Advice on moving to Edinburgh

[Patch1875]

We paid £345k for a 4 townhouse in Murrayfied.

It's a decent size but the garden is not massive(which suits me as I work in gardens!) the only real big compromise is it doesn't have a garage but can live with that as the big plus points are the location and closeness to ESMS that our daughter starts in the summer.

[stichill99]

Depending on where you work the Borders could be a good option. With the new Dalkeith by- pass commuting from Pathead or further out in Lauder gives a quick journey to the city by-pass. Houses are a lot cheaper in the Borders. My mate stays just outside Kelso and travels to Wallyford for work and it takes him 45mins but ofcourse he has no need to cross the by-pass. £350k goes a long way in the Borders.

[grumpyscot]

Lots of new houses being built in Musselburgh (East Lothian Council, who didn't waste money on a tram line!), Wallyford, Prestonpans and soon, Longniddry - all on main train line into Edinburgh (16 mins from Longniddry). Further afielf than Musselburgh / Port Seton and buses are crap (any route served by First Bus is tragically awful). Routes served by Lothian Bus are pretty good.

Can drive into England (Berwick) within 40 minutes easy drive down the A1 - Metro Centre in 1 hr 45mins. Glasgow Airport in just over an hour (off peak!) and Edinburgh Airport about 20 minutes (again off-peak).

Only work of caution about Edinburgh - don't have a car with ultra low profile tyres - out potholes will shred them in seconds!

And July & August is shambolic in the city centre thanks to tourists who don't realise we drive on the other side of the road and don't seem to understand UK road signs for "No Entry"

[carparkno1]

grumpyscot said:

Lots of new houses being built in Musselburgh (East Lothian Council, who didn't waste money on a tram line!), Wallyford, Prestonpans and soon, Longniddry - all on main train line into Edinburgh (16 mins from Longniddry). Further afielf than Musselburgh / Port Seton and buses are crap (any route served by First Bus is tragically awful). Routes served by Lothian Bus are pretty good.

Can drive into England (Berwick) within 40 minutes easy drive down the A1 - Metro Centre in 1 hr 45mins. Glasgow Airport in just over an hour (off peak!) and Edinburgh Airport about 20 minutes (again off-peak).

Only work of caution about Edinburgh - don't have a car with ultra low profile tyres - out potholes will shred them in seconds!

And July & August is shambolic in the city centre thanks to tourists who don't realise we drive on the other side of the road and don't seem to understand UK road signs for "No Entry"

Ha I see the roads haven't improved in the last few years then. Aside from the tram which was in a permanent state of being built whilst I was there I don't see much has changes. Still a wonderful place tho!

We're looking to go up in a few weeks and will be looking at various areas around the bypass - Musselburgh, Eskbank, Colinton, baberton etc.

[s2kjock]

I work in the city centre but sometimes travel by bus to Dalkeith to visit a client, and the time it takes does my nut in. I could get to Glasgow by train in the same time.

A colleague who lives out there and commutes in by bus is similarly frustrated with it, so while the bus service is very good, some routes can take a very long time. Hopefully the Borders rail route provides a cost effective solution if you were close to a station.

[Dr_Rick]

carparkno1 said:

grumpyscot said:

Only work of caution about Edinburgh - don't have a car with ultra low profile tyres - out potholes will shred them in seconds!

Ha I see the roads haven't improved in the last few years then. Aside from the tram which was in a permanent state of being built whilst I was there I don't see much has changes. Still a wonderful place tho!

We're looking to go up in a few weeks and will be looking at various areas around the bypass - Musselburgh, Eskbank, Colinton, baberton etc.

As a resident of Ravelston, and regular commuter to Glasgow, I can offer this as evidence of pothole damage to tyres....



To be fair, the tyres were being replaced anyway, but the tracking was 3deg out on one wheel and I was probably not long from visiting the scenery in an uncontrolled manner. And no, there was nothing audible, or visible (this was the inside edge of a front tyre and the damage appeared over two days).

I now have a bearing on its way out and maybe some buckled wheels to sort.

