Kinglassie, Fife, any opinions?

[Jon54321]

We're moving to Scotland (have a job in Edinburgh), and we're looking for good value areas to live. We didn't like Kirkcaldy, as it felt really depressed, Glenrothes just felt odd (the town seems to be a giant shopping mall), but I've seen a property online in Kinglassie (old mining town) that looks great from my Internet viewing.
Does anyone have any experience of Kinglassie? Any good, or somewhere to avoid?
Have 2 boys, age 7 and 8, ideally would like scouts, and football club nearby. School needs to be walking distance as I'm the only driver...
Thanks 😀

It wouldn’t be my first choice simply for logistical reasons . Lochgelly and Cowdenbeath both have high schools which would be good for your children as they get older - they’d have to be bussed somewhere from Kinglassie. Also, they both have train stations with direct trains to Edinburgh which is handy.

I would be very hesitant about Kinglassie as a choice. It's really small with pretty limited bus service and no train. If you plan to be there when kids are secondary age it will really limit their independence.

I grew up in Kirkcaldy and completely understand your impression of it now. The high street decline has been so sad from my memory of the 80s/90s when it was buzzing. But there are some great areas still, decent schools, lovely parks and good transport links. Plus all the usual clubs and activities for the kids.

Glenrothes is a post-war new town. Like East Kilbride or (I believe) Milton Keynes it feels like lots of roundabouts and housing estates. But again better connections than Kinglassie, not quite so good as Kirkcaldy.

I have to disagree with the pp. Cowdenbeath and Lochgelly are IME quite insular mining towns and if your kids aren't local it could prove tricky to fit in. The local accent is significantly harder to follow than the big towns too. I can, but it's striking, I have to concentrate, and I'm from a few miles down the road. Not to mention behaviour and aspirations (or lack of) of their peers are likely to be a concern. I know league tables have their limitations but the secondaries are pretty far down the bottom of whole of Scotland.

Have you looked at Dunfermline?

OP, what's your budget?

I live in Edinburgh & work in Fife - could give you some advice, depending on your budget.

Any reason why it needs to be Fife? Plenty of other places to consider in the surrounding Lothians.

Thanks for the advice. My wife is South American, so my boys are half Latino, so keen to be somewhere with a bit of ethnic diversity. Will check out Dunfermline properties, it's an easier commute too.

Ideally don't want to spend more than 200k, as I'm trying to get somewhere where we can live comfortably on just my salary.

I guess it doesn't really, I liked the idea of already being North of the bridge, but was also looking at Bo'ness area. East of Edinburgh gets more expensive, plus my office is west side of Edinburgh. Will keep looking anywhere within 45 mins commute!

Plenty of 3 bed semis in nice residential area of south Dunfermline in catchment for good schools.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/140687657#/?channel=RES_BUY

Or this is a 3bed flat, two mins from station, 5 mins to school, 10 min walk from town centre

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/133174469#/?channel=RES_BUY

Thanks, seen a few around there, is on the shortlist! We have 4 cats, so the added requirement of not being near busy roads narrows the shortlist (although that applies for kids too)

Definitely look to the bigger towns. Small town Fife has many virtues but ethnic diversity is not one of them! Good luck with the move.

I'd look further west - there might be a few options in Stirling that are in your budget and the benefit of a train station - all the activities you are looking for can be found there as well.

Or perhaps Larbert.

I grew up near Glenrothes - I get what you mean about the shopping mall feel, it is a new town so lots of 'precincts' built around a town centre and a dubious line in town art to make up for limited attractive historical buildings. The town centre also feels quite run down and depressing these days. Kirkcaldy has some very nice parts and a lot of grim parts, like many medium sized towns.
If looking near Glenrothes I would go for Markinch, which has some nice properties and also has the train station. Similarly Thornton. Kinglassie always struck me as an odd place when I was a kid and I don't think the transport links are great.
It's not a particularly diverse area - though more so now than in the eighties and nineties. However same could probably be said for a lot of Scotland outside the big cities.

Agree Dalgety Bay, Dunfermline, maybe Burntisland. but don't exclude Kirkliston, Winchburgh, Linlithgow Bridge, South Queensferry.

South of the bridge will bring budget challenges but north will be commuting - it can be horrendous.

Am Private Messaging you, OP...

Falkland (on the way to Cupar) looks nice..

I stay near there and it is lovely. But lack of good public transport may be an issue.

Falkland is lovely but would again be quite limited for teenagers. It would be a tricky commute. Dunfermline is a good shout. Most of the schools have a well established bus service if you end up far from a school and children get free bus travel anyway.

What about Dalgety Bay?

How about Cupar? Ethnic diversity is not really a feature of Fife, but north east Fife tends to be a bit more diverse because there are lots of academics working at St Andrews university and they come from all over the place. It's also got a reasonable high school, a railway station, and stuff for kids to do.

It is lovely but can be dark in the winter because of where the hill is. It's definitely a decent choice though.

How often do you have to commute to Edinburgh? The more you commute the closer/better links you need.

For me, commuting from Falkland, Cupar or Glenrothes would be a hard no! Falkland is also pretty desirable and expensive for a family home.

Dunfermline is a great place to live especially with children, and an easy commute. Quite diverse and good schools. £200k won't get you much but you'll get something if you look around and don't need it to be that big.

For value vs commute I'd pick Rosyth or Inverkeithing where the trains are good but prices are lower than Dunfermline or Dalgety Bay. Still close enough to Dunfermline to enjoy the amenities.

Is it the new estate? It's perfectly lovely with lots of nice children! Very commutable to the a92

As a side note I loathe Dunfermline and would pick a lovely area in Kirkcaldy or Glenrothes every time!

Also make sure you are checking on the ESPC website as well as Rightmove! Lots more choice on there.

Bo'Ness would be a no from me. Its cheap and near the water. That's all it has going for it. We looked at a house there but realised we'd spend all our lives going to and from Linlithgow.

The only other places I think would work for you could be Falkirk or Livingston. Great trains, (especially Falkirk) and cheap property. I much prefer Fife though!