Sssh don't tell England but we have it better up here

[sparkling]

Friend down in the home counties are sending me photos of flooded roads and rain lashed, muddy fields, meanwhile, aye, (see I am learning the lingo) we have it chilly enough to keep on the thermals, but dry enough to enjoy a wonder around.
Dental treatment is cheaper.
My water bills come ready loaded in my council tax (I spent ages trying to find who my water company was when I moved up here).

It's not just about money, there is the big open landscapes, the wildlife and the easy traffic or no traffic.
We have castles around every corner.
Distilleries in every town or village.
Am I feeling this as a newbie to the country or (whisper) is it that north Scotland is maybe even better than south Scotland let alone England and dare I say it is east Scotland better than the more glamorous west? I hear a lot on tourist sites about the glories of Edinburgh or how romantic the west is (complete with midges which we don't get here) but rarely do I hear how utterly glorious the east can be. Is it just a well kept secret and have I let the cat out of the bag?

 

[Pickman's model]

Yes

 

[weepiper]

Edinburgh is great. Glasgow is also great. The Western Isles and the Highlands are fucking braw. It's all great tbh. Otherwise, yes

 

[dessiato]

I don't like Edinburgh much. Glasgow is miles better. If I had to choose I'd go there to live rather than be here.

Scotland is very beautiful but so cold and wet. I suppose we can't have the first without the second.

I love the small fishing harbours along the west coast. They're very beautiful too, and the quality of the fish is fantastic. Limited range of species but such wonderful quality. And I'm from Grimsby.

 

[ska invita]

I agree with the OP

apart from

Forecast for Scotland

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Spymaster]

Scotland's my favourite country in the UK. I could easily live there if it wasn't for the fucking weather and lack of serious cricket.

 

[dessiato]

Scotland's my favourite country in the UK. I could easily live there if it wasn't for the fucking weather and lack of serious cricket.

Unless you like being cold and wet all the time this is not the place for you.

 

[maomao]

I don't mind the cold so much but I can't take the short days in winter. I struggle with the eight hours London gets in December, I don't think I could cope with six. On the flipside, Scottish summers are fucking amazing if you don't mind the odd shower.

 

[Spymaster]

Unless you like being cold and wet all the time this is not the place for you.

It's a deal breaker for me. It's a shame because I love the place otherwise.

 

[Spymaster]

Scottish summers are fucking amazing if you don't mind the odd shower.

Midges.

 

[Idaho]

I love Scotland. I couldn't happy live through Scottish winters, but always have a Scotland trip every year. I love the culture and the dialect too. I even enjoy playing the Englishman for the entertainment of others in the pub or bothy.

 

[Bus Honeygun]

Scotland's my favourite country in the UK. I could easily live there if it wasn't for the fucking weather and lack of serious cricket.

Yeah, the weather, short winter days and distance from St Pancras International station are deal-breakers for me. Everything else about Scotland is great.

I think the winter thing was ingrained in me from being a kid and collecting Panini football stickers. The English and Welsh team photos were invariable taken in glorious summer sunshine, the players looking all tanned. The Scottish ones you could see that they'd had to use a flash a lot of the time. The individual portraits of some pale-faced son of an Ayshire coal miner were similarly bleached by flash with a moody, clouded sky behind. As a kid growing up in Devon who'd never been anywhere near it, I just got this impression that Scotland was dark a lot of the time.

EDIT: That prompted me to get the stickers out. See what I mean? A bit of fly-away hair too. Alex Rennie looks like he had a tough paper round.

 

[Spymaster]

I love Scotland. I couldn't happy live through Scottish winters, but always have a Scotland trip every year. I love the culture and the dialect too. I even enjoy playing the Englishman for the entertainment of others in the pub or bothy.

I always find it has a very special atmosphere and feels cosy, and obviously the scenery is world class. Finding a pub and chatting with the locals is a joy because most appreciate your interest and are happy to share it. In Wales you get the feeling that the locals want you to fuck off as quickly as possible, but they do have better cricket!

