Is It Hard To Live Somewhere So Remote...?

I am sure every reader is well aware that the Isle of Skye is a thinly populated island just west of  the even more thinly populated Scottish Highlands. We are a long way from everywhere. The nearest 'proper' town is Inverness (80 miles from the Skye Bridge), while Glasgow is 180 miles distant, and London nearly 600 miles.

I know I had a moan in my last post here about occasional difficulties obtaining fuel - but that is a pretty rare occurrence. Generally - we do not suffer any lack of public services - not that I am aware of, anyway. Our shops - even the local village shop - are stocked with fresh bread, fruit and vegetables. Our postie and courier guys make daily deliveries, and cheerfully bring us the kind of items that it is not so easy to buy locally. Our bins are emptied regularly.

We see on the TV news that people in many parts of the much more densely populated south have to book days or even weeks in advance to see a dentist or doctor. The police are rushed off their feet and won't turn out to 'minor' issues. And as for the queues we hear about at Accident and Emergency in hospitals....Argh!!

It's not like that here. A doctor or dentist can usually be seen the day you phone for an appointment. Our police do not have much crime to deal with here, and are available to help whenever needed.

As for A&E - we have some recent personal experience...

While walking one morning, Sue was caught out by a patch of ice, and unfortunately fell heavily. The immediate pain in her arm was a pretty clear indicator that she had broken it. I phoned the local medical centre for their advice, and a doctor (yes, a real doctor) recommended I took Sue to A&E in Broadford. OK - Broadford is a 36 mile drive from here at Roskhill. You may have an A&E closer to you if you live in the south, but once there, I don't believe you would get faster or better service. Sue was seen by a doctor within 15 minutes of our arrival. She was then sent for an x-ray, which took place about 10 minutes later. We subsequently had about a 40 minute wait before Sue was called-in to see the doctor again, a cracked humerus confirmed, her arm was strapped into a sling, and we were sent on our way, just over an hour from our arrival.

Yesterday, we had to return to the hospital fracture clinic for a progress check. Sue was seen by a doctor at the precise time of her appointment, had a further x-ray, and saw the doctor again for an 'all going well' report, all within the space of 15 minutes.

So, you'll never find us saying that we wished we could return to live in the traffic-jammed, polluted rush of the south. For everyday living - far from it being difficult to live somewhere remote - there are if fact, significant advantages...!!!