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I am in the process of deciding where to move in the UK. I am a single woman in my 50's, self employed and from the Midwest, where I have lived all my life.
I will be moving alone to a place where I will know no one, so this is a big move. Also, I have never been "across the pond", but it has been an attractive idea for years. Circumstances in my life have changed and now it's time for me to move on. I have several reasons for wanting to relocate to the UK- the culture, weather, architecture, relative safety, and many other things I have learned about through reading and research. I do not entertain this idea of moving with rose colored glasses and I am aware that no place is perfect. Also, I know nothing can take the place of actually going and seeing for myself. But I want to narrow down the possibilities before I go so I am not all over the place, literally and figuratively. As I stated, I am self employed in business and also intend to return to professional photography, which I did for many years with some success. I will be applying for Irish citizenship by descent and when I obtain that it will be easier for me in some ways.
I will be bringing my little dog with me. I am aware of the new, wonderful laws regarding bringing animals into the UK starting Jan. 1, 2012 which make it easier to do, so I won't be going until after that date.
(Note: Please excuse any typos. I am doing this on my iPad and going back to edit here is nearly impossible.)
So, here is what I hope to find....I would like to be in a town/city that has a lot of cultural options..museums, theatre, music, galleries, and that is really just pretty. I am a visual person and I want to love what I see out my window every day. I want to lie in a noe, safe area, npt right in the middle of a city, but just outside or in a smaller town. I currently lie in a suburb of a large city, just far enough away to have quiet, tree-lined streets, but close enough to get into the city with 40 minutes or so. I will obviously rent at first, but would love to have a small house with a fenced yard for my dog, and all theusual stuff...friendly neighbors, shopping close by, a car and at least a driveway or parking space, and the opportunity to get involved in the community. I want to settle in somewhere and make my life there. I look forward to making new friends and dating as well.
I have an interest in Edinburgh, Cambridge, Manchester, York Oxford and a few others, based on things I have read and researched.
I will tell you that this is a really big decision for me and I am both excited and optomistic and scared silly. However, I am so ready for a change, I hate the weather where I am, the crime that is everywhere in the US..I live in a very nice place, but even here banks and stores get held up and robbed..and There is no place here in the US that holds any attraction or interest for me.
So, I would love any suggestions. In summary, I need a nice town, with friendly people, good healthcare nearby, a bit on the upscale side but not snooty, where I will have the opportunity to meet people, including men, around my age with professional and / or artistic backgrounds and sensibilities, but comfortable attitudes.
When I get things narrowed down I will then have to tackle the subject of what to do with all I own...a houseful of furniture, appliances, electronics and two cars.
I'm pretty certain that with Irish citizenship you can more or less do whatever you want in the UK!
Hi WagMore,
Wow, that's quite a lifechanging move you have planned. The enormity of what you're taking on is quite daunting, even just for me trying to think of any helpful suggestions!
I can't speak for the English cities you were considering, but certainly Edinburgh is a bit of a cultural colossus as you'll no doubt see from your research. While I don't know how urban or how rural your preferences are, I think that as a lone person from abroad it would probably make a lot of sense to move to a small town with a very tight sense of community. The sole potential pitfall of the place I have in mind is that Google reckons the journey is 48 minutes drive to Edinburgh city centre. But I know that driving into Edinburgh can take even longer than that at rush hour.
The town I was thinking of is a small place called Biggar. (Population: ~2300) This is the high street and some other views from around the town in streetview.
I grew up in a neighbouring town called Lanark so I know Biggar reasonably well. Anyone I've ever met from the place is a self-employed painter, writer, photographer, music teacher or farmer. There's a lot of scope for getting involved in the community there. They have an arts orientated festival every year called the Biggar Little Festival for which the link is below. Biggar Little Festival | Annual Festival of the Five Arts | Lanarkshire, Scotland
If you're self-employed as a photographer there's no shortage of galleries which I presume you could exhibit your work in.
