Tell me about living in Edinburgh

[Igglepigglesgrubbyblanket]

At the beginning of the summer I applied for a job in Edinburgh not think much would come of it. I now have an interview, obviously there's a long way before I actually got the job but I'd like to know you experiences. I'm currently in London, 2 DC in yr6 and yr8. I only know Edinburgh from the festival. What's good about living there and what's bad? What might I notice as a Londoner?

It rains a lot in Scotland! When I moved from London to July outside of Edinburgh in 2012 it was one difference I really noticed and was in all seriousness among the reasons I moved back to London in 2017.

Edinburgh is lovely, though. It’s small and very walkable; you can essentially be at the coast or in the countryside with only a short bus ride or drive; it has quite a “small town” friendly feel despite being a capital city. It isn’t very diverse, which strikes you if you’re used to the melting pot of London and it doesn’t have the breadth of nightlife that London does if that’s your thing (it is mine and again, contributed to my decision to return to London.)

I don’t have DC so not really au fait with hay sort of thing but Edinburgh based friends definitely found schools an issue, particularly catchments, and ended up going private so that’s probably something to look more into.

It's a small city which is great but also limiting.

I found the lack of daylight in winter a real challenge. You can go all day and it feels like there's no daylight. And the weather can be awful - so you have to be well equipped to be warm and toasty in awful weather to see any outside through quite a lot of the winter.

I love Scotland and miss it - but I definitely loved it more in the summer.

You'll get more replies on Scotsnet; I live in Edinburgh, so here's some inside information.

Things are very different just now compared to England; the Scottish government's directive is that you should work from home, so the city centre is a ghost town.

Things have not opened up here fully eg libraries & many indoor activities are still closed, as are most of public swimming pools etc.

It's a lovely city, but very expensive & a little surreal just now.

The Edinburgh property market is HOT, with most places going to a closing date & attracting offers well in excess of home report valuations.

Thanks bloody, that does sound miserable about everything being shut. It's almost back to normal in London now.
I was aware that houses are sold in a different way up there, but would probably rent while I got to know the place. Interesting that houses are selling quickly.

The comments about the driech and dark are kind of what I most feared about it. Before London I lived in California and even London was a bit of an adjustment 😂

If I get to second interview I'll ask on scotsnet too.

Thanks all, you can always rely on Mumsnet :-)

I live in Edinburgh. Have done so most of my adult life and love it.
It's got a small town feel. You can't walk the length of Princes street without bumping into someone you know. It's beautiful.
It's easy to explore and you always find somewhere new every time you go for a walk, down a close, or a new path, or a nearby beach/forest park.
Literally ten minutes drive and you are in the countryside.
It's got all the big names in terms of shops. It's got a fab selection of restaurants including some Michelin star ones. But at the same time, not overwhelming, the way I feel in London.
It's got good transport links. The people are friendly. The festival is amazing. Truly incredible. As is the Christmas and Hogmanay parties/markets. I've been to other UK cities at Christmas and none would hold a candle to Edinburgh.
There is a lot of building works going on in the city centre just now. The new St James centre which will be stunning once it's done.
However, due to covid, and the building works, the city centre is very flat at the moment. That will pick up again hopefully. A few other tourist attractions and hotels planned for the city centre, such as the new whiskey museum/centre.
The housing market is booming. Always has been. I don't think there will be much of a downturn, but who knows?
We get a lot of sunshine. And we are a couple of hours away from the ski slopes if that's your thing. And Murrayfield for the Six Nations. And the Playhouse/festival theatre. And the fab museums. It's lovely