Relocation from England to Edinburgh

[JAP23]

Could anyone give me any idea on areas surrounding Edinburgh? We ideally would like to be no longer than a 45 minute drive into the city. But would consider longer if it had shopping centres and family friendly things to do. We have 3 children (2 SEN) so good schools are essential. We don’t want to be in the middle of nowhere but outside a town or village near a town would be fine too. We are relocating from Cornwall and due to come and visit again in the next 2 weeks, we are considering Dunfermline/Fife & surrounding as it seems family friendly? Also considering East Lothian? Is there any areas which we should avoid altogether or any areas we should look into which matches what we are looking for? Thank you all, we will appreciate any replies and advice! 😊😊

@MyFavouriteSpoonthank you for your reply. We are going to look into them areas thank you for the heads up! Is there a reason why you say about Dunfermline? It’s so hard with what you read online some people love it and others say it has a lot of issues. It’s a huge move for us so we really need it do be right for our children, we can’t afford to make mistakes with areas just with it being so unsettling for them. Is there any areas in East Lothian you can recommend? We will check out the other areas you’ve mentioned. Thank you ☺️

Unfortunately I’m not, I had a friend I’m out of touch with who lived in a new build estate in Dunfermline but that was the extent of my knowledge! She liked it and there is a nice park in the town and an abbey. That’s really all I know I’m afraid!
Rosyth I think is not so good (no offence anyone I could be wrong). There’s a nice village at I think Aberdour which has a beach or two as well and a station, not sure about shops though, it’d probably be Dunfermline for retail therapy. You could get something very nice for 650. Are you looking for old and characterful or new build and easy?

Are you aware of the offers over system in Scotland OP? If a property is offers over, depending on where, you could need to put in an offer of up to 20%. With a budget of £650K, you could get something in Edinburgh - just check school catchments. Buckstone/Fairmilehead close to bypass which would be handy for your DH, excellent bus links to city centre, good school catchment (though I don’t have experience of SEN provision, sorry). South Queensferry also worth a look.

And as PP has mentioned, what month does your 11 yr old’s birthday fall in? That’ll be critical in determining where they slot into the school system (apologies if you’ve already worked that out, it’s just worth flagging up as people don’t always realise the difference in the cut off ages and how that impacts when children leave primary school and start high school here compared to England. My friend’s son in England is exactly the same age as mine and started high school a year before mine did.

This is a nice estate in Dunfermline. https://espc.com/property/8-blackwood-court-pitreavie-castle-dunfermline-ky11-8tf/36326863 though I don’t know a lot about the place itself.

https://espc.com/property/26-silverknowes-terrace-silverknowes-edinburgh-eh4-5hl/36301701?sid=899712 This one is within the city itself and in budget.

Where can you buy a house? Edinburgh can be eyewateringly expensive.
Schools - look at high school then backwards to their catchment primaries
Lifestyle and environment - customers for your DH, things for the DC, transport

These are the main 3 factors you need to work with. I don't envy you it's going to be hard. You've not said what ages but getting 3 children into your house's catchment school with potentially extra provision may take time.

Scotland is very different to Cornwall - villages arent like English ones and the weather is colder.

I've seen people post this deprivation map on threads like this before. Central Scotland and Fife in particular is very mixed. It can be helpful if you are starting with no knowledge - personally i would be looking in blue areas. simd.scot/#/simd2020/BTTTFTT/10.986456976464957/-3.3369/56.1250/

I live in the south of edinburgh and love it. But with your list I’d look at Linlithgow too. I think East Lothian will be a challenge for the budget - it’s really exploded there lately.

Edinburgh is really expensive. Look at leith, portobello, Musselburgh, broughty ferry, south queensferry, or even Glasgow and commute by train.

@Testerical i don’t think there’s vehicle access and hardly any garden. All that green shown on the aerial shot is public fields I think.

Broughty Ferry is in Dundee!!
worth looking into south queensferry but there’s a LOT of new builds going up and I’d be concerned about demand on facilities in the area as a result.

Broughty Ferry is in Dundee!!

Actual people from the Ferry might disagree, and don't dare extend that to Monifeith.

Ok, it’s a suburb of Dundee not Edinburgh!

My Daughter in-law was born and brought up in Cupar - her parents still live there and highly recommend it for families. Maybe worth a look?

You will get a LOT for your money in Dunfermline, I have a 5 bed house for half your budget. I live nearby (I moved up here from London) it's massive and lovely around here, so family friendly.

The primary schools are excellent and there are 3 secondaries all quite good, Woodmill has a SEN department. Think someone else mentioned there are no EHCPs in Scotland.

The offers over system has been mentioned, it's around 15% in Dunfermline.

I really like living here, it has everything I need. Drive into the centre of Edinburgh in 35 mins (I go every weekend for a commitment so I know it well now), trains in take 25 mins, park and ride in from Duloch end of town is free. Lovely Abbey, gorgeous park in town, all the shops and in Duloch there's the leisure park with cinema, bowling, indoor and outdoor golf, bingo, Bannatynes gym, and all the fast food outlets.

