Scottish Countryside Work?

[Dan Salter]

Calling all WAB Scots?

Bit of an odd post this one for me but bare with me?

Without giving too much away (as none of this may happen)..but

Im half way through my Countryside Management Degree, and ...well...lets just say there is a slim possibility that on completion i may be moving to Scotland with a nice Scottish girl.....possibly ha ha..

But...see....the problem is...the nice Scottish girl currently lives on Loch Fyne in the isle of Bute in west highlands....wildlife and countryside heaven !...deer in her garden, Red Squirrels, seals, whales....etc etc.

But....Nice Scottish girl has been offered a job in Edingburgh???/...so may be relocating.

Now?...im obviously a Kentish southern boy and i dont know Edingburgh...but i know its a city! ( which normally means concrete and not much green stuff) am i going to be able to find countryside work anywhere in that area?

and secondly....ill be honest....im a little bit worried about the whole "Being a southern English guy in a Scottish world?"...i have been researching English living in Scotland and all i have uncovered are horror story after horror story? attacks, abuse, fights, bullying, fear, and general racismish type stuff?...is this the case as im definately not one for confrontation or violence?...

I dont like football or support any english teams if that helps at all?


Dan (Worried in Kent)

[naturelover]

hi dan you got a bit of a problem there havnt you,i know what you mean by,attacks,fights,racisum,and of course concrete,why do you think i moved from chelmsford and went to the fenns,chelmsford was getting too much like london,mad,i dont think anyone can help you only yourself,you will have to make that desision i am afraid sorry,good luck with what ever you deside to do.

[galanthus]

Well, first things first.... why on earth would she want to move from that Madness

Secondly; my partner is very much english and lives with me in South Wales. No-one could have as much, MISPLACED, i ADD, stored resentment against the english as the welsh and he loves it here. No nasty stuff at all, (tho he is 6 foot 3 so that may be a deterrent). YOu'll always read horror stories re racism but most of these are outnumbered in reality by normal, violence-free mingling. His daughter studies in Edinb and loves it there, very friendly by all accounts.

Can't offer much on the topography of the place.

How tall are you ?

[Dan Salter]

Oh god im only 5'7 =( but i do a good mean face and i have hair like grant mitchell?

[galanthus]

:d :d :d

[galanthus]

ooh smileys arn't working, anyway they were big grins lol

[Perry Grin]

I've had a few weekends in Edinburgh, visiting my bro when he worked there. From what I remember, everyone was incredibly freindly, even the bouncers, though most of the people I met were from Newcastle!

The only time my brother felt uncomfortable was when he went to the pub to watch England rugby games (even he wasn't stupid enough to watch the footie in the pub) and even then it was only verbal and the over enthusiastic cheering/jeering for whoever was playing the English.

The City is surrounded by hills and countryside, so there's no shortage of open space, dunno what scope there is for conservation work though.

[Dan Salter]

Ahhh of all the people to give me advice i didnt expect it to be my birding buddy from darn sarf !! ha ha

Thats cool though, i can pick your brains and find out more about your bro.

I hate footy and rugby so not a prob! but i might cheer for lewis hamilton over david coulthard? lol

[Perry Grin]

Originally Posted by Dan Salter

Thats cool though, i can pick your brains and find out more about your bro.

No probs. Thats 54 now!

[tigger]

Hi. You'll be fine. Follow your heart!

Lets face it, if your girl's going to Edinburgh you gotta follow!

Jane

[Billy Wobble Dagger]

Originally Posted by Dan Salter

Calling all WAB Scots?

But....Nice Scottish girl has been offered a job in Edingburgh???/...so may be relocating.

Dan (Worried in Kent)

Firstly you might want to check the spelling of Edinburgh?
Edinburgh is a lovely city, on the coast and plenty of green spaces. If your willing to travel a few miles the country side around the city is stunning.
I'm a Yorkshire lad but I've lived in Scotland on and off for nearly ten years, I've never had any problems with the locals, you'll be fine.

BWD

[Dan Salter]

See i told you i dont know anything about Edin(g)burgh! infact to be honest i always thought it was Edingborough! ha ha

But thats comforting to hear from an english guy who lives there! mind you...your accent is not as "southern" as mine

[Gill Catton]

I think wherever you live there are people who are bothered if you're 'southern' or 'northern' and there are people who don't give a monkeys its how you react to the various sorts of people that counts, most will only take the mickey and will actually wait to get to know you before judging.

I went to uni in Derby and have a slightly posh southern accent there were a few people who isntantly judged me as a snob and dismissed me but they were very much in the minority I made so many good friends there might have been some mickey taking but its usually all in good spirit and I think that's probably the case wherever you move to be it Redruth or Montrose.

Edinburgh is pretty cosmopolitan too so theres all sorts of people there. I think, don't worry about it- if you find yourself walking into a pub which assumes a rather hostile mantle the minute you open your mouth simply don't go into that pub! - Even in the town where I live there are pubs I'd rather not visit!

