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Original poster

Commuting to Edinburgh - Stirling / Falkirk?

79 replies

aforestgrewandgrew · 14/10/2016 14:11

Ideally we'd like to be in Edinburgh but on a budget of approx £180K I'm not sure we can afford it!

We've got family in Glasgow so I was thinking Stirling / Falkirk could be good. Plus although we're looking at working in Edinburgh now, I guess easy access to Glasgow for future jobs could be good too.

My other half is Scottish but not me, my only knowledge of Scotland is visiting not actually living there. DP is very easy going, happy to go with what I want (i.e. leaving me to do all the research!) so I'm hoping MN can help!

What are Stirling / Falkirk like? What are the schools like? Is the commute OK?

Are there other areas I should be considering?

Alternatively any tips on how to live in Edinburgh for £180K would be amazing!

OP posts:
WankersHacksandThieves · 15/10/2016 22:57

tis :) , my car was parked on that street all week while we were away as the car park in BofA station was full. If we were in a position to be downsizing now, I'd be very interested myself.

WankersHacksandThieves · 15/10/2016 22:58

it's about 2 minute drive from me.

Original poster
aforestgrewandgrew · 15/10/2016 23:00

Ah, see PiSeas the Borders featured heavily in this plan originally! DP loves the Borders and I love looking at the lovely places we could afford to live there.

But as this has started to become actually something we're planning to do, the practicalities don't stack up as well as we'd like.

The journey in to Edinburgh from Galashiels looks like it's not too different from Stirling, time wise. But it's that bit further from Glasgow - about an hour and a half by road (on a good day) and 2 hours by train I think? And that's further from family than I really want to be, especially of part of the reason we're moving is to be nearer them.

I do still have a look at the Borders from time to time though as it's certainly tempting!

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APlaceOnTheCouch · 15/10/2016 23:02

Bridge of Allan is nice, as is Dunblane. I'd choose Stirling over Falkirk any day. I do think Linlithgow is fab but it may be a bit too expensive.
Peebles is pretty but I always think it has a rundown village feel.
What about the outskirts of Edinburgh eg Portobello. It has a lovely beach and lots for families to do.

WankersHacksandThieves · 15/10/2016 23:03

Actually it wasn't the crescent, it was the Road.

OhFuds · 15/10/2016 23:05

BofA and Dunblane are lovely but I also like Torbrex or Cambusbarron if you are considering Stirling.

WankersHacksandThieves · 15/10/2016 23:06

agree oh fuds. That puts you in the catchment for Stirling High which would be good too.

SauvignonPlonker · 15/10/2016 23:09

Isn't the train service from B of A to Edinburgh a bit slow? I have a few friends who do the commute & say so. I think dunblane might have a faster service? Prepared to stand corrected!

Original poster
aforestgrewandgrew · 15/10/2016 23:12

WankersHacksandThieves I already have that one open in another tab Grin

It's great isn't it.

I had a virtual wander round the streets of Stirling courtesy of Google Street view earlier and it's lovely, isn't it?! Certainly a place that would make my heart sing.

As a total aside, we were in Stirling Castle last year, it was ace! DS loved it. (Didn't visit the town though).

OP posts:
WankersHacksandThieves · 15/10/2016 23:13

train to Edinburgh from Stirling or Bofa is around an hour - it's just a few extra minutes up to BofA.

Train to Glasgow can be faster depending which station you get on as not all trains stop at all stations. So, there is a half hour service or a longer service. I'm sure the fast one still stops at BofA but I can't really remember.

Doesn't make any odds for Edinburgh though i think.

WankersHacksandThieves · 15/10/2016 23:16

it is great. It's not perfect of course, some of the pubs can be a bit rough and there are bits where people hang about the streets, but that's the same everywhere. I think the reason I feel at home is that it is very like a mini Edinburgh. i can see the castle out of one window and the Wallace monument out another :)

Original poster
aforestgrewandgrew · 15/10/2016 23:20

SauvignonPlonker it's not the fastest, no. I must admit that's the only thing giving me pause right now.

But it looks like it's 30-40 minutes in to Glasgow (depending on the service) and that's a massive bonus for us. We've been assuming DP will work in Edinburgh as he has contacts there and his industry has more jobs there, but Glasgow's not totally impossible.

I do admin type stuff, I can work pretty much anywhere!

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Original poster
aforestgrewandgrew · 15/10/2016 23:22

Cross posts about the train!

I am typing slowly as distracted by a property show DP's put on! We've been talking about this move a lot today.

