Moving to Scotland
Discussion
Anyone moved from England to Scotland?
How have you found it, both with regards to different rules etc and the locals and just day to day life?
We are considering a move to a semi rural area. We have found a place that we like a lot. We know the local area as we used to go up to that part of Scotland quite a bit when we had a camper. Its about 5 min drive from the local village which has most amenities and about 20 minute drive to a much bigger town.
Weather? I am not bothered but the mrs is convinced its going to be baltic 11 months of the year. Its only an hour north of the Lake District.
I think the only negative I can find is that the internet is just ADSL. I guess we would need starlink for good speeds?
The property we are looking at is basically 2 self contained cottages which are joined together. So in theory we could air bnb one half in the summer? Any issues with that in Scotland?
Also major advantage is a good size barn / workshop.....
How have you found it, both with regards to different rules etc and the locals and just day to day life?
We are considering a move to a semi rural area. We have found a place that we like a lot. We know the local area as we used to go up to that part of Scotland quite a bit when we had a camper. Its about 5 min drive from the local village which has most amenities and about 20 minute drive to a much bigger town.
Weather? I am not bothered but the mrs is convinced its going to be baltic 11 months of the year. Its only an hour north of the Lake District.
I think the only negative I can find is that the internet is just ADSL. I guess we would need starlink for good speeds?
The property we are looking at is basically 2 self contained cottages which are joined together. So in theory we could air bnb one half in the summer? Any issues with that in Scotland?
Also major advantage is a good size barn / workshop.....
Where exactly?
Borders or Dumfries or Ayrshire?
Borders for instance round Moffat you will get snowed in with 6ft of snow each winter.
Dumfries and costal it will be wet but warm
A few hundred feet will make all the difference to the weather in those regions.
What rules do you want to know about?
Water is part of council tax for instance.
Prescriptions are free.
There are secobd home tax issues but I dont know how that would work with your 2 houses you have bought as 1 purchase?
Borders or Dumfries or Ayrshire?
Borders for instance round Moffat you will get snowed in with 6ft of snow each winter.
Dumfries and costal it will be wet but warm
A few hundred feet will make all the difference to the weather in those regions.
What rules do you want to know about?
Water is part of council tax for instance.
Prescriptions are free.
There are secobd home tax issues but I dont know how that would work with your 2 houses you have bought as 1 purchase?
Edited by sherman on Monday 29th April 21:42
I'm proud to be Scottish and have lived here most of my life. However I would not consider moving here if I were you, the approach to hospitality and customer focused service in general is dire compared to many of our European cousins. Public transport is a joke, roads are riddled with potholes and speed cameras. The SNP and their nanny state politics have contributed the square root of bugger all to quality of life in Scotland. We have seriously considered moving abroad but unfortunately Brexit has made that prospect remote now. And thats before you consider the dire weather and midges
D&G = eaten alive by midges whenever it's humid. Amplify that by 10x if there are any bodies of water within a few miles radius. Property there is cheap for a reason.
That Fermit the Frog guy on here had a near identical thread a few months back. Do a search on his moniker as there were a lot of posts in it.
That Fermit the Frog guy on here had a near identical thread a few months back. Do a search on his moniker as there were a lot of posts in it.
r3g said:
D&G = eaten alive by midges whenever it's humid. Amplify that by 10x if there are any bodies of water within a few miles radius. Property there is cheap for a reason.
That Fermit the Frog guy on here had a near identical thread a few months back. Do a search on his moniker as there were a lot of posts in it.
Hm weird, we spent a few summers up there and never had any major issues, yeah there were some but not loads. I have been up in the highlands and its been bad, really bad, but never down in the south? Maybe we were just lucky?That Fermit the Frog guy on here had a near identical thread a few months back. Do a search on his moniker as there were a lot of posts in it.
Wife and I moved up from Brixton to Milngavie two years ago. Wife is English and Asian, and as far as I can recall not had issues. We live in an area next to Glasgow though and a decent mix of young families, many of whom are incomers.
A village, anywhere, is going to be different with families who have been there for years still "incomers".
A village, anywhere, is going to be different with families who have been there for years still "incomers".
ninepoint2 said:
I'm proud to be Scottish and have lived here most of my life. However I would not consider moving here if I were you, the approach to hospitality and customer focused service in general is dire compared to many of our European cousins. Public transport is a joke, roads are riddled with potholes and speed cameras. The SNP and their nanny state politics have contributed the square root of bugger all to quality of life in Scotland. We have seriously considered moving abroad but unfortunately Brexit has made that prospect remote now. And thats before you consider the dire weather and midges
Where are you that's riddled with potholes and speed cameras, where I am there are hardly any. Speed cameras wise you should try SE England...Rant grade 4/10, must try harder.
t state.sherman said:
What rules do you want to know about?
Water is part of council tax for instance.
Prescriptions are free.
There are secobd home tax issues but I dont know how that would work with your 2 houses you have bought as 1 purchase?
I saw the water thing when I looked up the council tax. So will we pay waste water too?Water is part of council tax for instance.
Prescriptions are free.
There are secobd home tax issues but I dont know how that would work with your 2 houses you have bought as 1 purchase?
Edited by sherman on Monday 29th April 21:42
Are there any rules to know about when buying property? Is SDLT the same?
Didn't know about prescriptions so thats good.
Having just bought a car in Ayrshire to get me back to Hampshire, expect all cars to be far more rusty than you are probably used to.
