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[Sheppy]

I’ve always fancied living on one of the isles off Scotland, I know the weather can be atrocious:)
I think looking at house prices I could just about manage to give up work, perhaps just have a bunkhouse or something similar to get a little income.
Does anyone on here live there?
Cheers
D

[andrewR]

I suppose Glasgow doesn't really count ....

You probably need to be a bit more specific. There are a lot of islands with very different characters.
For instance Arran is really quite posh, and heavily populated with English retirees. 30 minute easy ferry trip to the mainland, every hour or so.
Skye nice, but basically overrun with Tourists (and lots of Americans) for the whole summer. It's not really an island any more either.
Whereas at the other end of the scale, Tiree you'd have to be really committed.
Orkney or Shetland, likewise, but all different characters.
Barra, you will need to strap your Landy down or it will blow away. And you'll need a liver of steel.

What kind of population are you thinking?

You might need to invest in a lot of rustproofing for your chassis..

[Hopeydaze]

I've done one week holidays on Barra and Colonsay.  The latter is just a 2 hour ferry from Oban - Barra is over 5 hours!.  It sounds like fun, however I suspect it's a very different way of life.

[agg221]

I've done one week holidays on Barra and Colonsay.  The latter is just a 2 hour ferry from Oban - Barra is over 5 hours!.  It sounds like fun, however I suspect it's a very different way of life.

The father of a longstanding friend lived on Colonsay until last year. He had previously lived for many years in Bridge of Weir, so at least he was used to the weather! His wife had died previously and the children had left home and moved to Cambridge, so when he retired he sold up and had a bungalow built on the island. He must have been there around 20yrs. He very much enjoyed the community spirit and the fact that he couldn't drive due to eyesight wasn't much of an issue. Latterly he had an all-terrain offroad mobility scooter!

Unfortunately he developed a degenerative condition which needed hospital treatment and it wasn't manageable living on the island as emergency treatment was too far away - in the end he was airlifted off by helicopter, following which he had to sell up and move to Cambridge, where the condition has been much more stable due to the regular treatment (18mnths ago he wasn't expected to last another 3 months - now he's pretty much stable).

Alec

[Porkscratching]

This was something I fancied many years back ,early 90s, and I had a trip up to the western isles, I stayed on Eigg for a while. Back then I didn't find the locals particularly welcoming, but that was one specific place with its own issues at the time !
With this current world insanity at the moment I have to say I'd also quite like to re consider this type of 'escape' if you've got the proceeds of some property or whatever, I'm sure there's very affordable places available in those kind of places.
I'd say you have to be a type who doesn't mind not having all "mod cons" and is happy to rough it somewhat, I'm happy to do that kind of thing myself but it's not for everyone!
I guess the obvious answer is go and have a look, stay over for a bit and see if it's somewhere you can see yourself.

[TimT]

You could try this

https://www.vladi-private-islands.de/en/islands-for-sale/europe-atlantic/great-britain/private-island-off-the-coast-of-shetland/

Bargain at £250000

[Sheppy]

Thanks for all the replies chaps,
I was thinking of a simple life really not too many people , I’m not at all familiar with any of the islands tbh
We are planning a trip in the campervan up there once the lockdown is over.
Any suggestions as to where to visit would be good
Cheers
D

[Sheppy]

You could try this

https://www.vladi-private-islands.de/en/islands-for-sale/europe-atlantic/great-britain/private-island-off-the-coast-of-shetland/

Bargain at £250000

Bit out of my price range, I could probably afford to buy it but then have no money left to live and build the house on there

[Peaceand]

In June 2012 I went to the Isle of Luing in the Carawagon with a friend, it was a spur of the moment plan for a long weekend. We'd actually intended to go to Iona but hadn't booked a ferry and they were all full (of massive motorhomes mainly). It was lucky really as Luing really was an amazing find, and I think we may have been the only 'non locals' on the island.

https://goo.gl/maps/8rKDvN1shMcp4uJq6

I remember parking up in what I thought was an isolated spot - we'd just started cooking dinner when a local chap wandered up. I was fully expecting to be moved on and told off for being there, but he just wanted to recommend a spot on the shore where it was nicer to camp. Following his advice we found a perfect spot, high up on a shale beach where we had a small driftwood campfire and watched the sun setting over the surrounding islands.

The next night another local came along, again we were expecting to be moved on, but they just wanted to invite us to the village ceilidh!

It's also fairly accessible (as Scottish islands go) at 3 hours from Glasgow.

I don't know if attitudes will have changed since then, but I've never found locals to be unwelcoming in the remote areas of Scotland, despite my English accent.

Enjoy your campervan trip, I hope you get as warm a welcome as I did back then.

Patrick

[Sheppy]

In June 2012 I went to the Isle of Luing in the Carawagon with a friend, it was a spur of the moment plan for a long weekend. We'd actually intended to go to Iona but hadn't booked a ferry and they were all full (of massive motorhomes mainly). It was lucky really as Luing really was an amazing find, and I think we may have been the only 'non locals' on the island.

https://goo.gl/maps/8rKDvN1shMcp4uJq6

I remember parking up in what I thought was an isolated spot - we'd just started cooking dinner when a local chap wandered up. I was fully expecting to be moved on and told off for being there, but he just wanted to recommend a spot on the shore where it was nicer to camp. Following his advice we found a perfect spot, high up on a shale beach where we had a small driftwood campfire and watched the sun setting over the surrounding islands.

The next night another local came along, again we were expecting to be moved on, but they just wanted to invite us to the village ceilidh!

It's also fairly accessible (as Scottish islands go) at 3 hours from Glasgow.

I don't know if attitudes will have changed since then, but I've never found locals to be unwelcoming in the remote areas of Scotland, despite my English accent.

Enjoy your campervan trip, I hope you get as warm a welcome as I did back then.

Patrick

many thanks for the info, i will do a bit more research, it might be somewhere we will head.
D

[Worf]

Depends how remote you want to be I suppose. Winds can be pretty severe in winter, so look for somewhere on east side of any island which is a lot more sheltered.
Mull is a bit closer to civilisation and a nice place, but can get busy in the summer.
Just googled this property. You could be almost self sufficient - even has a water wheel. Just needs a big shed for vehicles. Depends what you are after.https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-90793340.html

[Wittsend]

Not to be a Jonah, but what about the midges




 

[gcc130]

Looking at how windswept that island off Shetland is I don’t think the midges will be bothering you there😄

[Ph0en1x_Uk]

I have been to a lot of Scottish islands, and highly rate Shetland!

[agg221]

We spent a week in Hillswick, Shetland in February 2007 (pre-children) with Bruce Wilcock. Bruce is a blacksmith, originally from Blackburn I think. He set off on a north-to-south tour of Britain with his family in a camper van in 1975, starting in Shetland and never got any further.

It was a fascinating place. You really feel the remoteness and the small community nature of it. We were there to learn how to forge wrought iron as Bruce is one of the last smiths left who knows how to do it but in the course of a week we had snow, rain, the edge of the glow of northern lights and an afternoon on the beach in the sun! We also happened to be there for the local up helly aa, which was certainly an experience. One of the really odd things about the place was that all the people looked like me!

It was great, and I would certainly like to go back, but I think it was a bit too insular for me to want to live there and I would also miss seeing trees.

Alec