[Closed] Should we move to Skye?

Midges aren't an issue unless you plan on living in a tent, there's far too much made of them tbh.

Go stay for a couple of weeks in winter, see how you get on.

Read some of @globalti 's recent posts.

I'd recommend a holiday first. In winter.

Skye has a bridge to the mainland so many of the island issues don't affect it.

There's not much mountain biking and the roads aren't the best for riding on account of summer traffic levels.

I don't think you should.

In case it's a roaring success and the rest of the forum decide to follow you.

I think nobeer talks sense. I'd imagine winter in foul weather is different to the dream. But fewer tourists 🤷‍♂️

There’s not much mountain biking and the roads aren’t the best for riding on account of summer traffic levels.

Both very valid points

Hmmmm. Did these guys have the worst hike a bike ever before filming started? (Resounding 'yes' as they're on orange 224s)

Why is that everytime someone on here decides to do the "Moving to Scotland to live the dream " routine, they alway pick somewhere that magnifies all the problems, by picking the remote, dark rainy bits?

I totally get that people might want to give up urban living for somewhere a bit less crowded with a bit of a view but there are endless possibilities for this which don't involve a four hour round trip evry time you want to go to Tesco.

Scotland is really big and outside the cities even the busy bits are pretty sparsely populated, comparatively speaking.

Get a map, draw a 10 mile circle round George Square and another round Edinburgh Castle and pretty much anywhere else outside those circles will contain all the countryside isolation you could ever want if you're prepared to look for it. There's enough scenery to go round and lots of it is only a short distance away from civilisation.

Aye, Skye really is the arse end of nowhere, there's really no need to go that far to get a bit of solitude if that's what you're looking for.

I live in the central belt, can be in the Galloway hills in 30 minutes, and can pretty much guarantee I'll see no one all day. Possibly because it's a ****in boggy, tussocky nightmare. 🙂

Geomickb, have you ever been to Skye? And where are you at the moment?

If not, you absolutely have to go spend some time there when the weather is miserable. Even when the weather is perfect it really is at the area end of nowhere. I love the place, but don't think i could live there even if the riding was better. Also bear in mind that it's a big island, Portree to the mainland takes the best part of an hour

Edit: if 2 people say "arse end of nowhere" in the same minute, it means it really is

Also bear in mind that it’s a big island, Portree to the mainland takes the best part of an hour

and then the same again and more to get to nearest city, Inverness

iainc
Full Member
and then the same again and more to get to nearest city, Inverness

you'd have to be hauling to do that - it's 80miles from Kyle of Lochalsh to Inverness

All the above points are valid. The biking point is very true, it's a fantastic island for walking and water based activity, but not great for biking.
Speak to some local estate agents too. The housing market on Skye had been bananas this year.

I'd not live on Skye I don't think.

Summer season would do my head in. Youd spend all winter rairing to go and get out and explore and then get overrun by tourists

Midges aren’t an issue unless you plan on living in a tent, there’s far too much made of them tbh.

Aye right,unless you are one of those folk that taste 'just right' to the wee bastards.

They will ignore hundreds of other humans to get at me and their bites leave horrible marks.

Too many times I have had days on the West coast spoiled,I would never,ever live there and only plan trips outside Midge season.

Has anyone here done a move to Arran?

I have heard of suitable work going there for me although that’s just a pipe dream whilst SWMBO is in her current role.

Sorry bit of a hijack

We have been to Skye a couple of times, at a guess it would have been Spring or Autumn.

We didn't select Skye in particular, my wife was just looking for jobs in Scotland.

Currently we live in Staffordshire which I think is a good location. Peak District is close enough for evening rides, can do North Wales in a couple of hours, Lakes in a couple of hours.

I would love to live near the sea/beach and we would both like to be close to remote areas for walking.

Mick

Wife has seen a job on Skye, I work from home and could probably do this from Skye.

- does your work from home ever involve going anywhere else? like head office, or a client's site? Its basically a 5 hr drive to GLA or EDI and 3 hrs to Inverness airport (which has a fairly narrow range of destinations).
- how easy would it be for you to find other WFH employment if (a) this employer made you redundant; (b) you decide to move on from this employer.
- do you have family you would want to visit regularly (or who are aging and might need your visits more in the future)?
- if you will both be working will you actually get the time to enjoy Skye - or would (following PP's advice) you be better placed somewhere thats an easy day or weekend trip

Both always dreamed of living in a Scottish island.

did that dream involve you both doing the sort of jobs you would be doing? is it the sort of dream that is meant to become a reality or just a fantasy? As far as "Scottish Islands" go - I'd say that Skye is the least island like - it has a bridge, it's huge so isn't one tight nit community, it's very popular with people trying to make a new life to fulfil their Scottish Island Dream, so property is more expensive than it should be etc.

