[Closed] Fife as a place to live

Stirling. You're next to the A9, she's next to the train station, it's a reasonable size town with a fair bit going on, and the local trails are phenomenal.

If you were to look slightly out of Stirling, Clackmannanshire way, you'll get *A LOT* of house for your money

the eastern expansion of dunfermline is absolutely fine, its where i live.
7 minute drive from forth road bridge, a regular bus service from 'big' tesco, (theres another little tesco)
we have been here 7 years, never a problem.
google 'duloch park'
most people will tell you to avoid abbeyview (local council estate), but i drive a bus round there regularly, and its ok.
theres a leisure park with bowling, a cinema, a few restaurants, crazy golf etc, its a 5 minute drive, or 10 minutes on the bus.
EDIT: the flying ox speaks truth.
town is about 15 minutes on the bus, and is a fairly typical town centre, there is a modern bus station with regular connections to the rest of fife, edinburgh, glasgow, inverness.
we are not fifers, we moved here from perth 7 years ago because its cheaper for housing.
EDIT: flying ox speaks truth.

please excuse my 1st edit above, its still early.

Fife is pretty hit and miss, some places are delightful and some places are rotten, most of the places are boring. Be really aware of train stations actually having a decent timetable, commuting times will be fine but not every train stops at every station.

Stirling isn't a bad shout and perth perhaps but not driving.... that's the christmas present sorted.

Dunfermline should be / was a nice place once, but is a real hole now. I worked there for a year 5 years ago. So many new build developments were being built for commuters to pour into Edinburgh every day. On the plus side, you will be not far from great countryside, trails and beaches.

Definitely Stirling as suggested, but whilst the Falkirk area might not be pretty, it is great for transport and amenities. I would also suggest Perth as I grew up there and will throw into the mix, Cupar.

Dunfermline is ok and given the non-driving a good bet. Think I'd be tempted with Stirling. For a while host of reasons. Although I've never lived there but have in dunfermline

Scratch that Perth seems the better bet.

I grew up in Dunfermline, but haven't lived there since '99.

Abbeyview used to be a complete hole (my sister had her car shot apart with an air rifle by her downstairs neighbour...), but they moved the worst families out and spread them around the place (Dalgety bay used to be nicer ;)) and destroyed most of the worst accommodation to replace them with the new development.

I wouldn't live in Dunfermline again, but my mum and sister are both happy there. I know a couple of people who moved to the new development and they seem to like it too.

Dunfermline has (or had at least) a weird small town attitude for such a large town that's near a major city.

I'm trying not to put you off, there are worse places to love (Kirkaldy, Glenrothes, Cowdenbeath etc.) but there are better places too.

A quick rule to living in Fife: If it has a nice name, it might be nice. If it has a crappy name, it won't be nice. (see Methil)

Clackmannanshire here. As Ox says, you get more for your money, but the commute to Edinburgh would be a pain (Drive to Dunfermline then train to Edinburgh). Stirling makes more sense, but still an hour on the train for your wife.

The riding (mtb) from either Stirling or Clackmannanshire is good, not so sure about Dunfermline...

EDIT: Sorry, just reread the initial post - your wife doesn't drive and wants stuff to do in walking distance... so Clackmannanshire would be out - not much to do and a poor bus service.

I'm in Dunfermline, with a partner who doesn't drive, she works in Edinburgh, (we moved out here as we couldn't afford anything nice in Edinburgh), she's much more sociable than me, so likes to meet up with friends in the city, etc. She commutes by train and is sick of it. The service between Dunfermline and Edinburgh is pretty poor given the proximity/size of the town, last train home around 11pm, every two hours on a Sunday, etc. Soviet era rolling stock.

As a place to stay, Dunfermline is OK, Blairadam is just up the road for mountain biking, the Ochils, not too far away either. I work in Linlithgow, and for the most part the bridge isn't too bad, depending when you leave for work.

As such, we're looking to move south of the Forth after 7 years here. I'd be over in Stirling in a shot, but it makes for a long commute into Edinburgh. Nicer place than Dunfermline IMO. Have a look at South Queensferry, Aberdour, maybe Linlithgow (nice/expensive) or Polmont (not so nice/regular trains) on the Glasgow/Edinburgh line.

On the whole, Fife gets a bit of a bad rap. It has some very nice spots, but many nasty old mining villages. You do get a lot for your money though.

