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 😀

As a side note I loathe Dunfermline

Wash your mouth oot! 😂

I live in Aberdour but out of all these choices I would definitely choose Dunfermline or Dalgety Bay. The teens just go into Edinburgh as they all have free bus travel, so there's potentially loads to do.

Polmont, Redding areas handy for motorway/trains

I'd commute 4 days a week by car, up to 60 minute drive each way (probably 45 there, 60 back), to the west side of Edinburgh..

Can you say where? I've not commuted since before Covid but it used to be awful from about 7-8.30 and 4-6.30. If there's a public transport option I would grab it.

Crewe Toll.. train fare to Haymarket is prohibitive plus it's still a good trek from Haymarket to Crewe Toll. Would plan to leave early!

Personally I think 45-60 minutes by car at commuting times is tight for any of the places being discussed. It is totally impossible for many (Kirkcaldy, Glenrothes, Falkland etc absolutely no chance).

If you're at The Gyle you might have made it out of the carpark by 45 minutes 😂

If you're really set on using the car 4 days a week I'd look much more closely at Ratho, Kirkliston etc and try to avoid the bridge. I don't know how much flexibility there is in your £200k but here's one fixed at £240 in Kirkliston

espc.com/property/5-balneil-place-kirkliston-eh29-9gn/36171103?sid=358793

Ah sorry ok Crewe Toll is west but is after Barnton and Queensferry Road which are crunch points. You'll need 75 minutes in the morning to make it in for 9am from Dunfermline.

There are some nice 3 bedroom houses in Perth which are under your budget at the moment. I regularly travel to Edinburgh for work and it is about 50 60 minutes depending on when you leave the house!!

https://espc.com/property/17-bowling-green-road-kirkliston-eh29-9bg/36181850?sid=242484

There are a few in Kirkliston just over the £200k. They're small but perfectly nice.

I think for a 4 days a week commute by car you have think carefully otherwise you'll go mad, but maybe that's just me! Crewe Toll is a pain - my dad commuted to the Leonardo (BAE systems) factory there for decades. Hours and hours of his life 😑 there's also the Western General there so it's well served by buses for that reason.

Have been looking at Perth too, thanks for the info. Plan to leave early morning.

I've worked at the west side of Edinburgh (gyle area) and have lived and am familiar with many parts of Fife.

Forget anywhere further than Dunfermline/Dalgety Bay as you're life will be hell commuting.

Based on your budget of 200K, your commute to west Edinburgh and your need for a diverse population and facilities - Dunfermline is where I would recommend. Dalgety Bay is nice but smaller and more expensive with less facilites for your children.

Dunfermline has lots of new builds (last 25 years) plus lots built around the sixties in private areas (Pitcorthie) which is nice in my opinion. There are lots of ex council houses most of which are ok and you would get a 4 bed semi in ex council or a 3 bed semi in Duloch or Pitcorthie (private areas). There is also lovely historical buildings in the centre but for houses tend to cost more.

There are plenty of parks. The main town centre is a bit run down like most places with shutting shops but overall Dunfermline is nicer than Kirkcaldy.

Cupar, Falkland - nice but small and too far from Edinburgh.

Kinglassie - small, near Glenrothes and too far too commute. So I would write that off immediately. Also beware Fife has lots of 'ugly and depressing' ex minning villages. Personal choice of course but for me I would streer clear.

There are some nice 3 bedroom houses in Perth which are under your budget at the moment. I regularly travel to Edinburgh for work and it is about 50 60 minutes depending on when you leave the house!!

Perth is not manageable 4 days a week by car. Not if you want to have a life. 50-60 from Perth to Edinburgh is when there is NO traffic.

(I have commuted from Dunfermline for 9 years by car, to Ferry road, driving through Crewe Toll every day)

Agree with others that Kirkliston worth a look if you can afford a house there as it tends to be more expensive than Fife but less commuting. Smaller than Dunfermline though.
I wouldn't go to Perth as it will be bad in summer and hell in winter if there is any snow. I worked there for a year and struggled in winter to get back to Fife.

I agree with what PoochyPaws says except I find Dalgety Bay cheaper than Dunfermline like for like. Dunfermline has more diversity of property age and type though.

Interesting. I have lived in both places and always though Dalgety bay was a bit more snobby and a bit more expensive. Maybe that has changed now then.

PM me if you want anymore into about Perth or Kinross ( it is nice also)!

I think was true - as an older more established town Dunfermline was a bit rougher round the edges back in the day.

In the decade I've lived here it's really felt on its uppers and house prices/demand are generally still pretty strong, as well as new housing. I wouldn't live anywhere else now!

Have you thought about areas on the other side of the bridge? The Scottish Borders in particular. For example, Kelso, Lauder, Pathhead, Dalkeith?

I will take a look!

Also worth browsing Galashiels, Tweedbank and Gorebridge.

If you’re looking at west Edinburgh commuting by car 4 days a week you need to be pretty near the bridge or you will be doing a 4 hr drive each day.

There are some nice small villages in Fife (mainly on the coast) but most of them are pretty grim and depressing with high unemployment and little infrastructure. Certainly not diverse and welcoming. Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes are dumps and would be well over an hour’s commute just to live in a shithole. Dunfermline is…okay… Also public services in Fife are horrendous, having worked for the council I would never live in Fife again.

What about Winchburgh? It’s a new small town really the way it’s being built up but might be a bit nicer. South of Edinburgh and into the borders is lovely but then you would have the southern bypass to contented with.

I live in fife and my DH commutes to edinburgh. He says it's a nightmare. If I were you I would look anywhere that doesn't need you to cross the bridge in the morning and evening. Look west and south rather than north of Edinburgh.

I did suggest Cupar before, but I was thinking of the train really, I don't think I'd do it by car.

I was going to suggest Cupar for that very reason. I think they are changing the train prices so there are no peak prices.