Nurseries in Dollar and commuting from Dollar to Dunfermline

[Joanna047]

Hello
My family and I are moving to Scotland from Canada at the end of October. We are thinking that Dollar sounds like a great option for us but I have a few questions that I am hoping some of you may be able to help with.

1. Anyone with recent experience with Rosemount Nursery School? From the most recent report I can find (2013) the new owner has made some significant and positive changes. Just wondered how it is now?
2. Anyone with experience commuting to Dunfermline from Dollar? I will be working at Queen Margaret's Hospital. According to Googlemap it's about 30 mins by car but I wonder how realistic that is.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts. Joanna

Hello Joanna, I can see Rosemount from my house! It is now called Dollar Nursery and has been refurbished ( was always homely but a bit scruffy as it is in an old house). I have not used it myself for 10 years as my kids are teenagers but they seem to retain staff many of whom I know personally and regard as caring and experienced.
Dollar to Dunfermline in 30 mins sounds about right, it is a country road that goes quite high so can be a bit tricky in the winter with mist or black ice and you have to drive past a smelly landfill site but traffic is not heavy ( you may get stuck behind a tractor!).

Thanks Wigglybeezer. Great to hear good things about the nursery staff and the commute. I am used to driving in winter conditions, but usually with winter tyres so it will be a different experience! I am hoping that I might end up finding someone to carpool with. Is Dollar as lovely as it sounds? Any areas to avoid?

It's far too small to have areas to avoid! ( You do realise how small it is?) Theres only really up the hill or down in the town, down in the town handy for buying a pint of milk but older houses don't always have off street parking) up the hill nice views good exercise!
A lot of people put winter tyres on in Dollar, not a lot of snow for the last few years but black ice, surface water and bendy roads make them not a bad idea.
Dollar is very nice, safe and attractive, a bit of a bubble really, the social mix is affected by the large private school in the middle of town, lots of hospital consultants, teachers and financial types, you may or may not like that!

Ha ha! I guess I hadn't fully appreciated how small it is. Thanks for the perspective. Good to know re: winter tyres too. Overall, Dollar sounds lovely! I will continue my quest to move there. Not many rental properties within our price-range but I've seen one and have enquired about it. Thanks for your help wigglybeezer!

Actually, one more question wigglybeezer. Is there a divide between the hospital consultants etc and the rest of the community or is there a good community feel etc?
Thanks!

There is a good community feel, everyone is generally very nice ( people chat in shops, get used to discussing the weather) but some people move here solely to send their children to the Academy and they inevitably base their families social life around the school, they may get a bit stuck for things to chat about if you are not also involved but they will be perfectly polite about it. Small children are always a good way in to a community, I have a good group of friends and neighbours but DH did find it took him longer to make friends. We have a community Christmas event, a community bonfire and fireworks display and a summer gala day which are fun, everyone goes to those. As Canadians you will probably have everyone interested in where you're from and your ancestry, everyone in Scotland has cousins in Canada!

I drive that road as part of my longer commute. I use all weather tyres and that really helps.

Actual winter tyres aren't legal unless there is very very heavy snow and you tend not to get that.

Had you considered primary and secondary schooling options? I don't think dollar has a primary school although I might be wrong.

Dollar is very picturesque and has a small range of shops to keep you going. I couldn't really say about the community feel. Hard to gauge

Cross posted!

Dollar has Strathdevon Primary School

Thanks for the tyre clarification, I am not a very mechanical person! Strathdevon is a good wee school, has an excellent nursery attached.

Ah! I couldn't imagine it wouldn't have one but I can't for the life of my think where it is.

You would struggle to buy actual winter tyres in the uk so it wouldn't have been an issue anyway. The suggestion is a good one though. All weather tyres completely changed my drive. That dashed hill in saline was no longer my nemesis

At least it's been resurfaced! DH has had a couple of hairy experiences with black ice on the hill coming down into Saline, I must nag him about better tyres.

I feel a bit bad mentioning a social divide, it isn't really that big of a deal. You are never going to have lots in common with everyone in a small place and Dollar is probably less insular than many similar sized towns due to the Academy.

If you want other suggestions, have you checked out Aberdour or Limekilns?Kinross is a bit bigger and further away but on the motorway so a faster road ( good facilities too).

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. All season tyres sound like a great option. I am used to driving on snow and ice but not really black ice! I had been in touch with the private nursery but we are hoping to get the funded hours which I'm just realising would be at the nursery school linked with the school.
Wigglybeezer, I think Kinross is the other place that we are looking at. Aberdour looks lovely but rental property is expensive. I will look into Limekilns. Dollar does look lovely and sounds great too. I love the sound of all the community events. Where we end up will somewhat depend on nursery places for our kids, but I think that we have some good options. Dollar and Kinross are definitely at the top of the list.

Thinking way into the future, what are our options for a good non-private secondary school? Thanks for all you help ladies!

The state secondary with the best results in the area is Kinross High School( doesn't mean the other schools are bad, just a different demographic). At the moment children from Dollar can request a place at Kinross even though it is not their local school because it has some spare capacity but this could become more difficult if and when more housing is built in Kinross. Alva Academy is the catchment high school.

You can use your hours in a private nursery btw.

Alva academy has a very good reputation as a truly comprehensive school.

Yes it does, I know lots of children who have done very well there.

Great, thank you for all the great information!

I have heard some bad stories about Rosemount Nusery.

Dunfermline's most popular nursery is right next to Queen Margaret Hospital

You only here good things about Lauriston Nursery

There were two branches of Rosemont though one in Dollar and one in Kinross, the Dollar one was sold, refurbished and changed its name and is under new management. HTH