I've lived in Fife (St. Andrews) and Stirling (Bridge of Allan), and spent a lot of time in Edinburgh (when my wife lived there). Left Scotland in 2004 so possibly a little out of date. Was never a fan of fife, really. The east coast is nice, but you would both be a long way from work. No great riding.

My wife worked in Edinburgh when we lived in Stirling, she found the train commute ok, but you'd have a bit of a drive - I guess you'd go the A9 (an hour each way, I'd guess?). The problem is that most of the places along the M90 (which would be the sensible place to live) wouldn't really appeal to me.

Wherever you go make sure you check the cost of the public transport commute into Edinburgh. Stirling would be OK on house price but I'd imagine the train fares would quickly eat away any savings there. A Perth Edinburgh commute doesn't make any sense, especially for a non driver.

Perth's nice enough and handy for BofE, but check train prices and reliability. I know someone who lived in Perth and worked in Edinburgh, season ticket for the trains was £000's and the trains never managed 2 complete weeks of being on time. Was a few years ago though and things might have changed

I lived all my life near the potatoes of Fife
& so I'm glad to say has my potato loving wife
so when I need potatoes for myself and my wife.... for the rest of my life.
I look no further than the kingdom of fife.

I have nothing else to add sorry, grew up in Kirkcaldy and loved my childhood there, now I live in Staffordshire England!!
Fife is good for fruit farms I remember that much. and it has some nice beaches 🙂

Friend stays in Perth and car shares to Edinburgh along with using the train and bus on other days.
He enjoys living in Perth and there is some great riding nearby.

[i]Oh and I know it gets said a lot,but a place really is what you make of it .[/i] 🙂

It's little further out and a bit more driving for you (less than 30 mins) but I'd also suggest Cupar and even Markinch with both town having train stations. Biking nearby is good and house prices are on a far more sensible level

wow, thanks for all the responses.

Stirling would be lovely but I think its just a bit too far out of Edinburgh.
Looks like the right bits of dunfermline are probably going to be our best bet. We're only renting to start with so I guess if we get it wrong we can move rewasonably easily.

Looks like the right bits of dunfermline are probably going to be our best bet. We're only renting to start with so I guess if we get it wrong we can move rewasonably easily.

Spot on. Perth and Bridge of Earn are nice, but the train service to Edinburgh is slow and infrequent.

Aberdour is actually a good shout too.

but the train service to Edinburgh is slow and infrequent.

I think we're probably better off nearer her work than mine. I dont exactly work regular hours so rush hour etc aren't really an issue for me but I imagine a long unreliable commute for her will mess with my "happy wife=Happy life" policy. Aberdour looks nice though. Might have to go for real life nosy.

With regards to places being a bit grotty, we've had our expectations firmly lowered by 8 years in Bradford and 3 years in Salford prior to that.

you can buy a weekly bus ticket which covers the whole of fife and into edinburgh for £27.
service 57 or x57 will take her into edinburgh city centre in just over an hour, this service any time ive driven it is fairly quiet.
aberdour is a nice place.

Falkirk area would probably be the best bet.

Possibly look at Linlithgow, although housing more expensive than Dunfy? Nice High Street, train station on mainline between Glasgow/Edinburgh, plus good access to motorway. Decent riding locally too.

Linlithgow-Bridge of Earn every day? Add in Edinburgh train tickets and you spending a fair whack on transport between the two of them.

Reverse commute over the bridge. 38 miles, all motorway. Dunfy is what, just over 20, obviously it's closer, but it's not just about how long it takes to drive to work.

perth would be my choice from the above but only if no commute to Edinburgh was involved as, as has been pointed out, public service transport to south of the river is awful.

Falkirk is the worst place I've lived in Scotland. it has no redeeming features. stirling's nice enough but suffers in proximity

I lived in Dunfermline for 8 years and although I just moved in the last year, it's no reflection on the place. I had a house in Pitcorthie and that was a nice area. About a 20 minute walk to Dunfermline Town train station and easy access for driving to the M90.

I then lived in Garvock (near the hotel) which is closer to the centre of town and also pleasant. 5 minute walk to the train station.

I've done the Edinburgh commute and as above the train service can be poor as you are not on the main line (Fife circle). The early time for the last train home is also annoying. If you have a social circle locally Dunfermline is a good night out, with a few good locally owned pubs and restaurants.

Mountain biking at Blairadam, Pitmedden not far away. Bouldering wall and good sports facilities at the Carnegie.

