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Original poster

moving to scottish borders

21 replies

dodo5enots · 15/02/2022 13:00

Hi...we are couple from Italy and Spain and we have a kid 6 born in England...
we've been living in England for 9 years, in staffordshire, and we were thinking to move into the scotland
borders...Peebles or Silkirk.
Our main worry is if we will be able of being part of the community...
these places seem so alive and vibrant but they are quite small as a town...where we are living now
people is so classy, they look how you dress if you have a certain car, if you are spat or what kind
of dweling do you live in, etc....

Did someone have experience of living on these places as a foreign?...
We are planning to commute to Edinburgh, any comment or suggestion will be much appreciated
Thanks

OP posts:

VeniVidiWeeWee · 15/02/2022 14:21

Sorry, no comments on living there but it's a minimum 1 hrs 20 minute commute each way?

Kittykatmacbill · 15/02/2022 14:57

It’s a long commute!

I have got friends that have moved to the tweed valley, although they work there. Did have some feedback that there was a local / incomer divide.

Don’t know Selkirk but Peebles is lovely especially if you like mountain biking!

Downtownmarjoriebrown · 15/02/2022 22:26

Sorry OP but you couldn't pay me to live there again. Grew up in one of those towns and moved away at 18. Very insular (and I'm afraid to say anti-English) and geographically very isolated. Weather is absolutely shite. Unless you love mountain biking, I don't understand the draw at all. Somewhere like East Lothian would be much better for commuting into Edinburgh.

amusedbush · 15/02/2022 22:35

@Downtownmarjoriebrown

I grew up in East Lothian and I moved away as soon as I could because the village is so insular and depressing

OP, Peebles is the size of a postage stamp and it's in the arse end of nowhere. Commuting to Edinburgh would be a bonkers idea - it's miles away! My friend lives there and it's pretty to look at but that's about it.

Colderthanever · 15/02/2022 22:39

Have you ever been to Peebles or Selkirk? I’m really surprised at your description of Alive, vibrant, snobby classy, well dressed etc

I’m guessing you’ve never been?

ivartheboneless · 15/02/2022 22:45

Peebles is lovely, some of my family live there and we visit often.
Love to visit and spend time there and like the idea of living there but wouldn't move there, it is in the middle of nowhere and not much around it at all.
Would definitely need a car to go anywhere or your stuck with the public transport of buses. There is no train station, nearest one is about 20 miles away in Galashiels. By car in quiet times it's about 45 -60 minutes to Edinburgh, by bus it's much much longer!
If you want a reasonable commute to Edinburgh City centre I would look at East Lothian at some of the smaller towns and villages. I have friends who live in East Linton and also Dunbar who love being near the coast.

Crowdfundingforcake · 15/02/2022 22:50

Colder, I think op means where they live now.

OP, The Borders are lovely - we've lived here nearly 20 years. There are a lot of artists/musicians here, many English people - some of my English friends have had the occasional anti English comment, usually from knuckle draggers, but as you're not English you don't have to worry!

If you like the outdoor life there's plenty to do, lots of sport. 1 hour from Galashiels on the train into Edinburgh. Peebles is more expensive, Selkirk and Hawick cheaper but more remote.

I would look at Melrose, Peebles, the coast. Gala is the biggest town, big supermarkets, cinema, arts venues. Sadly, the high street is suffering - lots of empty shops but I guess that's common country wide.

Since the railway opened there's been an influx of people from Edinburgh escaping congestion and high house prices.

PAFMO · 16/02/2022 14:14

@Colderthanever

Have you ever been to Peebles or Selkirk? I’m really surprised at your description of Alive, vibrant, snobby classy, well dressed etc

I’m guessing you’ve never been?

The OP means where they live now I think.

Peebles is gorgeous.

Bideshi · 16/02/2022 14:26

Peebles is gorgeous. And remote from where? Not from Edinburgh...
All border towns have had significant Italian populations since the 1950s and they have become part of the identity of the towns. Peebles is upmarket and artistic. Plenty of English people living there and no anti-English sentiment that I've ever noticed. Wonderful countryside. Selkirk is only ten minutes from Galashiels and the new train access to Edinburgh. It's smaller and more insular. Best bet (if you can afford it) is Melrose. Gorgeous town and close to Galashiels and the station. But it is pricy. An interest in rugby helps is you want to move to the Borders.

