Mrs sstu may have secured a job that can be located almost anywhere in the main citys of Scotland.
Its a step up from her current job with a pay increase to reflect.
I on the other hand have no qualifications but have always been able to find and keep employment in a mechanical maintenance role.
However my current employer would not be able to offer me a job if I moved to Scotland as we already have someone covering that area.
We could live on Mrsstus wage without any problems and we could just sell our house as it's paid for and move relativley hastle free.
However I really need to get a job as great as it sounds not working I would need to work.
So where to live that I can get a job that has good riding near? We both ride BTW and this is the main reason we want to move.
Been looking at Sterling but any suggestions welcome.
Not Edinburgh, it's full of folk from Edinburgh, AirBnBs and they put sauce on their chips.
Aberdeen is an option for your skillset.
I’d spell it right first - Stirling 😂 Nice spot. When you say anywhere, and if riding is a priority then obvs Tweed Valley and associated opportunity for mechanical work related to farming could work. Or further north-Crieff ?
This was all done recently so search for the thread but good luck, despite the weather and the administration it’s still alright here.
Just to be sure, you said city?.
Loads of good biking around Stirling and the Trossachs. Good connections to both the main cities and close enough to the tweed valley and Perthshire as well.
Some of the towns in between Glasgow and Edinburgh are bandit country. Am sure there's streets in Larkhall where the pavements are painted red white and blue. It's a Rangers Celtic thing.
Oh, we might be brothers!
My wife secured a job in Inverness yesterday. We are in the process of buying a house within commuting distance of there anyway and thought we would have another 18 months waiting to move into it (my job comes with accommodation so we had this luxury) so this is a bit of a bolt from the blue. Good news is I have an interview on Wednesday and we are travelling together up for her to iron out terms and conditions (and actually meet them, all been via video conference so far!) and me to do the interview. The big issue is the interview on Wednesday is for literally the only job within 150 miles I am qualified to do. If I bollox it up I might be riding my bike a lot but which sounds great but is not sustainable.The pressure is massively on - which is why I am on here procrastinating rather than sorting out my presentation.
When you say anywhere did you actually mean it or did you really mean central belt and surroundings? We thought about Stirling for a while but on actually visiting it were very underwhelmed. Commuting distance of Inverness however we are massively excited about - it's nice but not epic along the Moray Firth; but epic is a sensible journey away in pretty much every direction whilst having a lovely little airport to get south when we have to in a hurry (Mrs C's folks are down her on the south coast of England and it's a big worry for her as they are reaching the danger zone years) and a really good hospital for when we need it. Weather is a lot less rainy than Glasgow for example and the midge are not as bad as the west coast. And jobs are a possibility. If I had my way we would be living on Barra but fully appreciate we would be living on beans and very skint in no time.
I got bottled from the primary school in Holytown when I rode through one day - seriously !
Ah City. Perth. Stirling. Ummm Inverness.
Edinburgh is actually amazing. They're going to build a world championship trail centre in the Pentlands hills soon too. Just don't move to the city centre. Try Balerno. Aberdeen is dull as ****, Dundee is awesome but tiny, Glasgow has a motorway cutting it in half, Inverness is weird and parochial.
Perth would be a bloody good move actually. For one it is the home of St Johnstone FC. The best tiny football team in the world.
PS: in Glasgow they eat chips with cheese and curry sauce.
Forget Aberdeen unless you have qualifications. Most engineering related stuff in Aberdeen is oil and gas related and they want certificate after certificate after certificate. Been in that Industry for the last 15 years myself, that's how I know. Once residing in Scotland the OU has relevant qualifications which are far far cheaper than what you would pay for them in England. Worth a thought but I'm not going to lie to you, it ain't easy to get a start offshore. Grangemouth has the refinery which could be an option once qualified.
Just to be sure, you said city?.
Not city but access to a city or larger place would be a plus
Offices for Mrsstu are in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Inverness and Aderdeen.
