Why shouldn't I move to the Orkneys?
May 18, 2007 12:30 PM Subscribe
Why shouldn't I move to the Orkneys?
I've just been on a short trip which included a brief time - a very brief time - on Orkney. It's a fabulous place and I've been daydreaming since of selling up and moving there.
I know that unemployment is low and crime is virtually non-existent.
Cons include remoteness and that the winters are long and dark (if not particularly cold).
I'm not going to rush into this, but are there any major downsides I should consider before I decide to plan for a move at some time in the next 18-24 months?
I've just been on a short trip which included a brief time - a very brief time - on Orkney. It's a fabulous place and I've been daydreaming since of selling up and moving there.
I know that unemployment is low and crime is virtually non-existent.
Cons include remoteness and that the winters are long and dark (if not particularly cold).
I'm not going to rush into this, but are there any major downsides I should consider before I decide to plan for a move at some time in the next 18-24 months?
Response by poster: Hehehe. I'm not sure that there's a huge risk of u-boat attacks these days.
If it helps, I did live in Scotland (albeit much further south) for eight years and quite enjoyed the winters.
posted by Lionel d'Lion at 1:06 PM on May 18, 2007
If it helps, I did live in Scotland (albeit much further south) for eight years and quite enjoyed the winters.
posted by Lionel d'Lion at 1:06 PM on May 18, 2007
How well do you think you'll cope with months of horizontal perma-drizzle and an relatively small and isolated community you have little choice but to get along with? How big a change will it be from where you are now? If you're used to the big city it could be quite a big shock to the system in perhaps unpredictable ways.
posted by normy at 1:09 PM on May 18, 2007
posted by normy at 1:09 PM on May 18, 2007
You might become alcoholic from drinking Orkney Ale all day?
posted by goethean at 1:11 PM on May 18, 2007
posted by goethean at 1:11 PM on May 18, 2007
One major downside is that you could be romanticizing life on the Orkneys. Grass-is-greener syndrome. If only I could move to (insert faraway land), life would be so grand! But who's to say you wouldn't get bored stiff being in a place so remote? Who's to say the townspeople would welcome you, an outsider, as part of their community? It might be great, but you really don't know. Try a longer vacation (maybe a month or two) first.
posted by PercussivePaul at 1:34 PM on May 18, 2007
posted by PercussivePaul at 1:34 PM on May 18, 2007
Best answer: As with many rural places, unemployment is low because all the young people who can't get jobs there have to move away. What would you be doing when you got there?
Winters are not particularly cold compared to what? Horizontal perma-drizzle makes a big difference, especially compared to, say, Edinburgh. Not-so-cold but perpetually soggy is significantly more miserable than freezing but sunny.
What's your current circle of friends like? Are you going to be surprised by people throwing words like 'Paki' and 'coon' around in what was a perfectly ordinary conversation, or is that alright with you?
[I've also only ever spent a short time in Orkney, but I currently live somewhere else rural and rainy. I've just been working with an Orcadian boy whose language occasionally came as something of a surprise to me.]
posted by Lebannen at 1:40 PM on May 18, 2007
Winters are not particularly cold compared to what? Horizontal perma-drizzle makes a big difference, especially compared to, say, Edinburgh. Not-so-cold but perpetually soggy is significantly more miserable than freezing but sunny.
What's your current circle of friends like? Are you going to be surprised by people throwing words like 'Paki' and 'coon' around in what was a perfectly ordinary conversation, or is that alright with you?
[I've also only ever spent a short time in Orkney, but I currently live somewhere else rural and rainy. I've just been working with an Orcadian boy whose language occasionally came as something of a surprise to me.]
posted by Lebannen at 1:40 PM on May 18, 2007
BTW -- you might enjoy these books:
Sea Room: An Island Life in the Hebridesposted by ericb at 1:54 PM on May 18, 2007
The Hills is Lonely
The Crofter and the Laird.
You'd have much less competition in the marketplace. One airline, one shop, one gas station, one shoe store, one ISP - and that might mean higher - maybe MUCH higher - prices for everything.