There are idiots in all walks of life but also plenty of good kind people I think

[Dan Salter]

Wise words people...thanks...and thanks Gill

Although im a total snob at heart and have expensive taste i certainly couldnt sound posh if i tried so they cant hate me for that one

[kml]

I had a friend who like you followed his heart and moved to Inverness, he didn`t encounter any problems and found work and life very easy there.He was from Hampshire and is still there 15 years on.My partner has been taken to Edinburgh and Glasgow with his work and also for holidays,he has never had any problems with Edinburgh even in the pubs but Glasgow the locals were very anti english.

[Dan Salter]

Originally Posted by kml

I had a friend who like you followed his heart and moved to Inverness, he didn`t encounter any problems and found work and life very easy there.He was from Hampshire and is still there 15 years on.My partner has been taken to Edinburgh and Glasgow with his work and also for holidays,he has never had any problems with Edinburgh even in the pubs but Glasgow the locals were very anti english.

Thanks kml...hmmm?...currently she lives very near glasgow on the islands....maybe the fact shes moving to edingburgh is a better thing then?...what is wrong with people though...its 2008, does it really matter where you come from or what you sound like?
Would it make it any better for me in the long run if i was dating/ married to/ or had kids with one of their own? or is that going to cause me even more problems? ...maybe ill just invent a scots accent and be done with it?

[moo]

I live in the lake district and am a distance learner at a uni in edinburgh so I go up from time to time and I think it's great! Admittedly the whole "civilisation" bit is a bit scary coming from the back of beyond, but it's such a friendly place and surrounded by such great countryside - I think it would be an excellent place to live. None of my lecturers is scottish, and virtually all the postgrads in the department seem to be from overseas and I've not heard any of them say anything too negative. I've also been looking for jobs and there's a lot more going on up there than there is round here - go for it!

[big bill]

Hello Dan move to Edinburgh and follow your heart I was born just outside Edinburgh and lived there my whole life except for 18years whilst in the Army,its like all places you get your yob culture but its few and far between.My other half is English and she loves it here she has stayed in Scotland more than she has in England and belive it she detests going to our son who stays in Southampton and she thinks teh English are arrogant and stuck up (HER WORDS NOT MINE) myself personaaly I dont care .
Scotlandf is a great place as is EDinburgh plenty of open countryside artound and you are only 1-2 hours drive from the wide open spaces of the HIGHLANDS gods country beautiful up here we are a alot friendlier than those south of Perth

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by Gill Catton

- Even in the town where I live there are pubs I'd rather not visit!

i think thats true everywhere even kent - I can think of several boozers in chatham for example which are best avoided unless you are big, ugly, and team handed.

move to edinburgh dan if thats where the young lady is - the scots are on the whole nice folk , just try not to rub them up the wrong way - though like we said that goes anywhere at least if you are moving to be with a young lady you wont be getting on the wrong side of them by chatting up their wimmin

[zan]

I actually get quite annoyed when people assume we're all a bunch of english-hating b**tards up here... You'll be fine, Edinburgh is half English anyway. And if you've got a local girl with you, she'll look after you!

[Dan Salter]

Originally Posted by zan

I actually get quite annoyed when people assume we're all a bunch of english-hating b**tards up here... You'll be fine, Edinburgh is half English anyway. And if you've got a local girl with you, she'll look after you!

Sorry Zan and yeah i can understand that....but all im going from is my research into moving up there and so far ,sadly its all been a bit scary sounding...im sure your not all rab c nesbits but down south he is all we know...and billy connolly...but i like him

i dont like this whole sassenach thing either?

[zan]

haha! Nah, it's cool no worries. You're not the first person I've met who's assumed we're all violent and horrible, so I'm probably too sensitive! One guy I met was from Manchester, but refused to come to Glasgow because it was too dangerous

Still, fomr what I've heard from other southerners who've come up here, there's a bit of a culture difference. You'll probably find a lot of drunk folk will chat to you, or yell at you across the street. It's all harmless, but can be fairly intimidating I guess if you're not used to it But if you've got a girlfriend from loch Fyne way, I daresay she'll be used to the drunk-pub-chat and will keep you right!

[Heart-shaped World]

Don't worry about it Dan. I spent four years in Aberdeen and had far fewer problems than I have a work (rural vs townie scenario, for want of a better description), which is pretty good going seeing as I was drunk most of the time.
As ever, gentle self-deprecating humour defuses most things, although I did pronounce Oban in a de-constructed phonetic way once ...

[kml]

Please accept my opologies if I have offended anyone, this was not my intention I was only passing on experiences.Reading back at what I have written I wasn`t very clear and made it sound as though all glasweigens (Speel check)are like this and I`m sure it`s not the case.Sorry everyone.

[wildmanofthewoods]

dump her & stay where you are, it sounds gorgeous....................... only joking. i lived in scotland for two years & never had a problem. mind you i am scottish...... sorry joke again , can't help it. best time of my life. saw lots of great wildlife wish i was back there... personaly i don't think its about the area but the individuals them selves, keep your nose clean & you should be ok..