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jental7
23-Jan-07, 12:29
Hi i was wondering if someone out there might be kind enough to take some time to answer a few questions we have about moving upto your part of the world.

We are a family of 6. 3 boys 8 7 and 2 and a baby girl.

Mums a teacher and i run a small internet shop.

We currently live near Birmingham, but are looking to escape the rat race.

My first question what is the genrall attitude towards us English up there.

My next question was to do with your weather how extreme is it and can you wear a t shirt in summer?

What about jobs and employment?

Best and worst areas to look for a house?

Nearly forgot do you show match of the day up there at all?

Many thanks for your time we will hopefully be up in the spring to have a proper look round.

Many thanks alex

emszxr
23-Jan-07, 13:01
hi, there is a lot of english in caithness and as far as i know they are very welcomed up to the north.
am not too sure about employment in the area but someone else on here should know.

remember and take lots of carrots and oats for your horse for the journey north of inverness. :lol:

bobsgirl
23-Jan-07, 13:09
I am from Thurso and as far as I have seen, most people do not have a problem with English people. My hubby was from all over England until he was about 9 and his mum decided to move up North.
Wearing a T-Shirt in Summer......of course you can. It aint as bad as what people make out. It aint over hot but nicely hot.
Jobs, not too sure myself on how the job situation up here is, I will be finding that out very shortly though, so hope it aint too bad...lol!!
Obviously being from Thurso, I would be biased and say that Thurso would be best place to look for a house but that would be your choice when you come up and have a look, depends if you are a town or country person?!?!
Match of the Day? Dont watch it myself but I am sure that is on one of my flicking through channels.......lol!!
All in all Caithness is a great place to bring up kids and there are some activities for them to do!
Hope you have a great time when you come up in the Spring for a look around!!
Hope this helps.

dozerboy
23-Jan-07, 13:31
Hi i was wondering if someone out there might be kind enough to take some time to answer a few questions we have about moving upto your part of the world.

We are a family of 6. 3 boys 8 7 and 2 and a baby girl.

Mums a teacher and i run a small internet shop.

We currently live near Birmingham, but are looking to escape the rat race.

My first question what is the genrall attitude towards us English up there.

My next question was to do with your weather how extreme is it and can you wear a t shirt in summer?

What about jobs and employment?

Best and worst areas to look for a house?

Nearly forgot do you show match of the day up there at all?

Many thanks for your time we will hopefully be up in the spring to have a proper look round.

Many thanks alex

I would say that for your internet shop (although it depends on what you sell) transport of goods from the ends of the earth can be more expensive and takes longer. the employment situation is not great, but there are plenty little schools for the teacher to teach in. People can be a bit cleeky (!) and want to know your every move, as far as I can see, the english are nearly the majority in Caithness, so wouldn't worry about that, weather can be warm, rarely hot, and very very windy. quite dry though (on the whole), Not that I am trying to put you off, but to drive to Inverness (the nearest city) takes at least 2 hours 15 minutes (unless you break all the speed limits,) over a very bendy and hilly road with artics thundering up and down to and from Scrabster at goodness knows what speed.

Hope that helps a little..........

jambo
23-Jan-07, 14:53
what is match of the day is it cricket and yes we have running tap water up here as well.

Bill Fernie
23-Jan-07, 14:59
For teaching jobs check the Highland council web site -
http://www.highland.gov.uk/yourcouncil/employment/jobvacancies/

Several people have tried to run computer type shops over the years but they have all ceased trading. There are quite few places to get FREE internet access in Wick and Thurso incluing libraries, college and some tourist accommodation places offer it so competition might make an internet business not viable unless combined with something more profitable. With any business in the Highlands you have to look at the very small population in any given area, town or village.

It is unlikely you will wear T-shirts in Caithness on many days. If you live here along time and the sun shines for a few days you might risk it but most folk from the south find it very cool here in the first few years.
Spring starts very late compared to down south with Caithness being about 6 weeks behind Edinburgh and almost certainly even further behind Birmingham. The air is lot fresher and no car fumes to be breathed in here as the wind blows it rapidly away. As you may have seen from the Wind Farm debates we have lots of wind farm applications and therefor you will rightly conclude that we are one of the windiest parts of the UK.

