Maybe I am confusing the two a bit but I did have a friend who lived in linlithgow ( definitely linlithgow) and didn’t like the place. Its not snobbery nor a dislike of council housing. I just found it a souless and dull place as did she. She lived in an estate of indentikit housing with no facilities.

I know a few people that live there now – and happy to do so. I couldn’t live there.

Its just an opinion – thats all it is. One not shared by some on here.

North Berwick

Another Perth native here. Whenever I go back I can never quite get over what a beautiful place it is. Doesnt quite chime with my memories of being chased around town in the mid-80s by soccer casuals and schemie minks from Hunters Crescent.

I’d love to live in East Lothian or maybe the borders proper, but you’d need your own car.

Yes, if I had access to a Terminator to go back through history and change something for the good of humankind, it would be to take out whoever decided it was a good idea to rip up all the train lines in the rural UK.

You can observe where the train line used to go from the 62 bus from Peebles to Edinburgh. Maybe one day we will get a cycle path ??

I would be looking at Alva, Tillicoultry, or around this area. Fast access to the hills, easy drive to Edinburgh, and not far from the big weege if you really need to go there. House prices not bad there either.

+1

Spent 5 years in Stirling and loved it. Amazing and varied riding from your doorstep, means that even with only an hour in the evening you can access some lovely technical trails. Rents lowish (£500 for a two bed semi with garage). Access to Edinburgh more like an hour on the train though.

Or Clackmananshire (as above), prices even cheaper, although the trial access is slightly more restricted you still have the Ochils on your doorstep. Good route to Edinburgh, friendly LBS in Alva…

hels – Member

Livingston is a hell on earth with tons of cheap identikit housing. I worked there for 6 months once, terrible place. Far too many roundabouts for a start. No high street, a shopping mall with a council benefits office. Most people that live there are either living off the state or employed by it. And the car park at ASDA was rammed full on a tuesday lunchtime once when I (er literally) looked down on it from the building next door. Not a good sign.

Yep, it does have its downsides but “Hell On Earth” is a bit strong! The north side of Livi has better train service, the south side is nicer IMO. The centre is pretty mingling but we do have a Pizza Express (albeit in the shopping centre). 🙂

I’m not sure I would want to live much further out for a daily commute into Edinburgh city centre; IMO 30 mins actually on the train is about a reasonable limit as by the time you get too and from stations at each end you can easily double that. Also remember rush hour commute can easily be double a “normal” driving time. And Scotrail are a bit of a shambles for commuter trains – usually once a week something will go wrong on our line with long delays or cancellations.

I agree with what Stu N says about Livingston.

It’s not a bad place to live as long as you live in the right areas as there are some quite rough bits, but most places in the UK are like that.

As for the shopping centre, well it’s not my cup of tea, but my wife and daughters love it!

You sure you’re not thinking of Livingston, TJ?
Linlithgow had always seemed nice and quaint, albeit a little up its own arse.

EDIT: I see this has already been covered.

hels – there was a proposal to make the Peebles – Penicuik railway line into a cycle route. In Jan 2009 there was a public meeting in Penicuik organized by sustrans, Midlothian council and borders council.

Haven’t heard any more on the subject…

Another Perth native here. Whenever I go back I can never quite get over what a beautiful place it is. Doesnt quite chime with my memories of being chased around town in the mid-80s by soccer casuals and schemie minks from Hunters Crescent.

Completely agree, use of the word ‘Mink’ confirms you as a local.

I ride Kinnoull hill ever time I go home, it will forever be one of my favourite spots.

I have an eternal memory of a good freind who bought a Diamond back Apex as his first mountain bike (Steel, Rigid), pushed it to the top, had a fag, then went AOT on his first downhill and broke his collar bone.

“mink” a.k.a. “minker” term of abuse round our way too, and that’s 120 miles North 🙂

OP

Could go on at length about how good Lithgae is but you’ll find detailed info here:

http://www.linlithgow.com/sport.htm

If you have kids it’s a no brainer in my view and I’m pretty certain you’ll find it about as far removed from the picture painted by our Leith correspondent 😉

Now the important stuff – surprising amount and variety of mtb. Beecraigs and Muiravonside are doorstep, as is the Avon river trail. 50 mins by bike along the canal and you have the new Callender mtb trails. It’s possible to return completely off road from these without using the canal. You can strike out to the coast (again off road)take the coastal path past, Blackness, South Queensferry(trails being built here now too) Dalmeny then up past Cramond and back along the canal. In fact there’s so much variety I would only jump in the car now and drive over to the Pentlands for the novelty value. Glentress is about an hour but then so is Blair Athol 😉 Nearer still (1/2hr)you have the Lomonds, some great stuff over in Stirling / the Ochils and Carron Valley.

theblackmount – you’ve summed that up quite nicely… …but then TJ thinks house prices in Lithgae are cheap so he’s clearly confused!

Given the OP’s request for semi-rural I think it is reasonably to assume that “nice quiet town” is probably preferable to a bustling city centre flat anyway.

Its not snobbery nor a dislike of council housing.

Just as well there’s plenty of the former and not that much of the later!

I just found it a souless and dull place as did she.

not sure how you define dull and souless – but I’ve lived in Glasgow, Edinburgh (multiple locations), Malvern, Linlithgow and Polmont and can honestly say that Linlithgow has much more community spirit than the others, so much so we returned here having moved away.

She lived in an estate of indentikit housing

Modern housing in Linlithgow is no different to modern housing in the edinburgh suburbs (Balerno, Currie etc). It is of course just a “modern” solution to high density housing – compared to an “edinburgh tenement” which is an 18th century one. Linlithgow also has a fair range of modern flats which wouldn’t look out of place in Leith; and in addition to the old building on and near the high street has some converted distilleries/maltings, old schools and barns etc.

with no facilities.

Everywhere in Linlithgow is within walking distance of the town centre; pubs, restaurants, cafes, shops, library, climbing wall, health centre, dentists (with NHS vacancies), schools, canal and loch for views/walks, etc, train service to Edinburgh Waverley in 20 mins (4x an hour) or Glasgow Qn St / Stirling (2x an hour) in a smidgen over 30, …not sure what its missing (except an LBS). Of course it could be a PITA if all your mates are in the “big city” and you need to travel to see them. But the same is true of everywhere.

Not bad Poly but you forgot something – Boots in the High Street doesn’t need a security guard. Unlike Leith… 😉

I rest my case.

Other plus point for Linlithgow and East Calder the West Lothian Clarion weekend road rides start from each of these places.