i lived in aberdeen from the age of 6 till i left school and then for a year in 2005 and still go back regularly. in fact i was up there for new year. the rest of the time i have spent in glasgow.

going out in aberdeen is fine. there is one street you want to go to which is belmont street. there are also plenty of nice places to eat. new years was weirdly quiet, it was like a ghost town, but i ve never seen it like that before. it actually added to the weird atmosphere and made for a cracking night in a basement 60s night.

there used to be an air of small town violence in aberdeen of a night, but i dont notice that anymore. if you are used to big city nights then it might seem a bit provincial.

yeh it can look grey in the wet. growing up there i never noticed it but when i go back it is quite obvious. what you have to remember is that because it is on the east coast you get a much higher percentage of crisp dry winter days where the granite sparkles and is really quite nice.

the people – i have found them to be overwhelmingly friendly, funny and decent, and i have a fairly strong english accent which can turn a small percentage of scots against you. there is a particular type of humour, if you dont get it then you might mistake it for rudeness. its a bit like dealing with eastern europeans!

there is a lot of biking very very close by. you can cycle into lovely countryside from the city centre. there is amazing sea cliff climbing. there are good bike shops and good outdoor shops.

i would recommend you try it. you might like it. places like aberdeen and dundee get a lot of stick from people from central scotland who seem to think they have the monopoly on culture and that glasgow is the only city in the world. its just not true.

Working on one of the industrial estates on the south

I have a car

I need a room or small flat with room for a bike and a few belongings, Bruneep, is it cheaper to live out of town and commute?

joebones – who are you then ?

happy to guide you around the trails up here

Pete, I was on a red Cotic Soul at the time from NI

ah – yes !

The nice areas of town to look at are Ferryhill, Ruthrieston, West End, Rosemount. A one bed in these parts of town will be £550+/month.

Try looking on the websites like myroommate etc, my girlfriend found quite a few good places to stay that way. I lived in a 3 bed house in Ferryhill, just by duthy park for 2.5 years and was paying £350/month so flat/house sharing is cheeper if you don’t mind living with others.

Mountains on one side and sea on the other – the bit in the middle where the people are I can take or leave, but it passes quickly.

Best and worst thing about Aberdeen is it’s size. It’s a city, but a small one. As long as you don’t expect everything you get in bigger cities and tailor your expectations everything is pretty much as you would expect. A bit of independence will help and if your happy to do your own thing much of the time then you need never get bored – even in the shite of winter there is fun to be had somewhere.

The town centre is no rougher than anywhere else but there are idiots as with everywhere else, they just need to be avoided… which really depends on who you are out with… which depends on which type of crowd you fall in with… which depends probably on where and with whom you end up working and socialising. If your young there is the student and younger person scene centred around Belmont Street, and if your older there is the Albyn where the divorcees go for a hook-up (allegedly).

The money divide has been mentioned a few times above, and yes there is a large gap between those with and those without. Culture up here is very much to flaunt with cars, clothes and watches etc – but surely that crap only bothers those who are sad enough to think it important? Due to the oil industry there is a high percentage of professionals of many nationalities in the city and these folks make the rental of flats and houses in the desirable “west end” of Aberdeen very expensive, as do the Students with moneyed parents who hoover them up as well… but there are cheaper places to stay, and only a small few that have to be avoided.

Industrial estate south of Aberdeen is probably Altens – it’s an industrial estate and there really is not much else to say about it. Transport can be a bit patchy and although there are buses they can be a bit poor so most folk use cars and some hardy fools cycle. Rush hour is a bitch but it’s short and the rest of the day travel is fine (and nothing compared to most cities).

I think the positives will likely outweigh the negatives and I think it’s a great place to live, and most importantly a fantastic place to play.

People wise you will find most are great, and those that aren’t can be avoided. I think the people that have problems are probably them that cause it… as long as your not a cock nobody will treat you like one.

I am just back from one of my favourite rides up Bennachie. I am absolutely buzzing. The sun was out for most of the ride, the trails were dry and the few walkers I met smiled and said hello.

Not many places in the country offer this.

Off to drink beer in town in some dive with a load of chav’s 😉

stabilizers, what is your e-mail?

I can only echo what a lot of people have said. If you like the outdoors, then it’s great. If you like museums/theatre, then it’s mediocre. The live music scene is good for small bands but big bands do come up occasionally. The pubs are mostly bars and there are nice places and awful places to go out like there are in any city.

In terms of renting, it is very expensive – my 2-bed flat is £825/month in the centre. Most people I know live in Ferryhill or Rosemount.

Joe,
YGM

Got it thanks