Daylight is long in June July August but the opposite in November December January when daylight is very short due to our northerly latitude.

As for English you will find a high porportion of people from outwith the county over the past 40 years due mainly to employment at Dounreay, government and local authority jobs where people have moved from all over the UK to take up posts.

All in all Caithness and the Highlands generally is great place to live albeit with perhaps fewer shops, places to go. There is probably a greater community spirit and activites that come out of that than elsewhere and it depends if you are into making your own entertainment and joining in wwith what is on offer.

There are two High schools - one in Wick and one in Thurso with feeder primary schools in both towns and in several villages around the county.

A car is considered essential by most people wh can afford one. Fuel prices are generaly more expensive than in the south although the advent of Tesco in Wick and a proposed ASDA for Thurso (still to be decided at a possible public enquiry) is havin an affect on prices but they are still more expensive than Inverness and south. Wick is 103 miles from Inverness and Thurso slightly further so a trip is quite heavy on petrol if you are on a limited budget. house prices are generally cheaper than in the south although they have move significantly upwards in the past 18 months.

Due to the weather home heating costs can be significantly higher due to the longer colder winter, wind and the lateness of spring and shorter daylight for part of the year. Cost in supermarkets and shops generally are not that much different to eslewhere although there will not be the choice that you would have in alarge town of city and many of the cheaper outlets you find in place like Birmingham do not exist here.

If visiting it might be advisable to think about how different it can be in winter from a nice sunny summers day. There are plenty of photos around the web site that might help - from flooding to snow. Rain is not easy to photographs so although we get plenty there are not too many photos of rainy days but we do get our share.

Any local school will be more than happy to speak to you about what they offer for your family in terms of education and activities. Most areas have nurseries at schools, play groups or mother and toddler grousp for young children.

the main hospital for the area is Caithness General and is located in Wick. there are GP services all over with other medical services availabel although for serious things you might require to go to Raigmore in Inverness by referral. Dentists are in short supply although children willsee the school dental service. but adults can have very long wait and you may need to pay for private treatment and join a monthly payment plan if you cannot access an NHS dentist. Some people are still on the dentists lists from whewre they originate from and combine trips back with visit to their original dentist. this will imporve with a recent new Dental Clinic opening outside Wick but the waiting list is still very long and it might take over a year to see dentist there. Hopefully this is now improving but will still be a problem for long time to come.

Most people like the quality of life and less of the rat race feeling of living in the Highlands

cuddlepop
23-Jan-07, 15:31
I'll ask this question.
What happens when everyone :escapes :the rat race down south and moves to Caithness?:confused
In the twenty years I've lived on Skye its almost unrecognisable as the quaint wee island that has no crime,drugs or vandalism.Its very much alive and kicking:~(
I'm sure its moving further north.

angela5
23-Jan-07, 15:54
what is match of the day is it cricket and yes we have running tap water up here as well.

Football Highlights i gather :eek: Televisions toooooo [lol]

Bill Fernie
23-Jan-07, 16:28
Re Cuddlepop's mention of vandalism folk might be interested in the paper on CCTV to be discussed at the Highland Council Caithness Area Committee meeting on 29 Jan 2006.
See the full paper at http://www.highland.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/3C1139CD-1EE2-4387-A2AF-4BBDDFFB3328/0/cc2907.pdf

A part of it reads -
1.1.5 An analysis of volume crime incidents in Wick was carried out by the Northern Constabulary, 1 January – 1 December 2005 and can be found at Part III in the CCTV Wick dossier*. The key findings show that Pulteneytown (South Wick) accounted for over half of the volume incidents during this period and would benefit most from the provision of public space CCTV.
1.1.6 In a recent analysis by Northern Constabulary of incidents of vandalism logged in the period January to June 2006, Wick sits in pole position with 125 incidents out of 212 in the Caithness & Sutherland Command Area.**
1.1.7 In the same period the overall cost of damage caused within the Command Area was £38,000 (where a monetary value could be applied). Of the overall 212 incidents referred, £38,000 accounts for only 133 incidents, which means that the monetary value could be much greater. As Wick has the highest crime rate for vandalism in that period, the majority of this cost would be attributed to the Wick area.
1.1.8 It is interesting to draw comparisons with crime statistics in Thurso for the period January to June 2006. Wick has 125 vandalism incidents out of 212 in the Caithness & Sutherland Command Area compared to Thurso with 40 out of 212.** Thurso has a CCTV system in place which has had a fundamental effect on the reduction of vandalism in Thurso. Wick would see the same benefits with the extension of CCTV. Letters of support have been received from a range of local businesses, community groups and schools.
1.1.9 Pulteneytown is identified as an area of multiple deprivation. Based on SIMD it is in the top 15 per cent most deprived areas of Scotland. It is in the higher crime rates statistics. It ranks the 87th worse area for crime in Scotland (out of 6000+ areas). Pulteneytown is part of an existing regeneration/renewal project. Wick Hillhead North data-zone is also in the top 15 – 20 per cent most deprived local areas in Scotland.