Obvs i'd like to live on Leithen Road but really not sure that would work. 😂
There's a massive raft of engineering support places in aberdeen that aren't like that haggis.
And weegies eat McDonald's, not chips cheese n curry sauce, that's the tourist menu.
Dundee or Aberdeen from that list for me. Angus glens side of Dundee, Deeside in Aberdeen.
South side of Edinburgh is where it’s at. Pentlands on your doorstep, half an hour to the tweed valley, relatively easy access to bridge to get further North for snow/more biking/proper mountains etc. Avoid Edinburgh in August but it’s fine otherwise. If I could I would move back there in a flash.
Aberdeen is cold, grey, depressing and a long way from anywhere. Inverness is grim and chock full of tourists all summer. Dundee is small and grim - what is the point of it? Nobody knows. Stirling is a junky town and Glasgow is like a shittier version of Liverpool.
See? That's the kind of bawbags that reside in Edinburgh! 🤣
Aberdeen is cold, grey, depressing and a long way from anywhere. Inverness is grim and chock full of tourists all summer. Dundee is small and grim – what is the point of it? Nobody knows. Stirling is a junky town and Glasgow is like a shittier version of Liverpool.
I could substitute some local place names round where we live now and say the same things. 😄
Thanks for the replies so far all welcome and stuff to look at.
An hour from the cairngorms isn't really 'a long way from anywhere'
I'd also have a look around Linlithgow Stu, nice wee town, grear transport links and decent access to local biking, tweed valley not far either.
Inverness is grim and chock full of tourists all summer
Says the man from Edinburgh...not exactly a lack of tourists there!
If biking is what you're after then Glasgow is not very good, very limited stuff around and you'll have to go a distance to get some decent stuff. Edinburgh is slightly better, but as others have said, the downside is it's Edinburgh, Stirling is central and good for getting to stuff nearby, Perth is the gateway to the highlands, so good for getting to good stuff up north, but you're getting further away from the big cities and it's a bit run down these days, Dundee seems to be the better choice in that area.
Further north is just too cold and miserable, Aberdeen and Inverness will be nice for a holiday, but living there will take a lot of getting used too!
My default answer is Eastern (Kinnoull Hill) side of Perth. 25 mins along the A90 to Dundee, Glasgow & Edinburgh sub 2 hrs door to door.
I’m not a fan of Stirling but many are. Dunblane and Bridge of Allan would be my choice there if I had to. I wouldn’t discount the West end of Glasgow either, but it’s not cheap. Inverness? No ta!
Even though Inverness and Aderdeen are options for Mrsstu to work from I think we have already ruled them out as neither of us are that keen on actually living there.
RE tourists - I did say avoid in August! All the rest of the year it’s a big enough city to avoid tourist hot spots. Inverness only has one real street so you can’t avoid them.
The North edge of the Glasgow / Stirling / Edinburgh triangle is the answer, possibly Tweed valley.
To ride from the door the Perth / Crieff / Dunblane / BofA / Stirling area is hard to beat.
To be a biased resident, BofA and Dunblane area is just brilliant, for riding, housing, transport, proximity to Rest of Scotland, green space, lack of crime, nice beer and ask the services you need within a few miles. Stirling also has reasonable employment opportunities too, a short train or cycle trip away.
I’d also have a look around Linlithgow Stu, nice wee town, grear transport links and decent access to local biking, tweed valley not far either.
OP - if you are old/almost dead, like grey trousers and red knit jumpers etc then this is a good suggestion. Otherwise - avoid.
I did say avoid in August! All the rest of the year it’s a big enough city to avoid tourist hot spots. Inverness only has one real street so you can’t avoid them.
I guess for me it depends what you think a city is for. For me it is somewhere it is useful to have within a reasonable distance (40mins drive maybe) that has useful facilities to go to every now and again like a hospital; a cinema, a big DIY store, a few industrial estates with firms who can make/fix things, work and possibly a clothes shop in case of extreme emergency when the internet won't cut it. I'd never dream of living in one (any of them, anywhere) and only visit kicking and screaming but acknowledge their usefulness to have a reasonable drive away. To me I judge a city on what is around it; where you can get to whilst living a usable distance from it. For me this will be awesome scenery and places to play with very few people getting in the way. As this is a mtb forum I would imagine I'm not alone in viewing cities like this.I will avoid the tourists on Inverness' single high street by simply never going there by choice like I don't go to any city centre high street!
