Ethelred_the_Unready

That I don't know. I do know that the Scots were smart enough not to implement the tuition hike

I am part Scottish myself. I love it. I had a driving job for a while that often took me up to Scotland. I miss driving up the A9 to Inverness and being in awe of the scenery. Think White Mountains in NH, only with more lakes (lochs), granite buildings, misty summits and the odd whiskey distillery.

sile

What towns are in the English Lakes that you would consider? What can you tell me about Glasgow? ( I once dated a handsome musician from Glasgow, which means absolutely nothing but I thought I would throw it in )

kimilseung

Villages in the Lakes, like Keswick, Ambleside, Coiston, Gramere. Kedal is a town just outside the Lakes. I have only visited Glasgow, but it has good museums and an hour or two away from stunning scenery.

Sally Redux

Glasgow is no mean city.

sile

What about Edinburgh...any thoughts?

Gillymonkey

I'm from Glasgow and I would say go for it. I would suggest the West End of Glasgow or some of the surrounding suburbs. If you live in the West End it's only a 25 min drive to Loch Lomond (stunning!) and being a cosmopolitan city it has all the culture you could want.

That being said, please don't idealize anywhere in the UK or Ireland. Everywhere in the world has social problems that are not always portrayed in the media. We have violence too, you are maybe just not aware of it. Also, I saw that you mentioned the NHS; someone may correct me but I thought their was a residency requirement for this. You've also mentioned nicer attititudes to dogs; that's not always the case. I strongly suggest you visit first.

sile

Thanks for your comments. I will say again, I am aware that no place is ideal and that there is violence at some level everywhere. But believe me when I tell you that the gun thing here is bad. I mean, people are afraid to say anything to someone who cuts them off in traffic because people shoot people for such things. A lady working in a store in a nice town not far from here was shot to death after a holdup.

In regard to NHS, I would be resident in a short period of time if I move there and have my Irish citizenship.
Is there a lot of animal abuse there . I surely hope not.

Ethelred_the_Unready

I'll get flamed for this, but personally I prefer Glasgow. It has far better public transport and feels like a bigger city. Edinburgh is great to visit, but I would prefer to live in Glasgow. I don't know how they compare cost of living wise.

sallysimmons

Yes, perfect example of the culture shock the OP would experience. Brit humor is completely different. For example, much of what is shown on TV in the UK would be considered offensive in the US. I just watched an episode of QI - which is about as mainstream as it gets in Britain - and they were all laughing at Jesus. I can't even imagine a scenario in which that would be acceptable here.

As far as northern towns, my own list of targets for moving back after much research was Kendal, Ilkley, Harrogate, Skipton, Hebden Bridge and York. All small enough to have a community feel but all with good arts scenes (or close to cities with good arts scenes), all close to lovely scenery, and all relatively low crime areas. Of the Yorkshire cities, I don't think York can be beaten - but the prices reflect that of course.

sile

I watch graham norton..does that count?

Sally Redux

Yes York seems lovely - good luck Sally.

kimilseung

He be one of them foreign types, don't you know.

sallysimmons

Thanks! I'm so excited that it's beyond ridiculous.

Ethelred_the_Unready

Some of the towns close to Bradford such as Cleckheaton are really nice. Met a lot of true "salt of the earth" types there. Bradford itself is a bit shit, but there's a lot around it. Leeds is decent too.

Gillymonkey

Cost of living wise Glasgow is cheaper - especially in terms of property. I've always found it a much friendlier city too. Glaswegians just seem to be more open.