riggerboy
23-Jan-07, 17:49
get a hoose in pulteney it really isnt that bad, i have lived here all my life and would NOT move to the tea in a bowl side or even the wick side for anything

Cedric Farthsbottom III
23-Jan-07, 18:34
Hi i was wondering if someone out there might be kind enough to take some time to answer a few questions we have about moving upto your part of the world.

We are a family of 6. 3 boys 8 7 and 2 and a baby girl.

Mums a teacher and i run a small internet shop.

We currently live near Birmingham, but are looking to escape the rat race.

My first question what is the genrall attitude towards us English up there.

My next question was to do with your weather how extreme is it and can you wear a t shirt in summer?

What about jobs and employment?

Best and worst areas to look for a house?

Nearly forgot do you show match of the day up there at all?

Many thanks for your time we will hopefully be up in the spring to have a proper look round.

Many thanks alex

Ye'll always be welcomed in Caithness,I love the place since I moved up from Ayrshire.As I always say though disappointed to find out that the Beatles werenae at No 1 and that post vans bring up the post and no coach and horses.Ye can wear a T-shirt between April and September then it gets a bit draughty for the cockles.
The English,not a problem.Match O' The Day,every Saturday night as usual as long as the satellite isnae over an electric pylon,reception can be fuzzy.

Try a bit o' research on the jobs front though,there are jobs but whether their yer forte I don't know.:D

sweetpea
23-Jan-07, 18:40
you should check iout the jobs front. It's estimated that around 75% of jobs in the area are filled by word of mouth so not always advertised.

rockchick
23-Jan-07, 18:59
My understanding regarding teaching jobs is that, even if a permanent post isn't available right away, the Highland Council is screaming for supply staff, which would be a good way to get your foot in the door.

BTW, the school year begins in mid August, not September, so your kids will have only two weeks for summer hols if you move then.

Good luck!

baggie boy
23-Jan-07, 20:12
im oringinally from birmingham and can honestly say that i have no regrets about moving north. the people are very friendly and the attitude towards to auld enemy is very welcoming. i first came to thurso in 1997 as a contractor at rolls-royce but in 2000 decided to move after meeting the other alf. the way of life is not so panicky but there is not as much stress in life, and also not as much traffic. i can honestly say that if i hadnt moved i would not be the person i am today. hopes this helps a little.

Woolie
23-Jan-07, 21:59
We moved up from Kent nearly six yrs ago and can honesly say i love it up here as for jobs well put it this way I am working hubbys working and our two eldest r working as r there other halves hope this helps u a wee bit.

Oddquine
23-Jan-07, 22:03
Everywhere is what you make it.

If you come up here with the intentions of making a new life for yourselves and your family by trying to fit in with the local community, you'll have no problems.

If you come up here and try to change the local community to your idea of what is acceptable to you....you are in for a rough ride.

Imo, it's all down to attitude...............you don't go the "I don't understand the dialect" route, and require interpretation every time someone non-English speaks to you..............you don't go the "I have done this or that" route and the "you know nothing......you haven't been anywhere" route.....so "I know better than you".

Put simply......you don't condescend to the people who have lived here all their lives................andwho DO know what is acceptable and what is allowed by planners etc.

You should always bear in mind that Caithness may well be the back of beyond to you.................but there are planning and building rules and regulations up here which have to be followed as they have in any other area of the UK.

