Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think London commute towns are no better than Edinburgh for raising a family?

583 replies

JenXG · 10/12/2020 09:38

So basically DH and I are having a debate on whether to leave Edinburgh and move to a commute town outside London. (we have to stick with Edinburgh / London as working in financial sector but both of us would avoid London because of traffic/pollution/crowded streets).

The main reason for DH favouring those commute towns is that they seem to have loads of good schools for DS (4mo) to choose from compared to Edinburgh where there are only a few (or hardly any if his standard). He has high hope for DS. Also the A-level system is widely recognised across different countries (so potential for studying overseas) but the same cant be said for the Scotland system.

My worry is that we are giving up preferred lifestyle for a very small difference in schooling. I grew up in a big city and always need busy streets nearby. I understand some places such as Guildford will have its own town centre but there are still fewer things going on compared to Edinburgh. For example, there are a wide range of fine restuarants, several theatres & cinemas, pubs, etc in Edinburgh but living in Guildford we'd still have to go to London for a night out? I'd assume activities for young kids are more available in Edinburgh than in Guildford? E.g. Edinburgh has a zoo, lots of museums, and a coastline where you can do kayaking. Also Guildford is one of the busier towns as I understand. Some other commute towns are even quieter. So we'd highly likely end up travelling to London a lot which is not fun (I'm far more used to walking or driving a little bit to favourite places than hours of trains/tubes).

What do people think? I haven't been to many places in the southern area. Maybe I have misunderstood what life would be like there? Would you relocate if you were us?

OP posts:
HeelsHandbagPerfumeCoffee · 13/12/2020 14:45

Edinburgh most certainly isn't London, by a very long way.
And thank fuck for that. Edinburgh is not 2nd choice or also ran city compared to Ldn. It is quite simply Edinburgh with it’s beautiful aesthetics, mist that rolls down the mound, and icy winds in the winter

NotAnActualSheep · 13/12/2020 15:19

Ahhhh! Thanks for the NIPPLE clarification folks. Xmas Smile

cologne4711 · 13/12/2020 16:16

Yes Edinburgh is beautiful, cultural and has a volcano. But why would I want a volcano at my doorstep when I have a 4mo to look after

Because your 4 month old won't always be 4 months old, in fact he's probably become 5 months old since we started this thread :) and the castle in Guildford is extremely underwhelming.

HeelsHandbagPerfumeCoffee · 13/12/2020 16:29

When I was in Glasgow I worked with a wummin whose opinion of Edinburgh was
Edinburgh? Meh! It’s wan street an ah castle

Such Mean spirited comedic understatement

The op nearly gets there with
Yes Edinburgh is beautiful, cultural and has a volcano. But why would I want a volcano at my doorstep when I have a 4mo to look after

Lol, hell yea who wants to live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world and have that view. Bloody volcano, sitting there, showing off with a castle on top of it

AmaryllisNightAndDay · 13/12/2020 16:39

Overheard in the key garden, back in the days when DH and I rented a flat in Stockbridge - "you don't know anything, your parents can't afford to send you to a proper school".

LovingCountryLife · 13/12/2020 16:48

@Pollypocket21

Guildford is a horrible commute. Slow unreliable trains.
32 minutes is hardly slow Grin

I've been happily doing the journey for years, trains are not unreliable Confused

In any case, there are c150 trains a day from Guildford to Waterloo. If one of the trains is cancelled, you really don't have long to wait for another!

Wbeezer · 13/12/2020 16:59

We lived in Edinburgh while my Dad was doing a Post grad at the uni,, Mum got involved with the local playgroup and made friends with some naice Edinburgh mothers. She still remembers one of them asking which school Mum was intending sending toddler Dsis and I too and when she replied "the local primary" a woman exclaimed "I don't know how you can sacrifice your children for your political views?" maybe because Dad was a doctor aquired were made?
Shortly after that we moved somewhere further west and more down to earth but it took a while for my Edinburgh aquired ways to adapt, I attempted to make friends at the playground by approaching another preschooler and asking " Would you like to come to my home for a coffee?" (this was North Lanarkshire in 1972!).
Mind you I was bamboozled by the local kids at the same playground when they asked if I was a Catholic or a protestant, as I wasn't sure!
@AmaryllisNightAndDay I've heard similar living next door to a popular independent school, makes you wonder what the parents tell them.

LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett · 13/12/2020 17:03

@Schehezarade

London is fabulous I’ve lived Edinburgh,Glasgow,London and love them all. 3 fantastic cities with amazing people and great vibe

I think this is the truth.
My only complaint, and I could be wrong here, is that plays/musicals/shows do not get out to the regions as much as they did won't mention bresxit . So you are forced to go to London to see stuff. And that's expensive if you are beyond commuting distance.

We kinda...make our own? There plenty of producing theatres in Edinburgh as well as receiving houses for tours. National Theatre of Scotland is based in Glasgow. And there's the odd festival in Edinburgh.
LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett · 13/12/2020 17:05

I really feel it's time to mention that Edinburgh actually has THREE volcanoes - Castle Hill, Calton Hill and Arthur's Seat. How d'ya like them apples OP?

lakesideadvent · 13/12/2020 17:09

London is a fabulous world city, best lived in if you have deep pockets.
OP is thinking about Guildford.
Guildford is not a fabulous world city.

