Relocating from South West England to Aberdeen ??

[ChickieBaker]

Hello.
My husband and I are visiting Aberdeen in just under a fortnight to have a look around and view some houses with a view to possibly moving in the New Year. Even though I'm half Scottish and part of my family live in Edinburgh and Inverness I know nothing of Aberdeen. We want to be no further than a 30 minute drive from the hospital. Funny how these things are more important once you hit 60 🤣 I am looking for some guidance on areas. We may go for a new build and have been thinking about Chapelton and Dyce but there seem to be so many developments to choose from. We do like some green space around us and my husband likes to walk and cycle so that's also important. Also if anyone knows of any dance classes I'd love to know. I haven't done any ballroom/latin/line dancing since we left Canada 6 years ago. Thanks very much 😊

I would recommend out towards Cults and beyond, I think Chapelton is creepy it reminds me of The Prisoner. Perhaps Westhill or Kingswells. Dyce is ok but apart from Asda there is not much there.

I would actually also recommend looking at Stonehaven, it may be a little over 30 mins to ARI but not by much.

Dyce does have a train station though which is a plus.

I know exactly what you mean about Chapelton but I kind of love it for that - someone told me you can only paint your door certain colours, there always seems to be a group of mums jogging with three wheeled buggies no matter when you go, and those little business huts are surely hiding all manner of nefarious activities. I think I want to live there when I'm 80, and do some sleuthing.

They do a weird scarecrow thing which i found particularly creepy. It is pretty though in a stage set sort of way.

My daughter has a friend who lives in Chapelton and she said it gave her a Stepford Wives feeling. I've never been there but I don't think there's much there.
She lives in Portlethen which is a 10 minute train trip into the city and has 3 primary schools and a secondary plus a great retail park.

Countesswells might suit you as a fairly new development west of the city and close to the countryside for walks etc. Only a 10 minute drive to the hospital and city centre

The deprivation map is helpful if you dont know an area. You want to live in a dark blue area ideally and near a bus route. Everywhere in the city is probably less than 30 mins drive from the hospital. I would live in the west of the city. Aberdeen is cold but has lovely parks.

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If you'd be willing to be a little further (35-40 mins) Banchory (Deeside) would be worth looking at. Decent run into Aberdeen & other than main rush hour the traffic is easy going.

It's a reasonable size with everything you would need. Quieter than Aberdeen and regular buses if you don't want to drive. Outskirts are pretty. In the opposite direction to Aberdeen, it's about 50 mins from Balmoral & Ballater which is very pretty - reminds me of the Cotswolds.

There's 2 new developments currently. Bancon Homes & Cala Homes. The Cala one especially is lovely.
As you're travelling up it would be worth booking a viewing. Enjoy your trip!

What made you consider Aberdeen. ?

It’s quieter than Edinburgh with a lower crime rate than Inverness.

I would consider Glasgow or Dundee - sadly Aberdeen is not the city it was even 20 years ago. The city centre has been impacted quite badly by the LEZ and bus gates - people are now visiting Stonehaven or Inverurie for shopping.

I'd suggest looking at Broughty Ferry or Montrose.

Also North of Aberdeen tends to suffer more badly in adverse weather and is less well connected for travel - with perhaps the exception of Dyce. However there is not a lot going on in Dyce.

Used to live near Chapelton and although the concept of the new town is good there are still not a lot of facilities. For a supermarket you need to go to Portlethen. Stonehaven also doesn't have a decent supermarket. We moved in order to have a better choice of shops and community facilities.

If it doesn’t have to be a new build, there are some lovely areas around Ferryhill and Rosemount/Beechgrove. These are considered city centre, but leafy areas with good quality older houses.

I would agree with pp who’ve mentioned Stonehaven, Cults and Banchory too as smaller towns near Aberdeen. All have a bit of a ‘high street’ and community.

Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire are lovely parts of Scotland, with beaches, parks and countryside all easy to reach.

