Preston Vs Edinburgh

[PrestonVsEdinburgh]

Hi NC as potentially outing. Looking for advice. I currently work in Edinburgh and absolutely love it here, trying to buy at the moment but the housing market is very active and it seems almost impossible to get anything without significant additional savings when flats are going for 20k over the home report I work in a job that I love but it is very stressful and i’m Struggling at the moment due to leadership/management problems.

I’ve been approached by another employer based in Preston and am considering a move there to improve my overall quality of life. Now I know nothing about Preston except that it rains a lot (hate wet weather). I’m going there to visit in a couple of weeks but would like your thoughts on Edinburgh vs Preston as a place to live. I have dogs so good walks/green space is important (brilliant in Edinburgh) I like beautiful architecture, big open skies, and easy access to countryside. Plus city comforts - bars, cinemas etc. I’m also quite active so a decent climbing wall, running club etc would be good.

so wise MNetters if you know Preston/Edinburgh at all can you tell me what you think? And which bits of Preston are nice?

🤣

No because I'be found out there are some "naice" places to go out somewhere and I've never been invited out there!

I know where ALL the gin is in Preston

I'll come if we can leave the chip on the shoulder at home. I just want to go to the bloody continental and the other place that was mentioned.

Promise I'm not racist, facist or prestonist. And I'm very northern, not that that matters.

I took my parents to the continental
Dad "where the hell are we going? This is random"
A week later
Dad "we are at that pub. Best food I've ever eaten"
Bearing in mind they run a pub and eat out every week from Lancaster to Manchester, it was very high praise!

We don't give a fork is pretty decent, the chips are so good. Cedarwood coffee does the best iced coffee drinks - pick your flavour of ice cream and they'll blend it all up for you
And new but WELL WORTH IT (trust me!) is sugar wishes cakes on Blackpool road, they're only open fridays and Saturdays but the cake jars and brownies are better than Finch bakery

Well I’m Preston born, bred and still live here and I’m not unemployed I might be edging towards alcoholic though

Gin, wine, coffee, ice cream milkshake, food, all sounding good to me

Thank you everyone - I genuinely didn’t intend to start a bunfight - i’m Sure that Preston has many redeeming features but I am starting to wonder if it’s the right ‘fit’ for me.

I’m sure that there are many lovely surrounding villages but i’m Still fairly young (at heart) and i’m not Sure I want to surround myself with retirees or rural families in a picturesque village outside Preston just yet. Sorry if that sounds a bit stereotypical but don’t think the rural life is right for me.

I’m also worried about the wet - Edinburgh might be cold but is surprisingly dry. I have a dread of drizzly dampness

In terms of moving I think a couple of posters have hit the nail in the head in terms of my motivation for moving. It’s mostly about work. The problem is that my job is incredibly niche so other cities wouldn’t Have this opportunity - even places like Manchester are a non-starter - sorry to be cryptic but it’s the reason I name changed. I’m probably also flattered at being headhunted at a time when i’m under a lot of pressure and poorly supported in my current role.

Definitely a lot to think about and this thread is incredibly useful - thank you all - I really appreciate it

Although I am liking the idea of a Preston-gin-meet-up

If you don’t like drizzly dampness it probably won’t be for you. It can be quite grey and yes, a bit drizzly and damp. I don’t really know if anywhere in the north of England isn’t a bit drizzly and damp, it’s why so much cotton was made here - we have a damp microclimate thanks to the Pennines and the Lakes District fells (thanks GCSE Geography )

I love Preston. I actually do, despite moving away for a while I came back because it has so much to offer to make the life I like. BUT!! I have a young family and moved back partly to be close to extended family and that’s not exactly the lifestyle you’re after. It sounds to me like you might be better off in Lytham or as another PP said, perhaps Manchester (although tbh with the Manchester market as it is currently you could struggle to get something there as well).

Areas of Manchester I think you might like are Chorlton and Didsbury, but they are well-established neighbourhoods and so are correspondingly more expensive than close-by areas such as Sale or Stratford. The Manchester market at the moment is full of developers and a LOT of other buyers trying to guess where the next “in” place is going to be. Altrincham has a gorgeous market hall so adjoining there is becoming v desirable.