Are you married? If not, and if it's something you'd like to do, it might be considering that even Kirkwall only has 9000 people, so the dating scene might be a little thin.
posted by mdonley at 1:56 PM on May 18, 2007
Are you married? If not, and if it's something you'd like to do, it might be considering that even Kirkwall only has 9000 people, so the dating scene might be a little thin.
posted by mdonley at 1:56 PM on May 18, 2007
Best answer: Because it's just another town: except it's a town with fewer people, fewer shops, less entertainment, less nightlife and much higher prices. The scenery's great, but it's quickly going to become just plain old Outside, and then you're going to be left with a drabber, duller Inside to contend with.
All the Orcadians (and Hebrideans and people from all the islands) I know dearly love their islands, and they spend as much time as possible there. But they live in Glasgow.
There are more former islanders living in Glasgow than there are in the islands (we've commissioned surveys at work to check this). Take extended holidays there, like the people who know do.
posted by bonaldi at 8:09 PM on May 18, 2007
All the Orcadians (and Hebrideans and people from all the islands) I know dearly love their islands, and they spend as much time as possible there. But they live in Glasgow.
There are more former islanders living in Glasgow than there are in the islands (we've commissioned surveys at work to check this). Take extended holidays there, like the people who know do.
posted by bonaldi at 8:09 PM on May 18, 2007
Response by poster: Thanks for the insights. Plenty of food for thought there.
posted by Lionel d'Lion at 1:10 AM on May 19, 2007
posted by Lionel d'Lion at 1:10 AM on May 19, 2007
Reason you shouldn't move to the Scottish Islands. I'm referring to my long experience of living in the Outer Hebrides but imagine the same things apply to the Orkneys:
The weather can be awful most of the time. There is not a lot of sunshine and always a lot of rain. All the inbetween time is that tupperwear box grey no-weather and it can get very depressing.
Far more limited access to things like retail, art exhibitions, cinema, theatre, gigs by your favourite bands etc
A long and expensive haul just to get to a city you can travel properly from.
Fitting in as an outsider in established communities.
Higher petrol prices.
Slower pace of life. Not good if your the kind of person that needs things done immediately.
Religion. Don't know what Orkney is like but The Church plays a big part in island life of the Hebrides.
Lack of privacy. Far harder to keep your S&M / naturist / plush fetish under wraps in these places. Ditto your affair with the woman next door. Everyone will know you and your business. And you will know theirs.
BUT there are thousands of reasons to go!
Outstanding natural scenery and wildlife.
Genuinely fresh air and water.
A real sense of community and belonging.
A more relaxed and stress free way of life.
Amazing local seafood and other produce.
The internet, postal service, big name supermarkets on the island, satellite tv etc all mean "civilisation" is there if you want it.
Good local music scenes, pubs, artists and craftsmen should keep your culture meter ticking over.
Grants and subsidies available for starting businesses that benefit the Islands.
And so on...
In the end I guess it depends on what you plan to do there and what you hope to get out of it all.
posted by brautigan at 4:41 AM on May 19, 2007
The weather can be awful most of the time. There is not a lot of sunshine and always a lot of rain. All the inbetween time is that tupperwear box grey no-weather and it can get very depressing.
Far more limited access to things like retail, art exhibitions, cinema, theatre, gigs by your favourite bands etc
A long and expensive haul just to get to a city you can travel properly from.
Fitting in as an outsider in established communities.
Higher petrol prices.
Slower pace of life. Not good if your the kind of person that needs things done immediately.
Religion. Don't know what Orkney is like but The Church plays a big part in island life of the Hebrides.
Lack of privacy. Far harder to keep your S&M / naturist / plush fetish under wraps in these places. Ditto your affair with the woman next door. Everyone will know you and your business. And you will know theirs.
BUT there are thousands of reasons to go!
Outstanding natural scenery and wildlife.
Genuinely fresh air and water.
A real sense of community and belonging.
A more relaxed and stress free way of life.
Amazing local seafood and other produce.
The internet, postal service, big name supermarkets on the island, satellite tv etc all mean "civilisation" is there if you want it.
Good local music scenes, pubs, artists and craftsmen should keep your culture meter ticking over.
Grants and subsidies available for starting businesses that benefit the Islands.
And so on...
In the end I guess it depends on what you plan to do there and what you hope to get out of it all.
posted by brautigan at 4:41 AM on May 19, 2007
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by caddis at 12:44 PM on May 18, 2007