Move from London to Edinburgh single woman

[AIgal]

I'm a 31yo single woman, and considering a move from London to Scotland to start afresh after a relationship breakdown just over a year ago.

About me/my life:

• I really enjoy sports and exercise (Barrys, Soulcycle, netball)
• I have a small dog, who loves long walks
• My friends are dispersed across London and Essex, so I don't see them super regularly (as I would if they were around the corner)
• I love the countryside and the coast
• I currently own a flat here that I'm not hugely keen on, and looking to port my mortgage if I was to move
• I can work remotely

Any thoughts and tips are welcomed - I have one colleague living there, but don't know anyone else.

I'm biased probably, but I think you would like it here in Edinburgh, plenty of green spaces for the wee dug, it's fairly easy to access coast and countryside from the city, I would guess most sports are catered for but its a fairly compact city so it doesn't tend to take too long to get to various venues across the city.

Downsides are, you might find property more expensive than you thought it would be. People in the south of England insist on telling you how much further your money will go in Scotland but that's not really the case in Edinburgh.

Obviously it's colder than the south of England and for a few weeks in winter the days are pretty short. I don't think there is more rainfall on average but it's harder to predict.

I found when I moved here from Kent a few years ago it was much easier to make a new social circle, there are a lot of incomers for work and study who are open to developing a friendship circle, where I was in Kent everyone was booked up with their family and old school friends. They were nice enough but didn't need anyone new and I found it quite lonely.

Remember most properties will sell for over the asking price. Espc.com is more popular than rightmove. Unless things have changed a lot, add at least 10% to the advertised price. You probably need to get the English property sold first before you can make an offer, as the process is more binding earlier in Scotland, but best to get proper advice on that.

How exciting, Edinburgh is so nice! I lived there for 2 years then moved north to the Highlands so happy to help with any questions!

Agree with pp, property is very expensive, do you know what your budget might be? There are lots of places outside of Edinburgh that are very commutable where prices are cheaper. We do “offers over” in Scotland and you need to have a solicitor to make an offer. I would say it would be better to rent first rather than straight into buying in a new city but appreciate you wanting to port the mortgage!!

I also agree it’s a very difficult place to make friends, I’m not sure why! I have heard the same from a lot of others online too. If you have Facebook, join the EGG group! It’s a lovely group of ladies mostly based in Edinburgh.

There are three seperate beaches in Edinburgh and lots of parks.

Portobello is probably best for what you're asking for, fab Victorian swimming pool with Turkish bath on your doorstep, Holyrood Park a short walk away which is great for dog walking. Well connected for town and kind of boho area with lots of cafes, restaurants and a lovely independent bookshop and housing stock that's comparable to the New Town but much cheaper (by Edinburgh standards).

I lived there in my late twenties/ early thirties. I also went to Uni there so had a friendship group and family close by. I also made new friends through work and people I met through a hobby group.

Edinburgh is a fab city if you are settled down and don't want to go out much. As a single adult who wants an active social life I found it fairly dull and am now back in London.

I tend to go to the theatre regularly and keep up with all the exhibitions on down here which wasn't really possible in Ed. The range of fitness activities is much broader in London although there are nice yoga studios and I think spin places in edinburgh.

Property is cheaper than London (I doubled my mortgage to trade an amazing 2 bed 2 bath place in central Edinburgh for a one bed in central london). Parking can be really tricky centrally though and depending on where you are managing without a car is difficult.

The one big advantage of Edinburgh is how easy it is to get out of town. It takes me more than an hour to drive to the edge of London! Whereas in Edinburgh, I could be down on Gullane or Yellowcraigs beach within an hour (or Portobello or Cramond if those float your boat).

It's also slightly harder to travel abroad e.g from London I hop on Eurostar whereas from Edinburgh you are pretty much limited to flying, and if you want to go long haul lots of destinations involve flying to a euro hub.

I live in Edinburgh, but used to live in London (a looooooong time ago though).

Pros

• plenty of coast and country within easy reach
• easy to get around, nothing's that far (though we like to moan about traffic and potholes)
• very dog friendly
• Edinburgh festivals
• decent enough range of bars and restaurants

Cons

• the weather

-more expensive to fly on holiday

• not the same choice of theatre, exhibitions you get in London
• London is so much better for local, casual but nice, pubs.

I found it hard to make friends here, I don't know why, I'd really had that before. It's fine now, I've been here 20 years, but I found the early years tough.

Also worth mentioning that Glasgow is 50 mins away by train so you're got two vibrant cities within an hour of each other.

Do it!!
I agree with the suggestion of Portobello to live.

Lots of great advice already. One extra point that comes to mind as you said your job is remote. Depending on your salary, do keep in mind that you will likely pay more income tax when you become a Scottish resident. It's most different % wise around the £50k mark.

This is a good point. The 40% tax band (which is 41% in Scotland) kicks in lower than in England, and below the level that the national insurance level drops to 2%, so I think you're worse off for earnings above £43K-ish.

Also came here to say Portobello sounds up your street

Hi OP, not much to add about Scotland other than I had had the same idea as you 4 years ago. I got divorced and wanted a fresh start, and always fancied Edinburgh for a mix of city life while being close to the munros! So had done my research as you are. I didn't end up making the move in the end as:

1. Weather - as rainy and grey as London can be, Scotland is sooooo much colder/wetter and more temperamental. And the walks can be so much boggier. And while I loved it on holiday, not sure it would have been enjoyable long term.
2. Work - my job always had remote working but I was always conscious they could move to more office days which would scupper me, and my industry doesn't have as many jobs in Edinburgh to change.
3. Social life - because my job isn't so office based I wasn't sure it would be as easy to make really close friends at work.
4. Someone told me the dating scene isn't as good as London for your 30s as people tend to settle down a bit younger. So with the single 30s men there's more of them with kids than London. But I don't know how true this is!
5. I had a very established social and work network in London and the surrounds that I eventually decided was not worth giving up. From my few trips, it did seem that people had established friends groups already as there's less movement in/out compared to London. But a good way of checking is to see how many meet up groups for your interests there are.

I stayed in London and just invested more time in creating a new life. New hobbies, a slight career change, getting more involved in my local community, exploring more of the countryside and walking that's a day trip from London (south downs, chilterns, north downs etc) and eventually finding a new partner. In hindsight I was still grieving my break up though outwardly I felt fine and moving was a knee jerk reaction (a bit like a drastic hair cut would have been). But the loneliness, grief, restlessness etc I was feeling in London I'd feel in Scotland too once the initial excitement died down.

Of course you might feel completely different! But just wanted to comment in case this decision is mostly because of your breakup and the general malaise it causes. The malaise passes.

I still miss being close to the munros however!

I think if you you give up your London flat unless you have lots of inherited wealth/ passive income / fabulously paid job you will never be able to return because housing is always more in London.

I think all aspects of Edinburgh are good other than the dating scene. Though that might be the case everywhere!

I live in Portobello - great for walks with dogs. We have an active community of surfers, outdoor swimmers, runners etc. The beach is host to a huge volleyball tournament.

It has an active social media page where people regularly post about making friends in the area.. more broadly, EGG on Facebook is a great way to connect with other women in Edinburgh.