Depending on where you are moving from in England, expect distances to go and get things, on average to be considerably greater, people more friendly and expect to have a natter, less restrictions on doing stuff, and the weather generally colder, wetter and windier.
Property prices are lower, however I was surprised to find shops and eating out not much different to the South of England (not talking about big cities).
If you're over 60 apply for a Saltire Card for free bus transport and other discounts.
Also learn a bit of the dialect/slang , it will go a long way to understanding what the locals say (probably less of an issue the further you get from Glasgow, but it still helps). I've gone from not having a clue what Rab C. Nesbit was saying, to understanding most of it. I can even get the gist some of what my Govan-born girlfriend says now, after only twenty three years together.
Depending on where you are moving from in England, expect distances to go and get things, on average to be considerably greater, people more friendly and expect to have a natter, less restrictions on doing stuff, and the weather generally colder, wetter and windier.
Property prices are lower, however I was surprised to find shops and eating out not much different to the South of England (not talking about big cities).
If you're over 60 apply for a Saltire Card for free bus transport and other discounts.
Also learn a bit of the dialect/slang , it will go a long way to understanding what the locals say (probably less of an issue the further you get from Glasgow, but it still helps). I've gone from not having a clue what Rab C. Nesbit was saying, to understanding most of it. I can even get the gist some of what my Govan-born girlfriend says now, after only twenty three years together.
Edited by GliderRider on Monday 29th April 22:44
I moved to Scotland when I was 12 - we moved to an area in North Lanarkshire.
We were welcomed very well, the Scottish are very friendly and very welcoming - I honestly loved it and was sad to move back to England (family reasons). I'd go back in a heartbeat, but the area you looking at is a good area IMO - spent many times over that way and Ayr itself is a nice little place.
We were welcomed very well, the Scottish are very friendly and very welcoming - I honestly loved it and was sad to move back to England (family reasons). I'd go back in a heartbeat, but the area you looking at is a good area IMO - spent many times over that way and Ayr itself is a nice little place.
We are currently in Lancashire so its not like we are moving from the SE.
That said our house here is a good sized detached and will get us a nice place up there.
No kids and retired so in reality we can go anywhere, but I would prefer to stay within 3 hours of "home" just for family etc.
That gives us the options of
N Wales. Spent a lot of time there, never really found anywhere we liked to actually live.
North Yorkshire. Lovely area, but property prices in the nicer areas are too high for us.
Lake District. Too expensive and too touristy.
Shropshire. Don't know it and seems a bit flat and boring from my limited time there.
SW Scotland. We like the area, property prices are 30-40% lower than say the Lake District. .
The area we are looking is rural enough but still has a small town very close and a larger town within 15-20 min.
We always wanted to retire to France, but having spent quite a bit of time there last year (2 months nearly in the end) we decided against it. SW Scotland seems like a close second, it reminds us very much of SW France. I guess just not quite as warm in summer!!! (And it was colder than Scotland I can assure you LOL!)
TBH the Scottish winters wont bother us too much as we like to travel and since we retired our goal is to spend at least Nov - Feb out of the UK somewhere warmer.
That said our house here is a good sized detached and will get us a nice place up there.
No kids and retired so in reality we can go anywhere, but I would prefer to stay within 3 hours of "home" just for family etc.
That gives us the options of
N Wales. Spent a lot of time there, never really found anywhere we liked to actually live.
North Yorkshire. Lovely area, but property prices in the nicer areas are too high for us.
Lake District. Too expensive and too touristy.
Shropshire. Don't know it and seems a bit flat and boring from my limited time there.
SW Scotland. We like the area, property prices are 30-40% lower than say the Lake District. .
The area we are looking is rural enough but still has a small town very close and a larger town within 15-20 min.
We always wanted to retire to France, but having spent quite a bit of time there last year (2 months nearly in the end) we decided against it. SW Scotland seems like a close second, it reminds us very much of SW France. I guess just not quite as warm in summer!!! (And it was colder than Scotland I can assure you LOL!)
TBH the Scottish winters wont bother us too much as we like to travel and since we retired our goal is to spend at least Nov - Feb out of the UK somewhere warmer.
gotoPzero said:
sherman said:
What rules do you want to know about?
Water is part of council tax for instance.
Prescriptions are free.
There are secobd home tax issues but I dont know how that would work with your 2 houses you have bought as 1 purchase?
I saw the water thing when I looked up the council tax. So will we pay waste water too?Water is part of council tax for instance.
Prescriptions are free.
There are secobd home tax issues but I dont know how that would work with your 2 houses you have bought as 1 purchase?
Edited by sherman on Monday 29th April 21:42
Didn't know about prescriptions so thats good.
Jasey_ said:
Watch out for the additional house supplement on the lbtt .
https://revenue.scot/calculate-tax/calculate-prope...
Basically if you are buying a 2nd home it's double the stamp duty and if the house is a reasonable size it's can be a big number.
Ah. Thanks for that. No we would be selling ours but I wasnt aware just how high the SDLT is.https://revenue.scot/calculate-tax/calculate-prope...
Basically if you are buying a 2nd home it's double the stamp duty and if the house is a reasonable size it's can be a big number.
So for the property we are looking at the SDLT would be about 5% of the total price.
In England closer to 2.5%. Hm. Ok thanks.
sherman said:
gotoPzero said:
Winter
It snowed last week.Get used to the saying
“Ne'er cast a clout till May is out,”
Winter starts around November but finishes around May.
Now we are home it will be glorious!
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