Considering a possible job and relocate from down south.
Anyone live there? whats the local MTBing like in Glasgow? Is it possible to commute from Edinburgh to (west)Glasgow in a reasonable time?

MTBing in / around glasgow is Ok not great. Edinburgh probably better for mountainbiking. Both good places to live with lots going on.

Commuting Edinburgh Glasgow is not great roads are very busy / congested / slow at rush hour – could easily be 1 1/2 hr each way. train / tube to west end 1 1/4 hrs or so. Both cities have good public transport. edinburgh is much smaller and easier to cycle out of and easier on the eye, Glasgow is maybe more going on. West end of Glasgow can be a good place to live

Just make sure if you use the trains you buy a ticket. Fare dodging is taken quite seriously in parts of Scotland.

I spend lots of time with work in both cities and I like both of them for different reasons. Edinburgh is nice to look at and has some good touristy stuff to do, but beyond that there doesn’t seem to be as much going on as in Glasgow.

Glasgow has more of a buzz and I find the people to be more down to earth and friendly. I tend to stay in North and West of Glasgow and you can ride up the WHW into the hills for good biking. Of course from Edinburgh you can go by car to GT and Inners etc.

Overall though I prefer Glasgow.

EDIT – commuting between the two is a pain

edinbugh has the pentlands and a air bit of other stuff around the city for biking

Personally I think the locl riding is better in the west, but im biased. Theres plenty of good riding in central scotland and most of its easy to get to be car or train.

Thanks for the info, commuting is definitely looking like a rubbish option given journey times and cost.

Both nice cities.

Without trying to be overly patriotic or small-minded, there’s a bit of a buzz around Scotland at the moment, feeling that perhaps things are getting better rather than worse.

I wouldn’t want to commute to West Glasgow from Edinburgh every day. Driving would be a nightmare, though the trains city-to-city are plentiful.

Suggest if travelling by Scotrail, ensure you keep hold of ya ticket and away from visually impaired conductors. Not to mention buy a ticket or the Bigman will come and get ya 😉

Just commuted west of Glasgow to central Edinburgh for the last 4 years with the bulk of the journey by train. Basically just under 2 hours for that journey each way. I wouldn’t recommend it. I have now moved more centrally and am at the office in just over an hour but can also be in central Glasgow or visit the folks in the West End in about 40 minutes. Lots of nice open countryside for road riding, MTBing and running if that is your bag.

Im not a native of Edinburgh but live In East Lothian , I genuinley think Edinburgh Is one of the most beautiful cities In Europe . Edinburgh Is a small city though with fairly poor internal rail links but great links to Glasgow (4 different routes to get you there ). Glasgow is great for shopping If thats your thing and Is really well situated for the west coast and the trossachs and beyond. In short Glasgow feels like a mini London / Manchester , Edinburgh more like a small touristy city with plenty to do but the people are not as friendly IMO.

Edited for the language police . 😳

Not so friendly eh?

Ask anyone with any experience of the two cities and they will tell you that commuting between them is a nightmare. I’ve no idea why this needs to be the case but its just something you learn to live with.

There also seems to be a broad consensus that Edinburgh is a bit more upmarket / nicer to look at (palatial if you prefer). And Glasgow, though a bit rougher round the edges is friendlier and has a bit more going on.

Good access to lots of riding from anywhere in the central belt if you have a car. I’m on the eastern side of Glasgow and I’m an hour from Glentress, Ae and Drumlanrig. 90 minutes each way gets me pretty much all the 7 stanes, 2hours get me to Fort William or to Arran including the ferry. Not a bad place for a moutain biker to live really!

Not so friendly eh?

a beautifully worded arguement in favour of Edinburgh’s friendly people there 🙄

😉

Edinburgh is full of English and Americans, Glasgee is full of Scots, and all the better for it.

I’ll be giving him “friendly” next time I see him!

