Feedback on Eskbank and surrounding areas vs. Edinburgh city?

[Onthemove24]

Good morning,

We are a family of 4 and are looking to move back to my home time of Edinburgh. I have not lived in Edinburgh for years, but have always wanted to return and now is the opportunity to do so.

We’ve got a budget of £800k and require good access to schools (state or private - kids are currently in primary). Areas I have looked at so far are Trinity/Portobello.

I’ve seen some nice houses come onto the market in Esbank/Lasswade/Dalkeith. I do not know these areas and wonder if any local mums can share? Community is very important to us. We currently live in outer London and the sense of community here is great. Our street will often throw parties for instance.

I’m also wondering whether to extend my search further out to East Lothian/Borders area? Any feedback would be great as I would like to hone in on some areas to visit in the October holidays.

Thank you.

I don’t know those areas, but with that budget have you looked around south Edinburgh? Definitely good for schools. Although your kids are currently in primary, I’d be worried that as they become teenagers, living out of Edinburgh might mean they are less independent and require a lot of driving around to things but hopefully others that live in the areas you’re interested in can advise.

Thank you @ChilliPB. Fair point. I don’t want to be a taxi service if I can avoid it. I grew up in Edinburgh South. Lovely as it is, I don’t want to move back to the area…..I’d prefer to live somewhere new to feel like I am moving forwards rather than going back to my old life iykwim?

Yes that definitely makes sense @Onthemove24! Good luck with your search!

Not lived there but used to work in that area.
Eskbank is nice but that area wouldn't be my first choice on that budget. You need to take a good look at the local secondary schools. Several of my colleagues were paying school fees as they weren't impressed with what was on offer locally.

If you're looking at state secondary then I'd look in the catchment areas for Craigmount, Royal High, Gillespies, Boroughmuir, Firhill. You can't go wrong with any of those areas. Or out of town Balerno or north Berwick?

If i had £800k to spend I'd be looking within the city bypass! Trinity and Portobello definitely have that community vibe that you're looking for. Where are you going to be working (if not at home) as the commute would be a huge factor for me.

Agree with the above. For that budget I wouldn't be looking in Eskbank. It's certainly the naice part of Dalkeith but I'm not sure it's got the "street party" vibe you are looking for. I think of it being an older demographic. In Midlothian kids tend to be bussed to their local community campus school. I'd double check the catchment area for any home you are interested in and the feedback on the relevant High Schools. Alternatively, check the ease of any commute to an Edinburgh private school (some also do provide buses). Lasswade High is the best in Midlothian I believe but there's minimal chance of a successful out-of-catchment request.

Sounds like you should live in North Berwick to me!

I know this area very well and Eskbank is a nice suburban town with an easy commute to Edinburgh (bus, train etc). Better served public transport wise in Eskbank than Lasswade as it has a train station although both similar levels of desirability. The high street isn't Stockbridge or the like but it'll serve your basic needs with lots of supermarkets.

A lot of kids go to private schools in the area and the big ones do buses that serve Eskbank, Lasswade and Bonnyrigg. You will get a lot for your money with that budget. If I were you I'd get that nice big house in the suburbs and use Edinburgh private schools.

Yes you could alternatively buy within a good Edinburgh catchment but I guess it depends what your priorities are.

The local schools aren't bad though. Dalkeith High did better than Lasswade in the last exam round although Lasswade tends to be known as the better one. I'd say they're on a par.

Agree. It sounds perfect for you.

If you’re considering private schools then I’d stay more central or your kids will have one heck of a commute. Ok, they have school buses but they already do long days and the traffic in Edinburgh is awful at rush hour. And often the school buses only work to the day timetable and if they stay to extra curricular activities (usually compulsory to do something in the private sector) then they’re reliant on the public buses or taxi of mum & dad.

My DS buses home to this area from an Edinburgh private school and it's fine. He's home before my younger child who does after school club at the local school so she has the longer day at a school 10 mins away. None of the extra curricular's are compulsory at his school. He does something after school once a week and we collect him afterwards. So it's all very easy. When he's older he'll get the public bus home.

@Heatherbell1978 exactly, you collect him once a week when he stays late after school!! That’s not an option for everyone. There’s also a difference in commuting to schools such as Herriots and Watsons on the south side of the city from Midlothian and going further north to EMS, EA, St George’s etc which could double the journey time. Last time I got the bus at rush hour it took me an hour from Princes street to Lasswade.

Well I collect him one week and DH the other. It's not really a deal-breaker as we've always had to manage school runs and after school activities into our diaries, at the local school too. But like I say it's not compulsory so he could just as easily be doing no extra curricular if that was an issue for us.

Yes if I lived round the corner from the school life would be easier but I'd need to add £300k onto my mortgage so I choose to have a lower mortgage, pay school fees and collect DS from school twice a month.

I guess it depends on individual priorities with housing, schools, work etc.

Hello, I live in Eskbank with my husband and two children (aged 6 and 8).

I originally lived in Edinburgh (Currie), but like you, I wanted the feeling of living somewhere a bit different. Eskbank has a fantastic community. It’s really developed over the last 10 years with the new train line, and the growing number of small new-build estates (Cala, David Wilson, Barratt, Dandara, etc.) has brought in lots of young families who are new to the area—so people are really keen to build a sense of community and make new friends.

It feels like a little bubble, but it's still really close to Edinburgh city centre via train (it’s basically just on the other side of the bypass). With a budget of £800k, you could afford a really large Victorian house on streets like Park Road—which is absolutely beautiful. I also know that the David Wilson estate regularly hosts street parties!

The local high school is improving year on year (thanks to all the new housing), and many of the private schools run buses from Eskbank. Kings Park Primary is a fantastic school. After the school day, families often gather in the park, which really adds to the community vibe.

There are also lots of bars and great places to eat nearby. For example, Cross Borders Brewery is a hidden gem known mostly to locals (don't tell anyone ;). Dalkeith Country Park is on your doorstep, and you’ve got GiGi’s Italian, the Sun Inn, The Paper Mill, a golf course, and the David Lloyd gym just five minutes away—there's so much going on!

I actually find certain places to be more isolating—they don't have as much going on, and they're still the same distance from town.