It has it's rough areas like most places, but overall it's a great place to live, people are friendly and there's quite a bit going on.

Oh and it has a beer festival 😉

For the love of all things ever do not live in cupar.

Or st andrews for that matter.

Okay,assuming train fair isnt the biggest factor.

How about dundee.

Trainwise its east coast mainline aberdeen to london kings cross or anywhere in between its a little over an hour and you generally get a seat on a way nicer train than the fife circular. Its a city, okay its small but it does feel like a citysort of. It has It pockets of pure scum but I have always found its been given a bad rep and is more vibrant than most of the places mentioned, theatres museums galleries and most important of all the 'pie in a roll'

The non driving thing is the bit I would worry about in most of fife, we had a rule in our home. You learn to drive as soon as possible. The busses are guff and trains are pants. If your wife doesnt drive she will be almost entirely reliant on you for most things.

I spent the first 21 years of my life just outside leuchars when I go home my only thought for coming back would be its a very happy place to spend a childhood where its safe and the schools are good. Thats it no chance I would move back until that kind of thing was a consideration.

I've only read the OP and nothing else, but here's what I found when I lived there.

Fife is an OK place to live if you're happy to use it as a platform to get to other places. As a place to live in its own right it's pretty mediocre.

The good-

Housing is cheap to rent, especially if you're happy with a pebbledash jockbox. You can get something really quite nice out in the sticks.

You can be in the highlands very quickly with the motorway, it's a straight forward drive. You also have Edinburgh, Dundee and Perth in very easy reach.

Some of the villages, particularly in the East Neuk, are beautiful. I lived in Pittenweem for a bit and it was very pretty (bloomin' cold right on the harbour side though!). St Andrews is good for a day out (but can drive you absolutely mad if you're there too long).

The weather is cracking- it's very dry for the UK and Dundee is the sunniest place in Scotland. It rains surprisingly little.

The bad-

The riding is poor- the Lomond Hills and Pitmedden aren't too bad, but not thrilling and that's probably the best in the area. You'll cope in an "I've got no alternative" way but in the last year I lived up there I rode from my doorstep maybe 10 times and drove to ride elsewhere the rest of the time. If you can road bike there is a good scene, but the constant gale force headwinds are demoralizing. There are no hills worth speaking of.

Most of the towns are grim. Kirkcaldy in particular is very unpleasant, I've got some rough stories from when I worked there. While the East Neuk is pretty the major towns of Kirkcaldy, Glenrothes and Inverkeithing are industrial/dock/coal mining towns that are rather bleak.

There's not a lot to do. If your wife thought Dalgety Bay was dull the rest of Fife won't offer anything extra beyond the Scottish deer centre. Most of the days out that I can remember were out of town in Edinburgh, the Highlands, the Trossachs or in Perth and Stirling.

All in, it's a nice enough place but when I lived there I always wondered how people who weren't born there ended up living there rather than pretty much anywhere else on the east coast.

On the not driving front, before I moved back to nasty ol' England (it's worth noting that Fife is still better than being down here) I jacked it in and moved to Edinburgh and commuted to wherever I was working in Fife. The trains are either slow or don't stop at every stop, so if you do choose to live there make sure you're on the mainline at one of the well served stops.

Stirling is probably a pretty good bet, as is Perth though that may be too far.

A quick rule to living in Fife: If it has a nice name, it might be nice. If it has a crappy name, it won't be nice.

I'd agree with that!

Moved to Fife in January having been commuting from Midlothian to Glenrothes for three and half years or so and finally getting a permanent contract.

We're renting in a beautiful wee village (Ceres) a few miles from Cupar, which isn't that bad despite what Joshvegas says - it is certainly far nicer than other places listed in this thread so far. We move into the house we've been doing up next week; it's a few miles further east and

I'll agree that the mountain biking is limited in Fife, with the exception of the Lomond Hills, Pitmedden and a few other places. I've actually taken to road riding perhaps as a result, and the roads in the East Neuk (as they call it) are very quiet in my experience.

and the roads in the East Neuk (as they call it) are very quiet in my experience.

Quiet, but I found that the few drivers that were there were absolute bloody lunatics!

Can I suggest the Ladybank/Falkland area might be worth a look. East drive to Bridge Of Earn and a train to Edinburgh. You'd want a quiet life to live there.

Be wary with south west Fife, bloody cow boy country down there.

