Scottish Borders or Dumfries and Galloway for move from England?

[KievLoverTwo]

Hi all,

I am picking the brain of my almost Glasgow resident friend for opinions, but I thought I'd better ask more folks.

The OH and I would like to move to Scotland. We had kind of settled on the Borders as location (after seeing it on the telly - how very original of us) - firstly, because my OH has always been absolutely infatuated with Scotland, and secondly because we don't really have anything tying us to England anymore. We've been looking at houses for 14 months as well, the English prices are just still far too high for our needs (400-450k for something half decent - due to disability we need around 1200+ sq ft and at least three bedrooms, two of which have to be large doubles).

So, I just wanted to get some opinions on some pros and cons of either location, really, please.

We don't need schools, nor public transport. We don't need a massive town for shopping near us, I'd actually prefer somewhere with a decent butcher, fishmonger, grocer etc, or access to a really decent farm shop within an hour. As long as we can have freezers in a garage they don't even really need to be all that close to us. I think I'd prefer not to be desperately isolated and remote at this point. We've spent 2.5 years being remote in rentals and I do miss people a little bit. His office is in Manchester but he's not all that fussed about what sort of faff it takes him to go in, because it's so infrequent (he tells me Lockerbie has a direct train to Manchester though).

It would be nice to have a little garden but nothing vast.

We're trying to keep costs down because a) we're old and this is our first house, we need to seriously work on our pensions - ages 48 and 42). I don't and can't work, so whilst he earns high, there's one income for retirement planning. We will move with a small amount of savings above 10% deposit*. He's going to get whacked hard for extra tax in moving to Scotland (which I've no problem with, I'm just trying to be pragmatic about the future).

*not moving is not an option; the pair of us are borderline going postal in our current rental and he absolutely will not rent again

We found a house we like in Peebles, I've seen a house I quite like in Coldstream, and one that would just about do for a few years in Kelso (which would have a v low mortgage, but also zero garden and the ground floor is maybe a bit too snug). Then we happened upon D&G whilst looking at where my mate lives, and I can't believe how much cheaper it is than Borders.

So I guess I'm really looking at views of why one location might be better or worse than another and opinions on locations please, really.

I'd happily go further North (and we might end up in the highlands in 10 years' time), but I'm trying to be realistic: there are vast weather differences (we're in NW England), and we should probably ease ourselves into the cold gently! Plus he can always say to work 'well I can get to work quicker from X than I can from our rental' if they object to him moving to Scotland. Which sort of has to be a semi consideration for now, because his industry lost 300k people last year, and are due to lose 150k this year.

Thanks for any and all thoughts.

(I suppose I would be most comfortable with a max budget of 300k due to the tax differences)

Oh, and I loathe new builds with a passion, if that's of any relevance at all :)

(not very good at being brief, am I? Sorry! Thanks again)

Another shout-out for Berwick-Upon-Tweed here. It's only just in England tell him, and is brilliant for exploring Scotland and the beautiful Northumberland coastline and castles.

It has Elizabethan ramparts, Georgian terraces and a plenty of interesting, independent shops (Green Street, I think?) - well it did 5 years ago, when I was last there. Plus, it's easy to get on a train to Edinburgh or Newcastle for a day's shopping. I don't think the hospital has an A&E, if that's a factor?

I'd move there in a moment if it weren't for family commitments.

We lived with family for a while

Oh hang on, I might have that wrong, the carpet shop shut and poundstretcher moved in to it 🤣

I'm Curious was Lockerbie that bad ?
Plenty move in from all across nowadays not many seem to move away again.
Housing very sought after.

Lockerbie is handy for the motorway and the train, and some nice places around it

Should the need ever arise and l hope it doesn't Scotland has " Franks Law" which covers care at home to anyone now regardless of income.
90% citizens far better off in Scotland than England, higher disability benefits and young carer allowance 2x year etc.
The house prices are far cheaper 2.
Plenty from Cumbria nip over into Dumfries and Galloway estate agent told me 20 % cheaper on average cottages etc .
Villages along the M74 corridor in SW Scotland have roughly 30 % English people l would guess.
None seems to mind although some villages town better than others ,
Lockerbie Moffat area best

Eagles Field , good quiet.
Grenta/ Kirkpatrick Flemming ok on whole to good.
Annan slightly bigger and slightly rougher in places but ok overall really
Eastriggs fairly ok..
I think since so many incomers none really bothers now which is a good thing people are on the whole welcoming.

I’m sure Lockerbie is fine in itself, I just don’t think it’s in any way remarkable so I wouldn’t earmark it as a place to move if i had a wide choice. I’ve spent many hours over many years waiting for a lift from the train station and I can think of a good few more interesting places to do that. Driving down to my mum’s house I love going through the Dalveen Pass and stopping for a poke around Thomas Tosh. Love the scenery that way, feels so bleak and remote up in the hills then suddenly it’s so green. It’s nice to go up to Durisdeer and have a look at the Queensberry marbles. Lockerbie is a good place from which to get to somewhere else by train but IME it’s more practical to have a car anyway to live around there and the issues of congestion are much lower than elsewhere so if it were me, I’d rather live somewhere a bit more interesting and accept a bit of driving.

My primary and secondary schools in the Stewartry had loads of English people, lots of kids with arty/hippy parents. The guy from Outlander spent his early years in the area and I was completely unsurprised to read that he and his brother were named after characters from the Lord of the Rings.

See, the Dalveen Pass is my idea of hell 😂

I guess this is why it’s so important to have a good look around before relocating

well, I wouldn’t want to live there either,
especially not in that farmhouse in the middle (the frosts must be terrible), but I like that it exists.

Roads pretty grim up there in winter only thing. High attitude.
However it has a laid back appeal almost as if anytime will do which adds to the charm and a strong community.
I think D and G tends get pretty much overlooked, although COVID relocations changed that and when compare to SB for what can get AND can stay nice villages towns far cheaper.

@KievLoverTwo
How did you get on OP? Any further to resolving your dilemma?

Ha! My dad comes from D&G - a wee village near Dumfries - and not ONLY does it rain all the bloody time, but the village was incredibly insular and old fashioned.

Also, I have always though people from D&G very dour, with an unhealthy dose of Scottish presbyterian misery. But me and my mum are east coasters so possibly biased. I do know my dad and his family are all a a bit "you're having fun are you? We'd better stop that now!"

Yes, but perhaps not the resolution the thread would like to see.

England. !!

One day Scotland, one day.

(your punishing tax regime when we want to save for retirement is not helpful either)