Cults near Aberdeen - would you live there?

[FriendlyLaundryMonster]

We are thinking of buying a property in Cults, on the outskirts of Aberdeen and are just after any local knowledge of the area. It looks leafy and quiet, with a great cycle into Aberdeen on the old railway line and with parks and the reservoir and river. We don't need schools, but enjoy access to a city and some local countryside walks and amenities on our doorstep. Anyone live there or know the area? We're a bit concerned about house prices, as the whole Aberdeen area seems to be quite slow and possibly still dropping. All insight welcomed!

No help here I'm afraid and I don't know Aberdeen but I only clicked to see what kind of cult you wanted to join. Many apologies.

Cults is a nice area of Aberdeen but also one of the most expensive for housing. I've been away for over 30 years but it had a village atmosphere.

I also came here for the cult joining.

I was told there is poker on Tuesdays?

Cults is one of the ‘nicest’ areas of Aberdeen. It’s a premium area price wise in particular because of the schools (and deeside in general is seen as ‘posh’).

Would I live there personally? No, we chose a town in Aberdeenshire on the train line and a house easy walking distance to the station.

Cults is a pleasant residential area, but there’s no really much ‘there’ and it’s a fair way from the city centre. To me it was a bit too much of a compromise on everything, brilliant at nothing other than being a premium area.

Depends a lot on what you’re looking for. It you want to walk to the shops to pick
up some bits, go for coffee etc then there’s not actually much there. If you’re a generally want to walking distance if city centre then it’s not. If you want big park area access then it’s a bit far from Hazlehead park to tick that box. If you’re a want the railway line walks and are ok dodging cyclists at commuter time then it’s ideal. Schools is definitely one of its selling points though.

Aberdeen house prices are a difficult topic. They track the oil industry performance pretty strongly and that’s not looking like it’s got a great future. So works for buying a home, but many would say Aberdeen city and nearby shire not a great property investment choice if that’s your main aim.

Thanks all. It would be ideal if there was a little cafe and maybe a couple of restaurants- don’t know if it delivers that. It looks like the buses into town take around 20 minutes, which is great. Anyone know if it’s welcoming to new people? Any other recommendations for a good area maybe a bit closer to the city and railway station?

Not often I hear of people complain house prices are too low.

If you like the house and want to live there then go ahead.

From what I know of Aberdeen it is one of the nicest areas.

If you will be disappointed that your house won’t increase in value then Aberdeen isn’t the place for you.

Comes down to the classic ‘Home or Investment’ question?

If I moved back to Aberdeen then Cults would be on my list. (I previously lived in the city centre) Inverurie would also be on my list. Both places with that bit better climate than Aberdeen (sea haar in Aberdeen) and quick and easy access to the beautiful countryside.
West End of Aberdeen or Rosemount if you want to be in the city itself.

OP, assume you know to use https://www.aspc.co.uk/ for house searching. It's more widely used than Rightmove.

Definitely spend some time on Google maps looking at restaurants and cafes etc.
Peterculter is slightly further out and has a wee high street. And Borsalinos is a really nice Italian.

Have a look at Stonehaven and Inverurie. They’re both nice towns and about 20 minutes on the train to Aberdeen. Stonehaven is on the coast, Inverurie is in land. They’ve both got small ‘town centre’ with cafes etc.

Yeah that's why I'm here. Never seen recommendations for cults before 😅

Same 😂😂😂😂

Why don't you Airbnb a week in Cults and another week somewhere else to see if you would like the area.

Very disappointed at the lack of satanic Scottish cults discussion. Sorry OP.

To be fair, Cults is the kind of nice middle class leafy suburb that one of those shock exposee programs would find a mega cult comprised of rich house wives, lawyers, surgeons and businessmen

Thanks for all the pointers. Sorry I’m not thinking of joining a cult 😂

Well you would say that, wouldn’t you.

Yes. It is a quiet and mostly residential area. There is a street of shops/cafes etc. and it has a couple of nice restaurants/pubs nearby. We live slightly closer to the city centre but would certainly consider a move to Cults.

The economic outlook for Aberdeen and Shire is poor at present thanks to the net zero zealots and SNP .
However Cults is a pleasant middle class area .

I agree with other posters here - Cults is a nice, fairly affluent area and considered desirable because of the schools, Cults Academy is a high performing state school and probably regarded as the "best" state secondary in Aberdeen City. Other good schools are Westhill and Banchory which are in the Aberdeenshire local authority area.

As others have said there isn't a huge amount in Cults itself - and the library was closed in 2023. There are probably areas of the Aberdeen itself which would give you access to more amenities including Hazlehead or Duthie Parks - I think the are around Duthie Park is actually really nice and that is walkable to the city centre.

I'd also recommend Stonehaven or even Montrose which is equidistant to Aberdeen and Dundee, is on the mainline to Edinburgh and Glasgow and is close to fab beaches.

Same 🤣 (because I’m currently watching the programme about the Gloriavale cult, so I was expecting to see that it had relocated to Scotland 🤣)

Sorry OP…no help at all from me, but glad you’re NOT asking for actual ‘cult-ish preferences’ 👌🏻

Haha, sorry your thread got derailed by those looking for religious cults!

Yes Cults is the ‘posh’ suburb of Aberdeen, lovely properties, and your money really does go far in Aberdeen these days.

Most people move there for the good schools and green space, but it is quite quiet with few (if any) coffee shops and restaurants. People tend to keep themselves to themselves unless immediate neighbours. Which may or may not suit you.

Most people drive everywhere in Aberdeen, there are buses but public transport isn’t as good as other cities.

If you want to be able to walk to eat out, or seek more if a community feel and transport links, you might be better trying the west end or Ferryhill areas of the city - still quiet, gorgeous properties, leafy green spaces but easier access to the amenities.

Thanks all. We do really like Cults, but would like to feel a bit of community. Not too worried about the amenities. We’re thinking and taking on board all comments. Thank you.

You'd be better going that bit further out to the Shire. Banchory is nice.

Well, could you consider it please, for the sake of all of us who only came on the thread to contemplate a preponderance of cults in Aberdeenshire?

I had arrived at a position where I wondered whether all the cults were pushing house prices up or down…?

Haha Me too!