Advice on move to Edinburgh or Glasgow

[PouletDePrintemps]

DH and I currently live outside the UK in a European city. We are planning to move back to the UK very soon.

We were planning on going to Edinburgh but we are now wondering if Glasgow might be better for us.

We are in our 40s with no kids. We love walking in the hills and would like easy access to the countryside. No great interest in night life such as nightclubs etc but enjoy eating out from time to time.

We are looking to rent initially, ideally 2 beds with preferred budget of no more than GBP1000 per month.
DH will be working from home (he can move with his job) but I would like to find work in book-keeping/office management type role but of course at this stage have no idea if that is a)possible or b)where that job would be so it is probably best we stay fairly central or near to good transport links.

One final thought that may have some bearing on where we should look is that we are English, though I am not sure if this matters as much as some of the press make out.

We are going to Scotland next week to check areas out and maybe even to find a flat to rent so I would really appreciate your input on where you would recommend for us.

espc.com/properties.aspx?area=edinburgh_city_centre,edinburgh_east,edinburgh_north,edinburgh_north_west,edinburgh_south,edinburgh_south_west,edinburgh_west&maxprice=1000&rentals=true&keywords=unfurnished&_u=1453280083610

That should give you an idea of 1000 a month

Thanks for the link. I have also had a look on RightMove at properties.

There are some nice ones about but not nothing as lovely as the one in that picture.

Anyway we have decided on Glasgow for now so I really must stop myself looking at flats in Edinburgh.

Dh is from the Highlands and grwe up surrounded by beaches. He says Edinburgh is about as good a city as you can get, with beaches lots of green space and even a hill in the middle. Pentland Hills are here and it's only an hour to Callander area with mountains.

Local people are actually fairly quiet and not really pretentious or snobby or anything else. The posher Edinbutgh uni students are a bit loud and in your face though.

And I x posted

People from Edinburgh clearly can't type too

This is the most ridiculous problem.

Both cities are too nice!!

It seems that Edinburgh is prettier and has more beaches, green spaces, hills in very close proximity but is further from the hills/Munros etc.

Glasgow is nearer the hills but more of a city feel while you are there.

I thought we had decided but I still feel unsure about giving up on Edinburgh.

I think we are going to have to look at both next week and decide from there.

I've lived in both and for what it's worth I'd recommend Glasgow and probably out west towards Hyndland/Broomhill or slightly further again to Bearsden as it puts you within half an hour of Loch Lomond and minutes to the start of the West Highland Way. Those areas are a bit more expensive for Glasgow but you won't be short of other couples similar to you and a nice eatery.

Edinburgh has the Pentland Hills on your doorstep and there are loads more high end restaurants, if that's your thing. Although renting/buying is much more expensive than a comparable flat in Glasgow.

Definitely worth exploring both if you have the time before you need to make a decision.

FWIW my DH is giddy about Edinburgh and I am in love with Glasgow so we've bought in the Borders until we make a decisionor I convince him that Glasgow is where we should settle

Remember too that parts of the Pentlands are pretty stretching and you also have some cracking hills in the Borders too. You have the ski slope in Edinburgh if that's of any interest and of course Edinburgh itself is built on 7 hills.

Though I still vote Stirling area with Edinburgh as back up :)

I think we will choose Glasgow, DH has a preference for it while I just flit between the two.

Can anyone recommend a decent, reasonably priced hotel in Glasgow that would be a good base for our visit next week?

Maybe it's my ocd, but I quite like the neat size of Edinburgh - it's all sort of contained within the bypass and the water, I struggle more to see where Glasgow starts and ends and it obviously a lot bigger.

I like Stirling as it's like a mini Edinburgh in a way - since we've moved away, I do find the main cities very busy and crowded in comparison.

Hotel wise, is there a Premier Inn? - generally very good value and free wifi.

I'd definitely take the time to travel about and get a real feel for places before making any longer term decisions on property and jobs. Honestly we all have different views and different things that we like and don't. One man's meat is another man's poison and all that....

All the best with the move.

I have made a list of possible areas of Glasgow as per recommendations from posters here.

Hyndland, Downhill, Broomhill, Bearsden, West Pollockshields, Shawlands, Newlands, Finnieston and possibly Milngavie.

Any I should cross off or add?

OneMagnum thanks, I will have a look for a Premier Inn.

