Myself, my husband Peter, and our two children Ewan and Winnie made the decision to relocate from England to Mid Argyll in 2017.
Originally we were looking for a change of lifestyle, a better work-life balance and a desire to be more self-sufficient. Peter stumbled across a piece of land for sale on Kilmichael Glen, and as it was somewhere I had previously spent many a family holiday, it felt like fate.
We set about finding a local builder and designing our home. We choose Macleods Construction. They rented us a property when we first arrived in Scotland. We came up several times, to meet, to visit local schools, and to find work.
I am a nurse and was working as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Liverpool. I wrote to the local GPs asking if they had any positions available and was given a full-time position. Peter found work in the local schools as both a Janitor and Catering Assistant.
The only thing that didn’t really go to plan was the building of the house. We moved onto our land in 2018 and lived in a caravan on-site. We had several delays, the pandemic, Brexit, a rise in prices, the list is endless. However, in June 2023, we moved into our home. We are extremely happy with the end result, Macleods have been fantastic builders and we can’t thank them enough.
We would not change where we live, we both have jobs we love, and the children have a great school and friends close by. They enjoy an active outdoor childhood and have been able to remain children for much longer. Life is much less stressful than previously when working in the city. Nothing beats the fresh air and countryside and despite being in a very rural location, we have a small community around us on the glen and have a much larger community in Lochgilphead.
We have developed good friendships and new hobbies since arriving. We spend most weekends in the summer exploring the coastline or having adventures in the nearby lochs. We love to climb hills and go for long walks.
The scenery is stunning, there are outdoor activities in abundance, no rush hour traffic, and everyone is very friendly and open. If you enjoy the great outdoors, want a more laid-back approach to life, want your children to grow up without the pressures to grow up too quickly, and with nature playing a huge part in their life then Argyll and Bute is the best. Come and visit, and enjoy a few days exploring the area. It is most definitely worth it!
