The Denslows

Next Stop Scotland, Mind the Gap

Name: Pippa, Richard and Isobel Denslow Age: Between 7 months and 35 years! Born: London and Edinburgh Lived in Scotland: 6 years

Six years ago Pippa and Richard Denslow were both working 80 hours a week in the City of London.

“For most of that time, we loved the buzz of London, but eventually we just got fed up,” Pippa explains.

“I can remember being crammed on the tube one morning, gazing longingly at this advert for holidays in the Scottish Highlands. It looked so empty and tranquil. The opposite of where I was!”

Medicine

When Pippa finally decided to chuck in her city job to study medicine, moving to Scotland became a real possibility.

“It sounds a bit sad, but we basically put together a spreadsheet of all the places we could move to. Our criteria were things like the quality of the courses, cost of living, whether we knew people, how easy it would be for Richard to get work, that kind of thing.”

Edinburgh came out on top and they’ve never looked back.

Commute

“Richard’s work has turned out to be a great success. His skills as an IT consultant are highly valued up here and there’s plenty of work. At the moment he commutes across to Glasgow four days out of five and spends one day a week in Edinburgh.”

After six years, and the arrival of a new member of the family, the Denslows have no plans to move.

First baby

“We got married up here and now our first baby has been born here. Plus Edinburgh has some of the best teaching hospitals in the world.

“When friends come up from London they’re always envious of how easy it is to get around and the sense of space. And now when we visit London, it feels oppressive.”

Barbados

Pippa starts to smile:

“It came home to me on a bank holiday last year. We were on a beach in Harris, the weather was baking – it was like being in Barbados. The whole beach was completely deserted and we were surrounded by acres of untouched sand. Utter bliss.”

Sardines

“When we got home, there were pictures on the news of rows of people lined up like sardines on Brighton beach and you just think, why? When there’s this stunning, unspoilt country just a few hours away.

“We cycled on a tandem from Land’s End to John O’Groats for part of our honeymoon. We both agreed that the nicest part of the trip was when we finally got to Scotland.”

Insider Info

Pippa says: “Have a whisky in front of a peat fire at the Crask Inn in Sutherland and then retire to one of their rooms with just a torch by the bed…there are no electric lights!”

Information correct at October 2007