Edinburgh is a lovely city but smaller in every way to London.
It is pretty spectacular compared to Guildford.

Snowdrop30 · 13/12/2020 17:14

YANBU, I left a commuter town for Edinburgh, and the improvement in our quality of life is really significant. Plus all my London based friends who paid through the nose to get into 'good schools' are now finding the catchments for secondary have shrunk (again) and their kids now can't get in despite living round the corner. Don't do it.

bloodpressureboiling · 13/12/2020 17:55

My only complaint, and I could be wrong here, is that plays/musicals/shows do not get out to the regions as much as they did won't mention bresxit . So you are forced to go to London to see stuff. And that's expensive if you are beyond commuting distance

??? Eh? This is Edinburgh we are talking about? Home of the largest and greatest arts festival that the world knows. Third only to the Olympics and the World Cup in terms of attendance. We have world class performers, artists and musicians of our own. We have plenty of large scale performance venues. We have regular touring productions of West End Shows. But we have plenty of our own home grown talent as well.

AmaryllisNightAndDay · 13/12/2020 18:20

We have regular touring productions of West End Shows.

And it's very nice to go on the bus (with half the neighbourhood!) and either walk home or grab a taxi afterwards. Half an hour or more each way on the train, meh.

Though there are some places that there's no equivalent, like the Globe.

bloodpressureboiling · 13/12/2020 19:08

And it's very nice to go on the bus (with half the neighbourhood!) and either walk home or grab a taxi afterwards. Half an hour or more each way on the train, meh

Slightly strange comment. Surely it depends where you live? 😂

And the same can be said for London .

Janegrey333 · 13/12/2020 19:57

@bloodpressureboiling

And it's very nice to go on the bus (with half the neighbourhood!) and either walk home or grab a taxi afterwards. Half an hour or more each way on the train, meh

Slightly strange comment. Surely it depends where you live? 😂

And the same can be said for London .

Exactly. The person lacks awareness.
AmaryllisNightAndDay · 13/12/2020 20:34

Surely it depends where you live?

Edinburgh is unusual in how easy it is to find a relatively affordable place to live where you can do that and also have most of the other things you'd want in a family home.

the same can be said for London

Well, no, the same cannot be said for London. Though perhaps the OP really is that wealthy that she can find the same in London.

Possums4evr · 14/12/2020 00:06

Edinburgh is an expensive place to live!

randomsabreuse · 14/12/2020 00:10

I'd say Guildford would be a bugger of a commute for a lot of the City actually - Waterloo isn't a great location for Canary Wharf (Jubilee from Waterloo East = busy) or possibly up the drain (Waterloo and City Line) into Bank then walk several miles around Bank station then on to your destination. Or the notoriously peaceful and comfortable Northern Line...

ImNotMeImSomeoneElse · 14/12/2020 05:16

@Possums4evr

Edinburgh is an expensive place to live!
Its all relative.

Its much cheaper than where I lived before I moved here. Rent is a bit more expensive, but literally everything else is cheaper. And it's certainly cheaper than London or its immediate surroundings.

But yes, it's more expensive than most places in Scotland.

Personally I find the additional rental cost more than worth it to live in such a great city.

speakout · 14/12/2020 06:12

The heart of Edinburgh is expensive, lots of amazing Georgian properties, but prices drop sharply just a few miles outside the city.
A commute of just a few miles will give you affordable housing in a semi rural setting.

speakout · 14/12/2020 06:13

It's expensive because a lot of people want to live in Edinburgh!

whatshalliget · 14/12/2020 06:19

YANBU

I would say that London commuter towns would be soulless compared to Edinburgh. And the people in them less communicative / direct.

speakout · 14/12/2020 06:26

My OH and I joke that Edinburgh is like a black hole.
It sucks people in, and they never get away.
Almost all my friends are people who have come to Edinburgh to study, work or visit, and find themselves unable to leave.
The quality of life is good here.
The city is compact with a good airport, a cosmopolitan atmosphere, great employment in many sexy fields. The city scapes are stunning, rich in history, miles of unspoilt beaches or wild country are all within easy reach. Great schools, lots of green space, lots for children.

Pluckedpencil · 14/12/2020 06:28

Another thought...my friends who works in engineering (oil) moved from northern England to southern England due to a huge pain rise. He is regretted and said his quality of life had drastically reduced, his money didn't go anywhere near as far. I appreciate Edinburgh is also very expensive, but there is a reason for that!!!

hopingforonlychild · 14/12/2020 10:39

@speakout I posted a thread on scotsnet but no one seems to have answered yet.. Do your friends in the finance industry stay too?

i am contemplating edinburgh but my worry is that i might have to move back to london for career progress at some stage (in which case I would rather stay in london, as i can't afford to not sell my london flat to afford a new place in edinburgh). thats what happened to my edinburgh friends, they adored edinburgh but they ended up moving to other larger cities.