Quiet, but I found that the few drivers that were there were absolute bloody lunatics!

Sorry 🙁

Actually, it might be worth a look at the SEPA website too.

Actually, it might be worth a look at the SEPA website too.

[img] [/img]

Cupar has a variety of sporting opportunites
[img] [/img]

😀

Yes, they be the reasons.

Forget Fife, Perth etc - East Lothian is the place to be if you want to keep your wife happy - 10/15 mins to Edinburgh on the train, nice area to live, not bad local riding - house prices not too bad.

Well served stops are.

Kirkcaldy, leuchars. Thats pretty much it, markinch maybe.

Ladybank isn't to bad for trains, is it still the murder capital of scoland perhead of population?:-)

Actually another alternative would be glasgow. Best city in scotland only city really.

Forget Fife, Perth etc - East Lothian

His jobs in Bridge Of Earn. I don't fancy that commute.

Whereabouts in Fife are you, piemonster..?

There's a Fifer missing from this thread - maybe you could squat in the pool house for a bit?

I'm actually north of the Kingdom in Scotland's sunniest city (apparently)

Although I'm regularly wearing tights and getting sweaty in the Lomonds. But not with the late night Creag Mead types you understand.

In a tediously protracted and uncertain way, I'm in a not too dissimilar position to the OP where living between Perth and Dunfermline will (in theory and only possibly) make lot of sense.

Ladybank isn't to bad for trains, is it still the murder capital of scoland perhead of population?:-)

I didn't know that. Any hideous facts about Kingskettle, I could do with some ammunition for generally insulting friends.

I already know about the 'Dog Lover' up in the hills east of there.

I've only got my phone so this will be brief.

FIFE ROCKS

I've lived on and off here, near Kirkcaldy for thirty years. There's few tiger places I'd rather be. My brother moved to Falkland last year and lives it. His wife commutes easily from Ladybank.

I will post something more substantive when I get home.

😯 at Tiger Places, I knew it was rough down Kirkcaldy way. Didn't Tigers where on the loose.

And I still want one of Ninians sheds.

Its not that I hate fife, just its pretty boring if you don't drive.

Piemonster, ask if their physical/mental difficulties are a result of kettle produce poisoning everyone in the village.

Kettles single greatest claim to fame is the cynical and capatilist organisation ever to take to stage under the guise of childrens entertainment.... the singiiiiiiiiiiiiiing kettle.

Thanks for all the info.

We've lined up to see a couple of apartments in Dunfermline. I think theres enough there to stop the Mrs going crazy when I'm working away and when I'm home we can head out in the car to do stuff.

Unfortunatly, the not driving thing is medical so me insisting would be seen as mean!!!!

I've just ordered roof bars and bike rack for the car so I can head out to play a bit further afield.

The singletrack collective helps again. You lot should get a van and drive around like the A team sharing opinions.

My sister was looking at a nice Victorian flat on a corner overlooking the links, at the end of the high street. Top floor with great views. Daft price. £70k. Train goes through there too.

The singletrack collective helps again. You lot should get a van and drive around like the A team sharing opinions.

We'd be too busy bickering to actually do much good.

Have a look at Blairadam woods, Pitmedden, Lomonds, Ochils for local riding.

Further afield, blimey there is loads. Too much to ever list. The commute to Bridge Of Earn will be a doddle from Dunfermline. It's gets busy heading south, but never too bad going north from Dunfermline.

What about looking South of the bridge, South Queensferry,Linlithgow, Kirkliston(no trains but bus service can't be that bad, not much to do though).What about becoming a neighbour of Ian Rankine in North Queensferry?

As piemonster says, plenty of local riding. Blairadam is excellent (even in the winter when it becomes Blairmudam), as is Pitmedden (Pitmudden, there's a theme developing here) which will be a great one to stop in at on your way home of an evening. Lomond Hills are good too, don't listen to the naysayers. As well as the Ochils, there's also some riding out west (Dean Plantation) as well as possibly Devilla forest (although I've not ridden there for years, hopefully there's less fireroad and more singletrack now).

Ian Rankine's in Morningside is he not? along the road from J K's old place..
You mean the late lamented Iain Banks??

kcal sorry getting my Ians mixed up! A mate worked in JK's new pad down Barnton way, million dollar place done up by cowboys!

ouch!
There's a bit (possibly in Iain Banks' Raw Spirit) where he gets button-holed by some guy, who describes a great plot line "for that detective character Rebus in your books", he had to tell him that was a different Scots author called Ia(i)n..