You'll get less for your money in Edinburgh but it's a wonderful place to live I'm sure, we went for Dunfermline as it was cheaper but great location, we did consider spending more for Edinburgh but I like being in a quiet town and I'm glad we came here.

Message me if you'd like :)

But other places I'd recommend from getting to know the area is Dalgety Bay, South Queensferry is gorgeous but expensive, other places like Aberdour that have mentioned are lovely but no high school so unless yours are comfortable on buses I'd avoid anywhere without a school. Although buses are free for all kids and they're just a part of life for the kids here. I also like Livingstone for the shopping.

Also forgot to say it's literally a 20 min drive to Edinburgh airport too. I think the location is excellent. And 1 hour to Glasgow.

@PearlsPearl thank you so much for all the useful information!

we have found it’s such a minefield, it’s all so different to England with schools, housing etc.

we would be the same as you I wouldn’t want to be in Edinburgh itself as we are from a large town in Cornwall but none of Cornwall is big if that makes sense, so we don’t want city life like Edinburgh.

Schools is a huge thing for us, I’d like to have a school close by in case any issues, I can get there relatively quickly!

Im new to all of this, so not sure how to message you directly!

thank you 😊

Hi I have just moved and not anywhere near your budget I have a 4 bedroom lovely house in Midlothian, but we looked at plenty lovely houses in East Lothian and I used to live in West Lothian. It's absolutely doable with your budget.

East Lothian depending where you are is well connected by public transport, both train and bus. Yes there are rural areas but there are also towns and villages that have transport links to Edinburgh. East Lothian is lovely but I would suggest you visit and take a drive around to get a feel of it, plus join the Facebook groups eg East Lothian ladies where you'll see chat about the different areas.

Again Dunfermline - I would suggest you visit. It's not for me, as it's the wrong side of the bridge and I prefer to be nearer Edinburgh. But for many people it's the right choice. Before we decided on my current location we drove extensively around and visited lots of different properties.

Re the post mentioning Cupar, I agree Cupar is worth considering. a bit further from Edinburgh but on the train line and near St Andrews and all the lovely places in the East Neuk.

A child in my extended family who has ASD has had a good experience at the primary school there. I can't speak for the secondary but his parents are hopeful that will continue there.

From anywhere in Fife there is the bridge traffic.

Have you visited Edinburgh or spent any time in the city? I don't think it particularly has a "big city" feel - there's the sea on one side and hills on the other and a lot of green spaces and hills within the city so you're rarely far away from a footpath or cyclepath etc. A lot of the suburbs have their own high street and local shops etc.

I think you have a healthy enough budget to move somewhere nicer than Dunfermline. It's a hit and miss place, with nice pockets, but much harder to "hit," if you are unfamiliar with it.

Focusing on the schools and community feel, I think Balerno is a good fit. It attracts outdoorsy people and you might find a similar tribe to Cornwall. The high school is lovely and only 20mins to Edinburgh. This house would leave you enough to revamp it:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/164454734#/?channel=RES_BUY

There is also this lovely house near Linlithgow, another v good school and countryside lifestyle.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/160419386#/?channel=RES_BUY

I've sent you a message :)

I agree - I live in South Edinburgh suburbs, and it doesn’t feel like big city life. Lots of outdoor / green space on the doorstep with Mortonhall estate/pentlands/skislope/parks, not far to portobello or East Lothian for beaches, decent schools, good GP service, and all with the amenities of a city a short trip away. Lots for families in Edinburgh, plus the Fringe is great for families too.

I agree, I think Edinburgh is like a collection of villages with a marvellous, reliable bus service. I’m so envious of my daughter living in such a fantastic place for her childhood. I wish I’d lived here in my youth. Having said this, the surrounding areas are beautiful too. I’m sure you’ll love it and you have a healthy budget for housing.

I wouldn't discount Musselburgh in East Lothian or Portobello, Joppa, Craigentinny and Restalrig on the east edge of Edinburgh itself. Nice location near beach and green space, great bus routes and a real community feel.

There are definitely some 4 bed houses in this area on budget, and although some of the areas are deprived, we have found the schools very supportive of additional support needs. One of our children is often on hospital and the school has been incredibly helpful. A friend's child at the same school just been transferred to another school which will better suit his need, which have increased roth age. Tghe current school has been key on securing a place which will support his needs.

some examples below

https://espc.com/property/43-craigentinny-avenue-craigentinny-edinburgh-eh7-6pu/36315325

https://espc.com/property/1-craigentinny-avenue-edinburgh-eh7-6pu/36310333

That second house is shocking for 540k!

I can definitely see the benefits of living in Edinburgh (like I said, I love it there) but you'll spend a lot more. A solid 20% or more on the Offers Over too we found.

Here are some other links that may be helpful, OP.

LBTT calculator - stamp duty - https://revenue.scot/calculate-tax/calculate-property-transactions

And buying a home process - https://www.mygov.scot/buying-a-home

Apologies if you already know all this.