Searching for the impossible - South West or Scotland

[bumblebee61]

Hi My husband is retiring in July and we have to move out of a house provided by his job. We have been searching for somewhere to buy for two years, mainly in Scotland, but have been thinking about Devon or Cornwall, or Somerset. It is terrifying. Just can't find anywhere and every time I think I've found a great area to move to i read negative reviews or comments and it puts me off. During this time my thoughts about what we need have changed constantly. I think we need to be near lovely countryside, great walks and hopefully the sea. But we also need doctor, library and food shop within a reasonable distance, hopefully a walk away. Good transport links are important too. I have been searching in Bridport area and across all three counties generally but just cannot find anywhere that seems right in terms of the house and the area. We don't want a modern house on an estate but don't want to be too remote either. It's an absolute nightmare. I would prefer to be somewhere with culture - theatre, cinema art galleries within a half hour drive if possible but hate city traffic, noise and grime. Am I asking for the impossible? My son lives in London so good transport links so he can get to us and vice versa would be great. Am I just impossibly picky? A vibrant active community with people of all ages is also on the wish list.

Anywhere within half an hour of Glasgow?

What's your budget?

I'm in south Lanarkshire. Although it's 40 mins to coast it's 1/2 hour from lors of beautiful places

Really? There's loads of places in the south west that fit your description. Frome? What's your budget? Have you actually visited any of these places?

Chuff all of that in Devon / Cornwall - we have a dearth of theatres, high culture and the transport links are abysmal.

What's your budget? Ballpark.

But we also need doctor, library and food shop within a reasonable distance

So do most people

Aberdour in Fife is lovely and well within reach of Edinburgh. It's a classy little village with a beautiful beach and looks out over the Firth of Forth.

You mention Somerset, have you considered Clevedon? If you are willing to consider no coastal, there are some lovely villages or small towns south of Bath, Wells perhaps?

Sounds like you're panicking a bit. Why not rent for a year in your preferred area and see how you like it before you commit to buying?

I live in East Devon. It's idyllic - I'm also not far from Bridport and it's got everything, a lovely little town. Hard to fault and it appears on best places to live surveys, I think it ticks all your boxes. I can't think you would go far wrong anywhere round here, West Dorset, East Devon and South Somerset are all lovely. Bridport is a vibrant town plus you can get more civilization in Exeter, Taunton or Yeovil.

My in laws have moved to Exmouth, seaside town, all amenities, great local walking, easy access to Exeter with culture and great links to London. Beautiful property for £350,000

Helensburgh? Short hop to Glasgow via road/train, near some gorgeous countryside and by the sea, lots of lovely Victorian houses?

What about Ayr or Troon on the West Coast? Or Dumfries further south? As mentioned Helensburgh/Balloch are pretty.

On the East Coast, North Berwick or the East Neuk of Fife are lovely.

East Devon would suit you- Sidmouth, Budleigh Salterton, Topsham, Beer, Exmouth can be a bit rough in places though is getting nicer). All with culture (think Art festivals), amenities, by the sea and striking distance of Exeter. Pricey though.

Ooh Lyme Regis too!

How far around Edinburgh have you looked?

Lots of places in Scotland have easy access to the Sleeper train which would sort out easy transport to London. So think of places around Inverness perhaps - Black Isle or along the Moray coast. Aberdour as someone mentioned too is nice, and East Neuk or St Andrews. Angus coast too so Carnoustie, Arbroath, Montrose?

it depends on how much culture you want. if its high on your wish list IMO you need to be within easy reach of Bristol, or I prefer Bath. Corsham is a lovely village, lots of other nice villages in the area. 10 mins from Chippenham station and 15 mins into Bath and the station is very central. Train continues onto Bristol, but station not so central. Driving to either would take longer as traffic around Somerset is awful.

North berwick and Linlithgow are both lovely towns in their own right with excellent amenities but close to Edinburgh for the train to London.

Sherborne.

There is Waitrose and Sainsbury's, cottage hospital, NHS dentist, lovely cafes, restaurants and little shops all in a compact area- and it is beautiful!

15 minutes to Yeovil (which is not beautiful) for theatre and chain stores. Main line station, 2hrs to London and 1hr to Exeter.

45 minutes to Bridport/ West Bay. Closer to Weymouth if you just want a potter by the sea.

Thanks, I have been looking around Bridport and also Bath/Corsham but they are expensive. I have also been looking at East Lothian. Thanks for all the input, I'll carry on. I had seen somewhere I quite like about ten mins out of North Berwick but it isn't the type of property I wanted ideally. Food for thought.

I came on to say Sherborne too low.
It's a really lovely town.

Stonehaven in NE Scotland is beautiful. Right on the coast with lovely long beach for walks, has a railway station with direct links to Aberdeen nearby and express trains to Glasgow/Edinburgh. Also a sleeper train to London. Plenty of nightlife, theatres, etc in the city a short drive up the dual carriageway. Big GP surgery/library/community centre/heated outdoor swimming pool. All the stuff, but quite a rural feel.

The oil crash has dropped property prices in and near Aberdeen recently, so you will get much more house for your money if you are buying than you would have done a couple of years ago.

Poundbury in Dorchester might be just your cup of tea ?

dotdotdotmustdash I was going to say Aberdour too! Lots of lovely little villages in South Fife which are close to Edinburgh.

NE Fife also lovely and though about 45 min from Edinburgh is handy for Dundee which is surprisingly nice these days and ticks the theatre/art gallery boxes but also has an airport with direct flights to London. St Andrews and many of the villages along the road to the Tay bridge are nice. And VERY affordable unless you want to live slap bang in St Andrews town centre and compete for property with the American golf set.

May I ask where you live now, what your budget is and how many bedrooms you want?
east coast of Scotland is bloody cold, and it rains a lot on the west coast. If you are not used to the weather then you may find it hard to manage, especially as you get older. But on a fine day there is nowhere more beautiful than Scotland. Devon and Somerset are lovely but generally you won't get as muc for your money.