Should we move to Edinburgh?

[RetroMum1]

We are thinking of moving to Edinburgh We are currently living on a farm in Gloucestershire which is in the middle of nowhere and we are all miserable here. We have been here for 8 months and although I go to a playgroup everyday we haven't made any real friends. We moved here 8 months ago from London which I loved and had loads of friends and did a baby class everyday, I miss it terribly but we moved for my DH's work and for schools and to get a bigger house.

We have now decided that it hasn't worked and that we want to move. We always said before we had children we'd like to live and raise children in Edinburgh. We met here 7 years ago over the festival and then lived there every summer from June until September for the next 4 years so we know we love the city. What we don't know is whether it has changed much in the last 3 years as we haven't been since having the children and whether it is a good place to raise children and as fun as a parent as it is when your single.

What I miss and am looking for a baby classes like sing and sign, baby yoga and mini gym and playgroups where mums go for coffee or lunch afterwards rather than just going home.

This is what were missing and are looking to achieve again, do you think if we move here we will achieve that?.

Our next move has to be our last as it's not healthy for the children to keep moving them.

Sorry for the massive essay and any advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks

Edinburgh is a great city for bringing up children. I have made loads of genuine friends through having my boys.

There are plenty of baby groups to join (baby sensory, massage, yoga, Jo Jingles Etc.) although I didn't really bother with that many.

The only downside, though, is that it is very expensive buying property here. However, if you have lived in London and Gloucestershire I imagine that it wouldn't phase you.

We'd be looking to rent to start with, what areas of Edinburgh would you advise? We have been looking at Bruntsfield, Marchmont and Newington. Bruntsfield seems quite expensive, but we would like to ideally be able to walk into the centre. Are there any areas that have a high population of young families and therefore lots of groups and toddler friendly cafe's/restaurants?

I'm in Newington & there are lots of families around although it's also quite a studenty area. Plenty of toddler groups, classes etc. Unfortunately the Commonwealth pool is shut for refurbishment but reopens next year and was always a bit of a hub for mums with preschoolers.

Stockbridge is another area with a lot of young families but v pricey.

we've been here for a 2 yr posting and I will be devastated to leave at the end of the summer. We live in the new town and it's great - easy to get to the centre of town, stockbridge etc. There is so much to do with children and I have made some great friends. I would do it in a hearbeat if I were you.

Wow you don't get a better review than that!I just told DH and he smirked as he's desperate to go. The only thing holding me back as it seems so far from everyone we know, it feels like if we move we'll never see anyone.

We having been looking at the New town as it seems to be more affordable than stockbridge but what are the schools like there?. Do you live in a house or flat? We would need a minimum of 3 beds and I'd like at least a kitchen/diner and living room. Do you think this is achievable for around £1000 PCM?

Love Edinburgh - it's a great place for families, so much to do and easy to get around. I can highly recommend Morningside too

What is Morningside like for schools, are there lots of playgroup and classes around there? Can you walk into town centre? We lived on the royal mile before so we don't really know the different areas.

Have you looked at espc.com

We have seen it thank you but we only really found a couple of properties on it. Are there any sites that tell you where the good schools are and average rental prices in the different areas? I know that's a big ask!!!

Well in a nutshell New Town and Stockbridge are expensive.

Have you thought about looking outside Edinburgh? Actually I'll be back in a minute - just remembered something.

Sorry went to do a search for an old thread on this very topic - it must have been in Chat as it no longer exists.

yes, definately live here it's great

polwarth and shandon are very close to bruntsfield but more affordable.

i LOVE being able to walk into town and wouldn't swap it for the world!!!

portobello is the only place i'd go that isn't in walking distance of the centre.

No probs, thanks for checking!.

In London it kind of works like this find an expensive area you'd like to live in but can't really afford and then move next door to the neighbouring area, generally by doing that it is up and coming and the schools are alright. Does that tend to be the same in Edinburgh? Can you walk from Polwarth and Shandon? Where about do you live Fluffles?

What is the area around the meadows classed as? We always liked it around there.

Do people tend to live in flats with children in the centre or houses?

Thanks for all your info

i live in polwarth. love it. i don't have a child anywhere near school age yet but the primaries near here seem lovely.

area around the meadows is marchmont really.. the studenty area at the back of the meadows. or there's tollcross which is a bit rough around the edges but ok. sciennes is nice but more expensive.

we're in a 2nd floor tenement flat but aspire to a 'main door' flat which would mean direct access to the street and usually back garden too.

i'm not 100% sure i'd live in marchmont with small children... just a bit too much chance of getting partying students for neighbours.

Hi Retro - we are moving to Edinburgh shortly as my dh has a new job there. We are moving up from the midlands so its a long move for us too but we are excited! Although don't know the city at all
We haven't found anywhere to live yet but have been on a few good hunts around and are currently trying to weigh up what we think is important about where we live eg do we want to live near cafes/amenities etc or is having some open space nearby more important etc..
i have started a couple of threads on this subject anyway and got SUCH a helpful response!
We were really keen to move to Portobello but nothing is really coming up there to rent or but that suits us budget or size-wise so we are re-thinking.
having spents hours online- actually probably days if you added it up - you would get something to rent fitting your criteria in Morningside which has an excellent school. For lettings look at www.lettingweb.com - that seems to be the most comprehensive to me and honestly i have spent such a lot of time looking. also the citylets website is good. The impression i get is that a lot of families do live in flats nearer the centre. We would be open to this but would really want a ground floor place as we currently have a small garden outside our back door and don't think we could take that away from our dc!
There is an Edinburgh schools and nurseries guide that is published - really aimed at people considering private schools but it has all the stats for the state schools too. I tried to buy it online and couldn't manage to but was given a copy by dh's new work.
I know you are into baby classes right now but it won't be long before schools become a huge consideration for you... our eldest is a 3.5 year old so it is for us.
Anyway, we should be living there by the end of the summer so if you want to stay in touch then just CAT me.. all the best

ps if if any of you Edinburgh-ites are reading this - could anyone give me an honest assessment of Buckstone? Am feeling drawn to a house there because it has a great school and woods/open space on doorstep, but not sure it is might feel a bit far from anywhere/not part of city? thanks!