I’m a bit concerned about darkness, weather, midges and the complications of island life.

With that list of concerns I would probably not pick Skye!

I've just come down from the Isle of Skye.

I'm not very big and I'm awful shy.

they alway pick somewhere that magnifies all the problems, by picking the remote, dark rainy bits?

This is a good point

Get a map, draw a 10 mile circle round George Square and another round Edinburgh Castle and pretty much anywhere else outside those circles will contain all the countryside isolation you could ever want if you’re prepared to look for it. There’s enough scenery to go round and lots of it is only a short distance away from civilisation.

But it'll still be dark and rainy 🙂

@poly

Currently I never have to leave home for work. If we ever get over Covid, I need to go to the office once a month. I would never consider roles that weren't remote. I have been saying this for years and it is an even stronger conviction in current times.

No family I need to visit, it would be a pain for outlaws to visit us.

No, none of my dreams actually involve work. I like the fact that it has a bridge, don't need to depend of ferrys when we go on holiday or need to get to the mainland.

@piemonster just got back from Arran holiday, that is what has (re)triggered this idea.

Mick

But it’ll still be dark and rainy

Only for six months.

For the other six it's light and rainy.

Why is that everytime someone on here decides to do the “Moving to Scotland to live the dream ” routine, they alway pick somewhere that magnifies all the problems, by picking the remote, dark rainy bits?

Because summer holidays are the point of reference perhaps?

Yeah, I lived and worked for two years on the Isle of Lewis, it was great, and I'd happily go back if circumstances allow.

You lose a lot of the restrictions of island life with Skye having a bridge, but it will still probably be shut in severe storms so the co-op will run out of bread and milk once a year, probably.

Dark winter evenings are very long, but then so are light summer evenings.

There's not a lot of biking on the islands.

As with moving anywhere, you'll get much more out if you put a bit of effort into the community, join in the annual beach cleanup, etc and you'll get on a lot better than an incomer who shuts themselves away and moans about "the locals" not being friendly (yes, people really do this).

Oh and most places on Skye should have good Internet thanks to the big fibre loop round the Islands these days. Double check on any particular house before committing to a "not-spot" though. Satellite internet does work, but isn't great and is pricy if the next village over would have got you good DSL.

close to remote areas for walking.

Anywhere outside the aforementioned 10-mile circles and you will have that.
Then remember, once you have walked the local valley or three peaks, you have to drive a flipping long way to access the next valley (and repeat).

We are at the stage where we have walked every peak nearby, at least once, and now have to drive 45mins-3hours to get to new hills we haven't walked.

If I was going to go live on a Sottish island I'd probably choose a real one. It's only really sort of an island now there is a bridge. Skye has most of the disadvantages of an island with few of the advantages. Way too busy for my tastes in the summer with escape still being relatively tricky. I love Skye but the rest of that coast offers similar geography but with better access to other places and less honeypot downsides.

Half way into my first year living back in the Highlands - left as a nipper and whilst I've been a very frequent visitor with parents back here since 2000 there is still nothing like doing it yourself to fully understand it. We went with head not heart and are based 30 mins from Inverness rather than Gairloch that I'd have chosen if boring things like another 16 years of employment weren't still needed. I'm loving it so far, but I'll not bang on about it too much because I'd rather you ****ers stayed where you are and didn't clog the place up! House prices are on the up as folk realise their new working from home lifestyles could work just as well from here as Croydon.

Currently I never have to leave home for work. If we ever get over Covid, I need to go to the office once a month.

assuming that office is in staffordshire its a 9hr drive each way, without any holdups.

I would never consider roles that weren’t remote. I have been saying this for years and it is an even stronger conviction in current times.

I get that, but as someone who is hiring remote staff right now its still helpful if they are an hour or two from an office if/when a meeting is required. I don't want to be paying your mileage from Portree, nor having to plan meetings so its a three day round trip. It wouldn't stop me considering someone more remote, but if I have to decide between two similar candidates...

it would be a pain for outlaws to visit us.

pro or con?

No, none of my dreams actually involve work. I like the fact that it has a bridge, don’t need to depend of ferrys when we go on holiday or need to get to the mainland.