Dunfermline, easy access to Edinburgh for work, easy access to the M90 for heading North. Not full of Weegies, or posh tossers...
I've lived in a few places in Scotland. My thoughts:
Edinburgh - Proper city, and good for food/culture and all that. Road biking is ok but a bit busy. Good access to Tweed Valley, and the pentlands are great.
Inverness - One of my fave places I've lived and we're going to do our best to move back there. Superb biking and a stones throw from all the best mountains. Took about a month to get over the small town feel.
Perth/Dundee: Really, really good for road biking but the MTB is less good (but still great). For some reason Perth feels more 'small town' to me than Inverness did but I suspect that's the contrast with Dundee.
Pebbles and commute would be my answer in a flash!
All joking aside, there's loads of good places, you have lots of options. I'd look to rent to try a place out, if you can.
Edinburgh is a great city, not sure I'd want to live there, but thats really just cos it's a city tbh, Glasgow ditto.
I wouldn't move to the likes of Bridge of Allan for the riding, it's awrite, but a bit samey/limited, more for the access to great biking - Dunkeld, pitlochry, aviemore, tweed valley etc etc.
I dunno why living near old folk is an issue for the salt n saucer though, I live slap bang in the middle of a thriving, busy town, the oldies are pretty cool.
Aberdeen is awesome. Don’t listen to the doubters. Depends what you want. You’ll not find the plays and culture of Edinburgh. It’s smaller than Glasgow. It does have cycling to match (exceed) anywhere in the UK.
We’ve had glorious sunshine last few weeks. Rains a LOT less than most of the uk.
Today 15 mins from home:
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St Andrews. We moved here (Strathkinness actually, house prices much more sensible here) from Edinburgh, Sheffield before that.
It's a really, really nice place. Lots to do, nice pubs, nice restaurants, ace fish n chips, nice beaches, 20 minutes to Dundee, 45 to Perth, 1 hour to Edinburgh. Decent biking locally (Blebo/Kemback, Tentsmuir, Balmullo) but plenty of very very good biking within an hour's drive: Pitmedden, Sidlaws, Ochils, Comrie, etc. Very large farm/food grower locally that has a large maintenance workforce, or there's the Dundee docks.
Peebles is full of ****ers and the commute to Edinburgh is hellish. You could look for somewhere along the Borders railway and get that into Edinburgh. I live in Midlothian, 30 mins to the Valley, 10 mins from A&E. I wouldn't want to live in the valley as it's a bit cliquey and too far away from a bit of culture but the riding is ace.
I'd agree with pretty much everything Steven says!
Looks great locally to euain. 👌🏻
I guess for me it depends what you think a city is for. For me it is somewhere it is useful to have within a reasonable distance (40mins drive maybe)
Yep we're kind of on the edge of the green belt about 40mins drive from Brum where we live now so looking for the same kind of distance to a city but much more countryside the other way.
OP – if you are old/almost dead
Over 50 but far from dead.
Having said that off to bed now.
😂
Please keep the suggestions rolling though so we can check them out a bit more.
I love being in Edinburgh. It really is the business as far as cities g, especially if you're into bikes. I moved up from Derbyshire, having lived in Sheffield before that and went to uni in Fife. It has good trails on the doorstep in the Pentlands, but good access to Highland Perthshire and the Tweed Valley (which really keeps you going in the winter). I didn't think I would, but I like having l the capital city things on my doorstep- the bands, the festival, the theatres.
When I first came up to uni Dundee was a dive but loads of money has been thrown at it and I reckon it's a lovely place to live now.
Inverness is good, I'd live there happily. I don't see the draw of Aberdeen and I really don't like Glasgow.
