Be off with you and your actual evidence Colin! 
Those stats look pretty dodgy to me - apparently there were no murders or attempted murders in Glasgow during the later period, which seems pretty unlikely.
The stats are quite hard to decipher - in fact the latest Scottish government stats show Edinburgh City as having the largest drop (11%) in crime levels over the last couple of years, with Glasgow city only a couple of percentage points behind. From 2006/7 to last year there was a bigger drop in Glasgow (42%) but there was also a big drop in Edinburgh (34%) which would seem to indicate that Evening Times article is probably bollocks.
Ok - finally found the governments stats for 2015/16 it looks like the rate of violent crime in Glasgow that year was about 2.5 per 1000 population, compared to 1.6 in Edinburgh.
[i]b r 1hr from Edinburgh includes most of the central belt.[/I]
Yep, I know.
I'm Borders, just a couple of miles from the Tweedbank railway station.
[I]1 bed flat in Streatham now c£400k - you'll struggle to pay less than £400 for a 2-bed anywhere in a London postcode now...[/I]
This is what £400k gets you near me, only one flat though 🙂
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-58135753.html
Glasgow is more my kind of city in a lot of ways, but it's further from some of the best riding, much wetter and (correct me if I'm wrong) may not have the same career opportunities for the OP and his other half.
Glasgow certainly has lots of jobs - JP Morgan have 500+ software developers there as one example. And accountancy jobs, i might know of a few of them for example.
Still rains a lot though.
😉
Oh christ it rains in glasgow discussion again
By the same token Edinburh is windy and cold
And thats just the people!
🙂
you get the odd stab threat if you go to the front of the traffic lights legally
I've never been threatened with stabbing while cycling in and around Edinburgh. To be fair I've only been here for 18 years, though.
It's been said already, but Edinburgh wins hands down for cycling on or off road (even without a car there is good stuff locally). It probably has the highest concentration of big financial services providers outside the capital, but London's software development market will dwarf Edinburgh.
And thats just the people!
😀
What does that make Glaswegians, clammy?
Anyway,
London, **** that shit
Edinburgh every time, and I don't even like the place.
Why. Why. Why would anyone want to move to the overcrowded, overpriced south east corner of Britain, let alone the throbbing heart of the beast that is London?
Edinburgh is a wonderful place, with ace access to great countryside. I would.
Why. Why. Why would anyone want to move to the overcrowded, overpriced south east corner of Britain, let alone the throbbing heart of the beast that is London?Edinburgh is a wonderful place, with ace access to great countryside. I would.
There are reasons - I did it myself a few years back, although I haven't completely broken my links with Edinburgh. There is a lot to like about living in London, although like all big cities it does help if you have sufficient means to allow living somewhere nice and actually enjoying what the city has to offer.
It does rain a lot in Glasgow though, and I'm glasweeeeeegian. I work there 2-3 days a week and more often than not its dry and cold in edinburgh with outbreaks of stuck up snobby whatschooldidyougoto people, then around about Harthill where I have a nosebleed it rains. Then i get stabbed as I wait for my fish supper, for breakfast, with Buckie.
Why. Why. Why would anyone want to move to the overcrowded, overpriced south east corner of Britain, let alone the throbbing heart of the beast that is London?
10 million+ people seem to like it 🙄
NZCol raises a validpoint.
OP
Do you prefer
Cod or Haddock
And you would put what on it.
Salt and Vinegar or Salt and Sauce (brown)
That "salt and sauce" thing is an east coast perversion (I have a place in Edinburgh but am originally from further west).
10 million+ people seem to like it
I would suggest 10 million+ do not know any better, or have the opportunity to move.... 😉
That "salt and sauce" thing is an east coast perversion (I have a place in Edinburgh but am originally from further west).
I know
Haddock orcod for england or scotland
S&v or s&s for glasgow or edinburgh.
I think the OP should move where I live, as it's best.
Meringue?
Not London. Anywhere but London, not just because of mtbing issues, but due to cost of living, house prices, congestion, etc.
Edinburgh would be preferable, also as others have said Bristol, and also consider Leeds.
Anywhere but London. Anywhere but this craphole I'm currently existing in!
Accountant and Software developer would be fine in any major city.
I'd go for Edinburgh out of the two you offer but would also recommend a look elsewhere.
Newcastle has accountancy firms a plenty. The big 4 all have offices here if I remember (I've certainly seen Deloitte and PWC). Lots of IT as well. My wife is working for Accenture out of their Newcastle office, UBI soft have a development centre here. I'm sure HP, CapGemini and others have offices here.
It is a nice place to live and cheap.
London is a great place to live, if you earn a decent amount, or if you are young. However, if you aren't then I imagine it is pretty tough - having said that there is loads of free stuff to do.
Anywhere but London. Anywhere but this craphole I'm currently existing in!
Hull?
Cardiff.
I love Edinburgh and think it's beautiful.
