Anything I should know about scotland before I take a leap of faith 😂

[Helliephant]

I met this Scottish man and he is simply amazing and wonderful, so interesting and kind with the sexiest accent ever, es the best. I went to scotland for the first time with him and fell in love with it. Would i be crazy to move there???!

Do you really want to be 100% reliant on a man, a new man at that, for all your support?
Moving to an area where you know nobody but him could be a nightmare as much as the adventure you anticipate.
All your eggs in his basket.
He has the power.
Think long and hard.

So many people focusing on how short the winter days are, not how long the summer ones are.
You'd think it was minus 5 all year round. We do get warm weather and the east coast doesn't get the amount of rain the west does, plus no midgies

Goodness knows when Union Street will ever be finished though.

Aberdeen is a very small city. It's not at it's best just now with all the work going on but it's also very affordable compared to a few years ago. Flats especially have plummeted in value.

The area around Aberdeen is stunning and there are lots of good communities either within the city or places like Banchory, Stonehaven etc are popular with lots going on.

It is cold but sunny and you do get used to it.

There are lots of connections to east Anglia because if the offshore industry.

Don't just look at Rightmove, you need the ASPC for property as well if you are looking.

Spend some time exploring the area out with the city as well, there are some great places.

Thanks for your replies, this is heartening! Im thinking of maybe exploring the countryside around Aberdeen. Ive lived in lots of different cities in different countries, born and bred in the city and I fancy a change. We are in our 40s, no kids.
The cold does worry me - are our heating bills going to be huge? I'd lived in Austria and not felt as cold as I did when I visited Aberdeen in September but maybe it was the damp?!
Im surprised to see people mentioning Dundee, I only went for a weekend but actually found it felt quite grim compared to Aberdeen - maybe it was my frame of mind though and I should give it another shot

Surely you could move to Scotland without moving to a small town? This doesn’t make sense.

Yes heating bill can be huge , I lived in Aberdeenshire and now moray . I live it here and I do love Aberdeen too , it’s a small city grey as it’s mostly granite stone but still pretty .

What sort of life/ community are you looking for? Do you want city or just somewhere with easy access?

You have the east coast mainline straight to east Anglia and flights.

The airport is much easier now the AWPR is open.

The countryside is quite different on each side of the city. The Mearns to the south is more gentle rolling hills and farmland running into the Cairngorms, West is a more highland feel, north more pine forest and hills.

You can definitely make a good life in north east Scotland but it can be very different within 45 minutes of the city depending on your preferences.

@gingerkittykatI live in central England and it’s dark by 4pm in the winter… are you sure you’ve got the times right there?

@HelliephantI'm at home most of the time as I'm retired and wouldn't say my heating bills are extortionate. We don't get the 30 degree temperatures like the south of England and Aberdeen is no more likely to get snow than anywhere else.
It's not the Arctic as some people seem to be suggesting

One of my kids went to University in Dundee so I used to visit a lot. I live south of Aberdeen but would recommend Aberdeen area over Dundee. The social problems are easier to dodge in Aberdeen/Aberdeenshire.

Shortest day isn’t necessarily when sunset is earliest!

My partner moved from Southampton to the North East last year and loves it. The only people who have been rude to him are an English couple who told him he had ‘massively downgraded’ by moving to Scotland 🙄

Why are these threads always like this 🙄

@Alwaystired23 no midges but yes to the ticks - numbers rising across Scotland due to climate change sadly, never got any as a kid in the woods or fields

Aberdeen has a very nice new independent bookshop on Rosemount called Somerville Books, anything not in stock can be ordered at a 10% discount. There are several excellent festivals, Spectra (light festival) in February, Granite Noir (crime writing) also in February, Nuart (street art) not long passed in April and North East Open Studios (across Grampian in September) where painters/potters/photographers/crafters show in studios or community spaces and several others so it is not a cultural desert, honest.

