Reply to an email - 'Moving To Skye'

This post started as a reply to an email asking questions about moving to Skye, but I have now written such a long reply, I think it is worth putting it on the blog as an ‘update’ to the various former posts I have written about what it can be like to live here. As ever – I emphasise that what I write is just my personal observations and opinions…

Hi Jackie and Jim,

Thank you for your message and complimentary comments about my blog. Sorry I have been a bit lax in writing new posts lately. I think it must be that time of year when not a lot is happening – apart from the weather…!!

I am always happy to write to people who are thinking of relocating to Skye – you are not alone in this dream, and I get messages similar to yours, every couple of months. I took early retirement at 57 to move here, and I wish I had done it a couple of years sooner. Skye life suits us very well indeed. Sue was lucky to get a part-time job as a home carer, which she loves, as she really enjoys being busy, and working with people. I just like pottering about at home and on the allotment, and sometimes walking the hills and moors – plus I look after our holiday lets.

One of the biggest problems faced by Skye incomers is being a long way apart from family and friends who have been ‘left behind’. We are not passionately close to our own families, and don’t have any children of our own, so there are no grandchildren growing up who we seldom see. Sue’s Mum is our last remaining parent, and Sue makes the journey south (to Kent, by train) every 10/12 weeks to visit her. I drive down to Devon two or three times a year to visit friends and my sister and her family. The arrangements we have work well for us, and we both quite enjoy our trips away, as it is so good to get back!!

The winter weather here is usually pretty dire – it’s not especially cold in ‘degrees below zero’ terms – we don’t actually get much snow, though icy roads are a frequent winter hazard. Gritting doesn’t happen too much, and it doesn’t matter how many wheel-drive you have when you can’t stop on a slope or steer round a bend. Single-vehicle accidents are unfortunately not rare, and because of roadside ditches and rocky verges, can quite often result in severe damage or even an upturned vehicle. We drive VERY carefully when the temperature drops towards 0 but it is VERY seldom that we have not been able to get about, and supplies seem to make it to the small local shops (and the Co-op) throughout the worst of the weather.

But we do get an awful lot of rain. Between about October and March, it is quite a novelty to drive on a dry road, though it is often possible to dodge the worst of the wet for dog-walking – it doesn’t rain continuously. Rain comes in a variety of forms. Big heavy rain drops are unusual. Most common is a kind of blanket drizzle which penetrates even the best waterproofs when driven horizontal by 60mph winds. And we get A LOT of 60mph winds… and 70mph… and even 80+ on occasions.

Summers are marginally calmer, marginally drier (usually) and marginally warmer. You won’t need shorts or sun-hats here though...!

As for costs, as we have now been here about 8 years, I am a bit out of touch with costs in England! Our ‘band D’ council tax is around £1,250pa, and heating oil is 31p per litre just now – probably about the same as anywhere in the UK. Diesel at the Broadford garage is a tad under £1 a litre – or a penny or three more in Portree and Dunvegan. (There aren’t many petrol stations on Skye…)! I’ve no idea what coal costs in large quantities – I occasionally buy a small bag to mix with logs and burn on the stove, but I’m afraid I don’t look at the price! Off the top of my head, I don’t know prices for Calor gas, either. A Google search should give you some answers though. Of course, because of the weather, heating needs to be on for a longer part of the year than in the balmy south. Indeed, many people have some heating running all year round.

Shopping for food – we only have the Co-op as a supermarket (two branches - in Portree and Broadford). Most goods are at least a penny or two dearer than ‘down south’ Some items many pennies dearer…. And of course, the range of choice is somewhat limited by the size of the stores. Fresh produce is usually OK, though occasionally looks very tired, having taken too long to get here! Planning permission exists for a new supermarket in Portree, and for a coupe of years all manner of rumours have circulated as to who will build/operate the new store. Tesco was a front-runner for a while, but their own financial problems have put that on hold. However, Tesco and Asda both do home deliveries to Skye. It’s ‘click and collect’ – so you have to go and meet the van in a car park somewhere, but it is completely free-delivery. Only difficulty is getting a ‘slot’ – it’s very popular. Not much good for us though, as they don’t come this far onto the island.

For non-regular shopping, everyone here shops online. For white goods/electrical – Curry‘s are brilliant, and do free delivery. Argos/Homebase deliver very quickly for under £10 (cheaper for smaller items). John Lewis also do free delivery, though I reckon the prices of their goods are a cut above the average. Amazon is pretty good, but some eBay traders won’t post to here. However, you can nearly always find someone who will. The Royal Mail and the local courier companies are truly excellent. It is not uncommon to order something from eBay one day, and have it handed to you by your postie the next. Most islanders make a shopping expedition to Inverness every couple of months. Inverness is brilliant for shopping – it has everything. We even make it a two-day trip sometimes – good excuse for a night in an hotel!

Removals – get a quote from someone local to you. The only Skye firm is MacDougal’s Removals (love the name), so speak to them too, but when we moved here (from Kent), they were not very competitive for a long-haul move.

Vets – not a problem – there’s lots of animals here… certainly more sheep than people! We use Rhona Campbell in Portree, but there is a good vet in Broadford, and another in Bernisdale (few miles out of Portree towards Dunvegan).

Lastly – house prices. I don’t think there is such a thing as an ‘average’ house on Skye, so there cannot be a price for an ‘average’ house. However, I would suggest that a modest-size ready-to-move-in property will now cost in excess of £220,000 – plus another £50,000 for a really good view. After a long period of pretty much nothing happening, some areas of the property market are beginning to see brisk activity, and the better small properties are snapped up very quickly. There are a plethora of businesses for sale all over the island, from garages to shops to hotels, and some of these have been for sale for many months, even years. There are loads of building plots for sale too, if you fancy having a new house built. Watch out for hidden costs though – don’t buy land that hasn’t been de-crofted, and getting water/electricity connected can be very expensive.

Does that cover everything? Almost certainly not. What about jobs? Children? Schools? Entertainment? Social life...?? I'm happy to chat more and answer questions if you care to ask.