Moving to Scotland – Best Town?

I’m planning on moving to Scotland within the next 6 months or so, entirely for the scenery, outdoor activities and mountain biking. I work from home so can literally be anywhere with an Internet connection. I was wondering where people though would be best?

I am in my mid 20s so preferably somewhere with some young people, but im not into the clubbing scene, a local bar or 2 is fine. I would like to live close to a town, but doesn’t necessarily need to be a big city.

The sort of riding I like is enduro style trails, dh riding, and big mountain days out. I am also a fan of the bike park style man made stuff, with jumps etc… but my real aim is to get better at the natural, steep, tech stuff.

I also like kayaking, surfing, hiking, windsurfing etc… so if there is somewhere with great riding locally and other activities that would be ideal.

I’d recommend somewhere near Perth. I’m up in Moray but always loved Perthshire, not too far to the big cities and not far north to the Cairngorms etc.
Don’t get me wrong, I love where I live and there’s plenty to do here but would probably like to be closer to the big cities if I were younger.

Perth or somewhere around there jumps to mind . Tweed valley is the obvious choice if biking is the priority but for all the other stuff your probably better off somewhere with access to the Cairngorms .

How far from down south? thats a big issue. if you go north of the central belt any journey to England to see parents etc becomes a long journey IMO

Borders towns of course would fit the bill in many ways with ease of access ( by car) down south) and good access to Edinburgh for city stuff. Some really nice places to live there

Aviemore is a fantastic centre for outdoor activities but its a long way to the border

to me perthshire is neither fish nor fowl.

Im in the midlands right now, its about a 5 hour drive up the A1 to Edinburgh. Distance doesn’t bother me too much as I drive a lot anyway for riding and past jobs.

Draw a triangle between Edinburgh, Stirling and Perth if you want the balance of accessibility by transport, future jobs, bars, cinemas, shops etc with access to good riding, mountain days, coast etc. You will find a host of nice places, all with different pros and cons.

We are Dunblane, and I have to say Dunblane, Bridge of Allan and Stirling offer a balance of riding from the door with facilities and a nice place that is hard to match.

If however adventure and wild places is foremost, then IMO head further north. Again, draw circle around Aviemore, Inverness, Moray area and you are onto a winner from a ‘nature and adventure’ point of view.

Mrs_oab and I are discussing a move north to that area when our parents are not around and the kids have left home…

Lived in Perth for the first 23 years of my life, it’s nice enough, been going a little downhill but for what you’re after it does tick the boxes, it has a lot of decent pubs, is just down the road from Dunkeld/Pitlochry so you can do watersports, hiking, etc up that area.

Locally you have Kinoull Hill / Deuchny Woods, so some basic stuff in the ‘bikepark’ bit, but naturally there is tons around.

If you are happy enough being a little further out from a bigger town/city, then Crieff could be the place for you, you have lots and lots of natural stuff, you’re down the way from Comrie Croft and Loch Tay is close by for watersports, plus you’re just as far away from Dunkeld/Pitlochry for the hiking/biking/other stuff.

Peebles.

Pitlochry or Dunkeld.

Draw a triangle between Edinburgh, Stirling and Perth if you want the balance of accessibility by transport, future jobs, bars, cinemas, shops etc with access to good riding, mountain days, coast etc. You will find a host of nice places, all with different pros and cons.

We are Dunblane, and I have to say Dunblane, Bridge of Allan and Stirling offer a balance of riding from the door with facilities and a nice place that is hard to match.

If however adventure and wild places is foremost, then IMO head further north. Again, draw circle around Aviemore, Inverness, Moray area and you are onto a winner from a ‘nature and adventure’ point of view.

Mrs_oab and I are discussing a move north to that area when our parents are not around and the kids have left home…

This seems very inline with my thinking, although im stuck choosing wether I want the complete wild adventure, or the more urbanised area. Think the only way to choose would be head up and spend some time in the areas and see which draws me the most.

Living in Dundee we have it pretty good but I could be tempted by a move to Inverness, it has a great bike/outdoor scene and the town centre is actually rather nice. Similarly Stirling if you wanted to be further south.