Are you sure you want to live on an island? The advantage of the bridge is offset by the disadvantage that having arrived in Kyle of Lochalsh you are still in the middle of nowhere.

just got back from Arran holiday, that is what has (re)triggered this idea.

Skye and Arran are very different.

I would love to live near the sea/beach and we would both like to be close to remote areas for walking.

Daft question - is there something specific you want the sea/beach for? just as it being dark, the sea round Skye is pretty exposed for 1/2 the year.

My grandfather came from Skye and we have relatives who farm on Skye, as much as we love to visit which we do every couple of years I don't think me and my family could make the move.
It's an amazing place though and it really does tug on the heart strings when we leave but it is just too remote and quite expensive.

East Lothian is the second driest part of the UK

Edinburgh has half the rain of Glasgow and less than half the rainy days of Manchester

Lovely island but be aware of a few things (mostly just repeating what's been said above).

The weather can be very wet and windy, even in summer. Winters aren't hugely cold but can be dark and miserable. It takes ages to get anywhere from Skye (that might not be an issue for you of course. Midges are often joked about but they can genuinely make some things intolerable. Do you like to sit in the garden on a warm summer evening with a glass of wine? Well don't bet on doing it that often unless you don't mind also sitting in the wind.

Re the place being overrun with tourists. Yes to an extent that is true, but mainly over the summer. Also it's just driving and parking that tends to be an issue. Most of the tourists rarely venture more than 100 yards from their cars.

Also Skye isn't great for biking. Amazing for walking and water based stuff, but the biking is pretty limited.

Don't necessarily let that put you off. Just be realistic. If you do go for it I hope you have a brilliant time.

A very good friend of mine lives there. If you have any specific questions, I can ask him for you 🙂

Has anyone here done a move to Arran?

I will be once the wee one buggers off out the house to uni! @Iainc what's Mark's username on here again?

East Lothian is the second driest part of the UK

Aye, it's so dry ye canny even get any vinegar fur yer chips, tight bastards.

^^ crewlie

Aye, that's the boy, @crewlie will help you out!

Anyone who is thinking of moving to Scotland should buy this book first.

http://www.alanmc.co.uk/-/galleries/books/scotland-the-dreich

East Lothian is the second driest part of the UK

Edinburgh has half the rain of Glasgow and less than half the rainy days of Manchester

It's also freezing, and full of *shudder* English people. And Scottish people that sound like English people. Mind you so is Skye.

tjagain
Full Member

East Lothian is the second driest part of the UK

Edinburgh has half the rain of Glasgow and less than half the rainy days of Manchester

I'm sure the guy with aspirations on the Highlands & Islands will be moving his sights to Longniddry as we speak

If your hobbies include hill walking, fishing (trout, sea, salmon) deer stalking, sailing, rock climbing or sea kayaking then it would be an awesome place to be, as all these things are in abundance very locally.
If you anticipate needing to go to England more than two or three times a year then that will start to become a major pain in the arse.

Grum

Oi! I resemble that remark

I worked in Portree for a few months, in the town butchers.

Inm the first couple of weeks I though it dead and boring till during a powercut(and the fog) i got in with a group of lads from the prawn boats inc the owner of Skyefish's son. Then it really opened up.
Oh my god the drinking 😯 and even once the local cop thought my association with these lads would be frowned upon by my employer Mr Jagger

The locals are fab, I got on with everyone despite the Glasgow accent, and made a number of friends and we all went to the dance on the hill every weekend.

I enjoyed my time there and when I left the butchers, they gave me a job packing prawns at the skyefish packing plant, which I did for a month or two. As the butchers job was live in i had nowhere but a local the same age as me put me up for a couple of months, then returned to Glasgow.

I think its one of the nicest scenery wise places Ive lives, the locals are nice, friendly and welcoming.

Midges are normal, but didnt notice them in the town really. Mind you I was too usually pissed or stoned to notice.
Lots of nice slightly remote houses sitting on nice parcels of land, and while at that time i wasnt able to buy such, It was at the time somewhere I thought would be nice to live in.

Just remember to add ;Aye' to the end of every sentence and in its elongated form and you'll fit right in.

Ayyyyyye 😆

Yeah, we hill walk. I really wish we could go hill-walking at weekends and not see loads of people.

Yeah, I climb a bit, scrambling on Skye would be awesome. Yeah, I sea-kayak a bit.

I just love beaches, they are great places to explore and play. If the weather is shocking (like half-term on Arran)then we just wrap up more. I bet there is a group of local swimmers I could join.

Maybe Mull then......

