Living in Dumfries area

[Spanglybangles]

Hi all. We are seriously thinking of moving from the Angus area to the Dumfries area. OH is working down there all the time now and commutes weekly staying away Mon to Fri, so it would make sense for us to make the move so we can spend more time together as a family.

Am looking for some information on what it’s like to live in the area and best areas to live in. We have 2 children, 7 and 14, so feel Dumfries and suburbs would be best taking into consideration our teens needs for a social life especially in a new area.

OH has scouted a little and thinks Georgetown, the Summerpark development area or Heathhall look our best options for homes and schools. Anyone who lives in Dumfries can give me some opinions on these places or indeed offer alternative suggestions?

I’m under no illusion about Dumfries and am sure it has its issues, but it really seems the most logical place for our family. TIA.

I work in Dumfries my children are grown up but most of of colleagues live there and have sent or have sent their children to the local schools all are normal and well adjusted no a drug addict amongst them and those who’ve left school are attending the usual mixture of universities from the Russell Group through to less well known, or doing apprenticeships etc no one seems unhappy with the education their children are or did receive. The high street in very run down which is sad but the people are generally very friendly and there are some very nice areas with beautiful Red sand stone houses. I can’t comment on prices. If I was in your position I would also look at Castle Douglas it’s a nice small town with good resources/shops again I can’t comment on the school but one colleague had a DC there and she is very ambitious for her child and has no complaints. Ok if your teenage children want to go clubbing every night and shopping at weekends in large malls then Castle Douglas and Dumfries are not the places for you but the countryside is stunning as are the beaches, there are activities yes mainly outdoors but it’s not devoid of anything to do. Kirkcudbright is a also a pretty town smaller than Castle Douglas and I know a couple of professional couple with kids at the school there again I don’t hear any complaints.
I think to say the area is only of interest to the horsey is untrue I am very horsey and frankly I’m a bit disappointed by the lack of horseyness.
Our region is very beautiful and peaceful our landscape is unspoilt and varied and the people are warm and friendly.
PM me if you want to know more.

@Carjo29. Thank you, this is helpful. It’s good to hear from someone living in the town currently, and raising kids there too. We visited earlier in the month, checked into a hotel for the weekend and explored the area. Came to the conclusion that our favourite areas to live would be Georgetown, Calside, Noblehill area. Also liked the look of Sunmerpark developments. We stayed at The Holiday Inn and thought that area looked nice as well.

We visited Castle Douglas and I rather liked it too, but thinking Dumfries might be preferable for my teenager as there will be more going on as well as having the train station giving easy access to the cities.

Thats interesting what you say about the schools as we had been quite set on Wallace Hall, we drove there and had a look around, checked out the website, Facebook page etc, daughter really liked the look of it and has said she thinks she would like to go there. But what you say about being grade driven makes me think a bit more. While grades are important, I’m more interested in support and a good school environment for my kids, so more discussion will be required there.

We are now looking at waiting until spring to market our house and look for something down there as this is Nat 5 year for teenager so can’t disrupt the school year at this point. Thanks for your input.

OP, Noblehill & Georgetown are good choices. Stick to the high ground! (see flooding report on the BBC if you don't know what I mean).

@IseeScottishhills. Thank you for your comments, I just noticed your post just now after replying to the one above. This is also really reassuring. I thought the area was lovely, Dumfries is actually much bigger or spread out than I expected. Daughter has no plans for clubbing yet, but does enjoy shopping. Train to Glasgow would sort that out though. I work for the NHS and have for many years so Dumfries would probably/hopefully offer the most job opportunities for me so I could remain within the NHS.

My OH has expressed a preference for Castle Douglas as he likes a smaller, quieter place (though it may just be for the Indian restaurant there that he frequents!!) I also thought it was a nice place and would personally be happy to live there, but have to consider the wants and needs of the kids too, seeing as we will be moving them from everything and everyone they know.

There will be more visits to the area over the coming months than before we out our house on the market, so we can really nail down where we want to be. I just want to make sure we make the right choices as we don’t want to have to move the kids again after this if we can help it. I will perhaps take you up on the PM offer for more info sometime, thank you.

@ICouldHaveCheckedFirst. Oh gosh yes absolutely, it’s awful right now isn’t it, such a shame for all affected all over the south west of Scotland. High ground all the way!!!

I went to Kirkcudbright Academy albeit a long time ago. The people I know who have stayed around or returned and have kids at the school are generally quite positive. There’s a lot to do in the area if you have kids who enjoy outdoor pursuits like mountain biking, watersports etc.

I’ve had to spend a fair bit of time working in Dumfries over the last 2-3 years, I live about 45mins away and had always assumed Dumfries was quite a nice little town, so was shocked when I started having to spend time there… I am in no way a snob, but I find Dumfries to be soul sappingly depressing, just awful. It’s dirty , miserable and tired looking, and I’d hate to live there. Avoid Lincluden area especially (trod on a used syringe outside a shop there once). Heading out towards Lockerbie it gets less worse, but if you’ve got £220,000 to spend on a house there are many better places to live

@overnightangel. Thanks for your input also. Can I ask where you would suggest as an alternative then? We want to be somewhere that’s within striking distance of much of the county as OH is working there now. He’s in forestry so has for example worked near Castle Douglas, Dunscore, Newton Stewart area, Lochmaben area and currently Carsphairn wind farm. He commutes weekly and stays in his caravan on site, we want to stop this and allow him to come home every night or at least nearly every night. Also need to accommodate kids of 7 and nearly 15 and their activities and me be able to work as well, hopefully in another NHS role. As we will be newcomers to the area, we don’t know the best areas to live in, hence this thread. Am taking note of all opinions. Thanks.

The train to Glasgow from Dumfries is pretty rubbish most people go from Lockerbie its cheaper and takes 1/2 the time. There is a bus from Dumfries to Glasgow but as I'm sure you are aware traffic in and out of Glasgow is a PITA.
Newton Steward is a tidy step from Dumfries. Many staff at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary (DGRI) will commute from Castle Douglas and Kirkcudbright and surrounding areas and there are lots of vacancies at the moment.
I only work in Dumfries I dont live there but do travel around it quite a lot for work yes I agree the high street is a bit depressing but many areas are pleasant some are very nice. The most noticeable thing is how friendly everyone is. I do go onto some social housing estates and everyone always says "good morning/hello" I've lived and worked in many part of the UK and trust me there are plenty of worse and more depressing places that Dumfries. It was also voted the happiest town in Scotland a few years ago so it cant be that bad. I guess it depends what your comparing it too ok its not smart like parts of central London and the shops aren't great and I guess in the current climate are unlikely to get significantly better but that applies to many smallish towns across the UK.
The population of the region is generally elderly and I can see why you think your children will be happier in Dumfries than say Castle Douglas but there obviously are children living in places like Kirkcudbright and Castle Douglas and I'm surprised how many activities there are in both towns especially if you children enjoy the outdoor life then I would have thought both would have a lot to offer them. My neighbours say house prices in the Stewartry (where both Castle Douglas and Kirkcudbright are located) are rising rapidly this may be wishful thinking in their part, I don't know if Kirkcudbright in particular would be within your price range or maybe even Castle Douglas you would have to research that. Dalbeattie which is close to Castle Douglas might be cheaper it and has its own primary/secondary school I know someone who sends her DCs there she doesn't seem to think its OK. Its close to nice villages like Kippford Auchencairn and Sandy Hills all of which have lovely coastal walks.

Sorry typo I know someone who's ends their DCs to Dalbeattie School she seems to think it is ok.