And you don't practise NIMBYism if that goes against the majority area opinion.

I am not saying the above from my experiences in Caithness, btw...I've not had any of those problems to date.............but I am speaking from my experiences in my old home area of Morayshire.......where the above created animosity between the incomers, regardless of origin, and the locals.

jental7
24-Jan-07, 00:41
Thanks for all your replies

given us plenty to think about

Kind regards
Alex and family

Torvaig
24-Jan-07, 00:41
"Everywhere is what you make it." Good advice from Oddquine and reminds me of a wee story.

The latest newcomer to the area went out a walk on his first morning and came across an elderly neighbour working in his garden.

"Good morning to you. I'm new here and I'm wondering what the people around here are like" he said politely.

The mannie looks up and says, "How did you get on with your neighbours in the last place you lived?"

"Oh very good; It was a very friendly neighbourhood" was the reply.

"You'll find the same here" said the local who asked him in for a cup of tea and to meet his wife.

The next day, as the mannie was out working in his garden again, another newcomer came along and asked "Hey you there, what are the people like in this neighbourhood?"

Again the mannie looked up and said, "How did you get on with your neighbours in the last place you lived?"

"Oh they were a sad old crew; we were glad to leave."

"You'll find the same here" was the local's reply.

blondscot
24-Jan-07, 00:50
cuddlepop is right in that everyone seems to want to move here to get away from the ratrace!! before long it will be just like that up here and folk will be moving away to get away from it all!! there are high levels of unemployment in the area and things look even bleaker with the dounreay situation!!

emb123
24-Jan-07, 01:08
There is a danger of townies moving into a village thinking town and gradually making it into one. That would be such a shame, is disrespectful and does rather defeat the object of moving.

I'm also looking to move up as much as anything to escape the ratrace - welcome jental7 btw, I kept quiet earlier as I was interested to see what replies you got, best of luck with your plans :)

I'm however looking to blend in, in the remotest corner. (Well kind of). One of the main things to do when escaping the rat race is not just to escape the place, but to escape the mentality.

I'd rather stay quiet and learn how to be quieter than
try to change everything around me to be as it used to be. Not just a change of scene, but a change of the air I breathe and a change of life.

Geo
24-Jan-07, 01:17
It is unlikely you will wear T-shirts in Caithness on many days. If you live here along time and the sun shines for a few days you might risk it but most folk from the south find it very cool here in the first few years.

I'm from the south (N.Ireland) originally and I'm wearing a t-shirt these days never mind the summer. That's probably just me though! :)

Bill Fernie
24-Jan-07, 01:28
cuddlepop is right in that everyone seems to want to move here to get away from the ratrace!! before long it will be just like that up here and folk will be moving away to get away from it all!! there are high levels of unemployment in the area and things look even bleaker with the dounreay situation!!

Can I just correct this statement on high levels of unemployment. That is not the case apart from Wick that has for many years had higher levels than other parts of Highland.

If you look at the figures for September on the HIE web site
http://www.hie.co.uk/HIE%20Economic%20Reports%202006/Unemployment%20Report%20-%20November%202006.pdf
You will see that Wick was at the same level as a year earleir whilst Thurso had a small drop.

Whilst there might be perception due to the constant high profile of the Dounreay decommissioning that unemployment is going to rise the fact is that has not happened yet. There is certainly cause for concern until we see what might be put in place to try to offset the affects over the next few years.

UKAEA has issued projections that show how the number of people employed will fall by 500 over the next 5 years. See http://www.caithness-business.co.uk/article.php?id=364

However a number of agencies are looking closely at the problem including CASE, HIE, Highland Council and the NDA. Politicians at national, Scottish and local are engagerd in trying to find a solution or a number of ways to change direction for the Caithness and Sutherland economy.

