What are nice areas to live in – bit of greenery, access to Pentlands within a reasonable biking distance (5k ish), primary schools. You know, places you would live.
And any other top tips appreciated.

Fairmilehead, Colinton, Juniper Green, Currie, Balerno

I’m currently in the latter (though moving soon). Schools are well thought of, 30 minutes cycling (off road) gets you into the centre of town. Pentlands are straight out my door.

However, there are decent cycle paths throughout Edinburgh so you can get to the hills, and around town, fairly simply.

Oh – do you want to buy a house?

Eventually yes but we will rent for the first year or so while we a)skive off for 6 months and b)get re-established. I have very exacting requirements as i need somewhere for the brewery!

Most of it’s nice if funds allow. Somewhere along Lanark Road, Bonaly, Colinton – they’d all do – for the Pentlands.

Tell us more about this brewery.

Scotroutes, first dibs if you’re sticking it on classifieds, PayPal OK?

Balerno would be my first choice (which is why I live there!) but as the others mentioned – Colinton, Currie, Juniper Green and Fairmilehead would also be good.

I’m not sure what any of them are like for renting though.

Fairmilehead, Frogston, posh end of Buckstone if it were me. Right next to the Pentlands, and there’s plenty land for sale at the back of Buckstone/Frogston that’s ripe for building a nice brewery on…

Another vote for Balerno. Good schools, on the bus route into Edinburgh and trails within minutes

You do realise that Invercargill is at a similar latitude to central France and that Edinburgh is nearer to the Arctic circle than the tropic of Cancer, don’t you?

I think you have post natal depression and should do this test. 😉

Please don’t do it, you are one of the few people on here who post posoitvely about their lifestyles. Next thing we know it’ll be Mc Moonter has moved into a flat with an electric fire in Tower Hamlets, Stoner has sent his On-Ones to the crusher, and CFH is describing Sere Ché slack country as “pants”.

My lifestyle is great, but it’s not just about me any more. For the first time in my life there are other priorities and change is a good thing right ?

Edinburgh is quite a small city, as you know, so you can live quite far out and still be ‘in’ Edinburgh in terms of your lifestyle. Flipside of that is you can live quite far in and still ride to the Pentlands with nae bother.
Big decision is whether you want suburban living or not – the southern suburbs and towns mentioned thus far are very boring and could be anywhere (Balerno has some schemies and a schemie-restaurant, so granted that is quite Edinburgh). This may be what the doctor ordered depending on schools, big garden for the kids etc – I’m suburan living myself atm, but personally I’d look further in a little. Bruntsfield or Morningside if you can afford a house there – you’re living in Edinburgh then rather than a peripheral suburb. Marchmont is also nice and quiet (and expensive, like all inner-suburbs of Edinburgh).

Two v strong state schools in Edinburgh are Gillespies and Boroughmuir, in Marchmont and Bruntsfield respectively. You might look at living somewhere S central that feeds into these high schools.

Thanks for all his. Before I left I lived down in comely park so the s side is an unknown. Will able. Look round when we are back and assess budget and options. We both fancy a bit more inner than outer city living which could be a nice contrast.

I’m moving to Longstone next month. There’s a Sainsbury’s being built close by and looks like I’ll be close Pentlands. It being cheap is the main benefit to me though!

I’m not sure what Edukator is on about. I’ve been to Invercargill and it’s nothing like France. Edinburgh is the 2nd happiest city in the UK (link). To me it seems like a great place to live in terms of culture etc. and access to the great outdoors. There is also a shop in Morningside that stocks Mac beers…although if you brew your own maybe Mac beers aren’t your thing

Morningside for good state primary (South Morningside) and secondary (Boroughmuir) access*, but it really aint cheap, and you might struggle to rent somewhere family-sized. You can get to the pentlands with less than a mile on roads too, which is nice.

* I assume they’re still good, they were when I attended… admittedly a while ago now. Though I did still live in the area till recently.

At present the Gaelic Medium School feeds into Gillespies High School. The catchment for the GME school is all of Edinburgh and they pick up and drop off your kids for you. Something to consider.

Sounds like you are looking for a house rather than a flat, in which case Morningside where I live might be a bit dear, the houses round here are a touch grand. No neds though which is why I like it here.

Anywhere southern Edinburgh is really quick to the Pentlands, the rest depends on your budget probably. There’s more good bits than bad bits on the south too. Bonaly/Torphin is somewhere I’d like to live, Balerno is nice too but I wonder if the slow road into town would become annoying. The cheaper bits like Oxgangs and colinton mains probably aren’t too bad on the scale of things, friends of mine were quite happy there though someone was muddured round the corner from their house.

Living outside of Edinburgh somehwere like Roslin gives you a lot more bang for your buck though, and quicker access to the Borders, worth considering. Some superb villages in East Lothian too.

I’m not entirely sure, but I get the impression from previous posts that NZCol doesn’t need to worry about the cost of houses in Morningside.

