I want to move to Scotland

One thing that I don't think has come across in this thread is just how large and varied Scotland is!

For example, the average rainfall here (east coast Highlands) is about 27 inches. 60 miles to the west at Fort William, it is over six feet of rain a year!

On the west coast, there are beautiful mountains and lochs, in the north it is flat like a lunar landscape.

And so on. So do your research!

The midges don't sound like much, but believe me in the north and west they can literally drive you mad.

In some areas, it can be the wind that is the biggest problem. Up in the north west, they get several hurricanes a year like the recent one down south.
 
Dry Rot said:
One thing that I don't think has come across in this thread is just how large and varied Scotland is!

For example, the average rainfall here (east coast Highlands) is about 27 inches. 60 miles to the west at Fort William, it is over six feet of rain a year!

On the west coast, there are beautiful mountains and lochs, in the north it is flat like a lunar landscape.

And so on. So do your research!

The midges don't sound like much, but believe me in the north and west they can literally drive you mad.

In some areas, it can be the wind that is the biggest problem. Up in the north west, they get several hurricanes a year like the recent one down south.
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Midges can drive you mad in the North East as well!!! The cleggs particularly :S

Nothing more beautiful than the Great Glen, the Caledonian Canel or the West Highland Way. I sailed round the West Coast a few years ago, and it was basolutely stunning - but it is very remote in the north and west. Takes longer for me to drive to Skye than to England, and longer to drive to Caithness than to London...
 
Photo-jo so funny, cheered me up no end. That is how it is though, happened to us when we moved up to Glenshee years ago, didn't end up in court though. Moved to the west after the first winter, but now have permanent rust !!!
 
OP. Make sure you leave yourself a return route :) in case you change your mind.
Scotland is cold and wet. Depending on whether you are east, west or north it is colder or wetter by varying degrees or with regards to rain, inches. ;)
It is populated by Scots or The Scotch ;) who speak a form of English in varying degrees of intelligibility.
They will insist on playing the bagpipes at every social occasion. Take earplugs!
Learn the words to Oh Flower of Scotland. It'll be sung a lot especially at rugby season where it's function is to soothe the disappointment of loosing yet another match.
You will be referred to as a Sasanagh.. This is not a compliment ;)

And Glasgow! I want my son back. How dare you endear yourself to him do much that he no longer wants to live in England and nearer too me.

I should probably point out before anyone gets offended that I'm married to a scot and do not bear any personal grudges based on this, some of my best friends have been Scots :D
 
MotherOfChickens said:
it was ironic, done for comedic effect :p nothing like telling a Scot that they're Scotch (and in memory of my gran, who could never get it right at all lol)

re Independence. There's a definite north/south divide, they are much more pro up north than here-probably because they aren't so reliant on English companies for work :p so the only people I personally know in favour, are my in in-laws up north. I will be gobsmacked and a little disturbed if it went through. Also, if you aren't Tory down there, you'd better hope it doesn't, or you'll be having a Tory government for the foreseeable.
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As someone from the northern isles, no, don't be so ridiculous. It's the biggest waste of money, and we are against it up 'north' too.
 
We moved to a snowy drift prone Aberdeenshire hillside 5 years ago and it was the best thing we ever did. Maybe not so good for competition types but for happy hackers it's heaven. Riding is more 3 season as horses kept at home and we don't have a manège but that's fine, 20 mins from the ski slope :-))

We're in the hills above Royal Deeside and it's gorgeous, less rainy and midgey than many English places.

We don't have a return ticket but on the other hand we do have 40 acres and a cosy Hoosie :-D
 
Loubidy said:
Would definitely recommend getting your name out on facebook pages or getting in touch with Sandra Low Mitchell or George Babes. Perth is pretty central and within two hours of a lot of horsey places. You might even want to contact SNEC?
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For work? SNEC doesn't REALLY have full time yard staff as far as I know except the manager. Weekend staff etc as most of the work is done by students. If you want to get in touch with htem though OP drop me a PM as I work for SRUC.

Re: the independence... if it happens- I'M going back south and I'm Scottish!
 
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MotherOfChickens said:
the main thing I miss is nice country pubs that do good food. eating out,
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I miss them too although I strongly disagree about the driving man alive I swear the highway code is different here!
Actually we have had quite a lovely summer and I am not feeling the cold yet at all!!! Its quite disconcerting.
We have a job going at the yard I work at but no space for 2 horses.
I was born on the west coast and it still amazes me how different the different sides of the country are (I am also a little bit in love with Perthshire) I love riding on the beaches here too. Oh and I have not been bitten once by midges since living up here yet I go back don south (cumbria) and I look like I have measles!
 
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Daytona said:
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Drumcarrow is a lovely yard, no idea about working there, but its very close to St. Andrews which is a very pretty town, with a brilliant beach to ride on. Around 20mins from the yard is Tentsmuir Forest, its VAST and very lovely to ride round, with another brilliant beach.
 
Cloball said:
I miss them too although I strongly disagree about the driving man alive I swear the highway code is different here!
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see, I went on a course in Chelmsford last year and everyone drove so fast and aggressively lol, it was terrifying! seems much more sedate up here! Midges weren't bad this year (was in East), neither were the birch flies but then, it was comparatively dry. Midges don't tend to go for me that much. I am now in the West, up a big hill so will see how we all get on! Perthshire is stunning.
My drive to work is stunning and so are the views from every window of my house, afraid I wouldnt move back now even if I could.
 
