Family who 'lived to work' in Yorkshire relocate to Britain's most remote island, where they herd sheep, knit and attend harvest festivals - but admit it takes seven hours to get a takeaway

A family of four who moved from Yorkshire to Britain's remotest inhabited island say it’s better than the rat race and working 12-hour days, even if it takes SEVEN hours to get a takeaway curry delivered.Katy Phenix, 33, partner Josh Moore, 35, and their two kids relocated from North Yorkshire to Fair Isle - where there are more birds than the 50 residents - for a quieter life.Katy saw an Instagram ad to live and work on the Scottish island near Sheltand and registered ’on a whim' despite never visiting before.Fair Isle sits about 24 miles south of the Shetland Mainland in the North Sea. Numbers are strictly controlled and new residents are only allowed in when others leave. They had to go through a rigorous interview process with its inhabitants and the National Trust for Scotland to ensure they were a ‘good fit’.They sold their three-bed new build home in Redcar, and are now renting a five-bedroom house with 17 acres of land and five outbuildings from the National Trust, with their children, Hetty, six, and Teddy, 11, three dogs, and four cats. Katy Phenix, Josh Moore and their two children, Hetty and Teddy, on Fair Isle The family say life on the remote island is better than the rat race and working 12-hour days, even if it takes SEVEN hours to get a takeaway curry delivered Numbers are strictly controlled on Fair Isle and new residents are only allowed in when others leave. The family had to go through a rigorous interview process with its inhabitants and the National Trust for Scotland to ensure they were a ‘good fit’Katy said: 'We had a really large mortgage in England but now pay peanuts in comparison to live in one of the most beautiful areas of the UK.' Katy, an early years practitioner, and Josh, an electrician, said they had almost no work-life balance and 'lived to work' when they applied in March 2026.Katy, who now works around four hours a day Monday to Friday, said: 'It was a massive gamble and a long journey. It cost us £8,000 for the move in July.'Despite the huge lifestyle change, they said they are now living the 'absolute dream' and all the children miss from the mainland is a trip to McDonald's.Katy said: 'This has just given us that time to breathe and be as a family. We do everything together and that's made it totally worth it.''We were kind of like passing ships in the night before,' she added.The family have learnt to be resourceful, using what they describe as a ‘military operation’ to get an Indian takeaway in a taxi, onto the island ferry, and reheated for dinner in a seven hour ordeal.The family had help settling in. The outgoing tenants Deryk, Hollie, and their four children passed on all of their crofting knowledge with a yearly planner, and sold them their sheep to help them start their own croft. Katy, an early years practitioner, and Josh, an electrician, said they had almost no work-life balance and 'lived to work' when they applied in March 2026 Learning how to sheer and herd 30 sheep and a ram has not been the easiest at times, but it's 'all hands on deck' and the children love it Despite the huge lifestyle change, they said they are now living the 'absolute dream' and all the children miss from the mainland is a trip to McDonald's The outgoing tenants Deryk, Hollie, and their four children passed on all of their crofting knowledge with a yearly planner, and sold them their sheep to help them start their own croftLearning how to sheer and herd 30 sheep and a ram has not been the easiest at times, but it's 'all hands on deck' and the children love it.Teddy uses his shepherd's hook and chases the sheep as the family don't have a sheep dog.There are seven children living on the island, five in school, one in nursery, and an infant with two teenagers in high school on the mainland. Luckily for Hetty and Teddy, there was a six-year-old girl and 11-year-old boy already on the island, giving them 'an immediate best friend'.Katy said: 'The little boy and Teddy are off all the time mushrooming, fishing, they're in our outbuildings making weird contraptions out of wood.'Hetty is such a little animal lover, she's been out with the sheep and we've got hens she's with all the time.'With no high school, teenagers go to a school on the mainland with free accommodation and frequent trips home. The island has a pub in their bird observatory in the summer season, shop open four days a week, a post office, and even has Amazon Prime.What would typically look like a five-minute job can take residents three weeks to do, as they need to plan ahead for deliveries. They are also bound by the weather as the small plane or ferry may not be able to get to them as planed. The residents of the island look for people with experience in crofting and land management, trade skills such as plumbing expertise, joinery, or maritime skills. Josh has found a lot of work as resident handyman The significantly slower pace in life and family time has been the ultimate highlight for Katy Katy is even learning the tradition of Fair Isle knitting from another resident to help keep the culture alive, a craft skill welcomed by the National Trust to maintain traditionThere is also a nurse on the island, and when any situation begins to raise concerns, it takes a helicopter 15 minutes from Shetland and patients are airlifted off the island.The residents of the island look for people with experience in crofting and land management, trade skills such as plumbing expertise, joinery, or maritime skills. Josh has found a lot of work as resident handyman.Katy said: 'He's been out today fixing someone's washing machine. He's re-plumbed our house, he's done everything.'The significantly slower pace in life and family time has been the ultimate highlight for Katy.She said: 'We're not stressed and overworked, we're so much more present for the children. I remember Teddy once said "oh mum you're so much nicer in the school holidays". It was a throwaway comment, he didn't mean anything by it.'It stuck with me. I never wanted to be that mum but it was kind of the way life pans out and you accidentally get there.'This has just given us that time to breathe and be as a family. We do everything together and that's made it totally worth it.'Their calendar is always full with dress up parties or harvest festivals.Katy is even learning the tradition of Fair Isle knitting from another resident to help keep the culture alive, a craft skill welcomed by the National Trust to maintain tradition.Crofting and fishing were the other traditional occupations, but today the island's economy is far more diverse. Katy said: 'I think the massive misconception is that it's lonely and there's nothing to do. That couldn't be further from the truth.'Everybody is here to help you out. I have a really good group of mum friends here. I do Pilates and yoga. This is the most social I've ever been, and Josh is quite an introvert so he's really come out of his shell now.'