I lived in Edinburgh for 10 years and I quite like the Peebles bit.

As I recall you live in Wellington ? That’s where I grew up. The schools are awful in Scotland by comparison unless you go private.

Ah yes, the Gaelic kids bus, it’s shameful pandering by the ECC to avoid spending money on a Gaelic school they know there will be no use for when the SNP get voted out.

Ah yes, the Gaelic kids bus, it’s shameful pandering by the ECC to avoid spending money on a Gaelic school they know there will be no use for when the SNP get voted out.

But they do have their own school now. At least I hope they do, or my kids will be a bit bored in a couple of weeks time.

Ha yes budget is within reason really – a straight swap for what we have here yields some nice places. Anyhoo, we are back in few weeks for a month so will do a complete and full assessment and then see what we think. Its a really tough call (more for me than anything as i have been here 13 years, wife for 7) but the draw of having family within the hour and letting our girl know her gran(nies), aunts uncles and cousins is a serious pull. Enough to give up what we have now ?….who knows. Thanks for all the input and if I do come back I will be desparately seeking riding partners and other manly men to drink beer with (have own brewery – 100ltr stainless effort which will be shipped back!)

You should think about Colinton. That’s where we stay.

I’m a two minute cycle to the Pentlands.
I’m a 25 minute cycle to the centre of town, much of that on quiet roads or the canal path.
I’m a 35 minute drive to Glentress.
We are close to the bypass and can be in the Cairngorms in two and a half hours on a Saturday morning.

Biking aside, the local primary is highly sought after, it is a very quiet, peaceful area and probably has more trees than the rest of Edinburgh. Great if you like trees.

Stayed for over a dozen years (I think) in outer Morningside (Craighouse) – right by the Napier campus Craighouse on the hill. That might be quite pricey to rent, our house was definitely on the cheap side due to being up the end of a dirt track 🙂

But it was easy access to green space (the Napier campus, parks) and as for Pentlands access, could be on top of Capelaw in about 30/35 minutes.. (I was fitter then!) Dreghorn barracks and then under the bypass into the Pentlands itself.

George – (sorry segue into Gaelic language politics) the SNP want ECC to extend the Gaelic medium education in Edinburgh, Tollcross provision is a compromise, as is the bus which you must agree is ridiculous ! (Imagine the outcry if a hebrew or hindi school expected the council to ferry kids from all over town every morning.) I did a lot of research on this a couple of years ago for a work project.

http://www.scotsman.com/news/education/edinburgh-s-first-gaelic-school-gets-thumbs-up-1-2983575

I get the impression from previous posts that NZCol doesn’t need to worry about the cost of houses in Morningside.

Just as well, http://www.espc.com/properties/details.aspx?pid=323998&sid=21169609162

If you want to slum it you could probably pick up a semi or terrace for around the half mill.

£1.5m house and they’ve got an old banger in the driveway!!

Are they making a gaelic school so they can continue to convert road signs to places with names that have never had any gaelic origins into gaelic at immense expense?

Nah – they’re making a gaelic school so that people who have been taught in gaelic can continue to achieve better results in a language they haven’t been taught (english) than those who are taught using that language.

Just as well, http://www.espc.com/properties/details.aspx?pid=323998&sid=21169609162

If you want to slum it you could probably pick up a semi or terrace for around the half mill.
Yup, and if you sort it to show cheapest first you get this one:
http://www.espc.com/properties/details.aspx?pid=326766&sid=21171795451
Hardly a bank buster, given the average price of houses in Edinburgh.

Or you could quit the rat-race, pay a significant amount less than that and pick up a picturesque 19th century farm cottage over the water in Fife.

looks like a Minor soft-top, hardly banger material 🙂
Anyway, for every flash car outside an Edinburgh town house, there’s three or four nondescript Golfs and maybe a Saab, for the folk like invest in property rather than a depreciating asset !!

But then you’d live in fife. I imagine you’d get more for your money in Basra too bit it doesn’t make me want to live there!

But then you’d live in fife.

Good point, well made. I concede the argument.

The Flying Ox – Member

But then you’d live in fife.

Good point, well made. I concede the argument. What’s the current timeline for the road bridge falling over? Fife with no easy means of escape – a life sentence.

Guess you’d bet on the rail bridge having another century or two left in it.

I think it’s due for cataclysmic failure sometime in 2016.

As a state-sector teacher who lives in Fife, I’m not feeling the love here… 😉

Fife rocks, don’t knock it.

Cheap car in drive = expensive watch to service. That an EH fact.

Thanks very much to the links to enormously expensive housing. I might stay here !
Edit: And I’m from Fife but I have ignored the callous barbs. Even with my third eye I didn’t read those posts… 😆

missed this thread earlier, considerd Roslin/Penicuik area? Much more house for the money and only 15 mins from Peebles.
A bit further from town, but frequent busses. Or somewhere on the borders rail link??

North Berwick?