Moving to Scotland. Tips?

[xqst]

Hey guys, newcomer here, im 23yo, im from Portugal and i've always had a dream to work/live abroad (UK pref) and therefore decided to go to Scotland not only because its a beautiful country , but also because i have always been attracted to it.

The thing is , i've never even gotten out of Portugal (not even to visit anything) and therefore im a bit "scared" on what should i do first and most of all where to go, im going to visit it in January for a few days and get to know the country a bit before actually moving in as i'm going without any job offer or friends there.

So i was hoping you guys could give me a few tips on what to do/expect , and mainly what city to go to and which specific area (preferred a budget and friendly location, a bit away from the center of any city with good means of transportation , a good employment % and friendly people)


Thanks
Best Regards!

[xqst]

I've worked in about everything to be honest. Currently working as an hotel night auditor. But worked as an IT tech , sales , customer support for apple , cashier... etc

Edited by xqst on Monday 6th November 04:50

[xqst]

Hey guys, I want to thank you all for your answers really appreciate all the bit of help I can get on this, plus I already have a couple of goretex here so cold weather and rain shouldn't be that much of a problem... In January i actually booked to Edinburgh so I'll be starting there and explore the rest... In terms on actually living, you guys recommend Glasgow or Edinburgh(or others) for a guy in my situation?

Thank you!

[xqst]

R8Steve said:

What kind of things interest you?

Hey! I'm interested in a "light" night life, like a couple of bars to chill and have a drink (specially if they are jazzy), love soccer, beautiful landscapes and most of all somewhere not to close to a city center but with a couple of places to do some grocery shopping/clothing...

[xqst]

bigwheel said:

For beautiful landscapes, the West is Best. Half hour from Glasgow.

Hey there. In what area specifically?

[xqst]

bigwheel said:

Yeah, the lot!
Anyhoo, to get started, look left when going over the Erskine Bridge, ignoring the Anti-Suicide Barrier.
Dumbarton Castle Rock.
Balloch (centre of my universe).
Loch Lomond-side A82.
Crianlarich. (we're on a mini hoon)
The Green Welly (jfgi!)
Rannoch Moor.
The mighty Glencoe.
Ballachulish Bridge.
Fort William, where you can often see the whole of Ben Nevis from the town. Where the stream train featured in Harry Potter sets off every day (Summer Season) for Mallaig.
And that's just a short taster. Loads and loads more to enjoy.

Wow now that's one hell of a list, thanks m8! I'll be sure to try to visit all of those!

Ok so... Got the tour for when I go there in January (it will be only 4 days tho). Now regarding actually living in Scotland, any tips on cities and areas according to my preferences that I stated above?

Thank you!

Best regards!

[xqst]

I guess I'm gonna try Glasgow since it's something "cheap" and with reasonable night life as u said... Any specific area you would recommend according what my preferences?

Thanks

Best regards

[xqst]

I'll be going there in January, I'll be sure to pay a visit to Patrick (as the other ones you mentioned I don't really know). Some people gave me a few recommendations of the following locations, (the ones with the " * " are the preferred ones) any opinion of 'em?

Glasgow:

Eaglesham
Bearsden
Newton Mearns *
Shawlands *
East Dunbartonshire *

[xqst]

Ok then so according to that I should consider Shawlands and Partick for a young couple (like me and my girlfriend) since it's a nice place on a budget?

Edited by xqst on Wednesday 8th November 18:14

[xqst]

Phunk said:

xqst said:

Ok then so according to that I should consider Shawlands and Partick for a young couple (like me and my girlfriend) since it's a nice place on a budget?

Edited by xqst on Wednesday 8th November 18:14

Yes.

One thing to note if you are going to have a car here is that it will get bumped in Shawlands, the parking around the streets is pretty tight!

Within 4 months my car had a scrape on every corner from careless parking of residents.

Partick is pretty busy too and they are going to bring in metered parking in shortly.

You'll probably find Shawlands is a little cheaper and Partick a little bit more expensive but with much better transport links, bars and restaurants (Not that Shawlands is bad!)

Nice, I guess I'll hop on to both and have a look at them. I currently live in a very busy and loud city in Portugal so I was looking for something a bit cheaper and quieter.
Thanks!

[xqst]

Thanks!

Best regards!