Living in the Western Isles?

Raksha

What's it like? Pro's? Con's? My idea of heaven is a small cottage with access to wide sandy beaches where I can walk my dogs alone. I don't *do* hot sticky weather, and don't mind wind and rain (so long as I have somewhere warm to curl up and read). I'm not a great socialiser, but at the moment have two young teenage boys - what's life like on the Isles for kids this age?

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janken

Having only visited i am very reluctant to give advice. It is beauitiful and i can understand the dream. i would expect the reality could be very different. If you can take time off to spend a month (in the winter:T ) and you still love the dream - Go for it

niccy

we were going to live there, we visited 4- 5 times, but settled for Orkney instead.
No regrets, better schooling, absolutley no crime on our island, house with own bit of beach. As i tell visitors, when we fly south to see family, we have no keys to lock our house with:D
As for winter , the sea is amazing, spectacular and you don;t have to go out in the weather if you don,t want to
When we left south friends called us brave, THEY are the brave ones;)

wallacebob

Rent a cottage for 2 months, and then decide.
Which island makes a big difference, and some welcome strangers easier than others. "white settlers" are seem as a problem by many, the initials FEB are not unknown.
Especially for teenagers island life can be difficult, lots of drink and drugs problems. They may have to go away to school, and integrating can be difficult.

niccy

The biggest problem with the bigots is they fail to realise that if wasn't for new familys moving in, half the islands would have a big closed sign up.

The main cause for concern on our islands is second homes ! I done a survey of our island, and of the 52 properties which are habitable 25 are second homes lived in for a few weeks of the year.

Luckily my kids are not ( at the moment ) exposed to drink or drugs, however they have very few peers to socialize with in the evenings , so to make up for this i have gone overboard with computers ( 5 ) which are all wifi ed up and also book collection of around 900.

The oldest boy now resides in the main town during the week as he attends 6th form , so now is studying in a large grammer school. However he seems to mix in well and if anything has a very mature head on young shoulders, he is scrupulously honest and has integrity that is admired by others ( oh so so different from his father at that age )

We bought our property here without ever visiting these isles BUT fate has always played a big part in my life and it certainly is a move i would never regret.
And yes for an ex head nightclub doorman i am in touch with nature, i've seen the aurora countless times , and still rush out to see it ( and i can explain what causes it ) and i still get a huge buzz when i see killer whales.

I could go on and on, personally if anyone is thinking of moving to somewhere like this, just do it.

EssexHebridean

I agree totaly with those who say you need to spend time there. Until you do you won't be sure, and to sell up on the mainland and move across, then decide you don't like it and try to move back would be a nightmare.

What Island are you considering? We find the Uists to be friendlier - Lewis being larger is more impersonal although if you're wanting to bridge the gap between what you are used to and Island living you may find it a good compromise. You'll find sandy beaches in abundance where ever you choose, but it reallyb is vital that you learn about the place before taking the plunge. If you're ready and willing to fit in with the lives of those you are moving close to, and not expect them to adjust to you, that will go a long way to getting you accepted. As a rule Hebrideans are friendly and accepting unless you prove them wrong in that.

What's your drive for thinking about the WI's?

Raksha

Well we both love tranquility and peace and quiet, but now wondering if now is the right time, or if we'd be best off waiting until the boys (currently aged 11 & 13) get a bit more independant............

scbk

Just my opinion but I don't think I'd like being a teenager living in the western isles

niccy

my eldest boy has two of his mates who are from a neighbouring island staying for a couple of days,they were kayaking on the sea most of the day today, and have just come home famished. Although it worries a bit (they are lifejacketed up) much rather that than hanging around street corners puffing weed etc.

Just trying to compare it with what i had at that age

heggied

We've been here (Lewis) for the best part of 6 years now, having moved from Edinburgh for a bit of peace and quiet.

We've never been busier in our lives

Nowhere's perfect - there's plenty about Lewis to love (the people (well, most of them), the scenery, the general friendliness of the place) but there's also a fair amount that gets on your nerves. Well, gets on my nerves anyway.

Like the vocal religious lobby with their strict Sabbatarian ways. You may think you can cope with it, but it does wear you down; the no-washing-on-Sundays, the no-boats-on-Sundays, the no-parking-in-the-castle-grounds-on-Sundays, the no-playing-in-the-Euoropie-dunes-playpark-on-Sundays etc etc.

We kept a blog of our first couple of years here - http://www.island-life.me.uk

There may be something there of interest to you ...

niccy

must agree with you Heggied on the religion bit (one of the reasons we didn't move there)

However there are certain religous cults here to. Being told who to marry,when to marry and when to have children:eek: .

As for plenty to do, well yes, my list gets longer by the day:o