shit shit shit no idea where i want to live!!!!

[inmyshoos]

Currently in rural spot. Love peacefulness but am a bit lonely. Love the privacy it brings but lots of travelling in car to go anywhere (clubs etc for dc)
Dc 7,8 and 11. I am torn between edge of a town or countryside but closer to family and friends (we are 4 hrs from family now but could live an hour away in similar ruralness!)
Middle dc hates crowds. Loves her tiny 30 pupil school. Worried moving to a 300 pupil school will be too much for her.
Argh.... making big decisions is so much harder once you have school age dc.

I'd try and keep her in the school she loves if you possibly can. Closer to town maybe better as kids get teenaged?

Can't keep her at her current school as moving to be nearer aging parents 4 hours away.
I just dont know if i should find her another tiny school or hope she adjusts to a bigger one whilst enjoying the facilities a town has to offer.

Which county are you in?

I think I've seen your posts before, you are looking in Scotland aren't you?

How about some places in Stirlingshire? Doune, Dunblane, Stirling itself is not too big.

Further up the A9 you have Blackford, Auchterarder, Dunning which have nice communities though you'd still find yourself ferrying kids to clubs.

Secondary schools would be 800+ students.

Hi pinkje yes Scotland.

I just can't find anything within our budget that is suitable or what we are looking for in the areas we like.

I like Gartmore, Buchlyvie, Dunblane, Doune, Balfron, Drymen, Fintry, Thornhill.

Auchterarder I quite like but dh will probably be working in Helensburgh a fair bit so quite far to travel which puts him off. However if we found the right house he'd be ok. He has even looked at some near Aberfeldy just because he like the house!!

We need 4 beds (or potential to make it 4 bed) decent garden and somewhere dc can play out on bikes. Not on a busy road as have stupid brainless labradoodle who has no road sense!

Happy with McLaren High, Balfron High, Dunblane High or Auchterarder. Also quite like Helensburgh but not sure about schools. High school ok I thunk but Dd1 really would prefer a small primary school which Helensburgh doesn't have.

Have also looked at St Fillans. Gorgeous house for sale there but not sure about high school in Crieff.

Crieff and Aberfeldy both decent secondary schools. and have many small feeder primaries! Plus the high school in Aberfeldy is very small.

I only really know Dunblane which has two large primaries (1 has 2 classes across each age group, the other similar if not 3 classes) and one much smaller, St Mary's, which might suit you. Mostly Dunblane Primary takes kids from the west side, Newton Primary from the east.

What is your budget? 4 beds plus garden could be bought from about £250k but the market is very buoyant, most things reasonably priced are going under offer within a couple of weeks.

The good thing about Dunblane (and Braco, Greenloaning, Blackford which are nearby) is the proximity to the A9 and the train station which has a frequent service to Glasgow & Edinburgh.

I would have thought Crieff would be a trickier drive, especially in winter.

Thanks wishicouldthink that's good to hear they have a good reputation. I really like the areas around Crieff. Love Comrie and surrounding countryside. Don't know Aberfeldy other than passing through.
Anyone know how these areas are for midgies? Where i am is very midgie and I would like a break from them!

pinkje our budget is up to 250k. Maybe this is the problem. Can't afford what we need in the areas we like! I do like Dunblane. Love the fact thst it has a train station so dc can have a bit of independance as teenagers. However Dunblane is probably most expensive of all the areas we like.
I suppose Helensburgh has a train station too. I just don't know about the big primary schools there.

Thanks guys appreciate the replies.

what about Rhu primary or Garelochead. Easy reach of Helensburgh but smaller school or as far as Arrochar (35 mins from Helensburgh)

I know I am too fussy. But what about midgies!!! Where I live now is wicked for midgies and I want a break from them!! Rhu might be ok but not in our budget for a detached 4 bed I don't think. Garelochead gets the dreaded midge I reckon!!

They have midgies in Rhu too ??. There are small primaries in Kilcreggan and Rosneath too with houses in budget( but midgies...)

A few midgies is fair enough. Where i am we often cant open window in the evening because they are so bad.
Sometimes first thing in morning too it can be awful. They are thick. Yuk.... hate the little bastards