Aberdeen Inside Guide
Section 4 - On the Inside
4.0
On the inside
4.1
Accommodation on Arrival
4.2
Housing
4.3
Domestic staff
4.4
Cars
4.4.1
Driving licences
4.4.2
MOT / Licensing / Registration
4.5
Banking
4.6
Shopping
4.6.1
Post offices
4.7
Setting up utilities
4.7.1
Telecommunications
4.7.2
Internet
4.8
Public Transport
4.8.1
Buses
4.8.2
Shell commuter bus to Tullos
4.8.3
Trains
4.8.4
Taxis
4.0
On the inside
4.1
Accommodation on Arrival
The majority of families are housed at
either Skene House Apartments
www.skene-house.co.uk or the Spires
www.thespires.co.uk. Both are serviced apartments
with their own cooking and laundry facilities. Each
apartment has a number of bedrooms (depending on your
family size), a kitchen, bathroom and a separate sitting
area with TV.
Please note that neither Skene House
Apartments nor The Spires has a restaurant although
Skene House does offer breakfast. The Spires does not
normally offer breakfast, but you can order a basic
breakfast package, if you are unable to get to a
supermarket on arrival. Both Skene House and The Spires
provide a limited hospitality tray in the rooms with
tea/coffee and a small amount of milk and sugar, but no
other food will be there on arrival. This is obviously
something to bear in mind if you are travelling with
children. However, there is a small branch of a
Somerfield supermarket less than 5 minutesí walk from
The Spires, where you can buy essential groceries. They
are open until 9 pm on week days, until 8 on Saturdays
and until 6 pm on Sundays. For those staying at Skene
House Apartments and arriving outwith normal shopping
hours, we recommend you contact Skene House Apartments
who may be able to assist you with essential groceries.
Please remember that Asda at the Bridge of Dee is open
24 hours:
www.asda.co.uk.
If you need either a cot or high chair in
your accommodation we suggest that once you know your
accommodation has been booked you contact them (the
website shows all contact details) to make the request
for such items yourself contacting them directly.
Be aware also, that Skene House
Apartments have three different sites around the city.
All are conveniently located and central. The Spires is
slightly further out of the town centre but does have a
small shopping area nearby, Skene House apartments and
The Spires are close to bus stops.
There is a shortage of temporary
accommodation in Aberdeen. At very busy times in the
year (July, August, September and October) it can be
very difficult to get into a serviced apartment. During
the biennial Offshore Europe Conference (September 4th
to 7th 2007) accommodation is scarce. When Skene House
Apartments and The Spires are full, the company uses
local good quality hotel or Woodbank, which is Shellís
own company conference and meeting centre.
[top
of page]
4.2
Housing
Shell has hired the services of Johnson
Workplace Management, Torridon House, 73-75 Regent Quay,
Aberdeen AB11 5AR, tel. +44 (0)1224 336360,
www.johnsonfm.com, to
assist Shell staff in finding a house and dealing with
the rental contract.
However, a visit to the Aberdeen
Solicitorsí Property Centre, the ASPC, is well worth the
effort. Their office is located on 40 Chapel Street,
Aberdeen, AB101SP, tel. +44 (0) 1224 632949. They have
folders you can browse through on all types of
properties or you can use the computers in their office.
Many real estate agencies are members of the ASPC. You
can also visit the website:
www.aspc.co.uk.
Alternatively, you can visit
Aberdeen Property Leasing. Their main office is located
at Rosemount House, 138-140 Rosemount Place, Aberdeen,
AB25 2YU, tel. +44 (0) 1224 635355. They also have an
office in Cults: 373 North Deeside Road, Cults, AB15
9SX, tel. +44 (0) 1224 868997. Their website
www.primelet.com gives you a lot of useful information.
The website
www.citylets.co.uk also lists properties for rent.
Other housing agents are:
AB Property Services
www.abpropserv.co.uk
Tel: 01224 621624 /0770263140
Home Guard
www.homeguard-leasing.co.uk
Tel: 01224 647878
Margaret Duffus Leasing
www.mdleasing.co.uk
Tel: 01224 810131
Simpson Brebner
www.simpsonbrebner.com
Tel: 01224 633000
James & George Collie
www.jgcollie.co.uk
Tel: 01224 583338
In the Yellow Pages you will find all the individual
real estate agencies.
