Option to move to Cornwall or Edinburgh! How to decide

[Lozzie789]

My husband’s job has given him the option to relocate and we could go south to Cornwall or to Scotland! We’re in the midlands currently so same distance to either. We’re both really keen to move for a better lifestyle and better education (3 kids age 8,4 and 2) but can’t decide between the two. We’ve had holidays in both. The weather in Scotland worries me, but can it really be that different to the midlands? We’d go Edinburgh way. The education and general cost of living seems a lot better in Scotland, plus job opportunities for myself. Anyone relocated from the midlands to either?

Interesting, because it would be more rural/quieter?

I love Cornwall when we holiday there but also aware that’s totally different experience to actually living there!

Sorry to hear this, so hard when have kids isn’t it. My eldest is doing ok here but hasn’t really found any best friends yet so it seems a good time to move , but it feels like such a big decision as I don’t really want to be moving him when he’s in secondary school. The secondary schools near where we are now do not have a good reputation which is a reason we’re keen to move away

Edinburgh. Major international city. Vibrant and creative.
Cornwall is lovely but too laid back for me.

I grew up in Cornwall and it was idyllic. Everything you’d hope it to be. Trips to beach straight from school. BBQ’s on the beach with friends in the teenage years. It’s a beautiful and quirky county and I can’t see anyone regretting a move there

Is anyone saying Edinburgh actually Scottish?

i’d move to Cornwall if i could. In fact i wish we’d taken the chance to go down south for my husbands job before we had kids!

Remember Scotland does an extra year in primary and February is the cut off here rather than September. Not sure how close your eldest is to secondary age but might be a factor if you wanted them to have longer to settle in.

There are lots of nice places outside Edinburgh with good train links. Places like Dunbar that have the advantages of a nice quiet seaside town but with good train links.

Even if you decide on Edinburgh, there is a huge amount of choice in terms of what you can have in terms of city/coast/ country. Some lovely beaches in East Lothian.

Scottish cities are very contained and so you go from city centre to rural fairly rapidly.

Plenty of marketing roles in Edinburgh.

I agree with a PP that I wouldn't let free university tuition influence your decision. It is currently at crisis point. But there are a range of excellent universities with easy transport links to Edinburgh so in terms of future options for the kids that would be covered.

The city centre can be mental. This August is as crazy as I've ever seen it between the Tattoo, festival and Oasis but there's a reason lots of people want to visit.

Someone else mentioned dark winters. The shorter days can be noticeable but you get nice long summer evenings.

I did 😁

Edinburgh. Cornwall is very remote, there's a lack of employment and quite deprived in many areas.

I live in Edinburgh. It’s a grim long haul from January to May. I love gardening but the weather never seems warm or sunny enough to produce abundant flowering plants. Summer is so very short. Every September I get a sinking feeling as I know the time for lying on a blanket in the garden and wearing light summery clothes is over for another nine months. More wind (so much wind), more dark grey skies, so very cold, and always being bundled up in layer upon layer of clothes. Live life, choose Cornwall.

Edinburgh.. I have lived there. Lovely city with lots going on and super friendly people. Great flight links.

I have friends who live in Cornwall. Lots of poverty and deprivation and not much there job wise outside of the tourist industry. Lovely in the summer but overrun with tourists and a bit depressing out of season. There is also a real hostility from locals to tourists.

Edinburgh has more options probably and there are lots of small towns nearby in the Lothians with transport links to the city. Quite a few small towns along the coast to the east with rail links to the city. Weather maybe a few degrees colder but we’ve just had a lovely prolonged summer like most of UK. Children start primary school when they are 5 or almost five and are there for 7 years. Most children attend nursery from 3 though private nurseries take younger. Secondary education is from age 11/12.
Cornwall is lovely too. Been on a few holidays there but can’t comment on living there. Good luck x

I find it funny how loads of people are writing off all of Cornwall, as if lots of people don't live and thrive there...

We live in Devon and I wouldn't want anything but the teenage years they are having for them.

I love Edinburgh, and have a sibling loving there which affords us great opportunities to visit. I can see lots of upsides to loving near such a vibrant city but I do find how dark and cold it is a lot of them time hard! There are loads of opportunities, services and facilities there so your DC could follow any interest at all, which is a huge bonus. I would be careful re schools though as there may be many more schools but next to no chance of you going to them. You have to choose where to live (or be prepared to pay - there are loads of private schools) to be able to get places at many.