They still throw spears at aeroplanes in Fife.

I am now 64 years of age - having been born in Fife. I lived there for 24 years before leaving for Glasgow (where I resided for the next 40 years).

Unfortunately, owing to family circumstances, I was swayed into leaving Glasgow and returning to Fife. I subsequently moved to a nice house in Glenrothes. The area is nice and clean; more so than Glasgow. However, if I am going to be honest, I find the Fifers to be dour and straight faced. Friendliness is not a characteristic you should expect in this part of the UK.

After having lived for so long in Glasgow, I now feel out of place in Fife. All things in life are relative; which is why I would advise anyone thinking of living in a new environment to 'sample the wares' before moving.

I miss the humour of Glaswegians so much; the more civilised way of driving adopted by the Glaswegians (based on common sense). In Fife, especially in Glenrothes, a great number of the natives don't bother to use their indicators. Lane lines seem to provide a difficulty; they don't seem to understand why they are painted on the road surface. Most motorists can't seem to keep within their own respective lanes. Perhaps they think that the paintwork on the road surfaces is graffiti!

I could go on, but I won't. Suffice to say that during my initial 24 years in Fife, I simply took for granted all that was around me. Thankfully, I eventually moved to Glasgow and experienced life elsewhere. Incidentally, I will be moving back to Glasgow after the winter (of 2013/2014) has passed.

Didn't think I would ever say this about the place of my birth, but it's true - sadly. No doubt, some will disagree with my comments - and they're entitled to do so. However, it will be interesting to see just how many of them are non-fifers.

Lived in Clackmannanshire and commuted via Dunf to Edinburgh and recently moved to Stirling. Love it! Great Riding from your doorstep, decent little places like Bridge of Allan, Doune and Callendar all easy to reach. Train journey to Glasgow or Edinbrugh 1hr and trains leave every ½hr. Now has Waitrose and Sainsburys, two decent bike shops and a cinema. People are friendly.

I am now 65 years old, having been born and bred in Fife. Left there when I was 24 years old. I then spent the next 41 years of my life in Glasgow. Having reached retirement age, I subsequently (and unfortunately) decided to return to the land of my birth(only a few months ago).

I have now settled/been in Fife for a total of 7 months, however, still feel as if I am a stranger in a strange land. Having sampled life in Glasgow for the last 40 years, I can honestly say that the natives of Fife have a distinct lack of humour; or, as they would say in 'Still Game,' a humour bypass.

If you have a low humour threshold, then Fife is your natural destination. If you can't understand what the white (lane line) markings on the road surface actually signify, Fife is the place for you. If you drive like 'Dick Dastardly' in the 'Wacky Races,' especially at roundabouts, Fife is DEFINITELY for you.

During my latest stay in Fife, I have spoken to various people (from other parts of Scotland & England), all of whom agree with my comments shown above.

I find most people who have spent more than 39 years in Glasgow tend to suffer from memory loss, post everything twice and drive like my Grandad on a Sunday 😉

EDIT - @ Newcroft - Happy birthday for sometime last week 🙂

Wow newcroft - only ever made two posts - both on this thread - the latest one resurrecting it from a week ago. Is this some kind of Fife anti spam? You don't work for the tourist board do you, repelling 'furriners' at the border?

Hi flowerpower,

Thanks for your reply. The difference between you and me is that I ventured beyond the boundaries of Fife; whereas, you have not, or so it would seem.

Since my return to Fife, I have spoken to many people about my concerns, and (would you believe it) the only ones who agree with me are the Scots who are not native Fifers? I admire your defence of the natives of Fife,however, I would recommend that before attacking your fellow Scots, you should venture beyond your familiar environment (comfort zone).

I have ventured there; you have not.

Wow - that indeed is a [b]MIGHTY[/b] big axe that you have to grind 😯

I'm no Fifer, I'm not even Scottish. Moved to Scotland 7 years ago and presently stay just over the border in Clackmannanshire.

Maybe you should broaden your posting history, I have a feeling that this thread [url= http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/why-is-everyone-so-miserable ][u]here[/u][/url] might suit you.

Merry Christmas x

I can add very little to this, other than to say that Methil is a dump. I have to go there with work regularly, and it's hard to find anything positive to say.

That is all.