American would love advice re:moving to England
#76
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Re: American would love advice re:moving to England
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.
#77
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Re: American would love advice re:moving to England
For me the two things that Britain offers are countryside/mountains and culture. You have to decide what you want.
If culture is your thing then being close to London is important. It is one of THE cities in the world for museums and theater etc. If mountains are important then somewhere in Scottish Highlands is the place to head. If you want a balance, then Glasgow; maybe Manchester (but the drop off in cultural terms from London to Manchester is immense)
If money was not an object for me I'd buy something in the English Lakes, great landscape, but without the worst of the Scottish winters, and just about everywhere in the UK in around 6 hours; and I'd have a few weekends a year in London and a few trips up to Scotland.
If culture is your thing then being close to London is important. It is one of THE cities in the world for museums and theater etc. If mountains are important then somewhere in Scottish Highlands is the place to head. If you want a balance, then Glasgow; maybe Manchester (but the drop off in cultural terms from London to Manchester is immense)
If money was not an object for me I'd buy something in the English Lakes, great landscape, but without the worst of the Scottish winters, and just about everywhere in the UK in around 6 hours; and I'd have a few weekends a year in London and a few trips up to Scotland.
#78
Re: American would love advice re:moving to England
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.
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Re: American would love advice re:moving to England
#80
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Re: American would love advice re:moving to England
What about Edinburgh...any thoughts?
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Re: American would love advice re:moving to England
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.
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.
#82
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Re: American would love advice re:moving to England
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.
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.
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.
Last edited by sile; Mar 14th 2012 at 1:28 am. Reason: Addition
#83
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Re: American would love advice re:moving to England
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.
#84
Re: American would love advice re:moving to England
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.
Last edited by sallysimmons; Mar 14th 2012 at 1:50 am.
#85
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Re: American would love advice re:moving to England
I watch graham norton..does that count?
#86
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Re: American would love advice re:moving to England
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.
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.
#89
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Re: American would love advice re:moving to England
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.
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.
#90
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Re: American would love advice re:moving to England
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.