4.3
Domestic staff
If you bring domestic staff with you to
Aberdeen, they will have to live in your house, in one
of your rooms, since homes in the UK arenít usually
equipped with special quarters for staff. If you do
bring staff, a nanny or au pair into the UK, it is your
responsibility to arrange a work permit and take care of
the necessary paperwork. Check the necessary rules with
the British Embassy/Consulate.
It is not easy to find household help,
although there are a few professional companies that
offer domestic help. If you decide to use one of these
companies, you cannot be guaranteed the same person
every week. You can hire someone to do your garden,
clean your windows, clean your house, or provide ironing
and laundry services. Costs will be charged per hour or
by agreement. This kind of labour is not cheap. Some
people manage to find a "cleaning lady" who works at an
hourly rate and may also be willing to baby-sit. If you
employ household help locally, you are advised to treat
them with the same respect you would show towards a
colleague at work.
4.4
Cars
Driving is on the left hand side of the
road. Seat belts are required and it is a criminal
offence to use a mobile phone (without a hands free set)
while driving subject to £60 penalty plus 3 points on
your licence. When moving to Aberdeen from abroad it is
highly recommended that you buy the booklet The Highway
Code, which contains traffic rules that apply to all
road users (ISBN number: 01 15522905 or visit
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/index.htm). Speed limits are in miles
per hour. 1 mile equals approximately 1.6 kilometers.
To drive your own car in the UK, you
need:
[top
of page]
4.4.1
Driving licences:
Drivers with an ordinary licence issued
in the European Community or European Economic area,
i.e.: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic,
Republic of Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy,
Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta,
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Portugal,
Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden may drive in the UK as
long as they have a valid licence until they are aged 70
or for three years after becoming a resident, whichever
is the longer period. They can exchange their licence
for a British one at any time.
Drivers with a full, valid Northern
Ireland licence can drive until their licence expires or
exchange it for a full Great Britain (GB) licence
(provided the licence was issued on or after 1st
January 1976).
If you have a licence issued in a EU/European
Economic area country (see list above), which has
previously been exchanged from a non EU/European
Economic area country, the rules apply for the country
that issued your driving licence in the first place,
i.e. the country where you took your driving test.
Drivers with a full, valid licence issued
in Jersey, Guernsey, The Isle of Man, Gibraltar and
designated countries- Australia, Barbados, British
Virgin Islands, Canada, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands,
Hong Kong, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, Republic of
Korea, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland and
Zimbabwe-, may drive a small vehicle (as long as their
licence remains valid) for 12 months from the time they
became UK residents. To continue driving after these 12
months a UK licence must be obtained before this period
elapses. If they donít do this, they must stop driving
although they may apply to exchange their licence at any
time within five years of becoming resident. The legal
driving age in the UK is 17.
Drivers with a licence issued in all
other countries can drive in the UK on their full valid
licence for up to twelve months from the time they
became resident. However, they will not be able to
exchange their driving licence for a UK licence but will
need to get a provisional licence and sit a theory and
practical driving test. You can apply for your
provisional driving licence by completing the D1
application form that is available from the DVLA form
ordering service or Post Office branches. Once you
have obtained your provisional licence you may set an
appointment for the theory test and after you have
passed the theory test you may book your practical test.
You must have passed the test within a year after
becoming a UK resident.
For further information visit:
www.direct.gov.uk/motoring.
> Japanese
licences and licences for the Republic of Korea
Must be accompanied by an
official translation, available for a fee from the
Consulate General of Japan at 2 Melville Crescent
Edinburgh, EH3 7HW/ Embassy of the Republic of Korea, 60
Buckingham Gate, London, SW1E 6AJ.
> South
African licences
The book of life, which is a
driving licence as well as an identity document, will
have the licence part stamped to say it has been
exchanged and the book returned to the person. For the
book of life to be acceptable for licence exchange the
applicant will need a letter of authority from the South
African licensing authority. (the photo card licence
will be returned to the South African licensing
authority.
