[Closed] Moving to Scotland - Best Town?

I'd recommend somewhere near Perth. I'm up in Moray but always loved Perthshire, not too far to the big cities and not far north to the Cairngorms etc.
Don't get me wrong, I love where I live and there's plenty to do here but would probably like to be closer to the big cities if I were younger.

Perth or somewhere around there jumps to mind . Tweed valley is the obvious choice if biking is the priority but for all the other stuff your probably better off somewhere with access to the Cairngorms .

How far from down south? thats a big issue. if you go north of the central belt any journey to England to see parents etc becomes a long journey IMO

Borders towns of course would fit the bill in many ways with ease of access ( by car) down south) and good access to Edinburgh for city stuff. Some really nice places to live there

Aviemore is a fantastic centre for outdoor activities but its a long way to the border

to me perthshire is neither fish nor fowl.

Im in the midlands right now, its about a 5 hour drive up the A1 to Edinburgh. Distance doesn't bother me too much as I drive a lot anyway for riding and past jobs.

Draw a triangle between Edinburgh, Stirling and Perth if you want the balance of accessibility by transport, future jobs, bars, cinemas, shops etc with access to good riding, mountain days, coast etc. You will find a host of nice places, all with different pros and cons.

We are Dunblane, and I have to say Dunblane, Bridge of Allan and Stirling offer a balance of riding from the door with facilities and a nice place that is hard to match.

If however adventure and wild places is foremost, then IMO head further north. Again, draw circle around Aviemore, Inverness, Moray area and you are onto a winner from a 'nature and adventure' point of view.

Mrs_oab and I are discussing a move north to that area when our parents are not around and the kids have left home...

Lived in Perth for the first 23 years of my life, it's nice enough, been going a little downhill but for what you're after it does tick the boxes, it has a lot of decent pubs, is just down the road from Dunkeld/Pitlochry so you can do watersports, hiking, etc up that area.

Locally you have Kinoull Hill / Deuchny Woods, so some basic stuff in the 'bikepark' bit, but naturally there is tons around.

If you are happy enough being a little further out from a bigger town/city, then Crieff could be the place for you, you have lots and lots of natural stuff, you're down the way from Comrie Croft and Loch Tay is close by for watersports, plus you're just as far away from Dunkeld/Pitlochry for the hiking/biking/other stuff.

Peebles.

Pitlochry or Dunkeld.

Draw a triangle between Edinburgh, Stirling and Perth if you want the balance of accessibility by transport, future jobs, bars, cinemas, shops etc with access to good riding, mountain days, coast etc. You will find a host of nice places, all with different pros and cons.

We are Dunblane, and I have to say Dunblane, Bridge of Allan and Stirling offer a balance of riding from the door with facilities and a nice place that is hard to match.

If however adventure and wild places is foremost, then IMO head further north. Again, draw circle around Aviemore, Inverness, Moray area and you are onto a winner from a ‘nature and adventure’ point of view.

Mrs_oab and I are discussing a move north to that area when our parents are not around and the kids have left home…

This seems very inline with my thinking, although im stuck choosing wether I want the complete wild adventure, or the more urbanised area. Think the only way to choose would be head up and spend some time in the areas and see which draws me the most.

Living in Dundee we have it pretty good but I could be tempted by a move to Inverness, it has a great bike/outdoor scene and the town centre is actually rather nice. Similarly Stirling if you wanted to be further south.

We often drive through/around Perth, it doesn't appeal as a place to live, always reminds me a bit of post-apocalypse films.

Aviemore and Fort Bill are OK but tend to be a bit seasonal due to the attempts at skiing or summer outdoor stuff.

Aviemore and Fort Bill are OK but tend to be a bit seasonal due to the attempts at skiing or summer outdoor stuff.

Or, there's some lovely quieter times when the visitors aren't around and you can have the hills and woods to yourself... 😎

I'd move to Aviemore area in a heart beat if I could persuade the Mrs. I have to settle for a week up there in either the spring or autumn school holidays and the odd weekend throughout the year. Love the place and it ticks all your requirements.

for

The sort of riding I like is enduro style trails, dh riding, and big mountain days out. I am also a fan of the bike park style man made stuff, with jumps etc… but my real aim is to get better at the natural, steep, tech stuff.