OP posts:
Pootle40 · 15/10/2016 23:23

Depending on where you get a job, Stirling will be a decent commute....in rush hour you will be over an hour driving just to get to the West side of Edinburgh. Linlithgow is much nearer and very nice but very expensive compared to other places. We live in Dunfermline and there are lots of nice places near here and commute not bad. Personally I leave the house at 750am, drop off at nursery and I'm at my desk 845 ( west side of Edinburgh) most days. Other people seem shocked but I know for a fact my commute seems better than Stirling based on a colleague doing same job and hours.

FrancisCrawford · 15/10/2016 23:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
aforestgrewandgrew · 16/10/2016 00:01

Haha DP is showing me old episodes of "the house that 100K built" on YouTube and suggesting we buy a plot and a pre-built kit home like one of these.

I like his lateral thinking but suspect the nice ones are out of our budget too!

Check out how quick they build the house in the link above though - astounding! They basically do the whole ground floor in a day!

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Original poster
aforestgrewandgrew · 16/10/2016 00:03

Oops sorry, it's "The House that 100K built - Trade Secrets" apparently.

OP posts:
Original poster
aforestgrewandgrew · 16/10/2016 00:04

No, that's wrong too - DP says it's "Tricks of the Trade".

(I should possibly look up from MN more often so I know what I'm watching Grin)

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Original poster
aforestgrewandgrew · 16/10/2016 00:07

FrancisCrawford I think maybe I need to give Musselburgh another look - people keep recommending it to me. I've only been a few times, and never really wandered about. 7 minutes is an amazing commute!

I think the Borders is out, realistically.

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Blankiefan · 16/10/2016 20:49

There's not a lot of love for poor old Falkirk here.

It's a good 20 mins closer to either Glasgow or Edinburgh which could save you 40 mins per day commuting. Also, the town has had a decent amount of investment; particularly From a leisure perspective. The Helix is a newish leisure space/park which is encouraging loss of new community activity. Shopping is at least as good too and there are plenty of ammenities (swimming pools, soft play, trampoline park, etc). Better eating out options too - Stirljng has an odd lack of decent places to eat out given the middle class population.

Dd is only 3 so not sure about schools yet. Great nurseries. The primary she'll go to is very well rated. I believe secondary is a bit questionable but it's a decade til she goes and much can change in that time. Unless your DC are already near secondary school I wouldn't chose your location based on current school ratings.

Blankiefan · 16/10/2016 20:50

My typo-ridden plea for Falkirk was vs stirling!

cazzyg · 20/10/2016 16:47

Actually Falkirk has quite a lot going for it, but it's not the prettiest of places.

House prices are good and for £180k you should be able to find a 3 bed detached or cottage style with a decent garden.

Transport links are really good with trains every 15 mins to Edinburgh and Glasgow. Motorway access to both too. DH is Glasgow based for work and I'm in Edinburgh and we both have a commute under 45 mins by car. There's even the odd train to London and it's 25 minutes to Edinburgh airport.

Things like the helix park and kelpies have been great for the town and brought in lots of visitors. It's a great place to visit with children.

Lots of activities too - football, rugby, tennis, dancing, acting/musical theatre, swimming, martial arts etc. Few nice bars and cafes have opened recently too.

Original poster
aforestgrewandgrew · 25/10/2016 22:14

Falkirk certainly makes more sense transport-wise. So much quicker into Edinburgh.

Stirling looks so pretty though! And DP has friends with young DC there which is a bonus. I know nothing about Falkirk apart from a brief touristy visit to the Kelpies & the Falkirk Wheel (a great day out! The kids loved the wheel especially, we spent ages in the water play area).

It's not as pretty as Stirling but we'd be able to afford a nice house so at least worth considering, think we need to do a Falkirk / Stirling visit when we're next up.

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celtiethree · 27/10/2016 13:42

How old are your DC and what do they like to do?? Falkirk will definitely get you more house for your money and the point about the strange lack of decent eating places in Stirling is very true! I'd look closely at secondary schools if you will be staying for a while, even if your DC are primary age now secondary sneaks up really fast. There is some information in the form of tables but that won't provide the whole picture. You also want to look at how many national 5s are on offer, some schools offer specialisation in sport etc. It's very normal to send your DC to your catchment school, but you can put in placement requests. Some schools are very full because of new housing so not all placement requests are granted.

cazzyg · 29/10/2016 11:06

It's a short drive to Stirling from Falkirk - 20/25 mins along the A9 or motorway. Regular buses and trains too.

I didn't expect to like living here. I was born here but grew up in Linlithgow then went to uni in Glasgow and moved to London after that. However it's been a great place to bring up a family as there's so much on our doorstep.

It was the head decision for us definitely. At the time the alternative option was the west end of Glasgow but we looked at houses here and discovered we could afford a 4 bed detached for the same price as a 2 bed flat. It was a no brainier logically and the only sensible financial decision I've ever made Wink.

There's a lot of families with young children where we are which means DD has plenty of friends to play with in the local area.