The Caithness Partnership http://www.caithness.org/caithnesspartnership/index.htm operates at local level and the socio economic strategy group http://www.caithness.org/socioeconomicstrategygroup/index.htm chaired by John thurso MP recently published its vision http://www.hie.co.uk/CASE/Executive-Summary-PDF-download.pdf

If you doubt that things are happening just look at the multiplicity of things happening in Wick and across the county. Many people are aiming at the far north due to the attempts at involement by many people from officials in organisations tasked to do this as well as politicians of every level and of all parties and independents. th eone thing we are all looking for are solutions and ensuring that in other parts of the country people are hearing about the problems and drawing attention to the huge potential of the far north to do new things.

i would also draw attention to the huge number of houses that have passed through the planning process in the last 12 months. Very large numbers for thurso but also in Wick and many of the smaller villages. Developers are showing confidence that things will keep happening in Caithness and there is much more to come in the way of developments that will I am sure help to deal with the problems of employment formany people in our community.

Change is never easy but we must deal with it confidently. I for one am positive the north ahs a good future. and what happens if some new jobs come in before the oens at Dounreay cease. We might have the opposite of run down - mini boom time. How many of you thought 18 months ago that Wick woudl now be so busy with activity and much more to come as for example Wick Harbour Authority begines to throw off the mantle of gloom from the past 20 years starting with athe first stage of new marina with a pontoon being built for the harbour and hopefully to be in place for the huge flotilla of boats coming later this year. When did you last see flotilla of anything in Wick Harbour?

So turn the glass over and be more optimistic.

Caithness is great place to live. We will try and keep it that way and better.

sweetpea
24-Jan-07, 01:37
Can I just correct this statement on high levels of unemployment. That is not the case apart from Wick that has for many years had higher levels than other parts of Highland.



However a number of agencies are looking closely at the problem including CASE, HIE, Highland Council and the NDA. Politicians at national, Scottish and local are engagerd in trying to find a solution or a number of ways to change direction for the Caithness and Sutherland economy.



Change is never easy but we must deal with it confidently.
So turn the glass over and be more optimistic.

Caithness is great place to live. We will try and keep it that way and better.
Whilst I agree with some of the things you've said I work for for one the agencies you mention but I'm not feeling the effects of change. True there are jobs for those who can hold them down and meet the criteria but we are still failling the young people here, what does the future hold for them, including the vandals and wastes of space that many on here seem to know?
I know for a fact that they have something to offer but they are not gettingthe chance to prove it. and as for change look at the agencies you mention an tell me are they coping with change effectively?

Bill Fernie
24-Jan-07, 01:58
In my last post I was trying to counter the comments about unemployment so that someone thinking about coming north did not think the area was in complete decline but we would now seem to be heading too far off the topic into another one completely.

There are jobs for people with the qualifications to take them. But I agree with the thrust of your comments that we always need to keep trying harder for young unemployed people who lack these qualifications. Undoubtedly young people who go off to further education and gain qualifications in a range of areas but which are not required here are unlikely to return and the brain drain from Caithness that has gone on for 150 years will continue. Unfortunately one of our best exports is still our young people but so far no one has been able to come up with solution either for Caithness or any other rural area. Still many do want to come back and some do find opportunities to do so.

On the vandals and waste of spacers you may have seen my post earlier and the fact that thurso vandalism is much lower than Wick due in no small part to the CCTV in place over the town. The next much larger expansion of CCTV in Wick will perhaps bring this much more under control. It is pity that such measures are necessary and unfortunately reflect what is going on over the whole of the country rather than any reflection on Caithness. It is still a fact that generally speaking Caithness and Sutherland has much lower crime rate than towns and cities in the south.

Continual efforts are going on to improve the eucation resources in the county especially in the High schools but this takes time. Improvements in facilties such as the new all weather pitch might make for better sports activities and improve the period whilst people are at school. Much is being done to improve facilties for young children and try to make it possible for more people to work and so improve their circumstances. It may well be that for some people more coercion will be required and a combination of carrot and stick might prove to be necessary although to some extent with changes to the benefits system this is beginning to happen.

I still think we can improve things and its still a good place to live.

blondscot
24-Jan-07, 22:34
caithness is a great place to live and although there has been an employment boom in wick with alll the new shops etc and this has also helped folk in other places find work to! But the more people that move up here to escape the rat race! the busier caithness becomes and loses out on the way of life that we have here. More people means that more apply for the jobs that are available and the stores can only employ a certain number. Many of our young people move away to find work as they cannot find it here which is a shame. there must be quiet areas in england that have escaped the rat race that offers better employment opportunities or is all of england crowded!!!