I also like kayaking, surfing, hiking, windsurfing etc… so if there is somewhere with great riding locally and other activities that would be ideal.

I couldn't really recommend the borders, great biking obviously (maybe not the bike park stuff?) but not so good for decent kayaking or more mountainous biking and hiking.

I'd be looking further north and probably a bit west. Do have a soft spot for aberfeldy and perthshire, but not perth itself.

Dumfries

If you can afford it, Edinburgh. A fantastic city in its own right with plenty of nightlife and young people plus great access to other places. Pentlands on the doorstep, Tweed Valley is a 40 minute drive, Perthshire in a little over an hour, three hours to Fort William.
Do keep in mind that most of the people on this forum recommending small (Highland) towns will be settled 40+ year old married with a couple of children. You may well find yourself quite bored quite quickly living in some of the smaller towns. I live on the eastern edge of the Borders and there really isn't much going on in most of the towns.

Edinburgh would be way down my list, worst of all worlds, except socialising.

I lived in Dunblane in the early 70s, hence my support for the Binos,
Always thought it would be a good area to move back to,
Close to the highlands ( compared to Yorkshire )
Reasonably good transport links, direct trains to Edinburgh and ( I think ) Glasgow.
A walk down the river to Stirling,
imho opinion anywhere between Stirling and Perth would tick most boxes

Edinburgh has good transport connections and is nice and centrally placed with decent MTBing on the outskirts of the town. its also small enough to cycle out of.

It is however not what the OP wants I think.

Edinburgh has good transport connections and is nice and centrally placed with decent MTBing on the outskirts of the town. its also small enough to cycle out of.

It is however not what the OP wants I think.

This is true, I love Edinburgh, its a great city, but I really want to be in/near the big mountains, I don't mind driving around to get to places and im from a small town anyway, so used to that lifestyle. As long as the area has a good local riding scene that I could become part of, I'd be happy.

Lake District. Better than Scotland if you can work from anywhere. All the activities that interest you exist there in close proximity. The scenery is amazing, and I think you could become more a part of the fabric of a place like the Lakes than you could in Scotland. With your relatively young age this could be a nice way to live your life. Relative close proximity to the M6 giving access to a lot of the country is a bonus, of which Scotland would be included.

Lake District. Better than Scotland if you can work from anywhere.

Unless you like peace and quiet and being able to ride wherever you want. I've always found the lakes extremely frustrating with the busyness and 'gerrof moi land'-ness.

I live just north of Dundee because I work in Dundee, if I could WFH full time I'd probably live somewhere close to the A9 between Dunkeld and Aviemore. Best access to lots of hills. Probably wouldn't meet the OP's nightlife criteria though.

I also like kayaking, surfing, hiking, windsurfing etc… so if there is somewhere with great riding locally and other activities that would be ideal.

How about being bold and looking at Arran. Would tick a lot of your requirements

I’ve always found the lakes extremely frustrating with the busyness and ‘gerrof moi land’-ness.

Can't say I've ever encountered this attitude in the Lakes. Although in general I've only ever been in areas that I know I'm allowed to access. Never felt the need to be somewhere maybe I wouldn't be welcome. It is a big area with lots to do and I'm not sure how I could ever find myself somewhere I'm intruding.

Lake District. Better than Scotland if you can work from anywhere.

Unless you like peace and quiet and being able to ride wherever you want. I’ve always found the lakes extremely frustrating with the busyness and ‘gerrof moi land’-ness.

I live just north of Dundee because I work in Dundee, if I could WFH full time I’d probably live somewhere close to the A9 between Dunkeld and Aviemore. Best access to lots of hills. Probably wouldn’t meet the OP’s nightlife criteria though.

I'd have to agree, I love the Lake District, but the constant traffic jams, busy streets, lack of parking, supermarket crowds etc... in the summer would drive me nuts. The 'gerrof moi land’-ness is also an issue there, plus forestry keeps flattening all the 'off piste' style trails there, and limit you to over used foot paths or frankly boring trail centre stuff like Whinlatter. Everyone I know there spends there weekends in Innerleithen anyway

Lucky bastard is all I have to say.