On the whole, I love Scotland which is probably why I have lived at the same address for the last 30 years.

I don't mind the snow or the frosts, not keen on persistent rain but once everything is fed I can get on with some work inside.

But what I absolutely hate are (1) Scotch mist, and (2) showers.

Scotch mist, if you don't know, is a fine drizzle. It seems totally innocuous until you go out in it. Scotch mist has the ability to penetrate half inch cobalt steel plate so all your hard weather gear will be for nought.

Showers are just as bad. We've had them here today. Every time I stick my nose out the door, down it comes. Every time I take my cup of tea inside beside the wood burner, the sun comes out. That happened four times this morning and now I'm soaked and have everything fed, it's blue skies and bright sunshine. AAAaargh!
 
I moved up to Perthshire last year from the Midlands and I love it!

I was lucky enough to get a job with accomodation and somewhere for the horses but even just the move was expensive. The hacking is amazing (apart from the midges) but if you wanted to compete regularly, be prepared for long journeys.
 
At the moment, I'm just listening to the howling wind and looking out the window at the horizontal rain.
I LOVE Scotland, couldn't live anywhere else.
 
MotherOfChickens said:
see, I went on a course in Chelmsford last year and everyone drove so fast and aggressively lol, it was terrifying! seems much more sedate up here! Midges weren't bad this year (was in East), neither were the birch flies but then, it was comparatively dry. Midges don't tend to go for me that much. I am now in the West, up a big hill so will see how we all get on! Perthshire is stunning.
My drive to work is stunning and so are the views from every window of my house, afraid I wouldnt move back now even if I could.
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Maybe due to the fact I learnt to drive in rural Cumbria anything with more than one roundabout is hectic :P
Mind you I frequently drive down the m6 and round Manchester and Birmingham etc and I still think aberdonian driving is pretty unique.
I am undecided about whether I would move back or not :s in the current situation I would much rather work up here and have designed on a nice country GP position if I ever finish training (I have done placements out in the highlands and in Inverness and loved it) BUT the idea of independence scares me a bit so I might nip down as far as Carlisle but no further! I went down on the train to my cousins wedding on the south coast and all I could think of was how many people and cars and houses there were and how dry and dusty everything looked. I swear the south is just one extended suburb now :P
 
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Cloball said:
I went down on the train to my cousins wedding on the south coast and all I could think of was how many people and cars and houses there were and how dry and dusty everything looked. I swear the south is just one extended suburb now :P
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yeah, and the further south you go the more miserable everyone is-until you get to Cornwall that is :D
 
RLS said:
At the moment, I'm just listening to the howling wind and looking out the window at the horizontal rain.
I LOVE Scotland, couldn't live anywhere else.
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I'm also listening to the howling gale outside but I do live on top of a hill so hey ho! It's great up here IMO. You do need to be aware that often it takes a while for local farmers to "accept" you if you're English (or even if you're from outwith a 10 mile radius...). It took about 10 years for the local farmers to accept my parents and now they're brilliant and will do anything for us. I've just moved to where I am now last year and have spoken to a few of the local farmers in passing, they do amuse me. Even though I was literally born 5 miles away from here, because I speak with an English accent (just do) they treat me like a foreigner. They seem to want to tell me how to act in the countryside and what to do around their livestock etc. even though I know very well thanks!

As others have said, you'll notice the lack of traffic (and people) up here. Although looking at the nose to tail Christmas traffic in Aberdeen today, maybe not... (can't wait for Christmas to be over!).

As to the Scottish independence rubbish, it'll never happen. I don't know anyone who is going to vote for it. It's of no benefit so why bother.
 
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MagicMelon said:
I'm also listening to the howling gale outside but I do live on top of a hill so hey ho! It's great up here IMO. You do need to be aware that often it takes a while for local farmers to "accept" you if you're English (or even if you're from outwith a 10 mile radius...). It took about 10 years for the local farmers to accept my parents and now they're brilliant and will do anything for us. I've just moved to where I am now last year and have spoken to a few of the local farmers in passing, they do amuse me. Even though I was literally born 5 miles away from here, because I speak with an English accent (just do) they treat me like a foreigner. They seem to want to tell me how to act in the countryside and what to do around their livestock etc. even though I know very well thanks!

As others have said, you'll notice the lack of traffic (and people) up here. Although looking at the nose to tail Christmas traffic in Aberdeen today, maybe not... (can't wait for Christmas to be over!).

As to the Scottish independence rubbish, it'll never happen. I don't know anyone who is going to vote for it. It's of no benefit so why bother.
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Yuck. I was driving up to Oldmeldrum today in the howling wind and driving rain, thinking why did I get a job working outside... Then trying to feed my horse resulted in 5 bars gates blowing out of my hands and rams deciding to make a break for freedom past me... sods are Soays so they don't flock, spent an hour trying to either get them back into field or into barn...

And re: independence, I keep hoping this is true, but it's a lurking fear that all the neds will gang up on us...
 
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