Choosing where to move to in Scotland

[GillieBunch]

Hi all. Looking for some advice on where to move to in Scotland. I have been looking at maps and websites and Rightmove for weeks but going around in circles. Our eldest son lives in Helensburgh and we have another son hopefully getting accepted at Edinburgh Uni. Our daughter will be staying in England but we will also have our 15 year old son with us. We will be renting for a couple of years to see if this is what we really want etc. I love Helensburgh but it is way too expensive. Our sons inlaws will be in Maybole so I am looking between there and Helensburgh, although my son may be moving further down towards Maybole in a few years time. I am looking at towns so we have amenities for our 15 year old and I love the outdoors and being near some form of water as I like to do photography. I liked the look of Lanark but our son thinks that is too far from him so back looking at the west coast.
Can anyone advise me on what areas to look for and which ones to avoid? Our 15 year old and my partner will both need access to Glasgow by train or car.
Thanks L.

Are you looking to buy or rent? What's your budget? Where have you considered?

Bit off piste but this could be a really tricky age for your ds to move. The English/Scottish school systems are not aligned.

Are you looking to be near private schools for your DS that might do A levels. I can't see how he could easily do Highers - though others might have more info on switching from Gcse's to Highers.

Helensburgh to Maybole is a 2 hour drive!

Lenzie
Bishopton
Kilmalcolm
Houston
Bridge of Weir
Largs
West Kilbride
Alloway
Bishopbriggs
Clarkston
Busby
Newton Mearns
Eaglesham
East Kilbride
Strathaven

You def need somewhere with a railway station for access to Glasgow. The bus service in rural Scotland is not great and if you have kids they will need access to good public transport. I grew up in Ayrshire where everyone knew everyone else and newcomers were not particularly welcome, especially English, sadly. I think you are better trying for the likes of east Renfrewshire, Helensburgh and taking a smaller property.

I'd look at Ayr

There are some nice areas ( Alloway ) and a good mix of town , countryside and seaside

It's handy for Maybole but quite far from Glasgow if commuting every day. I was thinking, have a look at Howwood. It has a station and is near Castle Semple Loch. Nearby Lochwinnoch too. There is a railway station just outside the town.

Hamilton or Motherwell.
You have Strathclyde Country Park on your doorstep for walking, cycling, etc and Baron's Haugh RSPB reserve is a great place for photography. Motherwell in particular has good transport links.

Sorry, should have said to rent for a couple of years. Up to £1200. I am looking along the west coast, Lanark and Stirling.

Yes, this is tricky! I will be getting him to finish his GCSE's here first so will move next July/August.

I am looking into this. He will be finishing his GCSE's before we move.

Thanks, I definitely need a train station as I don't drive and obviously for my son to get around.
Regarding being English, I completely understand your statement. I'm hoping with my partner being from Glasgow (always lived in England though) and both of us having Scottish family there we won't find it so difficult after a while. I have a Scottish surname so I will just keep my mouth shut 😂

@GillieBunch it's perfectly possible to move from GCSEs to Scottish highers. Some of the private schools do it.
It does depend on the subject though as a few do not cover topics in the same order. There's been posters on here before who found the Higher course for some subjects had quite a few gaps in learning as some of the topics which Higher was going into in greater depth had not been covered in GCSE.
So I'd advise to look at the syllabus for any subjects your DS wants to take at Higher

You should be able to find something decent outside the cities and most desirable suburbs for that rental budget. If you are open to flats that will give you much wider options too. The priority really has to be school catchment. Your older kids can travel to you but not all schools will be able to offer all subjects in 5th/6th year in more rural areas, some will run them as a consortium with other schools in the same region.

Not all schools will be a particularly welcoming environment, identify some areas then ask here and research/visit for specific experience.

Also, if you move your son directly after GCSEs it would be a good idea to get him to Scotland as soon as the final exam is over (mid June for most I think). Scottish students sit their exams in May and commence their next year of study - Highers - at start of June so arriving in August will put him on the back foot immediately as likely to have missed a topic in every subject.

Off the top of my head - schools with a fairly good reputation on the west coast between Helensburgh and Maybole.

Clydeview academy in Gourock
Largs academy
Prestwick academy
Kyle academy in Ayr

All of these towns are on the coast with amenities, gorgeous views and have train links to Glasgow. The ones further south might actually be quicker by train/car due to faster lines and m77.

GCSE to higher is perfectly doable for a kid who was planning on A level, but need to get him started in June and identify any gaps from his GCSE spec and Nat 5 equivalent to address in the summer so not behind peers. It will be a much harder year 12 than he was anticipating as highers are one year (more like 9 month) courses.

I think you will be OK, it's your son I would worry about! Some schools will be a better environment for a new English lad than others. Is your son quite robust, sporty, able to make friends easily? If so, he should be OK most places. But there are idiots everywhere. Imo Renfrewshire is your best bet for good schools with a more welcoming peer group. In Ayrshire I agree about Largs and Ayr, but they are a long way from Glasgow. You could also look at Troon.

I live in lanark and it's a nice town to live in, you can take the back roads down towards maybole and I would say it's maybe about an hour depending on traffic. We go to Helensburgh occasionally and it's probably a bit further but a good mix of motorway and country. I know quite a few English people who live in the town and I don't think they have any bother. I have a daughter of a similar age who goes to Lanark Grammar and I would say it's ok, wouldn't say great but there are lots of clubs/activities to do. Trains to Glasgow are pretty reliable and there are buses. It's also only 45 min to Edinburgh driving.

I am concerned about my son, he is sporty so hopefully that will help him but he can be quiet. If we were in Helensburgh it wouldn't be so bad as there are quite a few English. I have to send him to his Nans more often so he picks up her Glaswegian accent. It seems it's going to be a difficult transition for him so we will visit Scotland more frequently.

I'm in Helensburgh and it's full of English people so you're right, if you were here it would be perfect! Could you rent a two bed flat here for a while or do you need bigger?

August would be a late start, he'll miss the first 6 weeks or so of the higher courses as the timetables here change in May, they move year groups as soon as exams have finished.

Ideally bigger so we don't have to move again but we will see to that one if we haven't found anything closer to moving time. There are a few flats available.

Thank you for letting me know. I will be talking to the schools etc next week.

Yeah I had a look on Rightmove - good luck!

I would look at Clarkston, Giffock and surrounding areas. You can get the train / bus to Glasgow and onwards to Maybole, Edinburgh and Helensburgh. It’s easy enough to drive to Helensburgh and a good bit closer to Maybole than the other areas you are looking at, just straight down the M/A77. Schools are great too.

I moved from England to the west coast of Scotland with secondary school aged children and really wish I hadn’t. They had an awful time even though both were very sporty.
I’d stick to the central belt or the city suburbs. It’s not difficult to get out of Glasgow to some amazing scenery, walks and trips to the seaside.
I love living in Scotland but am heading to a city as soon as is practicable.
I really do hope your boy has a smooth transition when he comes here.
I’m sure other people will have success stories but I can only speak from my experience and would definitely recommend staying nearer a city.

Thanks for that. My other son has just got into Edinburgh uni so now we are also thinking of Stirling, Falkirk or Glasgow suburbs. I have spoken to Forth Valley College via email bit need to call them next week for a chat. I hope things are improving for your kids. Was it the actual lesson transition that was bad?