HTH 🙂

I can't believe no one has mentioned Saltcoats yet 😉

Pitlochry or Dunkeld.

Is a good shout, I'll throw in Aberfeldy, just along the road from both of them and a nice little village.

Kirkcaldy?

I'd only ever suggest kirkcaldy to someone from cumbernauld or port glesga.

OP, We went through a similar process last year (as some folks on here know), complicated by a gaggle of kids so schools were important too.

We landed in Stirling in July, meeting all expectations so far. Access to all kinds of biking, and mattOAB has said, is really rather staggering (although on the local stuff - too many roots! 😉 )

A nice surprise has come in the form of paddling and splashing about in lochs. I really hadn't realised (duh!) just how many varied and different lochs are within 45 mins drive. Its brilliant!

How about being bold and looking at Arran. Would tick a lot of your requirements

Its an island though its miles away from easy access to other mountains.

I love Arran but not as a base to live for access elsewhere.

lakes for me... 1hr 30m to Mcr - dales nearby 2hr 30m to inners....

Fort William, lots of lumpy hills and water for wet stuff.

I'm in Perth.
A fair bit of riding from the door and easy access to the big hills and the North. If I was going to pick somewhere else to live it would be Dunkeld. It's only 25 mins up the road from Perth and has lots of natural trails. But might be a bit quiet for someone your age?

Cardenden not far from Kircawdy where Rebus writer grew up, Im sure it's twin town is Palma and Fifes town of culture
Houses almost top of the table for being the cheapest

Anywhere along the foothills of the Ochils. Some of the villages can be a little bit rough so maybe a bit of research before taking the plunge, but you'll tick every box living there. And no, I never singled out Alva so you can put your knives away.

Obvious Dumyat, Mine Woods, Kippenrait straight from the doorstep, North Third close by, Carron Valley and Comrie close by, open water at Cocksburn Reservoir and Gartmorn Dam, and not an immense drive before you're in the Highlands for everything else.

I'd go Bridge of Allan (if you're flush) or Menstrie (if you're less flush) although Stirling looks pretty decent too.

Aviemore and Fort Bill are OK but tend to be a bit seasonal due to the attempts at skiing or summer outdoor stuff.

There's not much seasonality in Aviemore. I'd say the only quiet spell we get is 3-4 weeks in November.

There's a very active social bike scene, lots of trails and a range of pubs.

It's expensive though. You'll get much more for your money elsewhere in the Strath but I doubt you'd want to live in any of the other towns or villages.

Be prepared for the climate though. Winters really are much colder than almost anywhere else in the UK. We had our first snow of the season today.

Inverness? Don’t know it well but there must be a couple of decent bars/pubs? I think there’s some pretty good enduro type stuff locally (the Mast) and great access to the north west. Aviemore half hour odd south. Train station handy for southern visitors.

The problem is folk are bringing up the tourist locations, Pitlochry is a nightmare for it, Dunkeld isn't as bad, but Aviemore is one of the worst, last time a thread like this came up i rated Dundee as a good place to go, but again, for your choice it limits a little, Edinburgh would be worse, as before, Crieff or in that circle, so Dunkeld and the likes as well, they're great locations to go out a bit further afield and do stuff, near decent Lochs and hills (Bens).

Airdrie? coatbridge? Not too many tourists

I'm not sure what the issue is with the tourists.

Tourists go to those places because they have a lot of facilities, walks, places to ride, paddle, ski etc.

Tourist money also helps keep the local pubs and bars and shops open. There are many small Scottish towns and villages that don't even have a shop or a bar because there isn't enough local-only trade.

A double edged sword are the tourists. Yes they brinbg money into places and thus make them better to live in but also drive up proprerty prices and clog up the towns. In the 27 years I have been in Edinburgh the massive increase in tourism has created huge pressures. this summer was fantastic for locals with a quiet city centre. Usually I do not go into the centre at all for 6 months of the year because its so crowded its unpleasant but without the tourist money Edinburgh would not be such a nice place to live

Edinburgh area or Inverness area for sure, main two areas I've lived and tick all your boxes.

tjagain
Full Member
Airdrie? coatbridge? Not too many tourists

Hmm, maybe throw in Gourock or Paisley as well, you've always got Glenifer Braes and Ferguslie Park!