The Edinburgh council website has maps of the school catchments. Any primaries that feed into James Gillespies or Boroughmuir tend to be fairly good.

Hi Fairylights, Buckstone is just up the road from us (we're at the Braids) and people seem to like it. The primary looks lovely and its a lovely area but is just that bit further out that makes even walking to Morningside a bit of a trail, therefore feels further away.
Replying to others thinking of moving the one thing against Edinburgh (apart from cost) is the weather. I am Scottish so dont mind it but have had a few friends from England / Wales who have loved living here but have moved - back down south and to Australia - because they cant stand the weather. Although it sounds ridiculous I can see if you're used to better / warmer weather it can get some people down.
I love it though and think other places are too warm!!

we live in a flat in the new town with 4 beds. We are in the catchment for stockbridge primary and flora stevenson's, both of which are great schools.
Try looking for rentals on the websites of rettie, dj alexander, murray and currie.
Good luck - so jealous of you starting your adventure in this wonderful city when ours is coming to an end. Oh and don't worry about visitors coming - you can't keep them away ( especially around festival and hogmanay time !!)

I'm an ex-edinbugger now Living with the Enemy (ie in Glasgow!)

We love Edinburgh. Lived in Stockbridge and Newington and both were great - though never with kids. There's so much to do, places to go etc, a real cafe culture of Mums.

Just a tiny damper though. Well, 2. Getting children who are already in school into the primary of your choice could be pretty hard work. Or well nigh impossible. If someone happens to leave, then if your children fit, then it might be possible. But spaces are not easy to come by.

Also: I had friends move to a nice part of Edinburgh from Glasgow a couple of years back with kids in p1 and p4. My friend (who is lovely, open, welcoming, friendly) had a real problem getting to know people. They were already very set in friendship groups (mainly from Ante-natal classes) and she has now got a lot of friends, but it took over a year to get invited along etc......

School is very different in Scotland too - entry dates, styles further up the school, exams etc. Of course, I feel it is superior but there are English emigrees who end up moaning about not doing A-levels etc.

have a look at the one Rettie have on for £1150 in Drummond Place in Newtown - great location.

Thanks for all the advice, thanks mousemole for finding the house, it's a shame there are no photos. The other one above it in Stourbridge look nice too.

Our children are 2.8 and 15 weeks for fortunately we have a while for schools, so we'd be there before they started so hopefully would get into the school in our catchment area.

Thanks fairylights and good luck with the move, if we do come I will CAT you and see if you fancy a catch up!.

My concerns and guilt are, we love the city but I am concerned it's not fair on the children as we are currently in a 5 bedroom farmhouse in the middle of nowhere where they can run around unsupervised, we don't lock our cars or house and the village school has 28 pupils in total!. Also my parents are 20 minutes away and my in laws 1 hour away. Is it fair to now move them back into a flat with potentially no garden and into a busy city school.

Having said that me and DH don't enjoy country life and that can't be good for the children either, we haven't made any real friends and we can't walk anywhere and the nearest big town is 40 minutes away. I'd love to move I just feel guilty for my children and parents every time I think about doing it. We have talked for years though about moving to Edinburgh as we love it so much.

My other concern is as as weegiemum said that people will already have there friends and won't want to accept anyone else into their circle, that seems to be what has happened where I am now and I don't want to move again to find the same thing.

I've made loads of friends here- I am English and have found Scottish people to be very friendly and welcoming. My 2 'best' girlfriends are Scottish. City living in Edinburgh isn't like city living elsewhere. I live right in the centre of town with 2 x dc aged 3 and 5 and we don't have a garden but access to 2 amazing communal gardens in front of our house. It feels very secure and I never worry about crime like I did in London.
As someone accurately described Edinburgh - it's the biggest village in the world !

thats really reassuring mousemole, i do keep getting anxious about trhe inevitable initial loneliness when we move up and have worried about it being difficult to make friends being a "foreigner" from the south..! But i am very gregarious and sociable and enjoy meeting new people so hopefully it will be ok.
retro: the dilemma we are currently grappling with is that one of it being fab being in the middle of an amazing city but perhaps without a garden outside the backdoor and probably a small space V the kids needing space and being able to play out when they are older.. haven't really worked it out yet but at the weekend we are going to view view view places until we have found somewhere to rent or even buy so we are hoping it will all become clear to us as we look! have you looked at lettingweb yet? You can set it so they send you all new properties to rent that fit your criteria which is really useful just to get a sense of what is out there.

A lot of the flats in areas like Marchmont, Newington, Stockbridge etc have shared gardens at the back some with kids equipment in them even. I looked at some in Marchmont with french doors out on to a grassy are the size of several football pitches so I don't think you would have problems with gardens even if you didn;t have your own. I have a 2 1/2 year old and live in Tollcross. We have actually managed to find a 3 bed house with shared garden at front a a small private one at the back and it is great. Opposite the Meadows. Cachment area for Bruntsfield primary and Boroughmuir and we love it even though it can be a little colourful at times.

Good luch with it all!