Moving to Ayrshire

[AB605]

This is the first time I have ever posted on a site so here goes.....

Basically I am in a dilemma of what to do. I am married with 4 kids and we live in the south of England. I am Scottish but have not lived there for about 18 yrs. We have bumped around the world before settling in the south of England due to my husbands work.

I am an only child and my parents (who live in Scotland) are unable to go anywhere now due to ill health. It was fine when they were healthy as they would visit when they could but over the last few years I have been called to go home on a few occasions to help sort matters out. The journey from where I am to their house is roughly 9-11 hours in total whether I fly or drive. My husband commutes just over a hundred miles a day to get to his work, we have no family here as OH family is in the NW England . I work three nights a week so life can be tricky when things go wrong at home (Scotland).

I am trying not to go on too much and get to the point :) I have made my feelings clear that I would like to move closer to my parents. I would not move to their town as there is nothing and I mean nothing there. The next option is Alloway, Ayr area. We went to have a look round in May and also visited Belmont Academy. The school seemed ok if not a bit more laid back than the school my DD's go to. Drove past some houses that were for sale etc then headed to town. We only got as far as the newish shopping area where Debenhams etc is. That is the point my OH seemed to go off the idea of living in Scotland. I have to say that I was myself a little disheartened in Ayr myself :(

So...... I feel we are back to square on in what to do. My husband does not really want to move to Scotland as he is VERY English if you know what I mean and I want to move closer to my parents.

We have a nice house where we are but a huge mortgage, cost of living is high and nothing is ever free, not even the parking for 10 mins!! I have some nice friends but it is a little stuffy for my liking down here and not so friendly.

Has anyone else been in this situation ?? have I got Ayr wrong ?? as it does not seem to be like it used to. Perhaps Prestwick or Troon would be a better option ???

Schooling is important and I woud have one DD who would of done GCSE and then moving on to Highers and my OH would still need to commute up and down to London Or do I stay where I am and feel guilty as hell for not spending more time with my parents while I can???

[Popkins]

Unfortuanately Ayr has gone downhill recently, a lot of the town is like a ghost town, it is such a shame.
However South Ayrshire in general is a lovely place to live and I can highly recommend either Prestwick or Troon. I actually live in Troon myself and love it here! You could always go and look at Marr college which is in Troon and see if you like that better as a school. My kids are still in primary school so I cant give any personal experience of the school other than it is currently going under huge refurbishment.
Please feel free to PM me qith any questions if I can help!! :)

[TeaPleaseBob]

I'm also in Troon and find it great. Moved down from Glasgow and still commute for work. Train to Glasgow 35-45 mins and very frequent, there's also a direct train to Edinburgh now from Troon although I've never used it.

Troon is great for young families, lots of toddler groups, places to go for days out, the beach is always a hit with children regardless of the weather. Mine not old enough for school yet but the primary schools all seem lovely and the high school has a good reputation.

We're now close to both sets of parents and I wouldn't change it for anything (well maybe bit more sunshine )

[Whippetmamma]

Troon is a great place to bring up kids, my nieces 5 & 6 love their primary school and you're not that far from Glasgow either!
We live just outside Maidens in South Ayrshire, right on the coast so a bit more remote but still a beautiful place to be. We also moved here to be closer to family after having DS, having lived up in Aberdeenshire for the past few years.

[bleachedgusset]

@AB605

This is the first time I have ever posted on a site so here goes.....

Basically I am in a dilemma of what to do. I am married with 4 kids and we live in the south of England. I am Scottish but have not lived there for about 18 yrs. We have bumped around the world before settling in the south of England due to my husbands work.

I am an only child and my parents (who live in Scotland) are unable to go anywhere now due to ill health. It was fine when they were healthy as they would visit when they could but over the last few years I have been called to go home on a few occasions to help sort matters out. The journey from where I am to their house is roughly 9-11 hours in total whether I fly or drive. My husband commutes just over a hundred miles a day to get to his work, we have no family here as OH family is in the NW England . I work three nights a week so life can be tricky when things go wrong at home (Scotland).

I am trying not to go on too much and get to the point :) I have made my feelings clear that I would like to move closer to my parents. I would not move to their town as there is nothing and I mean nothing there. The next option is Alloway, Ayr area. We went to have a look round in May and also visited Belmont Academy. The school seemed ok if not a bit more laid back than the school my DD's go to. Drove past some houses that were for sale etc then headed to town. We only got as far as the newish shopping area where Debenhams etc is. That is the point my OH seemed to go off the idea of living in Scotland. I have to say that I was myself a little disheartened in Ayr myself :(

So...... I feel we are back to square on in what to do. My husband does not really want to move to Scotland as he is VERY English if you know what I mean and I want to move closer to my parents.

We have a nice house where we are but a huge mortgage, cost of living is high and nothing is ever free, not even the parking for 10 mins!! I have some nice friends but it is a little stuffy for my liking down here and not so friendly.

Has anyone else been in this situation ?? have I got Ayr wrong ?? as it does not seem to be like it used to. Perhaps Prestwick or Troon would be a better option ???

Schooling is important and I woud have one DD who would of done GCSE and then moving on to Highers and my OH would still need to commute up and down to London Or do I stay where I am and feel guilty as hell for not spending more time with my parents while I can???

Hey OP! Did you ever move to Ayr?!??