhere and many on here seem very anti the SNP. Interestingly apart from a small number of English people living here I rarely meet anyone who seems to have a strong on them or the independence question most like me can see the pros and cons to both arguments and seem to be sitting on the fence.
@Lansonmaid I personally think to be close to your children will bring you lots of pleasure so this alone would prompt me to move.

I did it. The weather is above and beyond the worst thing. It took me two years to adjust to it, I was constantly cold. Winter arrives at the beginning of September and summer doesn't really exist. Some warmish days if you're lucky, otherwise a lot of rain and a chill in the air.

OH has been on the waiting list over four years for a hand operation, and has only just had it. I find the GPs useless , although it is possible to get a face to face appointment after an initial telephone conversation.

Roads are full of potholes, the council where I live has stopped getting rid of weeds on the roads and pavements as well as other public areas. Services everywhere cut to the bone. Tax is higher at a lower threshold.

I miss proper pubs so much, Scottish pubs in general are not as good as those South of the border. The weather though is the clincher and I we are planning to move back. I was brought up in Scotland by the way, so ought to have known better!

Whenever I hear a dodgy weather forecast, I say "remind me never to move to Scotland"!
More seriously, following your children doesn't sound like a good idea..... a bit suffocating for them. And then what happens if the adult kids move back to England, or some other country?

Sailing is best on the west coast - do you want to be near a marina or smaller boats?

Can’t comment on pubs I don’t go in them I regularly eat in cafes/restaurants there’s little difference between here and England except generally I find they are a little cheaper here.
“I find the GPs useless”
I work/have worked extensively with GPs in Scotland and England. I’ve met amazing caring dedicated GPs who go above and beyond in both countries and ones who are at best mediocre. You cannot extrapolate from your experience of your GP and assume that this applies to every GP in Scotland or England for that matter.
I do hope you’re not moving down south to escape pot holes I recently returned from England not a million miles from the “south west” there are pot holes everywhere there as well. The problem is that across the whole of the UK councils have no money and mending roads are not a priority when you paying for social care.
Scotland is not perfect, but as someone pointed out up there there are simply significantly less people here and because of this the emptiness of our beaches and the peace and quiet are a huge attraction for me and many others, I also love Scotlands stunning landscape.

I'm retired and live equidistant between Aberdeen and Inverness. Our doctor is very difficult to get an appointment with but other family members in other areas have no issues with theirs.
Plenty of walking and we don't get the rain or midges on the west coast - rarely have snow either.
Only issue here is public transport. One bus an hour and trains every 2 hours.
However our neighbours moved from the borders and absolutely love it.

I wouldn't live rurally if I were you simply for the poor transport.

It's our daughter and son actually encouraging us to move to be closer to them! Our daughter loves Scotland and doesn't want to move but really misses us she says.

Somewhere like Broughty Ferry would suit you. It's a thriving place that still has independent shops, cafes, restaurants and all the facilities you need. And a Yacht Club. Lots of retired people and lots of families too.

My friend is very pleased with her GP practice there, having moved from one in the area that was less good.

It's on the train line to Edinburgh and some trains stop there, and about 40 minutes or less to drive to Brechin. i think there are also buses from Dundee.

The east coast is certainly not warm with a chill wind, but it's drier and sunnier than the west. i know people who moved to the area also because of family, having been down south for years, and are enjoying it, particularly living near the beach and countryside.

Don't let people put you off.

I moved from the west to east coast and the weather is hugely better up here. Cold but we've had sun for nearly all of Feb.

I have a great doctor who will see you the same day ( kids/ urgent) or a few days later if non urgent like a blood test.

Move to be beside family. If you don't try it, you'll always wish you had.

There are beautiful, country pubs and so much to explore. And we do get summers - it comes later now (Halloween was mild the last few years) and Easter is cold still but May, June, July tend to be warm and it's lovely swimming in the lochs. It's a great quality of life

What part of Scotland is your son hoping to move to ?

Surely the family reasons are compelling? There's certainly nothing else that would be a significant downside that would put me off.

Yes, the weather is a bit worse but...it's not as though you're choosing between a European sunspot and Scotland. The weather can be quite bad in the south of England too and Edin and Glasgow airports are handy for getting away.

As for the nhs it's a lucky person who has a bit of money put away to go private for things that have huge waiting lists - it's worth trying to save a healthcare pot wherever you live these days..

I'm sure you've looked into the income tax and LBTT situation.

Son wants to go to the Cairngorms, we are thinking of the east as well. Love the scenery in the west but it's a bit too wet. Not a great lover of 30+ degrees heat, low to mid 20's suits us just fine.

Come to the North East. It's not an area that5very well known. Lots of holiday homes so you could try the area before you decide. Property isn't particularly cheap but fairly central for Brechin and the Cairngorms.

Perth could be ideal location as it is approx 1 hour from both Brechin and Cairngorms/Aviemore

It is a more desirable imo than other towns of a similar size

Scenery is much better in the East .

Look at Aviemore, Carrbridge, Grantown. Lots of lovely cafes , restaurants, nice pubs . Stunning in the summer and winter. So much for your family to do at Rothiemurchus too. Theatre not too far away .

I am not a hot weather person at all OP, in fact I hate it.

But I lived in Scotland (Edinburgh) most of my adult life and it is really cold. I moved to Wales a few years ago I would not move back to Scotland at all. Moving to Wales just made me realise just how cold I had been for all those years. I spend a lot more time outdoors now because the weather in Wales is just more suitable for being outdoors - its milder, there is not that harsh, biting wind. Sometimes, when the wind died down in Edinburgh, I realised that it was not as cold as I thought, but the wind soon starts up again and I was freezing again. I had to buy a whole new set of clothes when I moved to Wales as I just didn't have enough clothes for the warmer weather. Its so much nicer being warmer.

I also haven't experienced that anti-English sentiment in Wales ( though I am sure it exists in places - I am in South Wales) that was endemic in Scotland. I did find that very wearing. I loved Edinburgh but it never felt like home, perhaps because so many Scots people made it clear that they would never regard Scotland as being my home.

Having moved, I would also say don't underestimate how hard it is to lose your friends and to have to try to make new ones. It is not necessarily that easy. Situational acquaintances/ 'friends' are easy but finding someone who has the time and space for a close friendship and whom you click with, is harder when you get older.

I would totally agree with this.

I miss proper pubs so much, Scottish pubs in general are not as good as those South of the border

And this is so true too! I don't know why, but it is. I do love a good country pub, but just didn't find them in Scotland like I did in the rest of the UK. We used to holiday in Northumberland and one of the attractions there was the proliferation of good country pubs!

I long for a nice pub lunch!

Take a weekend break to Northumberland! 😁