Fife: Dalgety Bay, Aberdour, Burntisland or Dunfermline?

[Redqueenheart]

I posted a thread a while ago about wanting to move to Scotland from the South East.

Friends who live there have now sent me a list of places in Fife they said I should check out when I am in Scotland next week: Dalgety Bay, Aberdour, Burntisland or Dunfermline.

Would anyone be able to give some insider knowledge on any of the above locations?

I will be living alone and I am in my early 50. My main requirement is somewhere safe and quiet but where I can also access the basics (shops, GP, hospital not too far away) and where I can access things like sailing, swimming and horse riding.

I would be working mainly from home so don't need to commute everyday.

My friends said Dunfermline has some good facilities and I can see that properties are reasonably priced there but I was more attracted to the other places listed (closer to the sea :) )but they seem to have less housing available.

Any further advice much appreciated!

I don’t really know Burntisland so can’t comment on that but I’d say out of the other three options Dalgety Bay might be a good option for you. Aberdour is pretty and picturesque but reducing number of amenities and not a lot of housing. Dunfermline has more amenities and plenty more housing stock options but as you’ve noted you’d be more inland. Dalgety Bay on the coast, a number of shops, GP, library, pubs (s), leisure centre, sailing club and restaurants and a good sense of community. Do you drive? All options have train stations but the train service has reduced and buses are not as frequent as you’ll be used to, but there’s a Park and Ride at Inverkeithing and Halbeath near Dunfermline.

Hopefully someone can add a Burntisland perspective.

Good luck with your visit.

Burntisland is right on the coast. It has its own train station and a good mix of housing. It has a leisure centre for swimming and also a sailing club. Not sure about horse riding. There is a coop and a few local high street shops. A good butcher too. Supermarket wise you have a big Asda and Aldi one way and the other towards Kirkcaldy will give you all supermarkets plus other main high street shops.

Thank you so much for the responses!

@martha78 I do have a driving licence but I would rather avoid having to get a car. I work fully remotely so it would be more occasional trips rather than having to commute regularly so I think a train/bus station is fine.

One of my friend lives in Dalgety Bay. I think I will focus on this and Burntisland.

I would really prefer to be near the sea, but at least I know I can have Dunfermline as a back up if I can't find any suitable housing in the other two locations.

Dunfermline is big and not very pretty - it's a big commuter belt town.

I really like Burntisland, the high street is a bit scruffy (as many high streets are) but there are new places opening here and there, there is sea, in summer there's an old-fashioned seaside town feel.

Adore Aberdour and considering it for my own retirement - but housing doesn't come up a lot there. Dalgety Bay I know the least but everyone else raves about it - it's niace. My personal order of preference would be Aberdour, Burntisland, DB. I wouldn't even put Dunfermline on my list.

All would be doable without a car (taking as read you'd buy somewhere in the town centre, all of these places have country-ish options) except you might need one for horse riding as that won't be central.

İ know a couple of people who have moved to Burntisland, I visited out recently and it was nice than I remembeted, there's an "artisan" bakery! However it is not quiet when the funfair is in town and the Highland Games are on, then it's crowded with lots of drinking and noisy goings on, mind you you might enjoy a bit of excitement after a coastal winter.
I'd add Limekilns, Charlestown and maybe Dysart to the list, although they don't have train stations they are near them.

@Wbeezer Yes I read about the funfair :). I think it might be nice. I would just make sure that I don't live too close to the site.

@MaChienEstUnDick if the roads are quiet I could get a car but I would prefer to just use train and buses or an electric bike, so yes I would move somewhere in or near the town centre.

Dalgety bay is nice, right on the water and has sailing. Used to be a bit soulless but has more amenities now. Lots of families.
Dunfermline is large town and has LOADS of amenities. Know people who live there and are very happy. There's massive new housing developments to east side which feel a bit cut off but also loads of older housing near the town.

I quite like Burntisland but it does get a bit of bad press. Town not very attractive and as PP mentioned there's a fairground there all summer. Beach is lovely.
Aberdour more touristy, pretty with lovely beach.

They're all on train line so all are in Edinburgh commuter belt

Torryburn and Newmills might be worth looking at, too. Right on the estuary shore. No trains yet, but there is talk of opening up the line to Glasgow from Dunfermline, which passes through both villages. At the moment, you'd have to go to Rosyth or Inverkeithing for trains. Buses seem regular and you get good value for money housing wise. Culross and Low Valleyfield are lovely but ouch financially.

I'd also take a look at South Queensferry- it has Port Edgar Marina for sailing/watersports, easy access to Edinburgh by bus/train - a lovely high street, Dalmeny estate & Hopetoun house.