Oh – and FWIW, I think the population of Edinburgh is 16% English (not sure there’s actually that many Americans – probably more Italians and Poles). The only region of Scotland with more English inhabitants (as a percentage of the total) is Argyll. Must be all those retirees!

^^^^ 😆

lived and worked in both, both great cities but very different cultures, even if only 50miles apart.

You’ll enjoy either i am sure, Edinburgh better for biking i think being nearer the stanes etc., but glasgow handier for doing the munros imho.

You’ll enjoy either, but I wouldn’t commute between them for a long time (but plenty of folk do)…

Agree with all the comments – except druidh’s overly optimistic assessment of the people’s democratic republic of Scotland. The economy in Scotland is terminally aenemic (sp?) and with almost 60% of the workforce in the public sector, things are only headed in only one direction.

Yes, it’s heading up!

If you don’t fancy the city, or want something more for your money, Falkirk, Polmont or Linlithgow (in order of west to east, with house prices rising as you head east) are all on the main train-line between Edinburgh/Glasgow. For MTBing, Pentlands in 30 minutes, Carron Valley 30 minutes, Stirling &Ochils, etc, 30 minutes too. Blairadam forest over in Fife, just over 30 minutes too. Glentress in just over an hour. Drumlanrig, about an 1hr 20m.

Also more local options for riding:

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/falkirk

Stirling could be an alternative possibility for commuting to Glasgow.

Edinburgh is nice to look at and has some good touristy stuff to do, but beyond that there doesn’t seem to be as much going on as in Glasgow.

Having lived in both… exactly that. As lovely as Edinburgh is to visit – my interest in the place was pretty much quenched after 6 months of living there. More happens in Glasgow.

Glasgow does seem more happening.

But in Edinburgh you are closer to AWESOME.

Edinburgh peeps of course have the trams to look forward to.

Us weegies have the commonwealth games to look forward to.

Have you looked into moving to Perth? 😕

Englishman living in (well, just outside of) Glasgow for nearly 4 years now. Love it, never gets dull, plenty of local “nice” riding, and not a million miles from amazing riding. Relaxed and friendly and no-where near as scary and violent as people down south make out. Never lived in Ed, but I’ve visited a stack of times for various reason. Seems nice enough but never feels overly friendly and it’s somewhat anonymous, a bit like London. Can’t explain that and probably doesn’t feel like that if you live there, but that’s how it felt (I had job offers in both cities) and so I took Glasgow.

Having lived in Fife and Edinburgh for 5 years or so all I can say is regardless where you go, always make sure you carry a bottle of ‘Buckfast’ with you wherever you go…can come in handy for most negotiations with the locals and/or a very handy bargaining tool 😉

Edinburgh to Glasgow on the train is 45 minutes and run every 15 mins. Season ticket is something around the £300-350/month mark. Tube is next to the train station. 15 min journey to the west end.

Biking is similar in both places. Glasgow is easier to get to the highlands.

Glasgow is friendlier, Edinburgh is cleaner. I’ve lived in both and prefer Glasgow.

No one has mentioned the weather yet!
In my experience Glasgow is so wet and grey so often it can be a bit depressing.For some reason every time I venture East to GT or Inners the sun begins to shine…..

Whichever you choose will have more than enough biking to amuse a southerner for a while, especially if you have a car. I’ve lived in both (and now live inbetween). Personally I hate commuting so would be looking at being as close as possible to work, but by the standards of people from that London, Glasgow and Edinburgh are totally practical commutes, and plenty of people do it. Public transport is kind of joined up, but not as interconnected as it should be – so if I was commuting I’d be avoiding anything with a “change” in it. In theory you can put your bike on the train to join up your journey but at peak periods with only 2 spaces per train and people possibly standing in the space don’t hold your breath! If you do decide to commute by train I’m told that the cheap way to do it is not on the standard Glasgow Queen St service but to use the infrequent Cross Country service into Central, takes a little longer (and only every couple of hours) but is half the price. The bus will be cheaper and actually has wifi so in some ways is better.

