Living in the Western Isles?

EssexHebridean

Yes - the religious thing is less of an issue on the other Islands. You can carry on your normal business on the Uists but it can be a bit full-on on Lewis can't it!! Some things - like shops not being open - can be quite nice, but it is annoying when you realise you forgot to put diesel in the car on Saturday afternoon! :rotfl:

RachieD

I moved to Uist from the Rhondda Valleys when I was 14 - 23 years ago now. It is a very insular way of life. You will never become a local and your every move will be watched, scrutinised and judged. Saying that - it is a lovely place.

Defintately visit it in the winter - Jan & Feb are the worst. It is a hard place to live if you dont work or enjoy the outdoor life & varying weather.

Drink and drugs problems are there - drink I would say more than drugs - but that is everywhere now anyway.

Schools there are good - and it is good to not worry about locking your car & door.

If you wanna know anything else - just ask!

Cheers

Rach

heggied

Re-reading my earlier post it sounds like I was pretty down on Lewis. I'm not at all - we've got a lot of family here, and we've two young kids of our own and I really couldn't think of a better place to bring up young children. They have a lot of freedom that they just wouldn't have if we were still in Edinburgh.

MsChazzer

I've never been to the Western Isles (Skye is as far west as I've ventured so far) but I was born in Orkney and lived there until I was 9. I think other posters have it covered about the insularity, drink and drugs culture etc. Some people move to rural areas and islands to try and escape their problems. This doesn't work, your problems come too and may be worse by having to build up a whole new support network.

Despite this I would love to live somewhere rural again and feel that for me, the positives outweigh the negatives. I can't speak for Lewis but Orkney has a thriving arts scene and there always seems to be something happening. I would find the religion thing very hard, but I know that heggied and I have similar views on that and he and his family are able to overcome this so maybe I shouldn't be so presumptious.

Make sure you spend plenty of time up there before making a decision - and in all weathers. Travel is more expensive and complicated. When I was a child my mum and stepdad each had a seriously ill parent but couldn't afford to go down to England to be with them (both fortunately recovered) which must have been very hard for them.

Good luck!

2cats1kid

I was a teen on an island (not as far out as Uist or Lewis) and I hated it more often than I loved it. Everyone knew your business, there was squit all to do and even a trip to the cinema was an overnight stop. Having come from a place with shops and cinemas and stuff to do, I was bored rigid most of the time. On the rare sunny days it was lovely, but more often than not it is windy and rainy, and I got heartily sick of wellies and waterproofs. I like to visit now and view the place through those lovely rose-tinted glasses, but I wouldn't live there again.

Niccy, my grandfather and father used to live in Orkney. G'father was GP and father went to Kirkwall Grammar. I'd love to know if g'father's house is still there - need to search through my photos to find out what it was called.

Pippilongstocking

Hiiya
thought I would jump in on this one (Living in Orkney too) I have lived on a couple of the west coast hebredies islands (Colonsay and then Islay), spent a lot of time in Uist as well and we now live in Orkney.

To be completely honest I would be a bit apprehensive about moving to the west again, its beautiful and wonderful but it does have drawbacks such as the lack of infrastructure etc and its economies are generally (sorry should say can be - not generally) a lot 'poorer' than those in other areas of Scotland. Its reliant on tourism and agriculture for its income (?Maybe fishing dunno it that well that far north west)

There are lots of pro's and con's of living everywhere, with kids that age especially I would be more inclined to think about somewhere with the infrastructure that facilitates your all being happy and well catered for. Not meaning theme parks and shoppingn centres, but travel, leisure actiivities etc can be difficult on the west. (And expensive)

And don't get me started on the midges!!!

I have found that being in a thriving island like ours is a great compromise, we have resources, its safe, governed centrally we have more facilities that are 'child orientated' than you can chuck a stick at and its really well set up for well just about everything. Kids can have some freedom and independance - the schools here are excellent and there is just a 'feel good' vibe about the place. Maybe its money, this is a quite well populated, busy thriving island, very little unemployment etc? It has a different feel to the west which has the breathtaking beauty but somehow its a bit more 'needy' the wrong word but I know what I mean, perhaps that it is harder to live there in many ways?

Up here there isnt that 'incomer' mentality - when we lived on colonsay us 'incomers' where just about a step up from being a 'toorist' but absolutely not as lowly as a mere 'day tripper'. I made the mistake once of saying I had married an islander - was torn to shreds by an old lady who told me that my hubby had arrived on the island when he was 5 and so was certainly not an 'islander'. Oddly tho' my children are considered to be from the island!?!

Just my very warped, slightly misguided opinion!!

Enjoy where ever you end up!!

Pippilongstocking

Ps Sound like a 'west basher' am not!!!!!! love the place but found it very hard to live therexxxxxxxxxxxxx

hebridean_skin_flint

Hi,

I'm 29 and I grew up in Lewis. I was a child of a couple who moved to the area from England over 35 years ago. I think it is one of the best places to grow up and if I ever have children I hope I'm lucky enough to be able to bring them up on one of islands.

I think you'll find the place very friendly and there is lots for kids to do and a great sense of community. I hope to move back there soon myself :-)

As a young kid I used to moan about Sundays but as a teenager I loved them - we used to meet up after lunch and all go for a walk to the beach - not a bad life! My parents lived in quite a remote area and we never rode our bikes on Sundays but I believe that is much more relaxed now and you often see families cycling on a Sunday. You can buy petrol in Stornoway on a Sunday and there is at least one shop open and there are flights so not a big deal really! We don't hang washing out a Sunday in the remote areas but it's not a big price to pay for the great lifestyle and scenery.

I would advice going up for a holiday in the winter as lots of people fall in love with the place, move up, hate the winter and leave again!

Hebridean skin flint

EssexHebridean

It's interesting reading the comments earlier on regarding the Uists being insular and not so accepting of incomers - we've made a point over the past few years so speaking to as many folk as possible who HAVE moved across - especially English people as that is the situation we will be in when we get there. They have all said the same - so long as you make sure that you adapt to Island life and not expect it to adapt to you, then you won't have too many problems. They have pretty much all advised us to make the move. I guess to a large extent it might depend where exactly you are though.

mcmn18

Having moved to Barra as a child and moved away to start college I only have good memories, as with any place there are negatives but if it's peace and quiet, nice scenery and more and more thing's being built and advances being made (by that I mean the 24 hour cash machine... it was a big thing) great schooling, little crime and friendly people you're after I would strongly recommend Barra, I see religion has been mentioned in posts above, on Barra it's very relaxed and although there's not that much for kids to do I hear the kids on the mainland moan as much as we did during the holidays about being bored so it's obviously not that different. Check on barra on you tube for an island tour and the isle of barra website for lots of info.