Leaving Edinburgh to move back down South

[VelcroCat]

Been living in Edinburgh for six years now and just can't adjust to the weather. We moved from down South and would like to go back for family reasons now. I am horrified by the moving costs as it's been a while since we sold and bought simultaneously. I am feeling I should try harder where we are but really from the minute we moved back here I have wanted to leave. I haven't made any friends in all this time, but have got a couple of hobbies/interests where the people are nice, and these would be hard to replace. In general though I just can't find my people and feel very lonely and isolated. The problem is OH has made friends, and is relatively happy.

I am tired of the horrendous traffic, pollution, bad weather , road works or lack of maintenance of roads, inability to park anywhere, and unfriendly people.
Not sure what I'm asking, but has anyone else felt like this and moved back?

Love Edinburgh. Good airport and transport links means it's accessible to travel. Surrounding beaches and countryside. One hour north and you are in the Highlands.
Small city, loads of choice of restaurants, bars and the like. The choice of restaurants in particular is phenomenal I would say. New ones popping up all the time. St James Quarter constantly offering something new in terms of food choices, shops and entertainment.
Then there's the old town, so pretty, quaint, historical monuments, places to visit, things to see and do.
And I love the vibe during the festival and Fringe, even the influx of tourists add to the atmosphere. The rugby, the concerts, the local parks. It really has something for everyone.

However I don't disagree about the roadworks. It's pretty bad just now.

And the weather? Yes, it's been a long rubbish winter, but the thermometer is currently saying 25 degrees as I sit in my back garden munching a magnum. With lovely friends I've made since living here.

I agree about the state of the roads in Edinburgh with potholes everywhere and there's always roadworks with temporary lights going on somewhere in the city.
I always say hello or good morning / afternoon if I pass anyone when I'm out for a walk and get the same in return if I haven't spoken first.
I sometimes get into a conversation with others at the bus stop.
As for the weather ,well it is what it is.Where I stay there's zero chance of ever being flooded even with the most torrential rain.We hardly ever get snow in our area.Temperatures may not get as hot as the south of England but I still wear sandals all summer and tend to wear a cardigan instead of a jacket if it's needed.
I've never lived in England so can't really compare everything,but I'm happy where I am and am willing to put in the effort to enjoy it.

Yes, this in a nutshell. OH wears a jumper all year round now. That in itself depresses the hell out of me. Our house is quite dark and cold too which doesn’t help.

@VelcroCat Hello! Myself and DH are also considering moving from Edinburgh back to the South after 8 years here. Main reasons are to be closer to family, but the summer weather would be a perk too! I wondered whether you’re still thinking of moving / have gone ahead and made the move?

It has been a truely miserable unpredictable summer. Its cold like winter at the moment it could be November. My dc want us to move away - they hate the weather and are scottish born !

We just didn't get off the starting blocks in time this year for various reasons. So it'll be next Spring I think. Estate agents have told us that it's best not to market it until then . We missed the boat this Spring. I am really really fed up with living here now , in all sorts of ways. Awful weather, over run with tourists all year, but particularly in August. Poor public services, everything costing a fortune, absolutely crap government.

Main reason is to be closer to family, but a close second is the weather, and all the rest. It would be nice not to have to wear a coat in summer. Our garden is very windy too, so there are only a few days a year we actually sit in it.

Hi just wondered if you had decided to move?

Hi thanks for asking. Yes we are in the middle of making the move south. We’re Scottish but have been finding Edinburgh difficult of late for the reasons I gave. We decided to take early retirement and would like a better climate and a change of scene. We sold the flat in Edinburgh in early December and plan to rent in Cheltenham initially.

We would have missed walking in the hills, but there’s Cleave Hill and the Malverns. I think the milder, less windy climate will mean we can make more use of the outdoors than we could in Scotland. Bristol is another busy city, but appealing in many ways too. Renting will mean we can keep our options open.

Having sold in December, we decided to travel and put everything in storage in Gloucester until the Spring, so we’re in Thailand just now. Saves paying for unnecessary accommodation in UK.

I’ve lived in Edinburgh nearly all my life. After a few trips to the south west, Cotswolds etc, the weather is definitely better. Longer days in winter and more of a pavement cafe culture. More places to visit by car. A car isn’t much use in Edinburgh. Scottish hills and heather are nice, but the south has lovely countryside too.

Have you decided what to do?

Putting the house on the market in March. I agree with what you say. I used to live in Gloucestershire so can give you pointers if you like. What a great idea to go travelling!!

There could be up to 10 degrees difference on some days beetween Scotland and say, South East. It is a massive difference in weather

It really isn’t the same. The wind makes it feel a lot colder even when the temp is supposedly the same too.

I moved to Bath from the Scottish Borders and I love it, that is about 2 hrs from Cheltenham not sure how far by train but that is by car.

I love the South West, we can get to e.g. Dorset coast in 2 hrs or catch the train to Weymouth to the seaside in Summer. Or Bristol as you mention.

Now my eldest is at uni he can commute locally as well. It is expensive though probably more so than Scotland, but I don't miss the weather much.

I love Bath. Did you move to Bath itself or surrounding area?

The city centre, DH had a flat here already and was not keen to move to Scotland!

I left Edinburgh 4 years ago to move closer to some of my family, and because capital city life just wasn't agreeing with me any more. I moved there from a small town to study and stayed on to work. For a while, I loved the city buzz, and the richness of culture . I found plenty to do, explored very interesting sites/museums/historical landmarks, found excellent cycling routes and made lots of good friends. It was also educational and eye-opening, living in a bigger and more diverse place.

However, l was later to get very stressed out by the full-on, fast pace of life, the dirty streets round about the city centre, the non-stop traffic, roadworks everywhere and the high cost of living. The number of beggars in the central areas depressed me. I'm not blaming the beggars themselves, but the sheer number of them just got me down. Plus I missed my family.

There are things I miss about Edinburgh for sure, but I have visited it since leaving and kept in touch with friends. I now live in Perth, which is more calming for me and better for my mental health. Also, Edinburgh is not that far away if you want to visit.

I know every place has good and bad areas. But I found the bad areas in Edinburgh to be very bad. Even walking down to the Bridges on my way to work in Edinburgh in the mornings, I witnessed a number of unsavoury incidents, and was once on the receiving end of abuse from a total stranger who was clearly off their face.

Even the affluent, cleaner areas of the city are often close to very rough areas. That may not bother everyone, but I found it quite difficult to handle.

Agreed. I have lived all over the UK, including 10 years in Edinburgh, and it is distinctly milder further South.