If we do decide on Edinburgh I know Stockbridge is nice (but pricey) as is the New Town. What other areas are good? Is Leith worth a look?

Going to stick with Edinburgh and Glasgow for now as we have limited time on our visit back but will keep Stirling in mind if neither works out.

Poulet - we live outside Glasgow, in a village near Paisley, and we love it here. We are 10 minutes drive from the airport, and from a station with good, regular train services into Glasgow, and there's a good bus service too - when dh worked in Glasgow, he got the bus from the end of our road, and was at the office in half an hour.

I think we have the best of all worlds here - a nice village to live in, with excellent schools and lovely people, good transport links, and we can drive into Glasgow in under half an hour, and half an hour in the other direction, we are out in the countryside, or almost all the way to the coast.

If you'd like to know more, I'm happy to answer any questions you have. We moved up from Essex, so I know how big a move it is, but we have never regretted it - we love it up here.

SDTGit's great to read that you love it so much. It does feel like a big move but I am beginning to feel excited about it.

Can you recommend any particular villages to look at? I understand if you don't want to say exactly where you live but some village names would be great.

Are most jobs in Glasgow in the centre or are offices spread out so I could end up commuting to any corner of the city?

SDTG - you get pretty much the same living in BofA but closer to the hills :) half an hour from Glasgow on the train with it's own station. A wee bit further from the airport though.

I think I need to focus on Glasgow (west or south) for now with Edinburgh as a fall back if we aren't feeling it.

There are so many great places and we may well end up in one of them in the end. But for now, with an international move in less than a month and no ideas where I will be working, we are going to focus on somewhere fairly central and take it from there.

So back to the list in my earlier post unless anyone has any other suggestions.

Thanks for all your help.

Villages outside: Neilston or Bridge of Weir?

So, priorities are then to find a central hotel in Glasgow - will you need parking?

Near the railway station?

Will whatever temporary rental you get need wifi/decent internet access for DHs work?

Could you look at temp agencies initially for work for you so that you still have some flexibility?

You may be able to get a shortish term let at this time of year as Uni students might not be looking at this time of year?

OneMagnum Thank you for your last post.

That is exactly what I needed. I am all over the place and need to focus.

Yes, everything you mention is spot on. We need a hotel for next week, no car but yes to train station.
Wifi is very important in temporary rental. I am going to have a look on some holiday let sites I think. It would be great if we can find the perfect flat next week but we would need to get internet connected etc so it may be simpler to focus on just looking around for this trip and then take a holiday let for a month or so when we first move.
Temping would be ideal for me.

You may need to factor in that there is a lot of work happening at Glasgow Queen street station over the summer meaning that journey times will be increased for a few months - there is another thread on Scotsnet with the details/link.

I know that Edinburgh is very set up for longer term holiday lets with the festival etc, I'm not quite so sure about Glasgow as I've never looked.

Maybe something like Airb&B might be worth a look since you can add in options such as wifi into the search?

There's a lot of replies and I haven't read through them all but I'm in Edinburgh. Glasgow better for eating out, shopping and nightlife and you'll get more for your money flat- wise. £1,000 is a high budget in either city. You'd get a good 2 bed for £800 in Edinburgh in a nice area. Edinburgh is seen as pretentious but that's mainly due to the influx of posh students who study at Edinburgh Uni and there's quite a private school culture but it's not really an issue if you don't mix in those circles. There are plenty of down to earth people!! Edinburgh is a prettier and less industrial city and attracts more tourists. I think either city would work for walking as Scotland isn't a huge place so everything is accessible. I went to uni in Stirling and I second that suggestion too. Lovely city about an hour on the train to both Edinburgh and Glasgow. There will be jobs but not as many as the big cities. But if you're willing to commute then that could be the answer. Good luck!

There's a MN Meet Up next Wednesday at the cafe in the Tramway: 27th January, 12 to 3(ish). Plenty of cake and coffee and it also does nice soup and light lunches.

Only one stop out of Glasgow Central to Pollokshields East (about 5 minutes) (Neilston or Circle Line) and then a 2 minutes walk (turn right at the top of the steps).

SDTG and I could wax lyrical about Glasgow and could help you filter potential locations in person.

Just come across this thread. Happy to see you have chosen Glasgow. It really is lovely, I do know both cities and prefer Glasgow.

I used to live in Hyndland and can really recommend it as an area. West end and south side are definitely the places to look to live. West end gives quicker access to loch lomond area.