I'd also struggle to live in somewhere like Dunfermline and commute- I'd rather live in.the city and get the benefits of it, or live properly in the countryside, not a halfway house somewhere just because the houses are a bit cheaper.
My daughter loves Edinburgh but that might only be because it’s a bit more exciting for a 19yr old than Glencoe - I know which one I prefer. I am in Inverness regularly due to work, and would have no hesitation living in that neck of the woods, I think it’s pretty decent as cities go.
Edinburgh
We know what soap Is!
If you like rain then the west coast, if not then the east coast, the middle if you can’t make your mind up.
Peebles is full of ****
Well thats insulting...
Peebles is actually growing on me the more I live in it.
The bike path is due to extend aswell so it's going to be a better cycle commute.
Peebles is full of **** and the commute to Edinburgh is hellish. You could look for somewhere along the Borders railway and get that into Edinburgh. I live in Midlothian, 30 mins to the Valley, 10 mins from A&E. I wouldn’t want to live in the valley as it’s a bit cliquey and too far away from a bit of culture but the riding is ace.
Peebles is a bit weird in the sense that it’s still a Borders town (same for Hawick, Biggar etc) and 100% agree that commuting from there is a terrible idea. Some parts of Midlothian are a good shout to be fair.
Peebles is a great place to live. One of the many great places to live in Scotland. All in all Scotland is an amazing place to live.
The issue with Dundee is the Dundonians - most argumentative bastards I've ever come across. There's not enough sauce in the country to go with the chips on their shoulders.
Perth (the city) is not very pleasant, however Perthshire is. Maybe look at somewhere up the A9 a bit like Dunkeld or Birnam. Nice place to live, easy commute to Perth for work (train or car). Lots of riding around there.
Edinburgh is nice enough, but the local riding isn't great and you need to drive to get anywhere decent, though Tweed Valley isn't too far.
Fife is a weird one - the nice bits are all far away from the bits that are useful for getting anywhere else. It is also known as Scotland's Texas....
Edinburgh is nice enough, but the local riding isn’t great and you need to drive to get anywhere decent, though Tweed Valley isn’t too far.
I'd say that's applicable to all options to be fair, IIRC the OP likes steep enduro tracks, None of the cities listed have that on tap.
Can't you get her to open an Aviemore or Fort William office?. 😁
If I had the option Dunkeld mostly wins it for me. Nice town and close enough to everything else. Great variety of riding from the door.
Dunkeld and Birnam are options, if you don’t mind never seeing the sun again. Also, the 10 miles of A9 to Perth will suck the life out of you - even post dualling.
Fife to edinburgh commute can do one.
Fife to edinburgh commute can do one.
I’d not fancy a St. Andrews to Burgh commute. Rosyth on the other hand.
I'm five minutes from the Edinburgh bypass. Lots of local options for a 2 hour ride on woodland single-track, nothing too technical but good fun on a summers evening. There's a wood locally that's had extensive work done, berms, drops, jumps, that's good for half a day of fun. 30 minutes from Inners, 90 minutes to Dunkeld. Even the Pentlands are worth it on the right day. If you like beaches etc they're only half an hour away too. I like the variety, being able to get the bus into Edinburgh for a show, cinema or a nice meal or go for a really good bike ride, all within 30 mins drive/bus journey.
Stu, I opened a thread about a year ago on the same/similar topic, then updated it recently now that things are in full swing.
Good luck! I can only suggest you get up there, meet some folks, have a good neb about, look at some houses, go to some pubs etc. I think from all the replies you’ve got the jist on major cities, so go and have a look (and take a bike!)
We’ve actually found it quite hard being able to put a pin in a map with relatively few constraints, going up and looking without rose tinted specs (we are a Scottish family, lost in the sarf and Europe for 15 yrs) helped hugely.
Let us know how the search goes.
