Relocating to Aberdeen - anything I should take into account?

[MadAdopter]

I am hoping to relocate from Wiltshire to NE Scotland in the next 12 months or so with my 6 year old daughter. School choices (private) all seem to be in the city so need advice on commuting from villages as we don't want to live in the city, looking for a rural property as we have lots of animals.

Research seems to suggest driving into central Aberdeen is easy, but is this true?

Are there any areas that are better for commuting by car from?

All suggestions welcome as it feels a bit overwhelming at first not knowing the area well yet.

Thanks!

Have you thought about the weather!

Aberdeen has some crunch points re commuting, but once the rush hour has passed it’s pretty easy.

Personally, I would be looking west towards and including Banchory - so look at Cults, Bieldside, Milltimber, Peterculter - they are all suburbs really but countryside is close by.

Coastal - Stonehaven has a good reputation.

The west suburbs are close to the AWPR by-pass which can take you to the airport or to the south pretty quickly.

Look at public transport routes for your dc, and when choosing a school, if may help to know which areas their private school transport covers, and where their games fields are - most of those are at a distance from the school ( and to the west)

Ignore the taunts about the weather . Were a lot drier and sunnier than the west over here in Aberdeenshire.

I have spent a lot of time in Aberdeenshire whilst it is not as wet as the west coast. It is colder than down south through out the year. The wind is bitter. Not an issue as long as you have the right clothes.

Windproof coats and decent warm boots. Why private? Probably some very good local schools. I lived there for 8 years. The commute in and out of the city is easier now they have built the western peripheral route but it could get quite congested at peak times going in and out of the city.

Areas north of the city tend to be harder hit by poor weather so I would advise south of the city.

The primary schools in Aberdeenshire are generally good. No need to send a 6yo to private school in the city with a lengthy commute, poor bairn.

Also Aberdeen has the LEZ charge now.

I used to live in Ellon , but I’ve a friend who lives in peterculter and it’s a lot more accessible into the centre of Aberdeen . Other nice places are bancory , cove bay and westhill . I now live in central Scotland but have a soft spot for Aberdeen

I spent many years in Aberdeen out to the west - lovely place, but freezing, and watching the haar roll in when the rest of Scotland beyond the NE triangle is in sunshine is hard to take. I'd also recommend Cults, Bieldside, Milltimber, Culter and beyond along the N Deeside Rd (although I am biased), as the further inland you go the more rural it gets, whilst still being within a reasonable commute.

Why private at 6 though? The primary schools in the above areas are great up there, and so are the secondaries.

Yes, and cold doesn't bother me. No such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes :-) We are moving for lifestyle and to be closer to Highlands/rewilding, we are outdoorsy.

Thanks for the suggestions will take a look.

She is already at a private school after an awful experience with state school in England, and I am thinking long-term all the way through to 18 so would like not to have to move her again if possible, this will be her third school in 3 years already.

We commute now, she will be fine thanks. LEZ not a problem, have a compliant hybrid.

How far does the haar roll in, thought this was a coastal thing?

Do you have to move?

I moved to Aberdeen two years ago for work and I’m still here. It’s shit. If you want to do anything you have to drive 3 hours to Glasgow or Edinburgh. Would you consider moving there instead?

Re the haar. It is coastal . You would be unlikely to experience it as far in as Cults most of the time, ime.
Westhill can get foggy and I find it cold. Avoid Countesswells. It’s a new ‘village’ but has a poor reputation and so does not resell well.

There's a lot to be said in favour of a good rural state school, when moving to an area and looking to integrate into a community and for her to make friends. On balance that might be better than a longer commute and friends potentially scattered over a wide distance.

What do you mean by closer to rewilding? Rewilding to what? Humans have managed the highland landscapes for thousands of years.

Have you looked at areas around Inverness e.g. the Cairngorms?

Sadly not - I was further west than that, it came in beyond Cults

If you're looking at Highlands/rewilding, I think you need to look a bit further west and north in Scotland What do you mean by it?

what about Newmachar/Dyce, or proper on the coast and Blackdog/Balmedie way? Insch is nice also (and has a train station), or Old Meldrum maybe? Alford? Depends on your budget and where you will be working?? and how far away from Aberdeen you are prepared to be if you are set on your daughter going to Gordons/Albyn/whatever.

Agree schools are fine in the area, but why not go up and have a wee look?? you might want to consider if you want a shop in walking distance (Surely you do?) and a decent bus route nearby so your daughter can get herself places once she is old enough.

Or just stay in Aberdeen itself if you can afford it? are you moving your animals up from Wiltshire??

If you are interested in the Highlands, you should probably aim to move to err... the Highlands?? Aberdeen is very much not the Highlands.

Is Aberdeen a fixed for some reason?

I cannot comment on schools, but have a good few friends up there who love it and moan about that cold wind all the time!

East is drier, but if you have a bit more flexibility then there are some ace places further into Royal Deeside, North Cairngorms, Moray and Inverness area.
Aberdeen (like Deeside) is a 'long way from anywhere'. Days out to hike or bike hills can become a driving marathon to get to different areas. That said, the backyard of Aberdeen and Deeside is all the brilliant for outdoor sports. As the kids grew up, I found myself roaming more back to bigger hills and different places, or following kids for MTB races....

I actually prefer the weather to the west coast. It's drier and a bit windier so much, much fewer bastard midges. It can get some gorgeous weather. Main thing I struggled with was lack of daylight in winter (and hardly any darkness in summer near the longest days). When the weather is grey though, everything in Aberdeen is also grey. The granite buildings sparkle in the sun but sap the colour out of everything when it's a dreich day.

It's not the Highlands though. Despite being further North than a good portion of the Highlands. And despite some delivery companies misclassifying AB postcodes as Highlands and charging a premium. My mum gets very cross when that happens! Decent hills to climb though. I reckon they're more rugged looking than on the West.

I don't think the International school is in the city. State is perfectly fine up here - you could even say it's rewilding your human 😁 Private is not necessarily better, given what I've heard.

Aberdeen is definitely not the Highlands
I'm from the shire though in England now with all family still up there and travel there multiple times a year.
Inverurie had a great sense of community and train station for commuting.
Westhill difficult traffic at times.
Ellon/newburgh?

Prepare for civilisation to be a long way away and it being cold and grey but it's also beautiful

I want to be in the Highlands itself (rewilding is ongoing conservation work up there for those who don't know about it - check this out Highlands Rewilding - Rewilding Scotland) but have to consider my daughter and what she needs as she grows up. Once she is older I can move further up/West. I like places that don't have a lot of people in them, just wildlife, but I think daughter might want friends and a social life!

Yes I know Aberdeen is not the Highlands 🙄but it is a lot closer to it than Wiltshire and means we can drive up there regularly. Yes I have looked at Inverness, but no good schools there so that is why I am considering Aberdeen as a compromise.

Work not an issue as I work from home, just need broadband.

I will be visiting but just trying to do some research beforehand, don't want to waste time looking in areas that are not suitable.

Interesting so many people suggesting to look elsewhere, is Aberdeen not a good place to raise a family then? Are there other options further up that have good schools?

What is shit about it? I am not interested in nightlife or shops - proximity to city is purely to access schools/hospitals etc., will be living in the countryside.

Rubbish for shopping and has no department stores, they all pulled out.

Don't care about shops, lived in London for 15 years when I was younger and over all that. Internet works fine for me.

Does Amazon Prime make it up that far? Probably not!