Help me chose where to live! Commutable to Glasgow

[foolssilver]

We are so stuck and looking for reccomendations. Neither of is know the area (apart from Glasgow) and have no family connections so can go anywhere.

Requirements are:

Commutable to Glasgow with 45 mins max

Good schools

Would like a sense of community and ability to make friends. Niether of us have many friends here so important.

Have a budget of up to £220 so no where too extravagant.

A bit of a village feel, although doesn't need to be an actual village if you know what I mean.

To give an idea we really like Bridge of Weir but nothing is coming up in our price range. We are bursting out of our flat so needing to move asap.

Thank you!

My only warning is some of these wee villages have no shop (e.g. water foot) and so even running out of milk requires you to jump in your car! Apart from that, all of the East Ren are good primaries and secondaries.

Thanks, good tips.

We loved Uplawmoor but it doesn't have a shop or nursery so would need to go to Neilston. Maybe not an issue but definitely needs thought through.

SDT last time I checked they were 9th on the table, so very good.

I am only 3 miles from bow but it falls in inverclyde. We will definitely be doing placing requests.

I agree that small villages often have good or ok primary schools that feed in to not so good high schools. We have that issue where we live

Personally I think you'll be struggling to find what you're looking for within the Glasgow area on your budget. Sorry to be blunt.

what places are you looking at for your viewings foolssilver?

I don't think you'll struggle too much in eaglesham/waterfoot with your budget. Plus they both feed into good secondaries.

Viewings are in Houston, Uplawmoor, Busby, Clarkston and Eaglesham.

The Eaglesham one is pushing the budget but thought it would be good to look at the area more closely. All the others though are actually under max budget so it is definitely doable. Obviously we aren't talking big houses though.

All those are nice places to live - well done for sorting out viewings already!

I think be clear what your priorities are: ?commuting times/hassle, ?schools, ?prettiness of village/community etc.
Also how long do you see yourself staying in whatever house you chose - if you are planning another move in 5-10 years, then, say, Secondary school catchments may not be all that important just now.

Gawd, I am glad that I am Never Moving Again until I go in to sheltered housing
Good luck!

Thanks Pacific, I think our little drive last night helped a bit. Definitely made me see that commuting time is a priority. I really don't want to be stuck travelling for hours so I think these areas really are our max point.

Primary school is a definite as ideally wouldn't want to move again for a while but maybe before secondary so that is less important.

Facilities and stuff going on is more important than the house or look of the area I think. Want to have the opportunity to make friends and for dd to do stuff such as dance classes, rainbows/guides when older etc.

Scotland's most desirable post code Neilston

Uplawmoor is ok though no facilities, there are new builds just starting in Uplawmoor.

Stepps!!! Just over the border to the north. 15 mins into the centre. Handy for trains and buses and the motorways. Village feel. City to one side. Contusions to the other. Prefection.

I know you will do this but I just wanted to reiterate, since it seems that commute time is v important, you'll want to try doing your drive in peak time to fully get a feel for how things are. I live close to one of the places you're viewing in but further out and on a Sunday afternoon I can drive from my house to the City Centre in about 20 minutes but obviously on a rainy morning during rush hour it is considerably more!

Trains are obviously an option for some of these places as there is a line but it's a single route so if that line goes off you're stuffed and you'd need to jump in a car.

I know very little about Neilston apart from the fact that it's always the first place to get snow :)

Also, a colleague was trying to buy last year in Clarkston area and found anything decent getting snapped up ridiculously quickly. That might have been a blip rather than the norm though, I'm not sure.

Good luck OP!

Thanks Rip, yes will definitely do the commute in peak times. I am off work for a while so can do that over the next few weeks without any pressure.

Seb, yes that is our only concern re Uplawmoor, gorgeous but nothing but the hotel.

Thanks for suggestion re Stepps, another j hadn't thought of so will add to the list to check out.

Just to say my post was meant to say countryside to one side. Not contusions. It's not THAT kind of town!

Linlithgow for village feel and just all round amazing-ness (although pricey), Falkirk for practicality...

Good compromises!!

Eagles ham is an hours commute into town- You need to get a bus to clarkston then train . Village feel , excellent schools. value for money on housing

busby and Clarkston are faster into town as good train service , but parts of clarkston coudl be a long walk to the station , so need to factor that in too. There are fast trains into town from clarkston but not busby , station car parking at both is full by 8.

All schools are good , primary and secondary , RC and non Dom. Busby is much cheaper for housing than clarkston ( as PP said )

Remember to check the coucils website for school catchments and don't rely on the estate agents particulars . The often say " local schools include x y and z " which some people read as meaning they are in catchment , when they are not

www.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=2848&layer=primary_x_schools

It's not practical to commute by car into the city centre from the above areas , unless your employer provides a parking space and you can avoid any of the rush hour ie 7:30-9 and 4- 6:30. So not even " normal " flexitime hours . Ok if you can start at 7am or 10 am, you coudl maybe do it in an hour .

I've just looked on Right move and spotted they have some " school checker " thingie . Is shows where you are supposely more or less likely to get your child in .

This is bollocks. If you are in catchment for the school by the january befroe your child starts p1, you will get a place . Otherwise the coucil have to taxi your child every day to another primary and them move them as soon as a place is available. This is expensive and they don't like doing it . So don't worry needlessly

I know because my sister moved into the catchment of one of the " hardest to get into " primaries in one of the areas you are looking in AFTER the January deadline , when her child was starting p1, and that's what she was told by east renfrewshire council

In fact a place became available by the August

None of this applies if you are not in catchement . Even by 10 meters .

Other side of glasgow from your viewings, but Milngavie has excellent schools (primary and secondary), trains into city centre every 15 mins during the day, town centre has lots of little coffee shops etc, our street for example has a 'meet your neighbours' picnic/BBQ every year which is lovely and I imagine is done on other streets!

Big downside at the moment though is lots (and lots) of roadworks and new houses being built close by starting in October, which will be more disruption (main driving route into city centre).

I am wondering if anyone is in the same situation as me . I have been separated for 4 yrs and divorced for 1. Not amicable unfortunately.
I have 2 fantastic children from that marriage and currently live in west Lothian.

My ex moved into Edinburgh about 3 yrs ago and has regular access which is fine .
I took up a new job just south of Glasgow just over a year ago which is very well paid and is in an area I enjoy working in
Due to my commute my children have to get up at 0615 every morning which I know is tiring for them so I muted to my ex that I move closer to work access unchanged (he has a nanny who provides most of the care and all the commuting) he had a stand up tantrum and I ended up with 2 sheriff court officers on my doorstep with a writ forcing me to stay living in Lothian and borders until I go to court to fight this.
I discussed the move with the children aged 10 and 8 prior to mentioning the possibility with the ex and they want to go .
I am at a loss that I am now left to battle in court to move 35 miles away whilst agreeing to all the same access as always...... Just wondering if anyone else has been in the same position .

hi zizilee - i don't have any experience or advice to offer in terms of your situation other than to say that sounds completely unreasonable. However, I think you should start a new thread rather than add to this one as I think it will get lost and you may not get any answers.

Dunblane! I lived there for a while. Really nice community feel. 20mins on the train to Glasgow. Trains very frequent. Also only 5 mins drive to Stirling if you want shops, cinema, restaurants etc at the weekend.

20minutes train from Dunblane to Glasgow??? T
riple that, srely

Oops: "triple that, surely"

fastest train is 32 minutes and loads around the 40 minute timescale so maybe not triple unless you get the slow train - even then they are under an hour :) I also can't usually make it from Dunblane to Stirling in 5 minutes but 10 is usually about right - unless you are on the train of course ;)