Moving to Scotland - where would you recommend based on our criteria?

[UltramarineViolet]

DH and I currently live in England but we both love Scotland and relocating at some point between now and retirement would be our dream

Our DC are young adults just starting out in life. No idea where in the world they will settle in the longer term but let’s assume they are most likely to be in Manchester, London or Yorkshire.

our requirements would be:

• Beautiful scenery for walking and cycling, ideally near water with opportunities for sailing
• Not too remote, a train station within half an hour or so would be a bonus, we would want to meet up with DC on regular basis so not too far North
• Small town with supermarket, health centre or small hospital etc no further than 20 minute drive away
• property not obscenely expensive; would want something nice with 3+ bedrooms for under £300K or thereabouts
• a good community, not too insular or hostile to incomers

Perthshire. Aberfeldy has everything - tiny cinema, swimming pool, health centre and nice cafes and useful shops. 30 mins to Dunkeld or Pitlochry stations. Dunkeld has the station and all of the above plus it is beautiful, but £££ these days. I’d also say the Borders if your family are in N of England. Near Peebles and Innerleithen for in-land adventures and drivable to the borders railway, but it only goes north to Edinburgh so another saying Berwickshire because it is absolutely lovely and quite affordable.

Nairn or Kircudbright!

Don’t underestimate though how burdensome it becomes to visit family in England , especially if grandchildren come along. Driving long distances or spending hours in a train can become quite a chore. Think about this carefully. Also the winters can be very harsh in the Highlands. Even the Borders are very significantly colder.
Also the SNP is an absolute nightmare.

Kenmore, Aberfeldy, round there. Its loch sailing rather than sea...

Broughty Ferry or Tayport.

Stirling is a brilliant wee city to check out, too.

West D&G is very pretty but you are an hour or more off the motorway. Moffat is on the M74/M6 station is Lockerbie. I think there are trains to Manchester and London from there -very few but otherwise you have to go to Carlisle.

Oh and check out Crief. Spendy but absolutely cracking location. Cupar too in North Fife.

Crieff.

Bloody autocorrect

@MyEyesMyThighs Kirkcudbright on our shortlist already. Nairn probably too far North

Largs - sea on one side, hills on the other.

Also voting D&G - grew up there. Anywhere but Dumfries TBH, worth noting the new hospital is outside Dumfries along the bypass, so Castle Douglas, Kirkcudbright, Thornhill, Penpont/Moniaive (although along smaller country roads) are all within easy distance; you've got the River Nith and Loch Ken for watersports, as well as the Drumlanrig Estate for walks and biking.

Also easy to get onto the M74/M6, trains from Lockerbie go down south, although I would suggest getting the train from Dumfries and changing at Carlisle - IME the Lockerbie trains are inconsistent and rely on the West Coast line which is a nightmare.

Alternatively I suggest the Borders/Moffat for ease of access to main transport routes, but house prices are a bit higher there I think.

Thanks again for all the suggestions

Lots of places to consider 😃

West Fife, Burntisland or loads of villages around the Dunfermline area.

Sailing at South Queensferry, watersports at Kinghorn Loch and Lochore Meadows.
You could get a 3 bed for under £300K.
Mainline station at Inverkeithing.
Loads of nice countryside, seaside and walks.
Hospital with minor injuries and outpatient appointments in Dunfermline, hospital with A and E in Kirkcaldy.

Scotland is getting a lot of English retirees, so beware that you may not be universally welcomed

I was going to suggest this too or West Kilbride (it's quite artsy and community focused). Also agree about Aberfeldy or maybe Pitlochry. Perthshire is just lush in general. Joppa beside Portobello on the east coast is nice but may be ££. East Neuk is absolutely beautiful but v expensive for property and terrible public transport. Burnt Island might be a good option though around that area, as PP mentioned.

What is that supposed to mean? Do we have a quota for English people living here that I’m not aware of?

Not in the places I know.

Don’t be ridiculous.

Dundee or the surrounding villages - Broughty Ferry or Newport on Tay.

Huh?

First thought was Stirling.
Dumfries and Galloway also lovely

@Gingerkittykat Thanks, that area looks like it might fit the bill, we might have to visit for a weekend to get a feel for it. Probably a silly question but do you pronounce Burntisland like ‘Burnt Island’ or Burn-tis-land?

Is Kirkcaldy worth looking at too?

Burnt Island.

I'd say Kirkcaldy is struggling a bit now, I think you could find nicer places to move to.

Burntisland is pronounced Burnt Island. We went there for summer day trips from Edinburgh. Auchterarder, Perthshire is a lovely town. 1 mile from Gleneagles train station which has direct trains to London. Auchterarder is about 1 hour from Edinburgh, Glasgow and the Fife coast.

The SIMD map is a big help with new areas. I see it linked to lots on here. Obviously not fullproof and deprivation indicators don't define a place, but it does give a good sense of an overall area which can help with narrowing down locations from a large choice.

https://simd.scot/#/simd2020/BTTTFTT/14/-3.3672/56.0309/

Nearly got snowed in in Auchterarder once - never went back