 Yes they brinbg money into places and thus make them better to live in but also drive up proprerty prices

Yep - hence my point in the earlier post about comparing Aviemore house prices with the likes of Kingussie.

Stirling, Perth, Crieff - for all the balance access to the rest of the country and good facilities close by given by everyone above. I liked Aberfoyle area but I was on get back to living in quieter areas forty something thing at the time. Guess it depends on how quiet you want to go. Advantages of villages are you can turn up house with garage rather than flat. I found it was mostly flats rather than houses to rent.

+1 for Inverness

It ticks every one of your boxes.

We moved here 4 years ago and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

MTBing, great road riding, beaches, Forests, small city with plenty of social life opportunities.

Anywhere along the foothills of the Ochils. Some of the villages can be a little bit rough

Aye, Dollar and Muckhart are scraping the barrel... If you don't have 70 plate Range Rover, they'll whisper about you at the coffee morning.

If life is as easy as "anywhere with an internet connection" at mid twenties. This is an enviable position. What about "getting the hell out of Dodge"

Chamonix?

"Brexit" yadda yadda ya.

Switzerland?

Perhaps you've done your homework and Scotland is where you want to be, and that is cool, from personal experience and the trajectory the UK is on, I'd be looking at pulling the cord and get going before you fall into the schooling/mortgage trap.

*Disclaimer* I may be old, bitter and twisted though.

But I do have homes in various locations and no county is without issue, so I can speak from experience.

If I had to to do it again and had to pick a place in Scotland for the reasons you cite, and in answering the OP, you'd find me in Auchterarder. Not my personal choice, but I feel here would meet your requirements.

Dunblane for 15 to 20 years, then Dunkeld.
Maybe Perth as a compromise, the extent of easily reachable enduro trails is phenomenal! (Dunblane resident who would like to retire to Dunkeld)

Lake District. Better than Scotland if you can work from anywhere

As a Lakes raised kid now in Scotland, I'd disagree.
Yes the nature is stunning, and there is fabulous hills, good paddling, great riding. But the cost of living is very high, the whole area can be deeply frustratingly busy, and it's not that big a place.

No right to roam is a dealbreaker for me

Very true, and spoils a lot of lakes paddling (and more) when combined with a 'getorf my laaand' attitude.

I am currently (still) in the Lakes. We had planned to move back to the Stirling area (ideally a bit west) but couldn't get what we wanted for our budget. Then got very keen on Pitlochry/Loch Tay area... lots of looking and just kept hitting the same issue.

So once our sale completes we are heading up to the Inverness area! Hoping to get a date next week with a bit of much needed luck!

All three of the areas we looked at would work well for you, Edinburgh too (lived there a few years). Good luck with the search though - we are also free agents with no work to tie into other than what we are setting up ourselves, and it is kinda fun and exciting... other than having almost too much choice! We also looked hard at Oban and Mull which may also be worth a look yourself.

The obvious place for a mid-20s rider would be Inners, loads of like minded individuals, world class trails and a really good forestry/rider relationship. Watersports.... Not much close by, St. Mary's loch is the closest thing. So you'd be going all in for riding, the hill walking is excellent too.

I'd also take a look at Aberfeldy, close to Dunkeld for riding, good kayaking, Perthshire glens close by for walking, and not far to get into the Cairngorms.

One thing to check out is internet speed and coverage - if you need decent connectivity check out some postcodes on BT.com.

We were looking at Perthshire, now we're tending toward the Borders, and Selkirk. Property is very affordable, loads to do locally - we cycle, road and off road, as well as kayak whitewater, and motorbiking, enough local facilities to live, Hawick is 15 minutes away for bigger shopping.
Bands are just over a hour away in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
The only downside is my parents are getting elderly, and we'd be 5 hours away.

A68 and then edinburgh bypass every time you want to go to proper mountains would do my nut in though.

Dalwhinnie? Its twinned with Las Vegas so must be a fun place to live

I live in causewayhead, just beside stirling/bridge of allan. Lots of people on here from the local area.

Big university so loads of young folk about. Great riding from your door and the proper Highlands are less than 2 hours away.