 

[sojourner]

My lass lives in the Borders in a tiny village surrounded by huge hills, River Tweed a hundred yards or so from the bottom of their garden. It's glorious. They have a camp up in the woods, firepit, pans and oil lamp there, tarp and branches over their tent ready to pitch. Chickens in the garden. Proper living the dream

 

[ska invita]

I always find it has a very special atmosphere and feels cosy, and obviously the scenery is world class. Finding a pub and chatting with the locals is a joy because most appreciate your interest and are happy to share it. In Wales you get the feeling that the locals want you to fuck off as quickly as possible, but they do have better cricket!

id had the exact same experience re both Scotland and Wales until visiting Burry Port/Llanelli and around that bit of South Wales - the warm welcome was the best I've ever had in the UK

 

[JimW]

Applecross for the palm trees.

 

[sparkling]

Winters are an experience, I grant you that and we've been encouraged to take vitamin D....but, the snow looked fantastic and I felt intrepid going just to the garage to get the bird food out. True, I did not like the short days but here we are with lengthening days now, a whole 6 months of longer and longer days, culminating in June when it will barely get dark at all!

The aurora borealis ...now thats a sight to be seen (if you can stay awake which I didnt but live in hope for next time).

Here in the North East we have glorious coast line and no midges. I think its not as softly romantic as the west but its beauty is in its realistic working environment that sits alongside the rugged coast and countryside

 

[geminisnake]

Midges.

not in the NE, also the weather is drier in the NE and SHHHHHH ffs sparkling!

 

[Lorca]

I used to live in a caravan on the Isle of Skye, we had to rope it down to stop it blowing away and I remember literally getting blown off my feet. It was wonderful!

 

[sparkling]

Apparently the highest temperatures in the UK, yesterday was in the Highlands (Moray really )....wooo hooo....(smugness level is rising high again))

 

[8ball]

Friend down in the home counties are sending me photos of flooded roads and rain lashed, muddy fields, meanwhile, aye, (see I am learning the lingo) we have it chilly enough to keep on the thermals, but dry enough to enjoy a wonder around.
Dental treatment is cheaper.
My water bills come ready loaded in my council tax (I spent ages trying to find who my water company was when I moved up here).

It's not just about money, there is the big open landscapes, the wildlife and the easy traffic or no traffic.
We have castles around every corner.
Distilleries in every town or village.
Am I feeling this as a newbie to the country or (whisper) is it that north Scotland is maybe even better than south Scotland let alone England and dare I say it is east Scotland better than the more glamorous west? I hear a lot on tourist sites about the glories of Edinburgh or how romantic the west is (complete with midges which we don't get here) but rarely do I hear how utterly glorious the east can be. Is it just a well kept secret and have I let the cat out of the bag?

Missed this at the time, but it's not the punchiest of April Fool gags.

 

[Spymaster]

Apparently the highest temperatures in the UK, yesterday was in the Highlands (Moray really )....wooo hooo....(smugness level is rising high again))

Make the most of it while you can!

 

[sparkling]

Missed this at the time, but it's not the punchiest of April Fool gags.

It was not a gag

 

[Brainaddict]

It's a deal breaker for me. It's a shame because I love the place otherwise.

I'm the same. Glasgow is a great city I could happily live in if it were further south, the West coast of Scotland has the best scenery in the UK and in some parts world-beating scenery, and I'd love to have easy access to it. But I've spent years of my life escaping to sunnier climes partly because even the south of England does my head in during winter. I lived in Edinburgh for two years and fled - about 30% because it's a crap city as Danny says, about 70% because of the weather. In most ways moving to Scotland would improve my quality of life, but it would all be cancelled out by the weather and winter darkness.

 

[equationgirl]

Unless you like being cold and wet all the time this is not the place for you.

Respectfully you moved from somewhere much warmer and dryer, there's bound to be a period of adjustment to the difference climate.

 

[dessiato]

Respectfully you moved from somewhere much warmer and dryer, there's bound to be a period of adjustment to the difference climate.

Part of it being such a beautiful country is the cold and rain. Can't have one without the other.

 

[sparkling]

Made the mistake yesterday, for mistaking sunshine for warmth. 'We won't need coats, its sunny'. It was a quite a short walk for Marley along the coast yesterday evening.

 

[quimcunx]

Made the mistake yesterday, for mistaking sunshine for warmth. 'We won't need coats, its sunny'. It was a quite a short walk for Marley along the coast yesterday evening.

I nearly didn't put my cardi on for my walk yesterday lunchtime. Glad I did.

 

[iona]

I appear to be the only person in Inverness wearing shorts

 

[gosub]

Weather has been good this month.