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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

What’s wrong with Fife?

51 replies

watermelon21 · 25/10/2019 15:17

I live in Edinburgh city centre but am looking to move into a proper flat next year (not a tiny shitty studio that costs me a fortune) and Fife keeps coming up as cheaper. I’m not from Scotland so have no idea where’s good to live but everytime I’ve mentioned moving to Fife to people I work with who are actually Scottish I get a laugh and get told it’s an awful idea. What’s bad about Fife? And where else isn’t awfully expensive around edinburgh?

OP posts:
Charm23 · 25/10/2019 15:25

I'm not Scottish but I lived in Fife with my DH for a few years. DH worked in Edinburgh and commuted everyday. We lived in Dalgety Bay which is just the other side of the river and still talk about how lovely it was there. Lovely quiet area, coastal path for walks/cycling, nice little beach up in Aberdour, etc. I would ignore what people say. I'm not even sure why they laugh, we found it perfectly nice. But saying that there are bad areas in every county so maybe we were just lucky to live in such a lovely part. Highly recommend Dalgety Bay!

Introvertedbuthappy · 25/10/2019 15:35

Aye, it makes folk in Edinburgh feel better about paying a small fortune for a 2 bed tenament flat to make fun of folk in Fife. There are lots of lovely places there, particularly Dalgety Bay and Aberdour, only a half hour train journey from Waverley. We moved to Fife as we would never have been able to afford to buy in Edinburgh. We live abroad now but love going back to visit. As with anywhere there’s shitty parts, just as I wouldn’t live in Niddrie or Westerhailes in Edinburgh.

HirplesWithHaggis · 25/10/2019 15:38

It taks a lang spoon to sup wi' a Fifer.

There's nothing wrong with Fife, my mum and sister live there. It just isn't a capital city, so of course property is cheaper.

ArnoldWhatshisknickers · 25/10/2019 15:40

All east coasters are weirdos.

Everyone knows that Wink

Justmuddlingalong · 25/10/2019 15:49

Fife has good and bad areas just like everywhere. Just like some people's workmates are knobs and some aren't. 😉

MrsRedFly · 25/10/2019 15:53

I used to live in Edinburgh then moved to Fife as it was cheaper (& nearer my folks!)
There are a lot of people living in Fife (Dunfermline for me) that have moved from Edinburgh & t he trains are busy - the queensferry crossing is busy too!

It s traditionally a coal mining area/ of working class - there are areas of deprivation too

Mammylamb · 25/10/2019 15:55

Honestly, I’d move to Fife to get somewhere at a reasonable price.
Nowt wrong with Fife, Prince William met his wife there

KidLorneRoll · 25/10/2019 16:02

Some bits of Fife are nice (the East Neuk), some are not (like fucking Kirkcaldy or Glenrothes).

Same as any part of the country really. The commute into Edinburgh if you are driving is pretty horrendous.

MintyMabel · 25/10/2019 16:02

Fife is huge. Some good bits and bad bits. Why would you say you’re moving to fife and not be more specific?

MintyMabel · 25/10/2019 16:04

The commute into Edinburgh if you are driving is pretty horrendous.

This is probably the main issue.

Try looking up the M9 towards Falkirk. Much more for you money up there.

MangoSalsa · 25/10/2019 16:05

Some of Fife is really lovely. Commute would be a bitch though.

ShinyMe · 25/10/2019 16:07

They only joke about in the same way people down south might joke about Norfolk or something. It's more rural and not a super cool city, that's all.

LaBarbera · 25/10/2019 16:09

Nothing wrong with Fife. It's great, in fact. There are even nice wee villages around (shock!) Kirkcaldy and (horror!) Glenrothes. Two reliable train lines into Edinburgh and a commute that takes you right along a beautiful stretch of coast. People just like to rip the piss out of their nearest neighbours.

amusedbush · 25/10/2019 16:12

My friend moved from Edinburgh to Fife to save a bit of money on rent. Her commute into town was TERRIBLE and she moved back to Edinburgh as soon as her six month lease was up.

The trains were cancelled all the time and as soon as the weather gets a bit hairy they close the bridges.

Stressedout10 · 25/10/2019 16:17

@LaBarbera
Two reliable train lines to Edinburgh 🤣🤣

Original poster
watermelon21 · 25/10/2019 16:19

Okay so mixed reviews about getting into the centre then? I would be driving at night shifts and train on day shifts probably.

I have no clue about areas in Fife tbh. Which ones would you avoid and which are the nicest?

OP posts:
LaBarbera · 25/10/2019 16:20

Well, they were excellent when I was living there and commuting to Edinburgh every day! Maybe they've degraded, who knows, but they did me fine.

FairfaxAikman · 25/10/2019 16:29

I'm a Fifer (north east). West and east fife are lovely but central Fife has a higher number of absolute dumps imo.
I wouldn't commute in to edinburgh though - Bridge is horrendous at peak times.
What about East, West or Midlothian?

Stressedout10 · 25/10/2019 16:30

@LaBarbera
Just Google alberto/scotrail or even better dunfermline press and there crush hour campaign.
Constantly cancelling trains, empty trains not stopping at stations because they are too fullConfused, not enough carriages and they have only managed to get 81% of trains on time/running for over a year
Basically not fit for purpose the Scottish government has been discussing removing their contract it's a joke really

jb1305uk · 25/10/2019 16:32

There a lot of nice areas and a lot of not so nice areas- a bit like anywhere really.

I used to live in Dunfermline and commuted to work during rush hour, it was hard going at times. We ended up moving to the other side of the bridge but paid a lot more for our house and could have got a much better one in areas of Fife for the same money.

Depends on travel times but the commute didn’t work for us as it was rush hour. And to be honest most times on a Friday afternoon seem to be a nightmare on the bridge!

LaBarbera · 25/10/2019 16:34

Sorry to hear it's gone downhill. Mind, I've been living in either the South East of England or in Italy for the last years, so I'm pretty overwhelmed with joy if trains turn up within an hour of the scheduled time and don't cost an arm and a leg (at least they are cheap in Italy).

HirplesWithHaggis · 25/10/2019 16:37

...as soon as the weather gets a bit hairy they close the bridges.

The new Queensferry Crossing bridge has been kept open on 34 occasions since opening when the old bridge would have shut. Much, much less of an issue than it used to be.

FizzyGreenWater · 25/10/2019 16:39

Okay so mixed reviews about getting into the centre then? I would be driving at night shifts and train on day shifts probably.

No way, don't do it.

Second the person saying look more towards Falkirk

squeaver · 25/10/2019 16:43

I wouldn't live in Fife and commute to Edinburgh.

The comparison between London and Norfolk is a good one. And just like in Norfolk, Fife is absolutely gorgeous in parts (basically most places on the coast - not Kirkcaldy). The further you get to the centre, the less nice it is. Deprived, forgotten old coal towns.

squeaver · 25/10/2019 16:43

The issue with the commute by car isn't so much the new bridge, it's getting into the centre.