We've just got planning permission for the house we're having built in Tobermory and hopefully we'll be moving in April.
We looked pretty hard at all the islands - we were originally going to self-build but trying to find a decent plot that didn't need £££££ for services plus most of the decent builders are very, very busy. We have a plot overlooking the sea and open countryside.
Demand for property on the islands this summer has been massive - houses that haven't shifted in years sold, some way over asking.
We really wanted somewhere with a sense of community plus where it would be easier to be more self-sufficient e.g. growing our own plus lots of local produce. Also local services like doctor and dentists as we're not planning on moving again.
We have an online business so broadband access is important - not everywhere has it though.
We're currently living in a rental in Moray as it was the only place we could find during lockdown - lovely place but even a bit too remote as it's miles from anywhere - about half the people here appear to be English emigres.

Mull is shite atleast skye has roads that have two lanes.

Yeah Mull a hefty swing in the other direction!

Maybe the Virgin Islands would be better.

Hmm we got to Mull at least once a year. I'm not sure I noticed that it was "shite".

Should we move to Skye?

Is this from Teams or Zoom?

IGMC

I bloody love Mull. I’d move there tomorrow if it wasn’t for wife and kids ruining everything.

I wouldn't live on Mull. Next to no biking, that I could find at least, on or off road.

Maybe if I had one of those monster double fatbike things with a motor I could go mashing across the moors.. hmm...

I like the fact that it has a bridge, don’t need to depend of ferrys when we go on holiday or need to get to the mainland.

with or without a bridge there are very few roads out of Skye, via the bridge. Anything that closes a road (snow, landslide, accidents) creates a massive diversion. Last time I drove home from Skye a crash south of fort William closed the road ..... it added 5 hours to my journey - not counting the time spent sleeping in lay-bys.

im currently working in Gairloch and a crash this week closed the road between our accom and site - 80 of us lost a days work

@piemonster As mentioned above we moved to Arran in 2017. Happy to try and answer any questions you might have.

I’ve been to Skye dozens of times over the last decade. Every single time I go a serious crime of one sort or another has occurred. It’s a dangerous place.

...or you are a dangerous criminal

Hmm we got to Mull at least once a year. I’m not sure I noticed that it was “shite”.

Ha. Its not shite, its amazing i'd live there no bother but if you are worried about skye Mull is not the answer!

Every single time I go a serious crime of one sort or another has occurred.

Farting excessively in a bothy? What kind of crimes are we talking?

Broadband - it varies from a damp piece of string to fibre, it just depends where you live. Mobile broadband may be a better option.

A blocked road can mean there's no option other than to turn around as there may not be a detour but it's rare. At least there are very few, if any, traffic jams. I don't think it's a problem.

I only wear a midge hat around once a year in the garden. Just keep moving faster than midges and you'll be fine.

Food shopping is a bit restrictive with the Coop however Tesco do a click and collect where you meet their van in a car park. It can be difficult at first not walking around a supermarket to choose what you want although not going to a supermaket has its advantages (if you hate shopping). For other stuff you'd get used to buying online and there's the huge advantage that Hermes and Yodel don't deliver to Skye, they use local agents instead.

or you are a dangerous criminal

Someone should investigate

Farting excessively in a bothy?

Well.....

It’s also freezing,

Parts of East Lothian are frost free and average 660mm of rain p.a.

Full of NIMBY's who are narrow minded and treat the roads like a race track, significant proportion of kids privately educated

If you like golf you are in luck

There's nothing wrong with the weather in the Hebrides. Just dress properly for serious rain and wind, and it's great. I love it.

What midgies? 🙂

If I'd to move to an island somewhere, five hours from glasgow with mountains. I'd pick the canaries. 😆

Someone should investigate

Do you get to say the Taggart line?

You’d be forgiven for saying it upon entering the atmospheric bothy.

I wouldn’t live on Mull. Next to no biking, that I could find at least, on or off road.

Fantastic road biking all over the island on roads with great character. I believe there is MTBing as well - there is a local MTB group IIRC

Fantastic road biking all over the island on roads with great character.

The problem for me would be not enough roads. I think I'd get bored of the same few rides over and over again. Same problem in any low-population area.

Had a holiday this year in Mallaig and got the ferry to skye one day to do a beautiful loop on the road with the kids, amazing scenery and beautiful villages. i'd never been to that part of skye. With ferry you could be in fort william in two hours. The idea of living there is a good one for me on a hot sunny day......

I think it would take me a long time to get tired of those lovely tiny roads. Otters to watch for and sea eagles and ever changing weather with great scenery