I think visiting Preston, perhaps in an AirBnB, for at least a couple of days might be a good idea? Maybe trying to have a sort of “locals” weekend and see if you like it or not. If not, well, that’s ok!! Only you know if such a move might make you happy. It’s a massive leap but sometimes they pay off, whatever you decide I hope you end up happy

Do feel free to PM me if you’ve got any questions.

Stratford bah, Stretford

Come off the M6 at junction 31 and you will drive into a mini Karachi and then Gdansk before you get to the pleasure that is the shit traffic "system".

We moved up from the sunny SE and haven't found it anywhere near as wet/damp as we thought...

It's amazing that nearly every wet day ends in a sunny evening as we get blinded at the dining table - live on top of a hill!

I think you would need to live fairly close to Preston station so you can get your Manchester fix

@Witchend you named my home village in your list! They are lovely places to live. And 20 mins to Preston or Blackpool (now that really IS grim) but also two mins from a market town called Kirkham which has a new aldi, a new micro-brewery pub on the high street and ribby hall village not far away with lovely spa and leisure facilities.

@prestonvsedinburgh

I wouldn't say any of the villages Witchend named are particularly "rural" (except maybe wrea green) they're all just off main A roads between Preston and Blackpool. Newton is on one side of A583 so direct route straight into Preston with Kirkham and Wesham literally two minutes up the road. Freckleton and Warton are not far off the same A road a bit further up and on a direct A road into Lytham, St. Anne's and Blackpool. And they're quite large too. Not really little rural backwaters. I would say a large proportion of the people who live in those particular villages work at places like BAE, BNFL or NHS or in Preston itself.

I wouldn't say any of the villages Witchend named are particularly "rural" (except maybe wrea green) they're all just off main A roads between Preston and Blackpool.

She mentioned woodplumpton, which is somewhat rural and off the A6. Not much to it though, as far as I'm aware,

I grew up in one of the villages and moved out at 17 because there was so little to do. I think you're right on that front OP. There's no public transport so if you want to go anywhere you have to drive, and driving and gin don't mix.

If you're seriously considering Preston, go and visit. I haven't been for 20 years, but there was certainly nothing to take me or DH back, I remember a grimy area, sitting in a pub standing out like a sore thumb with lots of rough people and was unnerved at the time to see CCTV everywhere when I hadn't ever seen it in our area at that time. Sorry if you live there - if things have changed, please let OP know.

Your job is important, but also your every day surroundings, so I'd say don't give Edinburgh up unless Preston can match up.

Why has no one rooting for Preston mentioned 'The Ribble Pilot' on the docks..?? 🤷🏽‍♀️

brownbeauty well it’s just a pub isn’t it not my kind of place personally but if you wanted a cheap meal out it would fit the bill. It’s a 2for1 chain pub, I wouldn’t have said it was particularly worth a mention, they’re everywhere!

the Pentlands is full of sheep so terrible for dog walking sad Oh boohoo!

What’s special about the Ribble Pilot?!

I quite like Preston but I don't think it's som where many people aspire to live.

There are lots of villages near by though and you are close enough to Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds for a 'big city' feel.

The Forrest of Bowland is just north of Preston, and it is beautiful www.forestofbowland.com/

Don't think of Lancashire villages in the same way as the home counties, families with children can afford to and do live in the ones in Lancashire.

If you don't drive then I'd suggest living on a train line.

Preston station itself ison a mainline to Edinburgh so you can easily visit friends if you do move.

What’s special about the Ribble Pilot?!

Haven't been there for many years... it was handy if you want to take a small child to Mothercare, then look at the animals and fish in Pets at Home followed by fishfingers and a playground.
Probably not of much interest to the OP.

Errol you're quite right. I didn't see that she had mentioned woodplumpton. Not sure I've ever been there!

Preston is near some lovely scenery for outdoor activity (Lakes, Ribble valley, Forest of Bowland). The city itself is not great though, certainly not a patch on Edinburgh.

Lancaster? Really?

OK I admit it is a while since I've been, but that's because there is nothing there.

OP

Edinburgh is one pf the prettiest capital cities in Europe, you are not going to find another Edinburgh in the UK.

Why does the climbing have to be a wall? There are loads of places to climb outside.

lancashireclimbingandcavingclub.co.uk/activities/