South Scotland

[monkeysonthemoon]

We're thinking of moving to Scotland to somewhere near the border. Does anyone have any knowledge about what Dumfries, Ayr, Peebles or Jedburgh are like please? Many thanks.

What sort of info are you looking for @monkeysonthemoon ? I live in the borders so hopefully I can help

@Contemplatinglife

What sort of info are you looking for *@monkeysonthemoon* ? I live in the borders so hopefully I can help

Thanks contemplatinglife, I was looking for info on whether they are proper towns with a good mix of shops (rather than dormitory towns), if they were run down or reasonable well kept, with a mix of facilities, e.g. parks, pubs, restaurants as well as shops, that kind of thing.

Ok so out of Jedburgh and Peebles id say Peebles has more going on and is obviously closer to Edinburgh. Personally I prefer Jedburgh but I like quiet! It also has nice shops and good restaurants.

Peebles high street is busy at a weekend whereas others are like ghost towns.

I’d say you’d get more for your money in Jedburgh and it’s near to Kelso which has lovely shops and restaurants

Sorry don’t feel I’m being very helpful here I like them both! Is there a reason Jed and Peebles were mentioned?

I went to school in Ayr in the 1980s, and my parents still live just outside the town, but I’m very rarely in the town.

Couple of things - I wouldn’t consider Ayr to be near the border.

When I was growing up Ayr was a good place to live, busy with tourists in the summer, and had a thriving town centre. Sadly, that is no longer the case - from what I’ve heard the town centre isn’t a great place to be - with Marks and Spencer’s being the only ‘quality’ shop left. Out of town shopping centres and proximity to Silverburn etc have not been good for the town.

To be honest, I’m not sure that I would choose to live in Ayr myself.

I visited Peebles last year a couple of times, and thought it was lovely - with local independent shops and businesses, and a good feel about the place.

Ayr and Dumfries are both county towns, so pretty big, and not dormitory towns. Dumfries probably has retained more of the county town feel than Ayr has.

Thank you for your responses. I've chosen those towns as being biggish towns near(ish!) the border and/or on the coast - currently we live way down south but we've been thinking about moving north for a while (both of us are originally from different towns in the north of England). Near to the border would make it driveable to see relatives and friends down here. Interesting about Jedburgh and Kelso, I thought Jedburgh may not be so nice but will check both of those out.

Thanks again to all who replied.

Peebles has a decent amount of shops, cafes and pubs considering the size. House prices are reasonable.