The only 2 wee comments I will add based on personal experience is
- Aberdeen is a fantastic place, lived there for 10yrs, but my god it is ****ing miles from everywhere/anywhere
- Dundee, for a man (me) who is very big person, felt like living in Lilliput, but where the Lilliputians were all on drugs and wanted to have a laugh on a Saturday trying to punch the big fella out, or indeed even wave a gun in his face. I did not enjoy Dundee (but it was a very long time ago!)
I lived in Edinburgh for 50+ years. It's an awesome city and my one regret is it getting a chance to first see it through adult eyes in order to fully appreciate it. Sone of the architecture, the castle in the middle if the city, even Arthur's Seat, I'd become so used to seeing these when growing up that it was too easy to dismiss them. Balerno is a good call. Still on the outskirts, good bus service and cycle path into town, and on the edge of the hills for easy/quick access. When I was living there and working from home I'd often head out for an hour at lunchtime.
However...given the choice I'd recommend Inverness. We moved to Aviemore seven years ago and I was working in Inverness up until last year. If you are into the outdoors at all, you'll really not find anywhere better on these islands. There's a wealth of small towns in the area that would all be an easy commute if you don't want to be in the city at all, plus air, rail and road links are all good (though A9 will be a pain for the next 4 years or so as they complete the dualling to Perth).
Having lived in Stanley, thinking I could handle the commute on the A9 to Blair Atholl, I left my job thinking I could handle the smaller commute into Perth.
I cut my losses and just moved to Scone and walk into Perth every day.
Perth is brilliant, the Centre is on its arse from a retail aspect but it’s a truly beautiful place to live near. Great bus, and rail links. Great riding from the door, amazing running and walking routes. I’ve never been happier living anywhere else.
I'd say Edinburgh, and by Edinburgh I mean Portobello. Great here!
A second shout for Linlithgow from me.
Sounds like your missus could move office later if need be? In which case I'd be tempted to try Inverness for a bit.
I understand there are some rather challenging local trails, plus it's day-trippable for Torridon and even easier reach of the Cairngorms - and then there's the West Highlands as well.
They don't need any content people do they?
40 minute commute from aviemore to Inverness.
Just sayin.
For me one key thing to consider is the commute. Is the Edinburgh office near the train station? commuting from the north or west into Edinburgh can be an utter nightmare in a car with an hour to get in or out of the city being possible. Train services to Edinburgh are great tho from multiple directions
Property prices in Edinburgh are stupidly high and the 'burbs not much better. My wee flat in leith is worth a 4 bed house in aviemore or inverness
Edinburgh is a lovely city to live in - so long as you can deal with the tourists and congestion. Its small so you can cycle anywhere in the city and out of it very easily but it still big enough to have everything you want and need in a city. Local riding to Edinburgh is decent - as in stuff you can ride to and tweed valley a short drive away. Plenty of work in Edinburgh for you as well I would have thought.
Aviemore is a fantastic location for outdoorsy but a rather dull town - tho better than it used to be.
Glasgow a nice place to live if you live in the right bits but being much bigger than Edinburgh harder to cycle around and out of and not so much decent riding around.
So its really about establishing your priorities. Nicest city to live in is Edinburgh, Best cycling Aviemore but then you have a commute to inverness for her and is there work locally for you?
Use ESPC to have a look at what you get for your money housing wise and think about your commute - are you / her prepared to do a car commute? Train commute or walk to work?
https://espc.com/
Inverness in a second. But I’d probably commute in from strathpeffer direction. Some beautiful houses up there. Or the Black Isle, or out the back of Nairn. Inverness is a great city, you should have seen it in the 80’s-90’s if you wanted to see grim! Plenty of places to avoid tourists. I’d love a few pints in the Market Bar right now.
As already mentioned, Aberdeen is miles from anywhere (else). Having moved to Inverness coming on for three years ago I can advise that traveling south is worse (A9).
Also, tourists... grrr, additionally a crash requiring a lane closure CA gridlock the place. For hours...
Great for access to the hills (& the west though).