> Canadian
licences
If you have a Canadian licence
you will receive automatic transmission only when
exchanging for a British licence. This can only be
upgraded to manual upon presentation of confirmation
from the relevant licensing authority of a manual test
being passed, or if a manual test is passed in this
country.
> Vocational
licences
Lorry, minibus, or bus- issued in a European Community /
European Economic area country, or one of the designated
countries, different rules apply. See
www.direct.gov.uk/motoring for further information.
For information regarding driving
licenses and driving tests you can also contact the
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: www.dvla.gov.uk or
the Driving Standards Agency: www.dsa.gov.uk.
[top
of page]
4.4.2
MOT / Licensing /
Registration
A vehicle that is permanently imported
for use in GB must be registered and taxed as soon as
possible after it arrives in the country (see also
section 3.3.1). For extensive information regarding
vehicle licensing and registration, contact the Driving
Standards Agency check:
www.dsa.gov.uk.
4.5
Banking
See Section 3.1.3
4.6
Shopping
There is a whole range of specialist
shops in Aberdeen, from antique shops to butchers and
from designer clothing shops for young children to
outdoor wear shops, etc.
> Department
stores
There are: BhS ( British Home Stores), Debenhams, John
Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Matalan, Next, Primark Stores,
TK Maxx, and Woolworths.
> Supermarkets
Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury,
Somerfield, Morrisons. All the large supermarket chains
provide home delivery and online shopping. Check the
following websites to get an idea of their ranges:
www.tesco.com;
www.asda.co.uk
www.sainsburys.co.uk;
www.somerfield.co.uk;
www.morrisons.co.uk.
> Global
Shopping Basket
To find out what country
specific items are available in Aberdeen, please refer
to our
Global
Shopping Basket factsheet (viewable in PDF
format), due to be updated shortly.
4.6.1
Post offices
There are several local post offices in
and around Aberdeen. The main post offices, known as
Post Office Counters Ltd, are 'crown' post offices. They
can transact all possible post office business. In
Aberdeen we have two 'crown' post offices, one in the
St. Nicholas Centre (first floor) and the other at the
Holburn Junction end of Union Street. Some of the
services they offer are:
-
Registering and licensing of motor
vehicles
-
Sale of bus tickets
-
Parcel force for sending parcels
-
Sale of BT phone cards
-
Bureau de Change: to buy your foreign
currency on a buy-sell basis (no need to order in
advance)
-
Travel insurance
-
Keepsafe, which helps you avoid a
pile of mail on your doormat when you are away. Your
mail can be held for up to two months and it will be
delivered when you return. It takes a week to set
up this service.
[top
of page]
4.7
Setting up utilities
There are many different providers with
competitive rates. Some websites to compare utility
suppliers are:
www.saveonyourbills.co.uk;
www.unravelit.com;
www.uswitch.com. There is also
www.ofgem.gov.uk a government site, set up to
protect the interest of consumers. Remember to check the
lease contract of your house to see if you are free to
choose your energy supplier.
4.7.1
Telecommunications
The telephone facilities in Scotland are
good. You can phone around the world directly, without
the use of an operator. It is also very easy to make use
of fax and Internet services.
British Telecom (BT) no longer has the
monopoly in the field of telecommunications. A great
number of other companies compete for customers. You can
rent the line from BT, but have another company charge
you for your calls. It definitely pays to shop around
for the best rates, especially if you intend to make a
lot of international calls. To compare rates visit:
www.uswitch.com
Internet-based telephone services Voice
over Internet protocol (Voip) are gaining ground in
the UK with the rapid spread of broadband, which is
required to use internet telephony. There are several
companies providing web-based telephony. With most you
download software that converts your computer into a
telephone. Then you need a microphone and speakers, or a
headset that you plug into your computer (you can even
add a camera if your computer is fast enough). With
others you plug your telephone into an adaptor that is
connected to your (broadband) modem. Savings can be
quite substantial especially if you make a lot of
overseas calls. If you call someone who uses the same
service, the calls are free (you only pay for the
broadband line rental, which you are paying for anyway).
Of course to be able to use the service both you and the
person you are calling have to be at a switched-on
computer. With most services you can also call regular
or mobile phones, but there is a fee for this. To
compare Voip providers check:
www.compare-voip.net. and www compare-voip.co.uk.