View from my back bedroom window for inspiration, Dumyat (the hill in the mist to the left of the big monument) is great on the bike. Few high profile locals have carved out some amazing trails over the years and proper natural tech riding is everywhere.

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Another Dunblane resident here who would think about retiring to Dunkeld. Decent pubs? Not so much in the Stirling area. Probably better than Dunkeld on that front though. Love the Comrie/Crieff area too. I'd say the Stirling area would be the best bet given your age though. Mebbes move North when you get older.

Fort William is awful, straight out no. If you only need an internet connection I'd go to the Alps.

As someone who lives near Fort William, I think Argee makes a good point. Make sure you pick somewhere which doesn't have too many tourists. Even if that isn't on your radar now, a bad decision will impact your quality of life. Queues, slow driving, crowds of people in shorts and sandals getting eaten by midges and ticks, fly tipping camping kit and cassette toilet contents, roadside camping next to your house, people parking on your driveway, people knocking your door asking if you are a B and B, compulsive campfire scar creation, zombies who have switched their brain off for the fortnight, people who think the Scottish Outdoors Access code applies to all powered vehicles, ask me how I know, I could go on.......wouldn't want to live elsewhere though!

Where do you live then Marin? Rivendell?

+1 for Inverness

It ticks every one of your boxes.

We moved here 4 years ago and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

MTBing, great road riding, beaches, Forests, small city with plenty of social life opportunities.

This is high on my list of places to check out, never been there so need to see it, but it does seem to tick all the boxes. That or the stirling-perth area.

Whats the riding like close to the town/city? Im aware you're not far from the proper highlands, or Aviemore, but would like to know what its like for a quick after work blast.

Very true, and spoils a lot of lakes paddling (and more) when combined with a ‘getorf my laaand’ attitude.

Yes, agree with Matt and tj here. Lakes paddling is nowhere even slightly near as good as Scotland.

Lakes is beautiful and twee, and I do in fact aim to move there at some point, but mainly as a compromise which still gives me access to the glory that is Scottish whitewater ( assuming they don't dam it all )

If life is as easy as “anywhere with an internet connection” at mid twenties. This is an enviable position. What about “getting the hell out of Dodge”

Chamonix?

“Brexit” yadda yadda ya.

Switzerland?

Perhaps you’ve done your homework and Scotland is where you want to be, and that is cool, from personal experience and the trajectory the UK is on, I’d be looking at pulling the cord and get going before you fall into the schooling/mortgage trap.

*Disclaimer* I may be old, bitter and twisted though.

But I do have homes in various locations and no county is without issue, so I can speak from experience.

If I had to to do it again and had to pick a place in Scotland for the reasons you cite, and in answering the OP, you’d find me in Auchterarder. Not my personal choice, but I feel here would meet your requirements.

I have livid in the alps before, the life style is fantastic, but the cost of living associated with it is astronomical, and house prices are insane, unless you want to live a couple hours down the valley, but then that sort of ruins the point. My thinking for Scotland is many reasons, I truly think its one of the most beautiful countries on earth, the open access laws, cost of housing and I generally find the people everywhere very welcoming and friendly. Not the kind of reception you get somewhere like France. Plus no one is scared of going out in the bad weather, which always winds me up about most English people haha.

The scenery is amazing, and I think you could become more a part of the fabric of a place like the Lakes than you could in Scotland.

How did you reach that conclusion?

+1 for Inverness

It ticks every one of your boxes.

We moved here 4 years ago and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

MTBing, great road riding, beaches, Forests, small city with plenty of social life opportunities.

This is high on my list of places to check out, never been there so need to see it, but it does seem to tick all the boxes. That or the stirling-perth area.

Whats the riding like close to the town/city? Im aware you’re not far from the proper highlands, or Aviemore, but would like to know what its like for a quick after work blast.

I've pm'd you @mtbdan387.

Top riding spots close to town marked below:

mtbdan,

I think you can probably get a lot of what you are looking for almost anywhere in Scotland - even Saltcoats is closer to the mountains than the Midlands and will win out on the house price front! Its really a case of coming and working it out for yourself. Aviemore or Ft William might seem great during the summer for 2 weeks, but in horizontal rain with 15 hrs of darkness Inverness of Perth might be more interesting.