[carparkno1]

Quick thread update: Agreed a moving day for summer next year, so we're now looking at places to live, with plenty of time to come up and drive around and talk to friends and family.

Definitely starting to look at the Pentland Hills type places - Swanston, Loanhead, Bilston, Eskbank, Newtongrange etc - new builds abound etc.

Many thanks for the info - typical help to buy in Scotland has been cut in half but we should still be fine!

[tr7ster]

carparkno1 said:

Quick thread update: Agreed a moving day for summer next year, so we're now looking at places to live, with plenty of time to come up and drive around and talk to friends and family.

Definitely starting to look at the Pentland Hills type places - Swanston, Loanhead, Bilston, Eskbank, Newtongrange etc - new builds abound etc.

Many thanks for the info - typical help to buy in Scotland has been cut in half but we should still be fine!

I grew up in Comiston and through school had lots of friends that lived in Swanston, Colinton, Craiglockhart, Bonaly etc - all very nice areas. I now live just outside Roslin and work in the centre of Edinburgh (South Bridge); my commute takes no longer than half an hour. 10 minutes drive to the Park & Ride at Straiton, then 20 minutes (sometimes 15 when roads are quiet) on an express bus that drops me right outside my work - it's dead easy. Bus only costs me £12 a week as I only work 4 days, so is cheap too.

Living here is great in my opinion. Roslin is a nice wee village with a good community, good primary school (Beeslack in Penicuik is the nearest secondary and by all accounts has a very good reputation, though as my son is yet to turn two I'm sure AmiableChimp will know better than I!) and most of the amenities that you need (doctor, dentist, co-op, pub etc). The ever-growing Straiton Retail Park has pretty much everything else you might need (although a decent DIY shed would be useful) a few minutes drive away. The village might well grow by up to 40% in the future though, which could be both good and bad. The development, if it all goes ahead, will surely mean an upgrade to the school, slightly better bus service through the village etc, but could also harm the 'village atmosphere' and obviously increase traffic etc. I'm somewhat insulated from the development as the earmarked land is all to the North & East, and I'm tucked away in a glen to the South, but I'm keeping an eye on what's happening. The famed Roslin Institute has moved out and the demolition trucks are in.

For me I have the best of both worlds: easy access to town for work, restaurants, bars, cinemas and the like, but I also have nature on my doorstep (the tawny owls are pairing up just now and keep us awake at night with their hoot-screech-hoot-screech chat-up lines, and having deer in the garden would be nice if they didn't eat everything and st everywhere). I've accepted that I will mostly be employed as taxi driver when my son is older, but I see this an a bonus as I'll have loads of excuses to go for a drive! In general Midlothian offers some lovely places to live, and while Edinburgh Council are systematically making driving and parking in Edinburgh worse each day (blanket 20mph limits, really??) at least we have some very efficient transport routes to get in to, and for me more importantly out of, the city.

Hope your search for a location and house works out well for you.

[AmiableChimp]

O/T but TR7Ster i'll need to keep an eye out for your car bud!

I'm right on the front of the new Taylor Wimpey houses in Bilston - if you see me out polishing/working on my Eunos, feel free to pop by and say hello.

[tr7ster]

AmiableChimp said:

O/T but TR7Ster i'll need to keep an eye out for your car bud!

I'm right on the front of the new Taylor Wimpey houses in Bilston - if you see me out polishing/working on my Eunos, feel free to pop by and say hello.

You'll not see the '7 any time soon unfortunately as it's currently mothballed under cover in my drive, longingly awaiting my time and attention. I'll get to it one day... Meanwhile it's either a burnt red Fabia or silver '07-plate X-Trail for daily duties.

Had a hunch you might be at the front of that development as I recall your thread about slipping roof slates and thought 'I'm sure I know those houses' at the time. Will say hi if I see you while out and about.

Edited by tr7ster on Friday 11th March 13:03

[carparkno1]

Huge thanks for the updates and info guys, really helps settle the family nerves etc.