For balance I lived in Embra for a year in the 80's (before I got into mtbing) and other than for work I've barely ever gone back. I'll pick Glasgow instead...
I'm just a bundle of joy I am... 😁
Glasgow has a motorway cutting it in half
The city centre has a motorway going through it which makes travelling really easy. Its also not as if it actually makes a difference if you are in the city centre.
Its all very well saying you want to move somewhere close to biking but what does the wife (family) want or need. Are you really likely to live in the city centre? If like most other people you'll be actually wanting amenities close by; easy travel to other places; not in the middle of no where; think about the weather (look at places that are flooded at the moment); what is the internet or indeed 4G connection like.
Taking riding out of the equation and look at where you would live then.
Inverness +1 and if you want a lodger let me know
You need to talk to terrahawk of this borough. Jason made the move a couple of years ago and as far I know it’s going rather well.
You need to talk to terrahawk of this borough. Jason made the move a couple of years ago and as far I know it’s going rather well.
D&G as I recall, so outwith* the scope of this question.
* for teh MacLOLs
Inverness as a centre is a good choice.
Even better is not to live there, but nearby.
If you like the tourist Highlands, Aviemore area.
If you like the never see anyone all day Highlands go slightly west, between Beauly to Strathpeffer. Open up an OS map and you have a smorgasbord of riding.
(I live in Dingwall. I can ride about 200 yards and I'm on to a 1,000' hill. Top that and Ben Wyvis lies exposed. The local school is reasonably big and produces good results if that's important.)
Not saying anything is wrong with Dingwall but it’s the only time I’ve been locked inside a bar because of a fight going on outside! Wasn’t bad to be honest, like the 90’s version of pay per view!
doug_basqueMTB.com
Not saying anything is wrong with Dingwall but it’s the only time I’ve been locked inside a bar because of a fight going on outside!
It's ok now. I've calmed down a bit... 🙂
Glasgow is being severely underrated as a place to live for a cyclist
1) huge cycling club scene with over 100+ years of history
2) velodrome
3) you can easily ride from city centre off road out to proper countryside - to the north and west
4) great road cycling routes out north with excellent climbs
5) reasonable access to Arrochar, West Highland Way, Glencoe, Kinlochleven, Fort Bill - proper classic MTB riding
6) tweed valley 1.5 hrs
7) lake District 2hrs
8) Dumfries and Galloway 7 stanes and Drumlanrig 1.5-2hrs
9) lots of parks and cycle network within the city to explore
10) Aberfoyle is 40mins away with amazing riding for everything from road and (endless) gravel right through to silly steeps
Again thanks for all the replies.
This place can be a bit bitchy from time to time but there's some brilliant advice when it comes down to it.
We'll both be looking in more detail at some of the suggestions and please keep them rolling in.
BSN and the other person that mentioned his thread thanks for pointing us towards that. Again loads of info to look at and take in.
Just to reinforce there's no actual offer of the job yet but we both want to make sure we know what's what if there is an offer.
Exciting and scary at the same time.
.
Invernessish so black isle nairn area.
Drier than the west coast
I’d choose Nethy Bridge or Boat of Garten. Easy commute into Inverness not far from airport and rail links. Excellent outdoors options on your doorstep.
If that is too remote and you want to be in a city then Stirling is probably the best option. Half an hour or so train to Glasgow or Edinburgh, handy for Trossachs etc.
For me Edinburgh or Glasgow is too busy but you may prefer a busier city. Aberdeen is good for local road and mountain biking but I’d move to Nethy Bridge in a minute if I got a golden handshake from work.
I’d choose Nethy Bridge or Boat of Garten
Not if you want some place for a drink. Both have only a pretty dismal hotel.
I live just south of Inverness, there's local natural trails, Aviemore is an hour away and Ft William is 50 mins.
It's a nice place to live and I've no plans to move 😁
I lived in the central belt for 12 years, wouldn't move back now...
I live in the Borders but I reckon if I was moving again is be looking at Dunblane area. Access to everywhere is awesome.
Peebles is full of * and the commute to Edinburgh is hellish.
