Author Topic: cheapest place to live in scotland?? (Read 21300 times)

lachlanandmarcus · « **Reply #15 on:** July 08, 2012, 08:50:36 am »

In some ways living up here is like living in the 1950s but in the best way. We can park in the local villages without paying to park, driving is a pleasure not a chore and the scenery is stunning. Although distances are long to get to anywhere, because of the lack of traffic you can confidently know how long it will take and dont have to build in half an hour extra in case of congestion. Service in shops is with a smile and tho youmay have to wait while the assistant chats to the old person in front, you know it will be your turn for a chat next, and that when you are old too, you will also still get treated like a person. There is little crime and a lot less litter.
I moved up here for a better life, and I found it here.
OK winters are long and hard but if they werent everyone would move here. And being an antisocial old rat it quite suits me. We get very bad gales in spring and autumn but its prob only 10 days a year, whereas down south miserableness and overcrowding was 365 days. Also it is partly bad winds here because we are very exposed and quite high up, the flip side of this is (i) no midges :-))) (ii) lots of sunshine as we are full south facing (iii) cant see any neighbours from our house.
OK when we are old and grey we MIGHT have to move to somewhere a bit more accessible (perhaps even on a road not up a rutted track) but thats a long way off. In the meantime playtime is great with the horses sheep geese chickens dogs and cats :-)))))
food for thought...

MAK · « **Reply #16 on:** July 09, 2012, 10:46:12 pm »

I have just read al the posts on this thread and gone back to the original post. If the main reason to leave Lincs is to be mortgage free then why not go south ?
There has been soe very honest posts about life in the remote areas of Scotland, weather and the long dark winters. I assume that some posts are written by English who moved north and have not experienced any problems with their nationality.
I moved south to be mortgage free. I can fly back to East Midland in little over an hour for £7. Winter days are longer here than in the UK and although I live over a 1000 feet I can grow apples, cherries and kiwi fruits! health care is excellent and accesible even though there are few towns in central France.
There have been many posts over the last 6 months from people in Scotland telling us of the difficulties of short winter days, weather etc etc
In my book I am not sure that I could live somewhere where I can not grow and eat ripe outdoor tomatoes

Good luck with the research but I would suggest that a move south could leave you mortage free too.

lachlanandmarcus · « **Reply #17 on:** July 09, 2012, 11:16:13 pm »

We havent experienced any racism Im glad to say, from my understanding this is more prevalent in the Lothians where sectarianism sort of expands to racism sometimes.
The oil economy as well as tourism in our area means there has been a healthy mixed (albeit almost entirely white) population for many decades. Added to the fact that we make sure we spend our money locally and also dont get ideas above our station and mix with our neighbours and village - a bottle of scotch rarely goes astray in cementing a relationship here too...-)

MAK · « **Reply #18 on:** July 09, 2012, 11:27:35 pm »

That is good news- so take plenty of scotch then. It's been a few years since the film Braveheart was on show but I knew 3 people then who left Uni in Scotland becuase of anti Engish behaviour. I'm sure that being English will not be a problem but there will be cultural differences.
My main point was the chalenges others have reported over previous months about the long dark winters and practical difficulties of getting about in remote areas of Scotland.

tizaala · « **Reply #19 on:** July 10, 2012, 06:08:52 am »

1968, when I was a young man ( well I was once... ) I worked as Lord Elgin's butler at Broomhall, Dunfermline. One of our cleaners an Irish Lady living in Charlestown, painted her garden gate dark green, and without thinking, added white tips to the pailings because she thought it looked nice..... next morning she awoke to find it painted Orange......
True story

MAK · « **Reply #20 on:** July 10, 2012, 08:17:33 am »

It works the other way. For some weird reason there was a man playing those bagpipe things at Limoges airport on St Davids day. Some Londoners waiting for simularly tatooed bods jeered and asked him when the next flight back to Scotland was. He stoped playing.

- result for those who did not like the noise.

Brucklay · « **Reply #21 on:** July 10, 2012, 09:00:47 am »

Well technically I'm English, born in Liverpool to English parents who moved up to Perthshire when I was 5. Throughout my primary years my farthers work took us south of the border on many 6 month stints then back to Perthshire. Perthshire is a wonderful part of the country but pretty expensive and OH and I wanted a bit more than a back garden so we ended up in Aberdeenshire - I can still drive back if need be.

We have found Aberdeenshire great, a mix of people, a bit exposed where we are but no midges, 360 degree scenery, 20 mins to lots of beaches to walk the dogs with hardly a sole in sight, I can park outside the bank, local shops stock essentials and tesco delivers, 10mins to animal feed store. All in all it suits us. Off course it has it's down sides but there is no way I would move south, get too stressed with all the traffic.

lachlanandmarcus · « **Reply #22 on:** July 10, 2012, 10:09:22 am »

Its funny, people do only focus on the 'ooh long winters' (my parents do this) without considering the other side of the scale that makes their life miserable in the S of England - congestion, aggressive people, litter, expensive everything, fumes, aircraft noise, lack of space, lack of privacy, overcrowded public transport. For me the wind and the long winters are offset. Also, long winters are quite nice when you are snuggled up with a roaring fire, peace and quiet and homemade food off your own land.
I agree there may be advantages then in looking further afield abroad as well as to the far north tho I think the reason that a lot of people dont is that there is the language barrier for many people, they arent familiar with the culture and the costs of moving overseas with shipping etc is a lot more so it feels like a bigger step.

MAK · « **Reply #23 on:** July 10, 2012, 08:50:36 pm »

I agree completeley about living in the S of England. So overcrowded that people have no consideration etc etc and traffic is hell. But- how often do you talk with others outside the home. If you hit a supermarket there is little need to talk. I am not saying that one can live in a bubble when overses but it aint too hard.The advatages so out weigh a struggle and joke with a foreign language. Some would say an Englishman abroad ( Wales or Scotland or France) will always be "the Englishman". Actually there are so many Brits here that you can live in a bubble, get UK tradesmen in, accountants or hairdressers. We take French lessons every week and speak French whenever out or talking wih our fantastic neighbours.
It is VERY rural here and smallholding is not uncommon - neighbours love that we embrace their old ways of life. They help slaughter and prepare meat, swap veg and fruit and share the logs from their woods. Pretty friendley really

bucketman · « **Reply #24 on:** July 11, 2012, 08:36:22 pm »

By the end of the month me and wifie will move to Sutherland. If you think you may need to find a job, not really the best place. I stand down where we live now and say, well the village, the one with the shop is only 13 miles away, when you get it round your head that the nearest city is only 2hrs away and 2hrs doesn't seem far. Then you will get why its brill up there
And we can't wait to move
rob
PS cant afford to live on the Knoydart, that will and always would be first choice