We often drive through/around Perth, it doesn’t appeal as a place to live, always reminds me a bit of post-apocalypse films.

Aviemore and Fort Bill are OK but tend to be a bit seasonal due to the attempts at skiing or summer outdoor stuff.

Aviemore and Fort Bill are OK but tend to be a bit seasonal due to the attempts at skiing or summer outdoor stuff.

Or, there’s some lovely quieter times when the visitors aren’t around and you can have the hills and woods to yourself… 😎

I’d move to Aviemore area in a heart beat if I could persuade the Mrs. I have to settle for a week up there in either the spring or autumn school holidays and the odd weekend throughout the year. Love the place and it ticks all your requirements.

for

The sort of riding I like is enduro style trails, dh riding, and big mountain days out. I am also a fan of the bike park style man made stuff, with jumps etc… but my real aim is to get better at the natural, steep, tech stuff.

I also like kayaking, surfing, hiking, windsurfing etc… so if there is somewhere with great riding locally and other activities that would be ideal.

I couldn’t really recommend the borders, great biking obviously (maybe not the bike park stuff?) but not so good for decent kayaking or more mountainous biking and hiking.

I’d be looking further north and probably a bit west. Do have a soft spot for aberfeldy and perthshire, but not perth itself.

Dumfries

If you can afford it, Edinburgh. A fantastic city in its own right with plenty of nightlife and young people plus great access to other places. Pentlands on the doorstep, Tweed Valley is a 40 minute drive, Perthshire in a little over an hour, three hours to Fort William.
Do keep in mind that most of the people on this forum recommending small (Highland) towns will be settled 40+ year old married with a couple of children. You may well find yourself quite bored quite quickly living in some of the smaller towns. I live on the eastern edge of the Borders and there really isn’t much going on in most of the towns.

Edinburgh would be way down my list, worst of all worlds, except socialising.

I lived in Dunblane in the early 70s, hence my support for the Binos,
Always thought it would be a good area to move back to,
Close to the highlands ( compared to Yorkshire )
Reasonably good transport links, direct trains to Edinburgh and ( I think ) Glasgow.
A walk down the river to Stirling,
imho opinion anywhere between Stirling and Perth would tick most boxes

Edinburgh has good transport connections and is nice and centrally placed with decent MTBing on the outskirts of the town. its also small enough to cycle out of.

It is however not what the OP wants I think.

Edinburgh has good transport connections and is nice and centrally placed with decent MTBing on the outskirts of the town. its also small enough to cycle out of.

It is however not what the OP wants I think.

This is true, I love Edinburgh, its a great city, but I really want to be in/near the big mountains, I don’t mind driving around to get to places and im from a small town anyway, so used to that lifestyle. As long as the area has a good local riding scene that I could become part of, I’d be happy.

Lake District. Better than Scotland if you can work from anywhere. All the activities that interest you exist there in close proximity. The scenery is amazing, and I think you could become more a part of the fabric of a place like the Lakes than you could in Scotland. With your relatively young age this could be a nice way to live your life. Relative close proximity to the M6 giving access to a lot of the country is a bonus, of which Scotland would be included.

Lake District. Better than Scotland if you can work from anywhere.

Unless you like peace and quiet and being able to ride wherever you want. I’ve always found the lakes extremely frustrating with the busyness and ‘gerrof moi land’-ness.

I live just north of Dundee because I work in Dundee, if I could WFH full time I’d probably live somewhere close to the A9 between Dunkeld and Aviemore. Best access to lots of hills. Probably wouldn’t meet the OP’s nightlife criteria though.

I also like kayaking, surfing, hiking, windsurfing etc… so if there is somewhere with great riding locally and other activities that would be ideal.

How about being bold and looking at Arran. Would tick a lot of your requirements

I’ve always found the lakes extremely frustrating with the busyness and ‘gerrof moi land’-ness.

Can’t say I’ve ever encountered this attitude in the Lakes. Although in general I’ve only ever been in areas that I know I’m allowed to access. Never felt the need to be somewhere maybe I wouldn’t be welcome. It is a big area with lots to do and I’m not sure how I could ever find myself somewhere I’m intruding.

Lake District. Better than Scotland if you can work from anywhere.

