Moving to Edinburgh: need help with nice places to live, commute times, schools etc

[NAM2]

Looking at getting a job in Dalkeith, which will move us up from the South West. If I am successful then things will be pretty fraught so looking for some help with things like:

• where can we live so that I have a maximum commute to Dalkeith of 20 minutes?
• what is the bypass like at rush hour times (ie would the 20 minute commute stipulation mean that we actually have to stay in Dalkeith?!)?
• would like to live in a decent area but not sure which are the decent ones and which are not?
• are there places that are decent, would allow the desired commute time, offer a 4 bed house and be in the catchment for good High School all for around £280,000?

If these are pipe dreams then please say. Without local knowledge I have no idea if these criteria can be met or not so I'd be very grateful for any information you can give?
Blessings.

There are some nice area's in Midlothian for living in. My husband work is based in Mayfield but he works between East Lothian and Midlothian. The city bypass can be very busy in the mornings and at night.

A number of my colleagues live in Loanhead and Roslin and really like it out there. The back roads would have you in Dalkeith in no time.

I would concentrate your efforts on Midlothian. There are some nice houses/areas there and cheaper than Edinburgh. £280000 will not get you a 4 bed in Edinburgh nice area! The bypass is certainly very busy during rush hour. Are you looking for a modern or more traditional home? The are some new homes being built around Midlothian just now

Agreed. 4 bed in decent area in edinburgh more like 380k.

Or 580k!

Thanks very much for all comments. It's great to have some inside knowledge as even though my husband is from Scotland, he came from Fife and hasn't lived in Scotland for nearly 10 years now anyway.

We have started looking in other areas that bring what we are looking for into our price range as indeed the 380k and 580k suggestions are dead on (thanks Mazmack809 and Itsbetterinedinburgh).

As to the preference for traditional versus modern, we are undecided. I think we're probably more about the overall package - proximity to good primary and secondary schools, commute time for work, decent neighbourhood. We currently live in a traditional house and though it's beautiful, we could live without having the blast the heating for three hours before there's any noticable change in room temperature! That said, we don't want to open our window and touch the neighbour's house, or have an exceptionally close proximity game of football with the kids!

As long as any newer house we'd consider is on a decent plot and part of an estate where the designers have at least tried to give each house some character, space and surroundings with well thought out communcal spaces and planting. Does anyone know locations of various estates (sounds grand but it could just be a cul-de-sac somewhere) of newer houses that fit this description?

We are fortunate in that we live in a period house in a nice part of town. The local schools are not great but we have gone private.
I think to get a house in your budget somewhere that the schools are sufficiently reputable not to want to go private (as a huge number of people do in Edinburgh), then you should look at Balerno. You would have to go round the bypass to Dalkeith, but to be honest 280k for a family home with four bedrooms in a nice part of town with a good local school is virtually impossible in Edinburgh so far as I am aware.

Thanks for info. Balerno is very much on our radar, along with a stupendous number of other options. In looking through all info, it seems as though we will be very fortunate indeed to meet our perfect package deal and will have to make some concessions somewhere.

Haven't considered private schools yet. Any advice, words of warning or things you've learned that would be useful for someone in my position?

I'd still be very much interested if there are those of you out there who know of (or live in) a really nice estate/road/cul de sac of new builds that have more than just the standard same houses/no outdoor space/no space between plots etc sort of features. Where are they?

Balerno is fabulous, but expensive. We have lived here for over 14 years and I love it. It's easy to get to/around the city and it has a really good local community as well. Local schools are excellent (Dean Park Primary & Balerno High). There's a good mix of old/new housing, and we're right next to the countryside and the Pentland Hills.
PS have a look on the ESPC website to get an idea of property prices

Thanks for yet another reply! I am very glad of all information I've received so far and please keep it coming.

Still interested in finding new builds as described in previous post so if anyone has info then please pass it on.

I would also ask folks if they can answer the questions above on private schools?

Kind regards.

I think it's Taylor Wimpy building in Midlothian. I'll get dh to double check.

I'd also visit all the private schools. They all seem to have good websites and arrange visits to get your own feel for them. My niece is at George Watsons. My nephew has a place for August and my other nephew is on the waiting list as no places in his year at all.

Bilston has a nice new estate with large houses and would be close to Dalkeith. Private schools are pretty pricey in Edinburgh and the schools in 'good' areas are just as nice. There are some smaller nice schools in Midlothian and as a pp said Balerno has a good reputation.

edinburgh has a wonderful choice of private schools, I think it's soething you need to visit and get a few for the school itself to know which one is for you. I would however say that putting your name down fast is reccomend as spaces are becoming hard to get.

If you go down the private school route expect to pay circa 11-12k per year per child by the time you factor in extras and travel on to the 10.5k fees, so many parents make the choice to either live in a cheaper outlying area and pay for fees, or alternatively pay more for a house in the catchment for an excellent state school. Top performing secondaries would be Boroughmuir, James Gillespies, Royal High, Currie, Firhill and Balerno. www.edinburgh.gov.uk for information on catchment areas www.schoolguideedinburgh.co.uk/edinburgh-school-league-tables/edinburgh-secondary-schools/

Very useful information indeed everyone. Great to have something on costs too 3nationedinburgh, Thanks.

I think that we are getting a handle on what it was I was looking for from mumsnet in the first place. We are now in a position to think about the implications of living in one area versus another with greater clarity. My thanks to you all.

Good luck with your move