@MoreProseccoNow

Thank you! I will add it to my list although it might be a bit too expensive for me. I can see a couple of properties I could just about afford though ..:)

As a Fifer out of all those I would pick Dalgety Bay.
Do you know how the Scottish property market works, offers over & most properties are selling for considerably more, used to be around 10% over but the sky's the limit at the moment.

I had the best holidays ever as a child in Burntisland and Kinghorn.

I love Aberdour but as people say houses don’t come up often. I find Dunfermline soulless. S Queensferry would be a good option definitely. Don’t know Burntisland very well , lots of wild swimming around there. Don’t know Dalgety Bay at all.

What about Pittenweem? No train station however.

Dalgety Bay, Aberdour, Burntisland are all coastal villages. Aberdour is particularly pretty. If you want village lifestyle, near the beach etc these are for you. All three are on the trainline to Edinburgh. Primary schools are great, high school is ok.

Dunfermline is a much bigger town (city) so you've got choices of schools (all pretty good), shops, pubs, restaurants. Its the ancient capital of Scotland with bags of history. On the trainline to Edinburgh and Inverkeithing station is on the East Coast mainline. Bus station to go all over and next to the motorway. So great for commuting. Its 10-15 minutes drive to the coastal villages if you still want the beach.

They are all nice places to live in. You should also consider North Queensferry for same reasons as the other villages but closer to Edinburgh (rail and road). Or Limekilns, Charlestown.

I live in Dunfermline and like it. I would also happily live in all of the places above.

Dalgety Bay beach has an interesting history. The park in Dunfermline is lovely.

Gordon Brown lives near North Queensferry & we used to swim/dogwalk on the beach near his house, often watched by blokes with guns. 😎

Thank you everyone! that's really helpful.

@MajorCarolDanvers good to hear a positive story about Dunfermline. It looked like it had lots of choice in term of properties to me so I will check it out as well. Are there any areas you would advise to avoid (safety and somewhere quiet are my priorities as I will be living on my own) or that would be good to investigate?

@FannyFifer yes, I researched the buying process and the ''offers over'' system . I am after something small-ish (2 bed) and it does not have to be pretty. Also as I work remotely and don't need to worry about school catchment. I can pretty much go anywhere that is within budget so hopefully there will be some opportunities plus I think the market is about to slow down considerably due to the current cost of living mess.

I am travelling to Scotland this weekend and getting rather excited about it all.

@Redqueenheart Are there any areas you would advise to avoid (safety and somewhere quiet are my priorities as I will be living on my own) or that would be good to investigate?

If you like new build then Duloch is where to go. If you like older houses then you want Transy or Garvock.

Tbh most of Dunfermline is pretty nice. There are a few housing schemes you'd not want to live on but you are unlikely to be looking at houses for sale there anyway.

Aberdour is beautiful but seems to have had lots of little shops and a coffee shop close recently - which is really unfortunate.

I find Dalgety Bay a bit hard to get my head round - it does have some bigger shops but reminds me of a planned town. Lots of developments from 1960s that sprawl and all look similar. I also think you might run into logistical difficulties without a car in some of the West Fife suggestions like Limekilns etc.

If being close to the sea appeals to you, you should definitely do it.

I reckon Burntisland might be your strongest contender, previous posters have said the High Street is a bit scruffy but actually it is properly thriving, with some of the little shops really killing it in terms of the produce they are selling - think winning national level awards. If eco-credentials appeal to you there is a cracking refill shop there. There is also a very strong sense of community with quite a lot of activities for such a small place. One note of caution, housing stock is in HOT demand.

Oh and it has a swimming pool and there are a group of wild swimmers who meet that I've seen regularly down on the beach.

OP, what is your budget?

And do you drive?

These are probably the key questions.

I live in one of these places, and know them all well. Burntisland High Street is dreamy if you want wee independent shops and cafes. (The Fix and the Roasting Project, plus fishmonger, butcher, baker). It’s really quite special. For the lifestyle you are describing that would be top of my list - steering clear of any properties right by the fairground for summertime, just because the volume of people is a nuisance.
Dalgety Bay still very car-centric IMO. Aberdour is indeed beautiful but just tiny.

@MoreProseccoNow I can drive but I would rather avoid having to get a car so a train station is a must for me. I don't want to spend more than £250,000 as I want to avoid another mortgage.

Should have said - good luck with your trip up, and (hopefully) welcome to Scotland!

You will be able to afford a great 2 bed property at that price in Dunfermline (KY11 and KY12 postcodes) but will struggle in the other areas you are considering.

I assume you are checking espc.co.uk for properties