Fife as a place to live

Seeing that this place seems to be the oracle of all things, I thought I’d ask for opinions (It would appear the collective is not short of such things!)

We are planning a full on relocation after both my wife and I were offered jobs up in Scotland. I will be working in Bridge of Earn and she will be in Edinburgh.

We went up at the weekend for a scout around and have concluded a few things

Thing 1: we don’t have Edinburgh money

Thing 2: she doesn’t like dalgety bay as theres nothing to do (and she doesn’t drive)

So……

Anyone got any opinions of the dunfermline area? wheres good, wheres to be avoided type thing. I’ll be driving so close to the M90 is good and she’ll be getting the train into the city so easy train is vital. Obviously, I want to be able to get out on the bikes easy and she likes things like galleries, libraries and museums.

Where Haven’t I thought to look?

Thanks in advance

Edit: Sorry wrong forum, I’m a bad, bad person. I shall go sit in the corner and think about what I’ve done.

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.

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

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.

Cupar has a variety of sporting opportunites

😀

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.