East Lothian is brilliant too and a great train service to Edinburgh. North Berwick is just lovely, but, again, property prices are steeper there.

midsomermurderess · 16/02/2022 14:45

Peebles is nice but not what you'd call vibrant. The commute to Edinburgh can be bloody awful. You hit the by-pass and sometimes lose the will to live.

liveforsummer · 16/02/2022 14:52

There nothing alive or vibrant about Selkirk, it's just a standard Borders town on the dull side and was one of the rougher ones when I was growing up. Lots of lost industry in Selkirk and Hawick so not loads of opportunities. You definitely wouldn't be judged on your appearance or home though. If you want something a bit more how you describe you could look at Kelso or Melrose. Also worth considering East Lothian. Some lovely little towns and plenty diversity being far closer to Edinburgh. North Berwick is great and on a train line to Edinburgh

liveforsummer · 16/02/2022 14:54

To add the new railways to Galashiels has high instances of cancelled or very over crowded services. Never managed to actually board the train when I needed to yet

TheCanyon · 16/02/2022 15:00

I live in Peebles. It's certainly not alive or vibrant. The supermarkets and shops in general are rubbish.

It is a cracking community though...

Downtownmarjoriebrown · 18/02/2022 14:59

@Bideshi

Peebles is gorgeous. And remote from where? Not from Edinburgh... All border towns have had significant Italian populations since the 1950s and they have become part of the identity of the towns. Peebles is upmarket and artistic. Plenty of English people living there and no anti-English sentiment that I've ever noticed. Wonderful countryside. Selkirk is only ten minutes from Galashiels and the new train access to Edinburgh. It's smaller and more insular. Best bet (if you can afford it) is Melrose. Gorgeous town and close to Galashiels and the station. But it is pricy. An interest in rugby helps is you want to move to the Borders.

East Lothian is brilliant too and a great train service to Edinburgh. North Berwick is just lovely, but, again, property prices are steeper there.

Really? I went to Peebles High School and am 99% certain there was not a single Italian in mine or the 5 years above or below me. It's not exactly diverse so would be noticeable. And yes it is remote - maybe not be Scottish standards, but certainly by much of the UK. The borders is an enormous geographical area with a population the size of many English market towns. There are many lovely things about it but I'm surprised by these two comments!

Bideshi · 18/02/2022 15:20

@midsomermurderess

Peebles is nice but not what you'd call vibrant. The commute to Edinburgh can be bloody awful. You hit the by-pass and sometimes lose the will to live.

When do you go on the by-pass if you're going to central Edinburgh from Peebles? As for the Italian connection - google it. There are pages about Scots in Scotland and the Border towns. I live in a town a fraction of the sizeof Peebles and there are four or five well-established and extended Italian families living and running businesses in the town. Galashiels is well known for the rivalry between the Macaris and the Fortes. As for Peebles not being gorgeous? An architecturally attractive town on the banks of the River Tweed with art galleries, independent shops and cafes; glorious Neidpath Castle in its wooded valley, hills and old forest all around. Not vibrant in the sense of Saturday night clubbing, true enough, but not everyone wants that all the time.

emmathedilemma · 18/02/2022 15:22

I thought Peebles had quite good shops for the size of the place. I wouldn't want to do the commute to Edinburgh though, it's an hour drive at the quietest time, heading towards Edinburgh in a morning you could probably double that. If you want to live in the borders and commute to Edinburgh then I would look at the towns along the borders railway line.
You might get more responses posting on the Scotsnet board.

Adeleskirts · 18/02/2022 15:24

I’m also surprised by these comments, I lived in Selkirk and gala for years. It’s unrecognisable some of the bigging them up going on 😃

midsomermurderess · 19/02/2022 18:22

@Adekeskirts, it's a bit delusional: Peebles, gorgeous!; Neidpath Castle, glorious! It's practically Tuscany! Aye, right. It's an attractive enough, douce wee town.

weebarra · 19/02/2022 19:34

I love Peebles and the shops on the high street. A friend owns a couple of independent shops there and she loves living there. I agree the commute isn't great but it also depends which part of Edinburgh you're working in. I live in Midlothian which would be easier for commuting if you wanted to look at somewhere like Dalkeith, which has some nice areas but isn't hugely pretty or cultural.

EezyOozy · 19/02/2022 19:36

Have you considered East Berwickshire (where I live)? 38 mins on train to Edinburgh !! And beaches galore.

Bideshi · 19/02/2022 20:29

@Adeleskirts

I’m also surprised by these comments, I lived in Selkirk and gala for years. It’s unrecognisable some of the bigging them up going on 😃

No, completely with you on that (and my family's from Gala). Not really biggable up: the best you can say is 'not as bad as they were'. Selkirk seems to be in a time-warp. Peebles is nice, Melrose is lovely but my choice would be East Lothian. Preferably North Berwick. Or, indeed, Edinburgh itself because by the time you've forked out for NB, you could probably have bought in Edinburgh for the same price.

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