An example of an Internet based telephone service is
Skype. For information on this service visit the
website:
www.skype.com.
4.7.2
Internet
Before choosing an Internet Provider you
must consider what you want to use the internet for, how
often you want to use it, when and how long you want to
stay online and whether you would need technical
support.
There are three main categories of
Internet Broadband Service Providers (ISPs):
-
ISPs with a monthly connection fee
and unlimited downloads
-
ISPs with a monthly connection fee
and limited downloads
-
Free ISPs without a monthly fee,
where you pay the standard telephone rates
A good website to compare websites is:
www.ispreview.co.uk
[top
of page]
4.8
Public Transport
The public transportation network in
Aberdeen is quite good. There are no trams or metros,
but the bus
network is quite extensive.
4.8.1
Buses
There is good provision of public
transport in the city via "First" buses. They have a
good website with information regarding fares,
concessions, services and timetables:
www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/scotland/nescot/home/index.php.
All First buses are exact fare only i.e.
the drivers do not give change. It is worth having
plenty of small change or buying a fare card for £2, £5
or £10, available from the customer service centre and
many newsagents. There are also day, week and month
tickets available for frequent users. Most of the buses
run along Union Street for part of their journey.
Bluebird buses provide the service to
areas outside the city boundary; the exact fare is not
required for these. Daily rover tickets are available
allowing travel anywhere on the Bluebird Services. The
bus station is next to the railway station in Guild
Street, Aberdeen, AB11 6GR, +44 (0) 1224 212266. More
information is available on the website:
www.stagecoachbus.com/bluebird/
City Link bus services run from Aberdeen
to Edinburgh, Glasgow and London. Their buses also
depart from Guild Street bus station. For more
information check their website:
www.citylink.co.uk
Megabus (a division of Stagecoach)
operates from Aberdeen to London, via Dundee, Perth,
Glasgow and Manchester, and from Aberdeen to Edinburgh
via Dundee and Perth (passengers for Edinburgh should
change buses at Perth). Megabus is a low cost inter city
bus operator (tickets can be as cheap as £1.50); seats
must be pre-booked on line at:
www.megabus.com. It is advisable to do this well in
advance,
as Megabus is quite popular.
4.8.2
Shell commuter bus to
Tullos
From 19th March 2007 a commuter bus
service to Tullos from key residential areas is piloted.
For information on routes and timetables, see the Shell
EPE website. Travellers must show their Shell identity
card; the service is complimentary. The pilot scheme
will operate for 3 months.
4.8.3
Trains
In Scotland, several railway companies
operate. You can book your tickets at the Railway
station in Guild Street, Aberdeen, AB11 6GR or online at
several websites, for example:
www.gner.co.uk or
www.firstgroup.com/scotrail/index.php or
www.thetrainline.com. Services run from Aberdeen
north to Inverness and south to Montrose, Dundee,
Glasgow, Edinburgh and beyond. Local stations include
Dyce, Inverurie, Portlethen and Stonehaven. Travel pass
and rover tickets are available, as are Family and
Senior Citizen Railcards. The Railcards give a discount
of approximately 33% off adult fares and allow a number
of children to travel for a few pounds - well worth
investigating if you intend to travel by train. Apex
(advance purchase) tickets are available which save
money but must be bought 2 weeks in advance. Fares can
differ a lot, depending on the availability and the time
left before
travel.
4.8.4
Taxis
Taxi ranks are located around the city
centre, e.g. railway station, Back Wynd, Belmont Street,
Chapel Street. It is possible to pre-book a taxi by
telephoning a company in advance and sometimes a fixed
fare agreement can be made. Check the yellow pages for a
taxi company or ask around for recommendations. It is
totally safe to get into a taxi in Aberdeen but if, as a
woman, you would feel more comfortable asking for a
female driver it is quite OK to do so. For a list of
taxis, see:
http://www.city-visitor.com/aberdeen/taxis.html
[top of page]
Although every
effort has been made to ensure accuracy, Outpost
Aberdeen cannot assume responsibility for errors in the
information included in this guide.
All rights reserved,
including the right to translate or to reproduce this
guide or any part of it in any form or by any
techniques, without the written permission of Outpost
Aberdeen.