Unless you like peace and quiet and being able to ride wherever you want. I’ve always found the lakes extremely frustrating with the busyness and ‘gerrof moi land’-ness.

I live just north of Dundee because I work in Dundee, if I could WFH full time I’d probably live somewhere close to the A9 between Dunkeld and Aviemore. Best access to lots of hills. Probably wouldn’t meet the OP’s nightlife criteria though.

I’d have to agree, I love the Lake District, but the constant traffic jams, busy streets, lack of parking, supermarket crowds etc… in the summer would drive me nuts. The ‘gerrof moi land’-ness is also an issue there, plus forestry keeps flattening all the ‘off piste’ style trails there, and limit you to over used foot paths or frankly boring trail centre stuff like Whinlatter. Everyone I know there spends there weekends in Innerleithen anyway

Lucky bastard is all I have to say.

HTH 🙂

I can’t believe no one has mentioned Saltcoats yet 😉

Pitlochry or Dunkeld.

Is a good shout, I’ll throw in Aberfeldy, just along the road from both of them and a nice little village.

Kirkcaldy?

I’d only ever suggest kirkcaldy to someone from cumbernauld or port glesga.

OP, We went through a similar process last year (as some folks on here know), complicated by a gaggle of kids so schools were important too.

We landed in Stirling in July, meeting all expectations so far. Access to all kinds of biking, and mattOAB has said, is really rather staggering (although on the local stuff – too many roots! 😉 )

A nice surprise has come in the form of paddling and splashing about in lochs. I really hadn’t realised (duh!) just how many varied and different lochs are within 45 mins drive. Its brilliant!

How about being bold and looking at Arran. Would tick a lot of your requirements

Its an island though its miles away from easy access to other mountains.

I love Arran but not as a base to live for access elsewhere.

lakes for me… 1hr 30m to Mcr – dales nearby 2hr 30m to inners….

Fort William, lots of lumpy hills and water for wet stuff.

I’m in Perth.
A fair bit of riding from the door and easy access to the big hills and the North. If I was going to pick somewhere else to live it would be Dunkeld. It’s only 25 mins up the road from Perth and has lots of natural trails. But might be a bit quiet for someone your age?

Cardenden not far from Kircawdy where Rebus writer grew up, Im sure it’s twin town is Palma and Fifes town of culture
Houses almost top of the table for being the cheapest

Anywhere along the foothills of the Ochils. Some of the villages can be a little bit rough so maybe a bit of research before taking the plunge, but you’ll tick every box living there. And no, I never singled out Alva so you can put your knives away.

Obvious Dumyat, Mine Woods, Kippenrait straight from the doorstep, North Third close by, Carron Valley and Comrie close by, open water at Cocksburn Reservoir and Gartmorn Dam, and not an immense drive before you’re in the Highlands for everything else.

I’d go Bridge of Allan (if you’re flush) or Menstrie (if you’re less flush) although Stirling looks pretty decent too.

Aviemore and Fort Bill are OK but tend to be a bit seasonal due to the attempts at skiing or summer outdoor stuff.

There’s not much seasonality in Aviemore. I’d say the only quiet spell we get is 3-4 weeks in November.

There’s a very active social bike scene, lots of trails and a range of pubs.

It’s expensive though. You’ll get much more for your money elsewhere in the Strath but I doubt you’d want to live in any of the other towns or villages.

Be prepared for the climate though. Winters really are much colder than almost anywhere else in the UK. We had our first snow of the season today.

Inverness? Don’t know it well but there must be a couple of decent bars/pubs? I think there’s some pretty good enduro type stuff locally (the Mast) and great access to the north west. Aviemore half hour odd south. Train station handy for southern visitors.

The problem is folk are bringing up the tourist locations, Pitlochry is a nightmare for it, Dunkeld isn’t as bad, but Aviemore is one of the worst, last time a thread like this came up i rated Dundee as a good place to go, but again, for your choice it limits a little, Edinburgh would be worse, as before, Crieff or in that circle, so Dunkeld and the likes as well, they’re great locations to go out a bit further afield and do stuff, near decent Lochs and hills (Bens).

Airdrie? coatbridge? Not too many tourists