Moving to Crieff

[mummyzebra]

Hoping for some advice here; we are possibly moving to Crieff from the south of England in the next few months. Does anyone have experience of Crieff primary school? Also, I would like to know what there is in terms of things for the kids to do. We'd be hoping to keep doing ballet, swimming lessons etc... Feeling rather nervous about it all!

Hi, bumping for you. I am in Glasgow so no first hand knowledge but had a look on the web, there's quite a lot of stuff about the school and a parent council Facebook page etc. Looks like plenty of local ballet classes etc too. Good luck with the move! Hopefully someone with local knowledge will appear soon

I've no local knowledge. I've only been to the Hydro. Crieff is quaint. It's like stepping back in time (in a nice way). They probably still have half day Wednesday in the shops. I'm sure it's a lovely place to bring up a family. Good luck.

Don't know much about the schools, but it's a nice location - lovely countryside. The town is a bit run-down, but still has a lot of nice places to eat and some nice shops and an arts centre. Seems to be a fair bit to do for adults and children.

Come to Perth
Crieff is small
Dominated by a spa and a private school

Come to Perth
We are lovely here and it’s an easy commute .

Do you have to live in Creiff?

I grew up in Crieff and my mum still lives there. It's very much a family town so you should have no worries in terms of things to do for kids. I'm not sure about ballet but you get a lot of clubs for kids plus the usual scouts/guides etc and stuff with a more Scottish slant (I'm having flashbacks to highland dancing exams as a kid). I went to Crieff Primary and had a wonderful time there as a kid. From what I hear it's still a fantastic wee school. There's also a brilliant park. We got lottery funding for it and it's now so good people travel to Crieff for the day in the summer just to use it. Outside of clubs and organised activities you have lady Mary's walk and the knock for cycling and woodland walks. I spent loads of days as a preteen on the sands at the river paddling with my friends. Brilliant memories. Obviously as a teenager i developed a bitterness towards the place and couldn't wait to get out but now I realise how lucky I was. The bus service to Perth and Stirling has improved a lot in the last couple of years which helps.

There's a lot of stuff going on for adults too if you're willing to put yourself out there, and an artspace that has loads of events on (film screenings and live comedy mainly, they've had quite a few big names from shows like mock the week come and perform). It's really perfect in terms of location. Highland beauty and small town life but only an hours drive at most to both Glasgow and Edinburgh. Warning, the supermarket is very small and the dispute over a bigger one has been ongoing since I was in primary school. There's always Tesco delivery though. The high street has loads of lovely Independent cafe's, specialist deli's, wee gift shops and an amazing sweet shop.

If you're not planning on moving up before the summer, it's worth googling "kids week in Crieff" and planning a visit with the kids for that week. It was started by a group of local mum's a couple of years ago, and they put on events for local kids every day for a week in the summer holidays. It would be a much better way to get a feel for the town than the hydro, locals rarely spend time there.

From a walk down the high street it would be easy to assume there's not much happening but it's really far from the truth. Crieff has become a thriving wee town, if your kids have half as great a childhood as I had there they'll be incredibly lucky

I don't think that the presence of (in fact 2) private schools and of a hotel at the top of town has a big effect on most people. There is a state secondary and 2 state primaries at the bottom of the hill. It's a nice location - love the way that you can get right out into really gorgeous countryside in several directions without even getting into a car. And easy drive to bigger towns (Perth and Stirling), and can easily go to Edinburgh for the day - all by public transport. Very quiet and little traffic.

We have friends in Crieff. They go to yoga, swimming, horse riding, etc at the Hydro.
They love it but if you're used to a city, you might find Crieff stifling. Perth might be better.

The areas surrounding Crieff are great too come to think of it. Comrie Croft has a brilliant cafe and the walk up there is beautiful. They have mountain bike trails and do a kids race in October if that's something you're kids are interested in. Crieff Ceramics out on the road to muthill is a highlight from my childhood too. You can go out and kids can paint their own ceramic items, while parents sit in the coffee shop and wee ones play in the soft play.

In terms of Crieff being "run down", I actually find Perth to be much the same. The shopping centre there is dire and the high street is dying. All the good things about Perth can still be accessed by living in Crieff with more of a community feel and better schools. Although the theatre in Perth is fantastic and do amazing original productions. I believe it's currently being restored.

Crieff is suffering from much the same issues as every other town in the UK right now, but don't let a few empty shops put you off. Things are only getting better and it's a great time to make the move

Beautiful area to live in. You're very lucky!

Depends where you are currently in England, so we could make comparisons. I know Crieff from friends in area and in comparison to some English market towns in the countryside you’d find it different- not as thriving on the high street, but still with some nice places to eat. As others have said, the hydro is your best bet for kids activities. If your job is based in the Crieff area, it also has some lovely period housing if you do move there and you wouldn’t feel isolated, but you’d need a car and assume driving to get the groups you’re looking for. If you don’t have to live there though, there’s other places I would choose to live in Perthshire/Stirling to commute and then go to Crieff for a day trip- there’s lots to do- or a mini break at the Hydro for family.

The Loft is a great eating place with shop!

I have stayed just outside Crieff a few times. Great base for the beautiful area, Stirling is not far. I did not like Perth at all. I am from central London but Crieff always seems to have a bustle about it. It does not feel dead. The park looks amazing now. (Fantastic restaurant nearby called the D’ells Cauldron/Devils Caudron).

Thanks for all the lovely responses! Very helpful and has made me feel a good bit more relaxed about the move . Hannah - we'll definitely try to get to the kids week; it sounds like an ideal way to get to know the place. We live in a small market town at the moment (bigger than Crieff though!), so it shouldn't be too much of a culture shock hopefully. It is such a beautiful part of the world!

Hi in a similar position can i ask if you made the move! And what school you chose/ how you’ve found it thanks:-)

Helen I've pmd you as I live in the town 😁

That should be a not a grimace 😂

Hi ladies.

Can I ask how you are all settling in to life in crieff?

My husband is possibly looking at a transfer with work which would mean moving with our son who's 2 and a half. We did go a scoot through yesterday and it looks lovely. Any recommendations for areas to look at houses? We did go for a run out towards Auchterarder but obviously want to keep the commute to a minimum.

How are preschools in the area? The boy is due to start in Aug 🙌🎉
Thanks

I adore Crieff! We had many happy nights camping nearby at the Comrie Croft. Such a beautiful location (and surrounds).

How much do you think you need to earn to live in Crieff? Keen to move there but can't see much in the way of work.