I would choose Cornwall however. Living in the SW means that visiting London and mainland Europe isn't such a big stretch. We can (and do) do day trips to London on the train, to see exhibitions and shows. We also have a wide choice of airports such as Bristol and Cardiff within an easy drive. We can get ferries over to France without a big drive first and our DC love this sort of travel. I love my teens having an outdoor lifestyle. My 15 year old has attended several 16th birthday parties on the beach this summer, where they paddleboard, light a fire and hang out toasting marshmallows. They're completely unaware of gangs, knives, phone theft and muggings etc. They know about drugs, vapes etc but have never been offered any. Alcohol is creeping in but not in any significant way at all. Whilst living in an area so dependent on seasonal tourism is clearly an issue for the local economy in some ways, it also offers teens a great chance to get jobs earlier than elsewhere!

As some one that has lived close to Edinburgh and lived in cornwall I would 100% choose Edinburgh.
you get used to the cold eventually and actually I enjoyed the crisp winters .

I could (just about) deal with the cold, although it depends on how outdoorsy you are. It's the longer dark days I can't abide. E.g. you get about 30-45 mins longer daylight between December and February in Cornwall. Makes a difference to commuting, being out and about at the weekend etc.

Personally I’d go for Edinburgh without doubt!

But then I’m much more of a city person, could not imagine living rurally/in the countryside

Depends what will suit you & DH and your children

Exciting to have these options/opportunities!

I've lived a sort of Cornish lifestyle somewhere similar and also done the city thing and I'd say the coastal/rural lifestyle is brilliant for kids who thrive on the outdoor lifestyle but doesn't offer much for those who don't, if you want a wider range of extra curricular stuff to get involved in. Especially as they hit the teen years. You'll have the best sense of which direction your lot are heading in.

The day one of my preteen kids announced they were 'bored of the beach' was the day I decided we had to move!

Thing with Edinburgh is it’s a small city so if you have one town and one country kid Edinburgh will serve you all

Edinburgh isn't grim! And the east side of the country gets less rain generally than the west.

Cornwall is the only place I've experienced multiple solid days of drizzly sea fog so bad I couldn't see past the end of the garden.

Both have pros and cons, and it really depends on the sort of lifestyle you want.

Personally, I'd prefer Edinburgh, but I don't like how cut off Cornwall feels and I couldn't cope with all the holiday makers 3 months of the year!

I'm from Cornwall originally and most of my family lives there. I would choose Edinburgh in a heartbeat.

Lol at the implication it doesn't rain as much in Cornwall. Edinburgh is quite dry and Cornwall rains almost constantly from August to May.

You're also in easy reach of Glasgow from Edinburgh and it is fast to London on the train. Amazing dramatic countryside within easy reach. More work opportunities for you. More educational opportunities for the kids.

There's not much in Truro to keep a teen amused for long, all my teenage relatives are plotting their escapes.

I can reassure an earlier poster that drugs are frequently and easily available in Cornwall as well!

Does it have to be in Edinburgh or would you consider round the corner in the East Neuk of Fife? Stunning villages along the coast quite similar in feel to Cornwall (my mum’s side of the family are from Anstruther), not far from Edinburgh by rail and St Andrews is close by too.

Somewhere like North Berwick or Dunbar would give you access to Edinburgh city with the coastal smaller town lifestyle, if that’s what you want. Both on train to Edinburgh, and sunnier than most of Scotland. Scot Gov has just abolished peak rail fares, so train commuting is more viable, and all under 25s get free bus travel across the whole country, which is a big advantage for kids and teens.

As much as I really like parts of Cornwall - I would much prefer to live in Edinburgh, for all the positive reasons pps have mentioned.

Good luck op! What an exciting time for you all.

Whatever you choose op - it rains more in Cornwall than Edinburgh
https://weatherandclimate.com/compare-cornwall-and-city-of-edinburgh

@Lozzie789 Cornwall is too quiet in a way. Yes there’s the beach/surf vibe but not much else. No decent professional sport, very long train journey to London and lots of older people plus many complaining ones! Falmouth has more going on. Edinburgh is definitely better for culture and sport, but depends what floats your boat. What are dc going to want?