Personally I would avoid Portlethen and Dyce unless you have kids, they are handy for schools and supermarkets though!

What’s your budget? I would avoid coastal areas. Agree with the pp there are lovely places to live in the city itself .

Kemnay,Inverurie Aberdeenshire.
There's a new development in countess wells and if it's the one with social housing in it the reputation for anti social behaviour is off the scale and I say that as a council tenant .

Aberdeen is a very compact city. The area around Duthie Park is nice if you want central.

Otherwise agree that Stonehaven is a good option. Banchory is also lovely but pushing your 30 minutes. Or Petercutler, Cults etc. It really depends what you want. Do you want more of a rural feel or to be close to town?

Chapelton is nice enough for a commuter area but doesn't really tick easy access or beautiful setting - more satisfies a bit of everything.

If you want smaller scale new builds Forheringham Homes have an excellent reputation but most of their work tends to be south Aberdeenshire.

The coast can suffer badly from haar - sea fog. It can be quite bad. Like others have said, Banchory is worth considering. 30 mins by car and 45 by bus and it’s a good bus route.
i believe Chapleton has limited bus routes and can be very windy?
Stonehaven is lovely BUT will suffer from haar, seagull poo and also occasional flooding and sea foam depending on where you are looking to live. Lovely shops but no supermarket really. And gets very busy with tourists in summer.
countesswells is nice but limited bus services. Lots of walks nearby. Is not fully developed though and some companies have gone bankrupt so some parts are still building sites.

i second Cults, and look at Mannonfield too.
If you want a new build, I would seriously consider the nice new places in Banchory.

If you want rural, there's Craibstone - easy access to AWPR.

I personally would consider Westhill - great for older folk as you can walk to everything - doctor, dentist, food shops including M&S, Tesco, Aldi, restaurants, and buses into town. It's also close to woods and walks. (I plan to move there myself when I get too old to drive). An easy drive to hospital if it's not rush hour.

Avoid up the hill in Elrick as the developer seems to be changing the maintenance management company often and every time the fees go up. You will be paying for the three playgrounds that you will never use, and roadside grass cutting.

Not Kingswells. It has a microclimate so roads get icy in winter, but the gritters never think the area is a priority.

The newest Cala development in Cults is very nice and a couple of houses are up for resale. Mannofield, Bieldside, Peterculter and Hazlehead area are all worth considering.

Fifeshill Drive in Countesswells, but not the new development with social housing in a different part of Countesswells. As another poster said, there are a few problems developing. The last time I went to the Sainsbury's there, school kids were loitering at the entrance, pestering shoppers to 'buy me something!' A gang of kids can be intimidating to older folk.

I wouldn't live in Dyce, and Stonehaven/Banchory/Inverurie are too far from ARI for you.

HTH

During rush hour, there's regularly a ten minute queue at the Kingswells roundabout!

And more in the winter.

Banchory, Ellon, Stonehaven may be a little more than 30 mins in traffic but I would recommend all for a community feel where there are amenities, clubs to join and classes to take part in etc. I'm not a fan of inverurie personally but a lot of people like it. I know ellon has line dancing. Definitely seen ballroom and Latin classes advertised in Aberdeen. Stonehaven and inverurie have train lines. Ellon and banchory only have buses,look up Stagecoach website to get an idea of frequency.

(I grew up in ellon, now live In banchory and works in Stonehaven and inverurie 🤣 so happy to answer any questions on these towns)

Suggest Stonehaven there is a lot going on with community groups.
There is also a community hospital in Stonehaven where you can get some services without having to travel to ARI. It doesn't have an A&E department but does have a few small wards, xray etc.

Your limit of 30 minutes from the hospital is restrictive. The comments on weather are laughable! Roads in the shire are frequently better treated in winter conditions than in the city.

Banchory is expensive.
inverurie is turning into a huge housing estate but does have great shopping/eating options. And there’s a line dancing class there too.
oldmeldrum could be worth looking at.
stonehaven is worth considering also.