I love London and thinks it's majestic and exciting.
I love Cardiff because it's home, and has everything a big city has but on a smaller scale. I can be in some of the most beautiful roads/trails on the planet from my inner-city door step in a matter of minutes, and I've got the sea within a stone's throw of where I live.
As much as I genuinely appreciate many other places in the U.K., I would strongly urge the OP to consider Cardiff.
It's got to be Cardiff!!
You have steep techy trails rideable from the city centre, plenty of trail centres nearby and big mountain riding in the Brecon Beacons which is 1 hour drive away. The coast is also near. There's plenty happening and it's cheap compared to other cities.
The added bonus of Cardiff is that the OP's girlfriend could have a knowledgable conversation about rugby with anyone, including the merits of Andy Hayden and Frank Oliver. You can also tell her grandad/dad/uncles etc that I live 2 doors down to where 'The King' used to live.
I lived in London for nearly 5 years and currently live 10 miles from Edinburgh city centre. I love London but Edinburgh wins by miles for nearly everything . Great little compactin city with everything you could need and as for biking and has been said 45 minutes to the tweed valley and within 2hrs you could be in Glencoe or just south of Aviemore. Also some great beaches in East Lothian , I'd say it was a no brainer.
didnt read the entire thread however..
Not sure on pay. I'm not a software developer but work in IT in Edinburgh. The difference in salaries for my role between the two cities is minimal and definitely doesn't offset the extra cost of living in London. I'd be a lot poorer living in London than in or near Edinburgh.
is correct..No where near double, even if contracting
Unless I couldn't get a job in Edinburgh then it would be a no brainer
Glasgow
Sorry Geoff, have to disagree. Despite being born and dragged up in the west, 30 mins from Glasgow, I can't think of a single reason that would see me choose it over Edinburgh.
Very sadly, London's looking increasingly screwed. Property is unaffordable and the new stuff being built is being taken for speculation. Employers are moving jobs out because they cant afford the salaries their workers need (HSBC to Birmingham, JPMorgan to Bournemouth, KPMG getting special mortgage deals.
As per this thread - people are thinking twice about coming because of the better deal from living elsewhere in the UK (London salaries not covering cost of living)
The 30-somethings are moving out so they can start a family or emigrating for better job opportunities.
The artists are leaving because they can't afford it either.
The immigrants are finding it less attractive from the fall in the pound and the message that we don't want them...
If it means a better balancing of the UK economy then good in the long run but for long-term London residents who love it's culture and energy it's very sad.
I stay near Edinburgh, and I've worked up here as a software engineer for more than a decade.
The market up in Edinburgh is pretty buoyant ATM, but I'd be wary as the local market is largely fintech jobs, some of which might be at risk depending on what companies do due to the current Brexit saga. It only takes one big company (e.g JP Morgan, Tesco, RBS, Mastercard, Lloyds etc) to relocate and you then have a local market flooded with job seekers. This is my own paranoia, of course, but I've recently moved away from fintech because ultimately it's not particularly interesting (pays well though).
As has been said throughout the thread, London will have better opportunities but I'd argue a lower quality of life due to the cost of living. In Edinburgh you have decent riding from your doorstep without taking the car anywhere. Plenty people I know previously said "I'll move to London and only do it for a few years" but then seem to be based down there indefinitely, so it can't be all that bad!
Thanks for all the info!! Wasn't expecting so many reply's!
Have you thought about trying out New Zealand instead OP? Wellington is a pretty amazing place to live. I know it'd be you looking for the work permit there, but software devs are on the long term skills shortage list so you shouldn't have any problems...
New Zealand would be a good option but my girlfriend wants to spend some time in Europe and I want to be closer to family for a while.
Bristol is a place that is being mentioned to me more and more, both on this thread and elsewhere. I will have to look into it.
Edinburgh sounds like a good spot.
@sandythepig - agree, When I moved it was for 2 years max, and was there for nearly 5. And it took a lot to move even then. A year on and I am much happier, and still get to London now and then with work, so scratch the proverbial itch.
If mtb & outdoors is important, the South East is not ideal.
I'd consider Bristol over Edinburgh personally. For a start the weather is better!
I've never seen the attraction of London, and on recent visits, that was confirmed.
TBH these days when I visit Edinburgh - I kind of feel the same now (and I used to start there for 20+ years).
IT -- decent opportunities, but I'm well out of the loop. There are a lot of startups and migration between businesses as far as I can tell.
it seems an odd comparison to make. the world is your oyster so London? Paris? NY? Sidney? Barcelona?
all offer a world city experience which you either get or you find the idea of big city living abhorrent. how can you compare London to a what is essentially a large town with under 500,000 residents?
the whole of the city centre of Edinburgh fits inside Hyde park, its tiny.
actually the answer to your dilemma isn’t going to be found on here, its going to found by asking her what she would like. 😆
