South Queensferry

[Mum2Fergus]

Hi all...considering a move to South Queensferry. Has anyone any feedback, good and/or bad...thanks!

My boyfriend's parents stay there and it seems a really nice place! What do you need to know about it?

Schools, nurseries, and any areas to avoid? Ive made a few visits now and am impressed for the best part, but a couple of streets look rough as...

Not great for commuting into Edinburgh... join the queue!

Commuting not an issue, I work from home mostly, or if in office it's in Rosyth!

Dalmeny tends to be quite popular with parents. Its a small school. Queensferry have an under 3's creche, 3-5 year old school nursery classes with excellent wraparound care and the school. Echline have a nice nursery and school.

Thanks Groovee, all very useful! The search for property continues...our plan is to rent initially yo be sure we definitely want to buy, suitable rental property proving hard to find unfortunately

Bump

I am also thinking of moving to South Queensferry and would be very interested in opinions on local schools and facilities.

Hi - I know this thread's a month or so old, but I haven't been using mumsnet recently. Anyhoo -we moved here in October. We needed more space and a garden and couldn't get that in Edinburgh to suit our budget. Two year old goes to the local playgroup (pre-nursery) at Queensferry Primary and loves it. It's on Mondays and Wednesdays, first come first served (so to speak - if it fills up before you get there, you just have to go away)

I didn't like SQ when we first moved here - mainly because we don't have a car and getting anywhere is a bit of a drag - trains and buses have put their fares up, and the bus service isn't hugely reliable. I work part-time and for the first few months going to work and coming back was a pitch-black pain in the arse - going to work and coming home in the dark is rotten. As the weather's got marginally better I'm warming to the place a bit more though, and it is really quite pretty. I miss having decent shops around the corner. SQ has, um, Scotmid and a rather crappy Tesco. Ah well. Bright side, etc. :)

I wouldnt say tesco was crappy! It has pretty much all you would need, including clothing etc. There are lots of good bars and restaurants that are popular with residents and many others far and beyond south queensferry.

I have 2 children, one at tom thumb - a fantastic pre-school and nursery and the other at Echline. We chose to stay in the Echline catchment area just because of the area. Queensferry has a far larger catchment area and also bigger class sizes which wasnt something i was looking for. There is a nursery for children not of nursery age which is mainly directed to children who are of families in difficult situations, so i would aim for tom thumb or rosebury playgroup if it is for younger children.

There are lots of groups to meet up for, swimming lessons for the kids and other extra curricular activites including ballet by central scotland ballet school.

I myself would avoid the walker drive area, and maybe a couple of others by the top shops, but i doubt they are that bad. It all comed down to what you are looking for. Echline is nice, and the nursery and primary school are both within walking distance of all the catchment area houses.

Yes the buses could do with being better, but the queensferry council are looking into it just now. The bus to the gyle is reliable, as is the one to livingston, so i dont ever think you would be stuck if it came down to local transport!

Hope this helps and im happy to help with other questions! x

We'll just have to disagree on the crappy Tesco thing. I think it's crappy.

Hi, I grew up in SQ. It has changed quite a bit since then (Scotmid appeared when I was at high school and there was no "crappy" Tesco back then, Orocco Pier, swimming/gym at the High School for the public ;-)
Yes it's quite a picture-esque place and small and you get more bang for your buck re bigger house/garden etc.
The negatives for me growing up there was lack of things to do at weekends/night especially for teenagers, all facilities were in Edinburgh which was a 45 min bus ride away and I found the place quite insular, so as a teenager I was very bored. I assume there is more to do now, but the facilities thing prob still applies. Also at the time Linlithgow Academy was much better than the High School, but don't know now. If you don't mind driving to places or don't want to go out every Fri/sat night to different places then I guess this wouldn't bother you.
Mum2Fergus what have you decided?

Oooh, forgot about this! Still looking for SQ side of the Bridge,Kirkliston. Winchburgh, etc. No luck as yet and fear I may settle for something for the sake of it...landlord has told me he's looking to sell so need something sooner rather than later.

Kirkliston is a great place to live with a real sense of community. The nursery is amazing and the primary school is lovely. I have who live there if you have any questions. Lots of deals on new build purchases at the moment too. Not sure what the rental market is like.

*relatives

Anyone considering moving to South Queensferry should do it. Good train and bus links, Airport 10-15min drive, city centre 30mins. Shops and decent bars, great views. Good schools. Born and raised here, I have had friends leave SQ to Fife because it's cheaper for a bigger house, few years later they miss it but can't afford to move back. Desirability!!

Totally second what Luke05 says, I moved here from Edinburgh about 2 years ago (my daughter was only about 1), got a FABULOUS childminder who lives in the same street, great local nursery where all the childminders kids go so she already has friends there for when she starts, great sense of community and not far to commute to Edinburgh at all, I leave my house at 8am, drop my daughter off, 10mins walk to the train station and I'm at my work by 9am in Edinburgh, had a great opportunity to move into a new build flat back in Edinburgh and could not bring myself to leave, cant reccomend the place highly enough I really cant!

I have lived here over a decade, and have seen a few changes, but the space and the countryside, and the views are great. Loads of country walks and easy access to a whole range of places. I'm not a big fan of shopping, so go to Dunfermline where I can nip in and out quickly and get what I want. For sports I use Drumbrae Leisure Centre, as it saves trailing all the way in and out of Edinburgh completely, and for other leisure activites Dunfermline has the Leisure Park with cinema, ten pin bowling etc. It all depends on what you want. Locally we have the library, great cafes, (ok some not so good ones too!) and the sports at the High School out of school hours, the Community Centre has lots on, and there are clubs for children and teens, like the Scouts etc.

I know this is a really old thread but Mum2Fergus I just wondered if you had made the move? If so how did you find it? Any regrets? We are considering the move but it's a big step for us and our preschool son. Any info good and not so much would be fabulous. Thanks