Moving to Skye from down south advice | Mumsnet (2024)

if you haven’t visited Scotland I suggest the first thing you do is visit Skye.
What happens if you visit and hate Skye?

The practicalities phone the school and talk to them. The school buses will pick up and drop off at set times and places. The journey times can be long. I don’t know the info specifically for Skye.
You probably need to contact a local solicitor about the house buying process but offers are binding in Scotland so you cannot offer on a house until you have exchanged contracts in England.

You will need a Scottish solicitor to buy in Scotland. Houses are in very short supply across the Highlands and you can expect to pay well over market value. All houses are sold with a Home Report which gives a market valuation, condition of the house and EPC.

Depending on your budget you might be better looking on the mainland around Kyle of Lochalsh.

The education system in Scotland is completely different to England and moving high school age. Children can be tricky depending what stage they're at. Pupils in Scottish high schools start their next academic year at the start of June. The age cut off is different to England too. There are school/service buses that provide transport.

But before you do anything you need to visit, and see if you like it. Skye is beautiful but very very busy in the summer which isn't for everyone. Small Communities rely on volunteer effort so being hermits may be more difficult than in a city - you're much less anonymous in a rural area!

We know Skye well and parents in law lived on the island a while. It's a real commitment to live so remote and not like the mainland/England at all. I would not go for a croft halfway up a mountain. I'd suggest rent a family house in Portree or a bigger village so you and your DC have a chance to get to know people and not spend a quarter of every day driving just to the co op or school. It will not be urban!

It is really really busy with tourists in summer and quite dark and cold in winter. You definitely need to visit first.

I'm sure the community will benefit from families moving up rather than endless retirees but the lifestyle is not for everyone even outdoorsy quiet life types.

Do your children want to live like that? Would you not just consider living in a village instead?

You realise you will have to ferry your children around to absolutely everything? If you want to live remotely there, they won't live near their friends. It's one thing you and your husband wanting to do it but would you put your children through that?

Repost on Scotsnet for local knowledge. Where are you moving from?

you’ll need to have some your English house before buying in Scotland so need to factor in a rental period. Skye is lovely but touristy and midgy in summer and cold and dark in winter

island communities are small and politics can be tricky - you won’t have those anonymity of a city. Rural living might be more intrusive than you expect

So we haven't visited yet.. my partner will be starting work there and getting to know the area to make sure it's definitely what we want.

If I was to move to Kyle of lochalsh how far is that from Portree?

Hermits was a bit of an exaggeration, we want to get involved for the children's sake, but not have to see people we know every time we go for a walk.

Renting is a good idea actually, I will speak to him about that.

We aren't naive, we know it's a huge lifestyle change, and we want to be realistic about it which is why I am asking for help. We are in the countryside down south, lots of houses within a few miles that are secluded. We just don't want to be here and this is a great opportunity for us

not have to see people we know every time we go for a walk

Don't move to an island then!

Renting is a very good idea - but rentals are like hen's teeth on Skye unfortunately.

You can use Google maps to find out driving times from Kyle to Portreee. The nearest high school is Plockton, which has an excellent reputation.

Personally I find Skye a bit of an ominous feeling island - i always. Though the Cullin are impressive I find them a bit scary and something about Skye fills me with foreboding. I think it's also because as well as looking so dramatic it is such a long car journey to Glasgow or Edinburgh that I feel a bit trapped there. Never felt that way about any other scottish island and I've been to lots.

Please don't relocate if you've never spent any time in Scotland.

We moved to a small hamlet in NE england a couple of years ago with primary aged kids and it is a massive change but it can work if you’re committed to ferrying your kids around, which we are. We’re 15-20 mins from most things (although do have a co-op 6mins away)

It is still challenging even in mainland UK getting things to the house, tradesmen etc etc. So bear that in mind if you choose to be remote.

We literally just got back from a camping break on Skye and it’s glorious. There were for sale signs about but not a lot of them and Rightmove suggests it’s quite expensive.

I do think the advice to rent before you buy with such a big move, and the change to the Scottish house buying system, would be wise.

But good luck! And go and have a trip away there.

(What field of work is your DH in that he’s based in Portree? pure nosiness)

Congratulations on your DH's new job.

I'm Scottish and suggest that you don't move until you've visited in winter. Skye is beautiful, as are lots of places up there, but it's not comparable to England, even rural England. The days in winter are far shorter, which is miserable when it's windy and raining. Well, at least it is for me and I grew up in the central highlands which is south of Skye!

You can go up in the summer and see how busy it is, but the winter is something quite different.

It may be an idea to rent your home out and then rent yourselves up there for a year, to see how it goes. Of course, that's not easy with schooling.

It would be lovely if you went and loved it and your kids loved it, but it's a big change - in some ways it's really like moving to another country from where you are.

I really appreciate everyone saying we haven't thought this through, we have and researched as much as we can without having been there.

Does anyone live in Inverness and surrounding areas? Is that more obtainable?

Just seen your update. Inverness isn't a busy city! In fact it's probably a much better option for you then Skye! Find some EasyJet flights and go and have a look. It's beautiful and the Highlands are on your doorstep. It's also busy in the summer with tourists, but it's a much better option for you than Skye.

Winters are also dark and wet/cold but not as isolated as Skye.

Aweegc thank you, I think that's what we will do, visit Inverness and go from there

Are houses easier to buy and rent in Inverness?

Inverness would be a much better choice. On a mainline train and airport. You could live rurally easily. The black isle has a micro ( sunny climate). You can have a rural and beachy lifestyle in the villages east.

Inverness is not the metropolis I think you may think it is!

Easy to get to Skye of weekends and the beautiful ares like Lochinver.