Moving to Scotland from NZ

[Pearsonfour]

Hi there. We are looking into moving to Scotland from NZ, myself, my husband and our two daughters aged 7 and 5. We are British but our children are kiwis! We are looking to 're-create' what we have in NZ, a good sized house with a garden and garage and easy access to the great outdoors. Good schooling is imperative and access to the main centres for job opportunities. I think being in a slightly more populated area would be good so we can make friends and have access to the the usual swimming/gymnastics etc but no where too 'cityish'. HELP! We have been looking at the central belt of Scotland, in between Glasgow and Edinburgh so we can commute easily but we are also interested in Kilmarnock. Any ideas or recommendations? Oh and we also quite like the beach! Thanks in advance.

In between Glasgow and Edinburgh and near to the sea is kind of impossible^^ due to y'know geography.
Near Glasgow or Edinburgh and near the sea is doable.

I agree with pp that your budget makes a big difference as well.

I wouldn't live in Falkirk for love nor money (The falkirk wheel is kinda neat tho)

Given what you've posted so far I think North Berwick would suit you really well.
Gorgeous little seaside town. 40 minutes from Edinburgh and about 50 mins down the a1 and you're over the border

There are so many great options but I think a lot will depend on work opportunities and where you will be based. Yes it's possible to do long(er) commutes but you wouldn't choose to commute from Dunbar on the east coast to the south side of Glasgow, for example, if you didn't need to.

So I think you need to clarify that first. Sorry if I've missed that info in your posts

Whoops I read your last post wrong.

In between Glasgow and Edinburgh -

Motherwell is good for commuting to both and convenient for driving to England as well.
There Baron's Haugh Nature nature reserve and Strathclyde Country park where there's a lot of rowing on the loch.
Dalziel is a good school and there's a private school in Hamilton.
Bit's of it are pretty grotty though so I'd look for a house in Dalzell park or North Lodge.

I think Strathaven and Plains are nice as well in that sort of area.

Our budget is around £250,000 and we would need a four bedroom house with a generous garden, garage and safe for a cat!

Today we have been looking at the places around Livingston. Although Livingston itself doesn't offer much in the way of history etc, there appears to be good state schools? West Calder etc?

Livingston isn’t a bad place btw, just because it’s a new town it’s a bit weird as the town centre is the shopping centre.

West Calder is ok, decent secondary school, mid Calder and east Calder are nicer, but smaller. They’re all nice and close to the Pentlands though.

There’s really nowhere in West Lothian that you’d not have access to things like swimming or gymnastics btw.

Not Ratho, I live in Currie, but more up towards the hills than in the main body of Currie.

I live near crieff. Stunning scenery. Great resources for families etc. 1 hour from Glasgow and Edinburgh and Dundee.
We can be at the beach in 55 mins...
Perth is only 25mins drive.

Kirknewton?

If go for mid Lothian over West Lothian though but I can't really say why. Just a better feeling. What about the Borders? Peebles area?

There are good schools in Livingston. I'd say it's not so much about the area as the schools themselves iyswim?

As a kiwi, I'd avoid Livingston. Think Hamiltron without the scenery or culture.

If we went back to Scotland I'd be looking around Edinburgh by the sea. North Berwick or along that coast. Perth area is also pretty.

I would genuinely avoid Livingston.

You would struggle with your requirements/budget in Alloway/Doonfoot/Seafield Ayr but Prestwick is still worth looking at.

Livingston is all shopping and roundabouts. Doesn't have an identifiable "soul" as such.

250,000 - you'll be struggling to get anything on Edinburgh. Beaches wise - either go east or west. East Lothian/Fife or Ayrshire/Argyll & Bute. Where will you work?

Ok, for a 4-bed & 250K budget, you can probably exclude Edinburgh, Linlithgow, Dunblane/Bridge of Allan & North Berwick. And most of East Renfrewshire/Bearsden/Milngavie.

Op if you’re looking for a kiwi lifestyle in the UK, why not also consider Northumberland, birth Yorkshire and Cumbria? Still commutable to major cities, likely closer to you English family and great outdoors lifestyle.

I do prefer Scotland myself but with your budget you’ll need to be rural - Ayrshire, Fife or Perth so perhaps expanding your search south a bit will give you more options- also look at Peebles and the borders - Good rail links for commuting to Edinburgh

With a £250,000 budget anywhere in Central Belt is unlikely to have the kind of garden Kiwis are used to. The whole 1/4 acre thing doesn't exist here.

You might get a decent sized garden & 4-bed house in Mid- or West Lothian, but less likely in East Lothian. Property is a lot more expensive there. Definitely not North Berwick or Gullane.

Around Inverness is BEAUTIFUL so I agree with the PP that you could fly to England from there. Property is a lot cheaper up North.

Ayrshire is also lovely, ditto Dumfries and Galloway. Closer to England, great beaches, beautiful pretty scenery.

I agree with pp that Motherwell would be doable on your budget.
The only thing you'd be compromising on would be being near the but it's only an hours drive from the west coast.

Given your budget, Strathaven might be a possibility. Not close to the sea but in nice countryside and close to the M74 to get down to England or up to Glasgow/across to Edinburgh.

Think Balfron and Killearn would be outside your budget given you want 4 bedrooms and a decent garden.

Kilmarnock or some of surrounding villages, might be possible - but be careful about the catchment schools. You might even get a view of the sea!

Remember prices are "offers over" when you're scoping out what you can afford.

In a lot of places you'll need to add at least 10% to get the minimum selling price.

Ochaye - we're neighbours! You get a lot of bang for your buck around here (crieff-ish) and it really is god's own country. 25 mins to Perth or Stirling. Commutable to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and at Andrews. I also met a loony who committed to Aberdeen daily! Train to London... (Why would anyone go there? ).

For right now I can't imagine anywhere better. Although I'm sticking myself in the Cairngorms once the kids are away.

with that money i think you would be better to either go east of edinburgh or west of glasgow. as another poster suggested: East Lothian/Fife or Ayrshire/Argyll & Bute. those areas are also much more likely to give you a NZ lifestyle where the central belt really doesn't. i lived in falkirk for a couple of years and it honestly drove me nuts not being able to see water - hadn't realised it was an issue for me as i'd always previously lived close to water.

although even then what you're looking for will be difficult to get for £250k... mainly because once you are in a town large enough for gymnastics, etc you lose the garden space. and if you do it based on schools that have a good reputation then that will make it even more challenging.

I think the posters suggest anywhere in Perthshire are being a bit too optimistic.

You'll struggle to get 4 bedrooms and a decent garden for £250k there and it'll be a miracle if you get a garage with that.

Irvine might be a possibility that gives you sea, gymnastics and swimming.

Are you making physical visits or just searching online? Central Scotland had many places with good transport links though beware, I think the train from linlithgow to Edinburgh is changing route soon. Larbert is handy for travel to Edinburgh/ Glasgow, house prices ok, you would get a four bedroom for that, not the size of garden you are used to, all the kids activities you could want. Goid high school. Easy and quick drive to lots of beautiful countryside, can walk from there to country park in plean, drive to Trossachs etc. Fair distance to the beach. Would imagine that budget wouldn't go as far in Stirling/ Dunblane. Falkirk town certainly smaller if any gardens except way out of that range. If you want easy transport, look at the train station s. Polmont has some nice areas, linlithgow lovely but pricey

you certainly get a good amount for your money here. I've a brother who lives in linlithgow area and you aren't going to get anything like a 4 bed for 250k. Crieff/comrie/muthill way it is doable although new properties coming on the market are quite slow.
We have a lovely detached 3 bed that didn't break the bank...