Tillicoultry/Alva

[Batcurns]

Moving up from SE England to Scotland.

Have found lovely property in Tillicoultry that ticks our boxes. DC would go to Alva Academy.

Any thoughts on either please? Anything we should be aware of before we put in an offer?

Thanks.

It wouldn’t be my first choice as a place to move to with teens. Do you know the area at all? What kind of activities are your DC into? Stirling would be a better choice, or somewhere with a train station (caveat see the separate thread on Alloa). There are a few pockets in Tilli where it would be ok to live but there is not a lot there.

Can’t speak for the pastoral care at Alva but academically it’s around average ~38/39% leave with 5 highers, this is a v crude measure but to put in context the ‘top’ 10 schools in Scotland are > 69%.

Do you know the Scottish education system? Depending on the age of your DC it can be quite challenging to move into as the system is v different from England.

Thanks for your reply. We live in a village now so are used to being away from the main cities. I was hoping that since there is a high school there, it means there'll be other teens around the area they could make friends with. I'm resigned to being mum's taxi til they can drive anyway, I already am here!

As you posted the statistics I googled it and found the league tables, that's been very helpful, so thanks for that. The only other house we're considering is in Dunfermline, that school performs the same as Alva.

Alva was lovely when we loved there. If considering Menstrie beware of the flooding areas. Sauchie, only if you wish to die! Dollar, Rumbling bridge very nice. How about Bridge of Allan, or is that too far?

OP, Tilly is a former industrial village , is that the kind of village you are used to?

Thank you both. We're quite remote where we are but not industrial no, what do I need to be aware of about that @Wbeezer ?

@CampsieGlamper there are so many lovely and dirt cheap houses in Sauchie- your comment made me laugh out loud as even an agent for one of the new builds I called told me I may not want to live there with teens!

I'm not really familiar with that area @Batcurns but generally ex- industrial villages are NOT picturesque and can be quite run down

There's a lot of deprivation in Tillicoultry and Alva. Have a look here: https://jamestrimble.github.io/imdmaps/simd2016/

I don't imagine there will be much to do for teens there. I drive along the road where Tillicoultry, Alva and Menstrie are situated and it always seems rather down trodden. Loads of new houses being built though. It's not easy to get anywhere from these villages. At least from Dunfermline there is a train station and easy links into Edinburgh.

It's what @LaterHarold has pointed out, Tilly has pockets of social housing that are very high on the Social Deprivation index. It is unusual for this kind of area to not have some associated problems like people with drug and alcohol issues, problem tenants etc some anti social behaviour. It was a mill & mining village but that's all long gone.
Not to say that there aren't plus points, I cycle to work through Tilly on a very nice cycle track and there is a very good youth club, an excellent gym and good bus links, nice scenery, some useful shops etc but check the SIMD map!

Avoid Sauchie, its really not nice!!

Dunfermline has masses more for teens to do. Clackmannanshire doesn't even have a swimming pool anymore!

I would 100% go for Dunfermline over Tillicoutry or Alva. Dunfermline has good transport links, decent shopping, cinemas, entertainment etc, close to some lovely coastal areas and an easy commute to Edinburgh. Clackmannanshire is a tricky commute from any major cities and has significant social and substance abuse problems

I would avoid Tillicoultry and Clackmannanshire tbh. Dollar and Bridge of Allan are nice areas, some parts of Dunfermline are nice especially the newer builds. Dalgety Bay is really lovely and not far from Dunfermline.

I agree Dunfermline is the better option, perhaps you can start a new thread to talk about that option.

Linlithgow is another good option.
Yes there are bargain houses to be had, especially compared to SE prices but if you want a decent sized house, with a bit of character, near a good school and transport links and not a poky new build you have to spend a decent amount (£400+ where I live and where my parents live) or compromise majorly.
My compromise was buying a flat in a converted house instead of a house.

Linlithgow is significantly more expensive than Tillicoultry and Dunfermline

So are a lot of places people have mentioned, we don't know what the OPs budget is though

Yes money is an issue with a lot of the lovely places mentioned on here. We only have 300k for a 4 bed.

How about this OP?

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/137549261#/?channel=RES_BUY

Larbert is a decent area, has train station for connections to Glasgow and Edinburgh and a decent high school.

Price just been reduced so probably a deal to be done in your budget.

I'd definitely think about an upper or lower conversion flat as an alternative to a house. There are often Victorian detached houses converted into two flats that are available in nice areas. I bought one that had it's own front door and private decent garden, driveway and garage, four bedrooms. Meant we could afford to live in a nice area and have space. Would still probably be around the £300 even though it's in a posh postcode.
Former council houses, the older ones, in good postcodes are solidly built and often have large gardens but are much cheaper than period properties or recent new builds.
There are definitely properties available at that price but go for location rather than tempting properties.
That's my advice.
I moved up from London ( but am Scottish) many years ago and had to find somewhere to live on a tight budget but it worked out in the end.

Have a wee look at Moray. Beautiful area. Close to the sea and close to the Cairngorms. More bang for your buck too. People stationed at RAF Lossiemouth end up staying. Plus it a micro climate.

Have you been able to visit these places OP? If you aren’t familiar with the area and with moving so far it’s probably best to rent for a bit until you get your bearings.

The high school isn’t great and there’s a lot of bullying issues. I’ve lived in that area and Langlees and Bainsford are just along the road which have massive drug issues and anti social behaviour problems. The house you linked is in Carron and not Larbert.

It's difficult to choose without local knowledge because virtually all Scottish towns are very mixed and have desirable areas and less desirable areas. There aren't many places that are uniformly lovely!