What’s wrong with Fife?

[watermelon21]

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?

Dinnae

@ImperfectTents helpful?

Thanks everyone else that’s all really good to know, will keep looking into it!

I dont think theres anything wrong with Fife itself. I lived in Rosyth and Dunfermline in various areas when we first moved up here (Parent in the forces.) and now my parents and older siblings are still there whilst me and DH are close to Edinburgh.

My main concerns are the transport links to Edinburgh. The trains are horrendous most of the time and the buses can cost a fortune.

We're thinking about moving back over there at some point too

Do people still sing this at the football:

They're dirty and they're smelly
They come from near Lochgelly
They havnae got a penny
The Cowden fam-i-lee

I also thought Methil sounded an unpromising sort of place.

The second verse of Letter from America has all the places you'd want to avoid, and many are in Fife.

Visited several times when on holiday for the Edinburgh Fringe, and have to agree about the limited train service.

Waitrose won't deliver there. Too big not enough people....sounds great eh?

We looked at Fife. You get loads of beautiful houses. Just a bit underpopulated in parts.

@TomPinch Ah the formidable Methil Milan 😂

I lived in Fife (North Queensferry) which is beautiful, but not exactly the most welcoming part of the world (to me, anyway)

It's the only place in Scotland I was made to feel "a foreigner" and even my Scottish husband felt like an outsider.

I live in edinburgh. I'd move out west or east rather than fife. Simply because of the commute.

You could think about moving South of Edinburgh.

The new Galashiels to Edinburgh rail line has made many towns and villiages a very short commute into the city, and house prices drop dramatically as soon as you leave the city.

East lLothian is beautiful, but house prices higher.

Fifer born and bred here. I love the place but wouldn’t commute to Edinburgh. Call be a snob but I’m from one of the nice parts (East Neuk fishing village) but pretty much all the places within commutable distance I’d avoid with exception of maybe Dalgety Bay, Aberdour and Culross. And even then between train cancellations and bridge traffic I’d find it too stressful. Give me delays due to sheep and tractors on the road any day!

Waitrose deliver to Fife!
But agree, the commute can be a horror.

I grew up in Kinghorn. It was a really lovely place to grow up. (if that help). Also lived in Edinburgh as an adult which I also loved. I. Short, if you have kids, Fife, if not Edinburgh (you might find Fife a little quiet if you like cultural stuff, eating out etc).

I’m currently in Fife but I’m Edinburgh born and bred. I commute (when I’m not on maternity leave) and it’s fine. Granted I don’t go right into the centre. The train service is a bit shit! Being crammed into a carriage and nearly fainting while heavily pregnant was a particular highlight.

@ThisYearHasGotToBeBetter

Does it?! My dad is always moaning about no waitrose. He has to go to Edinburgh. You will have made his day!!

Word of warning if you do think of moving to the Borders. I lived there for far too many years, and never by choice. You will be an outsider, and they will make sure that you are aware that you are an outsider. And the train from Galashiels is often cancelled. This morning is a case in point where 2 trains were cancelled first thing. They are also usually crammed, especially at rush hour. It is also quite a deprived area, but houses are cheap.

I lived in Anstruther for a couple of years while at St Andrews, it's great, would love to return one day.

Nothing is wrong about Fife I live in a tiny village just outside kirkcaldy it takes 20 mins to get to Edinburgh but that's only at night always get train/bus during day. It's so central in Scotland so travel around a lot . The places I'd avoid are Glenrothes as I stayed there very briefly it was horrendous . You have some beautiful places like limkilns , culross dalgety bay Auchtertool , and the east neuk although it was add a lot more in to your commute if you stayed that way

Fife is like Edinburgh, there are good bits and bad bits.

I work in central Edinburgh and commute in by train. The commute is horrific. Trains are unreliable (often cancelled), late, expensive and filthy. Fife Circle line is infamous.

Using car you will get stuck in long traffic queues and there is no/very little parking in actual town centre. What there is is very expensive.

Buses get stuck in same traffic but are cheaper.

Anything, commute wise, goes to hell in a hand basket during the festival and bad weather.

If you can travel outside of traditional rush hour, car is fine except for parking.

Where I live I get to live in a nice house in amazing countryside, but I am currently job hunting on the non-Edinburgh side of the bridge. Four years of ScotRail has made the decision easy to make. 🤦🏽‍♀️

I was born in Edinburgh but wouldn't move back to live in something pocky or a flat compared to where we are now.

The traffic around the bridges is horrendous.

Fifers are mean! Load of nonsense. Find a nice area and move there - it’s no different from anywhere else.

I am Scottish, grew up in Edinburgh. There are people in every city who think their city is the epicentre of the universe and that anyone who even mentions the possibility of leaving their beloved city is crazy. Edinburgh is just the same. Why would anyone want to live in Fife when you could be in Bruntsfield or Cramond?

Some of Fife is lovely. The east neuk, St Andrews, Cupar is a busy wee town with lots going on.

Then there's places like Cowdenbeath, Kelty, bits of Glenrothes and Kirkcaldy...

Not to say there aren't rough places in Edinburgh though. I'd rather live in Crail or Dalgety Bay than Wester Hailes or Craigmillar any day!

I second the Borders making you feel like an outsider- even if you are from elsewhere in Scotland. Grew up there and was glad to leave. how about Stirling area?

Thanks so much guys this has been so helpful! Think I will try to stick to Edinburgh then as I’m not ready for an awful commute just yet 😭

The thing is ,like any big city , Edinburgh suffers from congestion and travel time in rush hour. This will affect you whether you live in Fife or on the city outskirts, the bypass becomes a parking lot and main roads not much better.
But more and more people are looking to places like Danderhall, Loanhead, Penicuik , Prestonpans, Port Seton , Musselburgh as housing is a bit cheaper. All on Lothian buses routes now.

At lot of building going on around the former green belt
Theres also Livingston thats popular but again terrible commute.
I know folk lving in Linlithgow as rents are cheaper but long drive in to city. Ive heard of people commuting from Clackmananshire and Perthshire too.
Fife is good from the sea life angle, porpoises dolphins and even whales are regularly seen along the coast there.
The people I know living in Fife actually work there and don't face the bridge crossing so they're perfectly happy.

On a biased note my mum lived in one of the East Neuk fishing villages, it was beuatiful. Only downside was at least one of the DC would be carsick by the time we reached Leven. Half our journey time was crossing from east Edinburgh to the bridge.