I'm a total * and the commute is fine. I do it twice a day to Leith. 1 hour.
To the edges of Edinburgh is 30 minutes.
Just leave before 7.20 or after 9. And get a fast car.
I'd rather commute to work and live in the Tweed Valley.
I've live in Perth and Edinburgh too, Perth is lovely, but it just feels too quiet and isolated for me. Road riding is immense, so few cars. The mtb'ing is OK, but there's a lot better riding in the borders.
Tweed's proximity to Edinburgh is a significant, IMHO. Some of the best built trails in the UK under an hour from a great city. Depends what lights your fire, though - if you're more of a big mountain man and riding in the Highlands is what it's all about then Edinburgh can feel distant from that.
Stirling always strikes me as a superb geographical location but it would be good to speak with some local riders for what the stuff there is really like week in week out. I've ridden in the hills there twice in my life and thought it was superb, but it's different as a visitor. You could go for a one-off ride in the Pentlands and think it was awesome, but reality is it's nowhere near that when you're actually living there.
Stu, another up vote for Stirling from me. I was offered a job up here a couple of years ago and never looked back! I'm surprised to see such negativity towards Stirling because to me it's the best place I've ever lived! This is saying something considering I grew up in North Wales and spent a few years living in the Lake District. The city itself has some rougher areas but what Scottish city doesn't? It has all the shops and services you need but also has a very rural feel which is something that's important to me. I do a lot of work in South West Scotland and have an office in Glasgow, all of which is easily commutable from Stirling. And every time I drive home on the M9 just when you get to Stirling you can look out towards the Gargunnock Hills in the west, to the big mountains in the Trossachs to the north and then east across the city with the castle, the Wallace Monument and the Ochil's stretching off into the distance. It's absolutely class, I have totally fallen in love with the place. And the riding is superb as well. Plenty of trails, open hill tracks and a great Sustrans cycle path network in all directions. I ride exclusively singlespeed and find the riding round here perfect for that.
If you want any more info just let me know dude, good luck!
I think it all depends on what your day to day lifestyle is. I've lived in Glasgow, Bridge of Allan, Stirling, Edinburgh, abroad and even England 🙂 and I now live in Innerleithen. Each place was so completely different that it would be impossible to compare them. I also lived in some of these places with no kids but now have kids. Each place would have been different with/without kids. My brother lives in Bridge of Allan with his family(2 kids) and loves it. I like visiting and it has a nice feel about it.
I love living in Innerleithen and I commute 3 times a week to Edinburgh by car. I used to use the bus(X62) but then my office was moved out the city centre. The commute isn't that bad to be honest. I am willing to do it just so I can have the trails on my doorstep when I am home. It's nice and quiet and there's a good social life either in the local pub or at folks houses for beers/food. I can go for the occasional night out in Edinburgh when I miss the city.
Just remember most people will rave about where they live but each person is different. If you are a city person and like going out a lot then the borders probably isn't for you. Somewhere like Stirling/Bridge of Allan might better for it's easy access to Glasgow plus there's some local bars/restaurants.
If I was you I'd rent somewhere first and explore for the first year to get a proper feel for Scotland.
I have been following this thread and find it astonishing how many folk would chose to live where an hour in a car each way to work is a good choice
Musselburgh on the east side of Edinburgh:
On the end of the bypass
Easy access to Tweed Valley
Train to Embra city or a good road / offroad commute
Beaches and coast stuff.
Great ice cream and pizza
I used to live in Leith and it was an hour by car or bus to get to work at the Gyle. That's how I got into cycling as I couldn't stand sitting in traffic 1 hr each way. Cycling was only 45 mins. I would have loved to stay in Edinburgh but it's just not financially viable so the 1 hr commute is the sacrifice you have to make.
tjagain
Member
I have been following this thread and find it astonishing how many folk would chose to live where an hour in a car each way to work is a good choice
Given your recent complaints that your commute might stretch to 4 miles, I'm not sure your the best person to judge