The town does have a few museums (oddly considering the size of the place), and it is home to Scotlands only puppet theatre, although if you wanted more grandiose museums and theatre productions that would mean travelling to Edinburgh. In spite of all of the above advantages though, the main reason that I suggest Biggar is because it is an unusually 'friendly' town. It's got that balance of being eminently respectable but because they're such an 'arty' community they're not 'snooty' (as you put it - good word.) Literally everybody knows each other. If you arrived on the Saturday and went to the Crown Tavern that evening to introduce yourself most of the town would know who you were by Sunday afternoon.
In Biggar everythings 5 minutes walk away, there are small shops, museums, art gallerys, a hospital & GP's surgery, vetinary surgeon and the best ice cream shop in the world. (At least that's how I remember it.) For more major grocery shopping people in the UK increasingly tend to order stuff online from the major retailers. If you didn't want to do that and preferred to drive to a more major supermarket the closest would be in Lanark or Peebles, about 15-20 minutes drive away.
Property prices aren't too steep either. This 3 bedroom townhouse is on the market at offers over £135k ($212k):
113A High Street, Biggar, South Lanarkshire, ML12 | Property for sale | GSPC - Glasgow Solicitors Property Centre (http://www.gspc.co.uk/property/188560/ - broken link)
I'm not suggesting that you buy this place because it doesn't have what you're looking for in terms of garden or parking, but just to get an idea of the sort of property price in the area.
The one thing I'm not sure of is whether you'd find Biggar too rural for your taste. Another possibility within the same distance of Edinburgh is a town called Peebles. It's larger than Biggar with a population of around 8,500. It's also eminently respectable and it's a nice place. However it's a bit further from where I grew up so I don't have the same detailed knowledge of the town as I do of Biggar. From people I met at university who came from the town, they largely seem to be the sons/daughters of people who commuted to Edinburgh and wanted to live somewhere quieter to raise a family than in the city.
It's certainly a nice town, and there are larger shops available there than Biggar. I really couldn't say much more than that about the place though because as it would go beyond the breadth of my knowledge.
As for residential areas closer to Edinburgh, particularly to the East and North I'd probably best leave that to other forum members because there I'd be just as much a foreigner as you! Hope that's of some help
Did ANYone read the part where she's applying for Irish citizenship?! Assuming she gets it, that makes her eligible to work ANYwhere in the EU including the UK.
Hi Eoin,
Thanks so much for your thoughful reply. I must say, you are a veritable fount of knowledge and your willingness to provide so much information is much appreciated. And in reference to your reply to another poster's question regarding my right to live and work in the UK, you are correct in saying that Irish citizenship will afford me the opportunity and right to live and work freely anywhere in the EU.Thanks for actually reading all that I wrote. In regards to your suggestions, the towns sound wonderful, especially Biggar, but they may be a bit too far out for me. I think it might be better to be closer to the big city as I hope to meet a lot of people. I am pondering the question of where it would be best to land- in a small, tightly-knit town or a larger place with more chances to meet more people. I certainly don't want to be isolated...just the opposite. If Biggar was just outside of Edinburgh I would have the best of both worlds!
I look forward to more helpful thoughts, ideas and opinions.
Wag more you say you are 'applying' do you know how long the process takes ?? have you started yet ??
I have no idea how long it takes based on ancestry but it looks like at least over a year...
Can you move whilst in the application process ??
I would suggest taking a 'holiday' there first - hire a car and drive to Edinburgh, visiting Oxford, Manchester, York etc on the way and see how you like them. Its almost impossible to recommend someone to live to someone you don't know. I can tell you that Manchester is a lively your city but without a point of comparison to something you can relate to its pretty useless information.
It does not need to be expensive - you can stay in travel inns or B&B's but its is worth the investment IMO
Eoin, Is it possible to see a street view of the areas you sent links to on Google maps? We have that in the US.
Yes, absolutely! The whole country (and bizarrely all the countryside as well) is done out in Streetview. I had hoped that the links I posted were directly to Streetview. If you're using your I-Pad at the moment that might be the source of the problem, from a quick google search it doesn't look like the I-Pad supports Streetview because it's a flash plugin. If you have a PC at home/work the links I posted should take you directly into streetview.
Good luck!
Eoin
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