If you are not a city centre person then as well as zigzag’s suggestions then Lenzie, Croy, Bishopbriggs, are all easy commutes, and Milngavie and Bearsden and even Helensburgh are all accessible to the West End and commuter-villages for Glasgow.

Ignoring the commute I’d rather be <1.5 hrs from Crianlarich than <1hr from Glentress. So that also points to Glasgow. If you prefer your riding “sculpted” then Carron Valley is close enough for convenience but not too exciting, and most of the 7stanes will be <1.5hrs. There should also be new trials in 2014 for the Commonwealth Games in Cathkin Braes to the South of the City.

No one has mentioned the weather yet!
In my experience Glasgow is so wet and grey so often it can be a bit depressing.For some reason every time I venture East to GT or Inners the sun begins to shine…..

Never really notice it. I notice the short days up here, but not the weather. In fact I’d say when it’s nice up here it’s really nice, and when it’s miserable it’s really REALLY miserable, but it’s no more miserable than say NW England.

Edinburgh has half the rain of Glasgow – but a biting easterly wind to make up for it

Edinburgh has as many sunny days as any other part of the UK. Long summer days make up for the short winter ones

Having lived in Glasgow Manchester and Edinburgh I far prefer the Edinburgh climate and its very different

I have never had any issue getting my bike on the Edinburgh Glasgow train but I don’t use it at peaktimes. The conductors now have been told to not turn away bikes and the two spaces will easily take 3 and 4 is ok, and you have the right to get people to move themselves or their luggage from the bike bit.

Glasweigian that lived in Edinburgh for a few years, commuted between the east end of Glasgow and Gorgie in Edinburgh by car. Leave at ten to seven, got into work at ten to eight.. Leave at five to seven, get into eork at ten past eight.. Go figure.
Most of the comments above cover it. Edinburghs nice to look at, walk about etc.. There’s a lot of great pubs, places to eat etc. The place is quite multi cultural with loads of folk from different parts of the world living there (ie antipodeans) but in my opinion it loses something as a result of it. I had some great nights out there (student nurse) but you had to have an idea where you’re going and what kinda nightyou want..
Glasgow is a bit more down and dirty but not so bad for it. Apart from one or two areas in the city you’d get a decent welcome in most pubs, plus it’s probably easier just to have an off the cuff night out. The west ends great, slways lots going on although it can be a bit up itself sometimes but I guess that’s not just a Glasgow problem.
There’s good transport round Glasgow with the subway and a good train network.. Edinburgh buses are prob more reliable but obviously more prone to delays during peak hours.. Where would you be working in Edinburgh btw- if it’s the Gyle that would obviously be quicker and easier to get to than working in the city centre of Edinburgh.. I guess?
Either place is great to live but I do prefer Glasgow. I may be biased but trying to be reasonably objective.

As a native Glasgwegian, I love the place, but I would caution against going to live there if you’re the least bit susceptible to SAD, unless you’re moving from a similarly damp and grey climate and you’re used to it.

Couldn’t believe how much the weather got me down when I moved back up to Glasgow from London after a few years down south.

Anecdotally, any time I’ve driven through to Edinburgh from Glasgow the clouds seem to part just after Harthill Services and you find you’ve forsaken dreich, pishing rain for chilly, Baltic sunlight.

Mind you, that’s in the summer. Probably pishing rain both ways in the winter.

Interesting thread, the discussion of moving back to Edinburgh has been raised in our house twice this week due to ongoing earthquake action and general pantshittingness post-christchurch. We’d be in Edinburgh most likely or poss Fife to be closer to family , chances are I wouldn’t bother working that much and what I would do would be contract based. Would pref to live in Edinburgh itself though.

Anyone do the Weej – Burgh commute regularly by motorbike… point to point that mst be a pretty quick method.. winter excepted.. ?