Is this where the boyfriend is from?

does it have to be Aberdeen? It’s not somewhere I’d move to, however there’s nothing wrong with it. Yes it’s cold but also can be lovely in summer I’m from further north so Aberdeen was our closest city at that time.

my mum lived in Norwich till a few years ago, she was in Thorpe St Andrew lovely house easy to get into centre lovely trips to coast. She hates the cold 🥶 and doesn’t like being back in Scotland at all. I think she was mad to move if I’m honest. I remember visiting one April and it was so warm and lovely. But you can always move again if you don’t like Aberdeen or live in a small town outside the city etc

I spent some time in a little village North of Inverness. I couldn't wait to get away, not because of the cold but just because there really wasn't anything to do. Aberdeen will be fine as there's plenty there. Do be aware though that you're a long drive to Edinburgh.

Good luck!

I’ve lived in Aberdeen for many years, raised a family here as well.
On the East Coast we get much less rain than the West coast, days even in summer never get super hot but we don’t usually get too low temps in winter either.
in terms of the Arts we have 2 theatres His Majesty’s and the Tivoli we have a big arena P and J live we have an Arts Centre that dedicated locals are trying to keep alive. We also have the Music Hall. We have small venues like the Lemon Tree. Another group of dedicated locals are trying to get our independent cinema reopened which showed a lot of world cinema. We do have a mainstream Cineworld as well. Some PP’s have already mentioned the festivals we have we also have a Science festival and multi cultural events such as Mela. Our Art Gallery is very good and we have a small number of museaums ( gallery and museums are all free). Wee have Deemouth Artist Studios which has about 50 different makers in dedicated studio spaces, AJ Simpson who won the Great Pottery Throw Down one year works in a studio there. There are also lots of other venues within a short drive of Aberdeen such as The Barn which is a lovely multi arts centre. Also within a short distance we have castles galore. A beautiful main beach in Aberdeen and also nearby at Balmedie ( if only we had hot weather). If you are into wildlife we have dolphins that you can watch from a lovely coffee place right in the city. We also have a big seal colony nearby and you can even see puffins nearby ( if you get lucky)
There’s loads more I haven’t mentioned.
The shopping in the town centre is rubbish, the local council are a nightmare and there are some very poor areas within the city, I live in one of them, but I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.

It is cold and dark all winter. If you hate hot weather you will probably enjoy it.

I live in Aberdeen and it is ok and I do actually quite like it.

Winter is dark by 3.30 at its worst, spring comes late and the growing season is short because of the light and warmth. Don’t forget if you go rural you get snowed in (not for the whole winter obviously, it’s not that bad)!

I couldn't live in Aberdeen, it's just too remote for my liking. if you live outside the city then public transport can be poor or non-existent so your "rural idle" is actually mostly spent driving to get anywhere. And watch out for properties that don't have mains gas as the price of filling your oil tank up each winter could be enough to make you weep!
Even things like flight routes from the airport mean you need to drive to EDI/GLA to go on holiday or your options are seriously limited.

I'm from Aberdeen. There are no midgies in Aberdeen! There are, however, seagulls.

I left several years ago and I do miss the stunning countryside on the doorstep. I don't miss the weather. I'm in SE England now and much prefer the weather here.

If I were to return to the area I'd move to Inverurie or somewhere a bit inland where the temperature is that bit nicer. I agree with OP re Dundee...I think it's grim too.

https://www.aspc.co.uk/ for houses for sale and rent and https://www.citylets.co.uk/results.aspx

House prices have come down a lot in Aberdeen over the past few years. West End/Rosemount/Ferryhill if you want to be central and in good areas.

Get an airbnb and spend a couple of weeks there.

I lived in Aberdeen for 10 years and really liked it but its so cold at times and the wind can be brutal. We had heavy sleet today in the Highlands which I have never seen in my life. Its the coldest May I remember and my heating is on. I dont think Aberdeen will be warmer. However if your working from home make sure you join aome clubs and hobbies etc tp meet people. I found it quite easy to make friends there. House prices are really affordable now to

You will notice a big difference in temperature. Aberdeen temperature in mid May is similar to East Anglia in early April.

I live in Aberdeen and is has been steadily declining for a decade. Oil boom is long gone and city centre isn't great. M&S and John Lewis both closed in past few years along with many restaurants and bars.

Come to Edinburgh! It’s the best 🥰