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First, I'd just like to say that I didn't read all the other posts.
With that being said, I'm an American who lived in Scotland (as well as England, but that's besides the point).
Personally, I did not like living in Scotland. The weather truly is abysmal all year round, and I'm not only talking about the weather being in the 50's Fahrenheit in the middle of summer (that was fun :P ), I'm talking about the CONSTANT gray, rainy, and dull overcast skies. To me, it was depressing and I craved just seeing a glimpse of the sun, but hey if that's the kind of weather that you like then power to you.
Also, traditionally, the economy hasn't been the best. If I'm not mistaken,for years there was a braindrain from Scotland down to England. But I don't really know if that holds true today, it might be better. Also, there isn't as many job opportunities or options as in other countries (or other parts of the UK).
Most of the Scottish people are absolutely lovely, but with that being said, I found some people to be, not really rude, but just so pessimistic and unwilling to help/care that it really got under my skin from time to time.....maybe a result of the weather?!? (but that can be found in people everywhere I guess). And services are no where near the American standards so just forget about that and the bureaucracy is extremely tiresome. The food, while it's getting a lot better (was supposed to be really bad years ago), didn't quite suit me and I didn't enjoy it too much for the most part. As for places to live/visit, I love Edinburgh! It's truly a beautiful and amazing city. I wasn't too keen on Glasgow and Dundee though and I never visited Aberdeen. Definitely go to the highlands, so stunning (wouldn't want to live there though).
I know it sounds like I'm giving Scotland a really bad rap and while I personally did not enjoy living there and wouldn't want to do it again, I'm very glad that I have the experience and wouldn't trade it for the world. But again, let me reiterate, this was just my personal experience and other people could have had completely different ones. So if you really want to do it, then I say go for it! You can always come back home. Just make sure to do your research and be prepared. Whatever your decision, good luck
First, I'd just like to say that I didn't read all the other posts.
With that being said, I'm an American who lived in Scotland (as well as England, but that's besides the point).
Personally, I did not like living in Scotland. The weather truly is abysmal all year round, and I'm not only talking about the weather being in the 50's Fahrenheit in the middle of summer (that was fun :P ), I'm talking about the CONSTANT gray, rainy, and dull overcast skies. To me, it was depressing and I craved just seeing a glimpse of the sun, but hey if that's the kind of weather that you like then power to you.
Also, traditionally, the economy hasn't been the best. If I'm not mistaken,for years there was a braindrain from Scotland down to England. But I don't really know if that holds true today, it might be better. Also, there isn't as many job opportunities or options as in other countries (or other parts of the UK).
Most of the Scottish people are absolutely lovely, but with that being said, I found some people to be, not really rude, but just so pessimistic and unwilling to help/care that it really got under my skin from time to time.....maybe a result of the weather?!? (but that can be found in people everywhere I guess). And services are no where near the American standards so just forget about that and the bureaucracy is extremely tiresome. The food, while it's getting a lot better (was supposed to be really bad years ago), didn't quite suit me and I didn't enjoy it too much for the most part. As for places to live/visit, I love Edinburgh! It's truly a beautiful and amazing city. I wasn't too keen on Glasgow and Dundee though and I never visited Aberdeen. Definitely go to the highlands, so stunning (wouldn't want to live there though).
I know it sounds like I'm giving Scotland a really bad rap and while I personally did not enjoy living there and wouldn't want to do it again, I'm very glad that I have the experience and wouldn't trade it for the world. But again, let me reiterate, this was just my personal experience and other people could have had completely different ones. So if you really want to do it, then I say go for it! You can always come back home. Just make sure to do your research and be prepared. Whatever your decision, good luck
As an expat Scot who misses it I think this is a pretty fair opinion/analysis. I personally like the service there but as I live in Jersey which is a bit raw in that arena my perspective is a bit different!
And the weather isn't bad all year round so why are you saying that when it's not true, the weather in May to early September has plenty of sunny days, yes it still rains here and there but there is plenty of hot days during the summer with temperatures reaching up to 30° in June and July, so your comment is way off, granted the rest of the year is crap weather wise! But I like the changes in the seasons here in Scotland and the weather for that reason!
And the weather isn't bad all year round so why are you saying that when it's not true, the weather in May to early September has plenty of sunny days, yes it still rains here and there but there is plenty of hot days during the summer with temperatures reaching up to 30° in June and July, so your comment is way off, granted the rest of the year is crap weather wise! But I like the changes in the seasons here in Scotland and the weather for that reason!
I didn't move to Scotland by choice. I never would have if it was up to me, I assure you (no offense Scots).
And the weather is the worst of any place I've ever lived, by a landslide (I've lived in 6 countries). The weather never reached 30C at any time during the period I lived there (even between May and early September). According to this (Weather in Scotland - Scottish Weather through the year), and I quote, "In summer in Scotland temperatures get slightly warmer reaching an average around 18-22degC during the day. Night time temperatures will usually drop to around 10degC." Furthermore, according to this (Met Office: Weather extremes), the highest temperature EVER recorded in Scotland was 32.9C in August 2003. So again, forgive me, but I don't think that, as you said, "plenty of hot days during the summer with temperatures reaching up to 30C in June and July...." is entirely accurate.
Imo, it "rains here and there" is a vast understatement. It rains a lot. According to this source (Scotland Weather and Climate | Scottish Weather | Seasons and Climate | Rain in Scotland | Scottish Weather Statistics | Rainfall Chart), "Measurable rainfall occurs on over 250 days in the Highlands to 175 days per year in other parts." So, even in the driest parts of Scotland, it still rains on average just about half the time (&, as the figure shows, much more in the highlands). Imo, that is a lot of rain and not just "here and there". Plus, that is just the days where there is measurable rainfall and doesn't take into account the days with just the overcast, gray skies without the rainfall (there are loads of those too), which also adds to the abysmal weather imo.
There's definitely change of seasons in Scotland. It's the only place I've ever lived where one can experience four seasons in one day lol.
Last edited by CityLover9; 09-11-2011 at 01:50 AM..
by that time Katia comes to Scotty it will be tame.
I lived in Merchant city and in Edinburgh. in the 90's some days the weather is raw. but they have a fair amount of sunny days. also depends on where you live in scotland. I hear it rains more in Aberdeen
Yes, but the question remains: Is Scotland a nice place to live?
It honestly depends on what your priorities are.
The top 10-20 countries in the world are so close toghther on the living standards rankings that you own preferences are going to make far more of a difference to you.
citylover are you telling me an 18-22 isn't decent weather, hardly depressing weather as you are making out, and there will be plenty of days during the summer when it get to the late 20's, put it this way I have been sun burned and at the park with my nephew etc having bbq's, walking around with my top of because it was hot on about 10 occasions this summer, I went to Benidorm in southern Spain for two weeks, came back to dundee and it was hotter here than there. Yes a lot of what you says is true but your making out the weather is complete crap all year round which is crap!
A quote from the link you posted
''June can be fairly settled often with long spells of good weather''
''Autumn weather in Scotland can be spectacular. When a high pressure sites over the country, the combination of blue skies, cool crisp temperatures and autumn foliage on the trees make for a memorable experience''
''Winter in Scotland is often not as cold as you might expect given the latitude of the country. The Gulf Stream keeps the weather a lot warmer than you might find in Russia or Canada at equivalent latitudes''
So stop making out it's like Northern Russia for gods sake!
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