PowerSwitch

Hello all,

Long time no see, I know, I'm rubbish! But my lovely fiance and I have been offered the chance to move to Stromness in Orkney, he has been offered a cracking job (environmental consultancy - marine renewables essentially and a whopping 30% pay rise for him), a great relocation package and we're looking to move there in the spring. We plan to buy a wreck with planning permission (which are fairly common up there and prices are very good considering the hyperinflation seen in housing in the rest of the UK). We're moving from Fife. Ok guys, put your thinking caps on - what are your sage views on Orkney's likely future in a world of declining fossil fuel availability? To my mind it has a lot going for it, but I'm not sure if it's just a case of wish fulfilment on my part.

I'm trying to think of pros and cons - here's how far I got.

Pros
Low population
Far from major population centres
Rugged and self reliant community
Cheap land availability
Able to build 'peak proof' home rather than continue in rented (with little possibility to 'peak proof')
Vast renewable energy resource
Good fishing resources
Strong and viable economy of local food (and whisky!) production
Major oil and gas transport hub (is this an advantage?)
Considerable net energy surplus - exports electricity to the mainland
Better quality of life
Escape from much of the consumerist hell that is the mainland and the southeast of England in particular (apologies)
Great foraging opportunities
Absolutely sodding beautiful!!!!!

Cons
We'll be outsiders
Leaving family behind
We'd be down to one firm income (but not losing much in real terms) although I've got some good options for freelancing and we were planning on starting a family next summer anyway
Isolated
At the end of a very long supply chain for most items
Very dark winters
Short growing season
Very few trees (so not much in the way of woodfuel)
Harsh weather

Any more I'm missing? I think we have made up our minds to go for it but would really appreciate any input on the situation.

Ta mucho

Cat

Orkney is great for Sea Kayaking, when it's not too windy

How possible is it to grow grasses for biofuel (e.g. elephant grass)?

This is the sort of thing that gets reported in the papers:

First, if t'other 1/2 is going to be working, and you're buying and doing-up a wreck, then the search for employment isn't really an issue! Depends on his job security, of course.

Second, about being outsiders: are you "insiders" where you are now? Is anybody??

Third: if land is cheap, is anything stopping you planting your own trees?

Do you know anybody there, even tenuously? How do the people who live there get through the winter? Are you (or other 1/2) mediterranean types, and if so what are you going to do for VitD (sounds like a mick-take but it's a real issue: ricketts is a serious problem in Glasgow, which will be the deep south compared with where you are).

Finally, will your kids, should you decide to have any, hanker for the bright lights? My folks moved to a village when I was 8, and I spent the next 5 years missing the city, and the 5 after that working my derriere orf at school to guarantee my escape...effected at age 18.

Any way it all sounds like quite an adventure! Best of luck with it all...

RenewableCandy wrote:Third: if land is cheap, is anything stopping you planting your own trees?

The wind, I would guess

Or at least, having seen some of those programmes where the chap and his dog lived out in the Isles, it did seem rather barren on the tree / bush front,


Peter.

Yes I think you'd have to choose your trees with care, but I bet there are some toughies out there.

How long is the supply chain, how much do you depend on it, and what would you do if it broke?

How secure is the job?

How quickly/easily can you integrate? Starting a family is a great way to get to know people, but you'll need to make other efforts i.e. ask neighbours for advice on this and that, share your home-made jam, volunteer to pour tea at the dance, go shooting with the local copper, etc. etc.

It sounds good. If TSHTF, it's probably not a bad place to be.

RenewableCandy wrote:Yes I think you'd have to choose your trees with care, but I bet there are some toughies out there.

Yes, you have to plant hardy trees to protect others less hardy. It can be done (isolated efforts in the west coast of Ireland prove it) but it's not particularly easy.

Didn't we have a PeeEsser living on the Orkneys? (Maybe misremembering though).

Good luck, Miss Madam. Maybe you should change that to Miss Madman!

featherstick wrote: go shooting with the local copper, etc. etc.

The Police are armed? Is that just for the purposes of stray rabbit control?

Maybe watching a few episodes of Father Ted will offer some insights on living within an insular (tree-less) island community?

This discussion has a few useful suggestions for someone living on a croft in the Outer Hebrides
http://www.permacultureforum.org.uk/for ... ?f=8&t=970

How secure will his job be? What will he/you do if he loses it for any reason?

Orkney is cold, wet and windy nearly all the time. Do you think you can stand that kind of weather? Rarely any real heat.

Will you be able to cope with the kind of existance that Orkney can offer?

How expensive is it to bring in building materials to Orkney for doing up a tumbled down house/cottage? Maybe there are local supplies for everything you will need?

Integration will be important - are you and fiancee the types who would be good at it?

If the answers to the above are affirmative, then sounds like a great place to plan your future. Good Luck with your decision.

snow hope wrote:Orkney is cold, wet and windy nearly all the time. Do you think you can stand that kind of weather? Rarely any real heat.

Didn't Cat used to regale us with tales of life in rented Oxford houses that sounded just like that!

Well imagine life there without cars or oil powered boats where your just living off whats locally produced .
Also imagine all the big corporations are dead, government is local, trade uses gold coins or barter .
Want to paint your row boat you use pine pitch, and you spend all your day out looking after sheep or caring for oats or potatoes .

Stock up on Wellington boots and care for them well

Orkney is lovely, the people are very friendly and it is quite mixed community. Mostly on the Islands those that choose to make an effort integrate well, if you try to set yourself apart life can be hell. The climate is different and should be taken into consideration but it is not really any wetter than the west coast of England and a little drier (I think) than parts of the west coast of Scotland. It can get windy but not quite up to the levels of Shetland so you will have a chance with trees on the right plot.

The hardest problem will be the winter days, too short for most and you have to get used to living in the dark. On the plus side summer days are longer but it's hard to remember them in the middle of winter in a gale.

Practically housing may be an issues, its some years since I last visited but prices had been driven up by people buying holiday homes. Hopefully some of these will start coming back onto the market at some time and things may improve. A lot of the housing is horrible bungalows typical also of parts of Island.

I'm biased I grew up in Shetland and consider rackwick bay to be one of the most beautiful places in the UK.

Visit speak to the people - sometime now you will get a feel for the long nights.

jonny2mad wrote:Well imagine life there without cars or oil powered boats where your just living off whats locally produced .
Also imagine all the big corporations are dead, government is local, trade uses gold coins or barter .
Want to paint your row boat you use pine pitch, and you spend all your day out looking after sheep or caring for oats or potatoes .

People did it for thousands of years. Fewer, very tough people, that is.

Your best bet is to rent there for a few months, see if you like it, if you hate the place, than move on.