I think you also need to consider if this is likely a long term thing (10+ yrs) or a 2-3 yr thing. Of course plenty people switch between those as life changes, but if you are thinking settling down, having kids, elderly parents, changing jobs, then that might influence your decision. I'm not sure what "a riding scene" is not what people did in their 20s that would make Inverness or Stirling more appealing than Dunkeld or Peebles.

If its short term I'd want to be somewhere amazingly convenient for doing the things you enjoy. The only thing to be aware of is decent broadband is not a certainty everywhere, in fact any broadband is not a certainty. If it was long term and I was thinking beyond the central belt (as you seem to be) then I'd be very tempted to be somewhere close to Inverness - airport, reasonable sized hospital, intercity trains, plenty of social facilities, potential for schools without needing huge bus journeys, A9 dualing improving the route south... close to cairngorms, not too far to west coast mountains and ullapool for outerhebrides. I'm not a city person, but I'm definitely not a fan of siting in a car for an hour each way to get to a supermarket, eye test or dentist appointment.

Oh, and keep in mind that whilst it’s not a huge difference for most people, you will be paying income tax at Scottish rates, if you are lucky enough to be in the 50k type salary range the difference is enough to factor into your planning...

West is best.

Excellent scenery, sailing, has the best mountainous bits further up.

 Aviemore or Ft William might seem great during the summer for 2 weeks, but in horizontal rain with 15 hrs of darkness Inverness of Perth might be more interesting.

LOL - it's not quite that bad 🙂  I did make the point earlier about temperature differences though. It's markedly colder here in the Cairngorms that at Perth or Inverness - or, indeed, any of those towns along the Moray Coast.

I’m definitely not a fan of siting in a car for an hour each way to get to a supermarket, eye test or dentist appointment

Yep - when we were looking to head North those were the sort of factors that swung the decision away from the North/West coast.

I did say dunkeld or pitlochry earlier, responding to your wants, but personally, it would be Aviemore for me, it really has everything I'd want.

Saying that, once the bairn is up and away, we're for moving to Arran.

Work that one out! 😆

Oh, and keep in mind that whilst it’s not a huge difference for most people, you will be paying income tax at Scottish rates, if you are lucky enough to be in the 50k type salary range the difference is enough to factor into your planning…

I wish that was going to be a problem, maybe one day haha. Thanks for the heads up though, I'd assumed it was the same as the rest of the UK

Rivendell?
No idea about that but if you're going to pick somewhere get an attractive town. The Fort does not hit that requirement. Visited many times, used to live close by. Beautiful location though.

Hawick and Selkirk are dirt cheap for a reason.
They are dire.

Saying that, once the bairn is up and away, we’re for moving to Arran.

Work that one out! 😆

Closet gravel fan, always knew it.

If I was 20 something though there's F all chance I'd be heading to Arran. Or anywhere in Ayrshire for that matter. Stirling probably ticks the most boxes IMO, close enough to Edinburgh and Glasgow that you can still enjoy either if the mood takes you and close enough to everything else (Trossachs and Loch Lomond to the west, Ochils and Lochore to the east, everywhere else north and south). Dunblane is nice but more of a settled life kinda town IMO.

Dunblane is nice but more of a settled life kinda town IMO

Oi, I resemble that comment. 😁

You should take a look at Banchory, the whole Deeside area is littered with trails, even more so in the last 6 months. Scolty, Aboyne, Ballater, Drumtochty, Pitfichie, Durris, Bennachie, they all are within 30 minutes of Banchory and with the new Aberdeen bypass it makes escaping South very easy now. Access to the Cairngorms is ideal, about 45 minutes away and it is a lot quieter than most of the hotspots.

Oi, I resemble that comment.

I spent 8 years of my life there, when we could we all escaped to Stirling!

I would vote for Stirling area, I live in bridge of Allan but the riding in Cambusbarron is fantastic as well. The joy of riding from my door is great.

Plenty of cheaper options in the area to suit budget and taste.

I moved up from Reading 5 years ago and it's the best thing I ever did.

Fibre broadband in Stirling, close to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Highlands. I can be at my parents in Watford or Torridon in almost the same time.

As mentioned you won't regret moving to Scotland.