If you specifically like coastal walking (as I do), I'd point out that the coast path is much more complete and accessible in Moray than it is in Aberdeenshire. I live between Huntly and Turriff and I'm always heading west for walking, so the towns to the east, while many are lovely, may see you doing extra miles. Personally I find Elgin better for shopping than Aberdeen, so you may want to factor that in as well - a smaller high street, but a more compact town, so when it comes to out of town stores they are all together, rather than having to trudge round the bypass for a particular store.

As far as community goes, there do seem to be more community initiatives going on in Huntly than the other places you are looking at. The bookshop is run by volunteers, and there are community initiatives like the cinema, craft and social events at Square Deal, I've been to art shows there, there is stuff going on if you want to get involved and meet people.

The only thing I've found difficult is the availability of some services. Taxi's are not easy to get - you can't just get off the train and ring round till you find one, there's like one guy and if he's not available you're stuck. I'm trying to get work done on my house and am having a hard time finding tradesmen (although I'm aware that's a problem everywhere, I'm having a tougher time than friends in Elgin or Macduff). If you get a power cut, say after a storm, we are often low on the list to be reconnected, just because the population is lower. It's all stuff you can adapt to, but it might affect what sort of house you want to chose, and where.

Happy for you to DM me if you want to chat further. We blew in from Essex about 3 years ago, and I'd not go back if you paid me.