Raring to go now, can't come soon enough. I'll keep updated as and when!

[andydax]

hi both
im on the bush estate , keep an eye out for me , sticker on the rear !
maybe we should meet up at the italian for a laugh !

tr7ster said:

AmiableChimp said:

O/T but TR7Ster i'll need to keep an eye out for your car bud!

I'm right on the front of the new Taylor Wimpey houses in Bilston - if you see me out polishing/working on my Eunos, feel free to pop by and say hello.

You'll not see the '7 any time soon unfortunately as it's currently mothballed under cover in my drive, longingly awaiting my time and attention. I'll get to it one day... Meanwhile it's either a burnt red Fabia or silver '07-plate X-Trail for daily duties.

Had a hunch you might be at the front of that development as I recall your thread about slipping roof slates and thought 'I'm sure I know those houses' at the time. Will say hi if I see you while out and about.

Edited by tr7ster on Friday 11th March 13:03

[AH33]

I've lived here 6 years now.

In 2017, when my Mrs has finished her masters, we'll be moving back to Durham.

Once we've gone I wont ever come back to Edinburgh, even as a visitor. It hates the motor car like no other place i've ever lived. It will soon have blanket 20 limits everywhere, even on the roads where its safe to do 40+. The tyre shredding potholes are everywhere and have cost me £400+ in the last few years. It has worse weather than newcastle. It's full of fat american tourists talking about their "scotch ancestors" and wearing kilts. The festival is a nightmare for parking, drunks and trying to sleep at night. It has the worst congestion in scotland and is in the top 5 for congested cities in the whole UK. There are tramps absolutely everywhere in the city centre. Driving 5 miles can take more than an hour.

Apart from that, it's lovely.

Edited by AH33 on Thursday 7th April 09:40

[Mr Trophy]

You're selling it well.

[AndrewEH1]

We'll be sure to miss you x

[Prof Prolapse]

You should try taking your car out of the city every now and again.

And lightening up a bit.

[AH33]

There are some fantastic roads out of the city centre, this is true, but they are increasingly taken up by doris doing 30, packs of middle aged cyclists doing 20, and mobile speed traps.

Ill lighten up when i've moved out of this place and I can breathe again.

[AH33]

You know what else would get me to lighten up? If this.... thing.... was removed from power. Maybe the situation would improve.



Truly sorry for anyone who doesnt know who she is and has to look at her face

[Prof Prolapse]

AH33 said:

There are some fantastic roads out of the city centre, this is true, but they are increasingly taken up by doris doing 30, packs of middle aged cyclists doing 20, and mobile speed traps.

Ill lighten up when i've moved out of this place and I can breathe again.

Where are you going?

If you head South towards the A701 there's nothing except a few villages to slow for. You can do that route in the early hours and not even see another car for 50 miles. Same for the subsequent route to Selkirk from St. Mary's loch, all the roads in the locality are similar but do vary in quality.

It's not Edinburgh, but worth it for a day out, if you head over the bridge, and turn off towards rumbling bridge, again no cameras, no police, no cars off peak. It's absolute bliss, you can do a clear run up to Glenshee and the highlands avoiding the motorway.

There is literally no where in the UK but Scotland you can do a run like that. Even in Europe I've only seen it bettered by the Alps. Yes the city is st for cars, but they all are , so what you're doing is comparing one dirty great pile of st with another and saying one smells slightly better.

As for the festival, tourists, homeless and weather. I can't say any of it has ever bothered me, I like the festival, and I think its a great complement to have so many tourists, ignorant or not, So I just get a jacket, and a thicker skin.

Christ I was staying in Govan last week, fking hell...

[AndrewEH1]

AH33 said:

You know what else would get me to lighten up? If this.... thing.... was removed from power. Maybe the situation would improve.



Truly sorry for anyone who doesnt know who she is and has to look at her face

You're not wrong, didn't raise her children too well either as I saw them littering on the Castle Esplanade at one of the first New Years' One O'clock runs a fair few years ago...

Edited by AndrewEH1 on Thursday 7th April 11:16