YoungWinston Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Dunfermline's actually quite nice as far as Scottish towns go... I'm sure you're right, and I certainly never saw anything that would put it on the 'worst places' to live. But at the time I was earning good money and iiving on Queen St in Edinburgh (I suspect in a Robert Adams building), just working on a sh**ty contract; and all that "newtown" development around the offices depressed me. I actually ended up buying an apartment off the Grassmarket; which ended up being the one smart financial decision of my life, which has pretty much sustained me ever since. But now I need to downsize. Winston 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meathead Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 (edited) Right now, I've got three on my shortlist: Maybole, Girvan and Auchinleck. I notice that the latter has come in for a bit of stick, but it has a railway station (5 minutes walk apparently), and the property is the cheapest of the three by far, and comes with washer, cooker and fridge already installed. Unlike some of you (I suspect), I don't have any great expectations of nightlife; just looking to downsize somewhere quiet, curl up me tootsies, and enjoy not having a car (I cycle everywhere). If anyone has any opinion on the three places, I'd love to hear it. Just remember: I'm 57, not 27. :-) All three of them are pretty grim to be honest with you. They all have train stations so that's not an advantage of Auchinleck, though Auchinleck is the easiest one to get to Glasgow from if that matters to you. I'd say Girvan is the least shit, but that's not saying much. It at least feels like a town, with plenty of shops and some decent housing in parts. Girvan is the furthest from civilisation though; Ayr is the nearest 'big' town and it's about 20 miles away (half an hour on the train). In short, if I were you I wouldn't move to any of them, but if I had to pick one it'd be Girvan. Edited October 17, 2014 by Meathead 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Skidmarks Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Winston, have you ever lived in #perthshire ? Because there was a guy called Barry Hills trying to sell his house on here a few months ago. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungWinston Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 All three of them are pretty grim to be honest with you. They all have train stations so that's not an advantage of Auchinleck, though Auchinleck is the easiest one to get to Glasgow from if that matters to you. I'd say Girvan is the least shit, but that's not saying much. It at least feels like a town, with plenty of shops and some decent housing in parts. Girvan is the furthest from civilisation though; Ayr is the nearest 'big' town and it's about 20 miles away (half an hour on the train). In short, if I were you I wouldn't move to any of them, but if I had to pick one it'd be Girvan. Thaniks Meathead. Perhaps 'grim' is what I'm reduced to; but as long as it isn't Possilpark grim, I suspect I'll make do; and all the places look good, and all are newly redone; I saw a place in Saltcoats, but it's "in need of upgrading", and after what I've read I don't think I'll be viewing. If you don't mind me asking, what's the problem with Maybole? I've onlly seen one post that disses it, and a few actually singing its praises, And it's 15 minutes closer to civilization (Ayr? Glasgow?) than Girvan. Like I say, I'm not looking for excitement; I'm looking for a reasonably quiet place to live that I can afford. A decent pub would be nice, but I brew my own these days, so it's not a necessity. Good to know about the shops in Girvan though. Thanks a lot. Winston 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungWinston Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 (edited) Winston, have you ever lived in #perthshire ? Because there was a guy called Barry Hills trying to sell his house on here a few months ago. 1. No - So far: Ayr, Glasgow and Edinburgh, and worked in Ayr, Possil, Livingstone and Falkirk (for a short time). 2. I suspect that a house is out of my reach financially. I'm single, so a 1-bed or a studio will do me just fine. I want something that I can buy outright. Been debt-free for the last 8 years; don't fancy getting back in that game again. :-) But thanks for the interest, Bobby. Winston Edited October 17, 2014 by YoungWinston 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergeant Wilson Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 I am going to Auchinleck tomorrow and it does make Possil seem like Las Vegas. However, Auchileck is like Dubai in comparison to New Cumnock. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazzle Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Fife is where it's at Winston. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meathead Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Thaniks Meathead. Perhaps 'grim' is what I'm reduced to; but as long as it isn't Possilpark grim, I suspect I'll make do; and all the places look good, and all are newly redone; I saw a place in Saltcoats, but it's "in need of upgrading", and after what I've read I don't think I'll be viewing. If you don't mind me asking, what's the problem with Maybole? I've onlly seen one post that disses it, and a few actually singing its praises, And it's 15 minutes closer to civilization (Ayr? Glasgow?) than Girvan. Like I say, I'm not looking for excitement; I'm looking for a reasonably quiet place to live that I can afford. A decent pub would be nice, but I brew my own these days, so it's not a necessity. Good to know about the shops in Girvan though. Thanks a lot. Winston I've put Girvan across pretty badly to you but by the sound of things you could probably get by just fine there. It's got a few pubs (though I've never been in any of them) and a big Asda as well as the assortment of shops, so you probably wouldn't need to head up to Ayr all that often anyway. Maybole is just grey really. It has one grotty street of shops and the place just feels lifeless. You'd probably need to head into Ayr a lot more if you lived in Maybole rather than Girvan because there's a lot less in Maybole. Essentially, the only thing that Maybole has over Girvan is that it's closer to Ayr. All of the trains to Maybole stop at Girvan as well so there aren't any significant transport benefits to living in Maybole. Just don't move to Auchinleck whatever you do - it really is about as bleak as it gets. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Move into the Strathclyde Hilton. Quite a place... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergeant Wilson Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 I've put Girvan across pretty badly to you but by the sound of things you could probably get by just fine there. It's got a few pubs (though I've never been in any of them) and a big Asda as well as the assortment of shops, so you probably wouldn't need to head up to Ayr all that often anyway. Maybole is just grey really. It has one grotty street of shops and the place just feels lifeless. You'd probably need to head into Ayr a lot more if you lived in Maybole rather than Girvan because there's a lot less in Maybole. Essentially, the only thing that Maybole has over Girvan is that it's closer to Ayr. All of the trains to Maybole stop at Girvan as well so there aren't any significant transport benefits to living in Maybole. Just don't move to Auchinleck whatever you do - it really is about as bleak as it gets. You can kill yourself by chucking yourself into the harbour at Girvan. All the others it's throw yourself in front of the train or nothing. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungWinston Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 I am going to Auchinleck tomorrow and it does make Possil seem like Las Vegas. However, Auchileck is like Dubai in comparison to New Cumnock. Yeah, I finally watched the YouTube clip that Hedgecutter suggested (it's 5/5 BTW; about 1/3 of the way in). Jesus...and that's 2 miles down the road... Cheers Sarge. Winston 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungWinston Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Fife is where it's at Winston. :-) Cheers Dazzle. My dad actually lived in Fife during the war. He was one of the Poles shipped up to Scotland after Dunkirk, because they were the only buggers that still had their rifles. I remember him taking us on a tour of the places he stayed in 1970, mostly in Angus and P&Kinross: Monifieth, Coupar Angus, Pitlochry, Kirrermuir. Nice country, but I remember some pretty grim places too. Winston 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honestly united Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Im originally from Girvan so probably biased, but the only thing I could add over whats already been said is that it has a beach and you can get some decent views out over the clyde / ailsa craig etc 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgecutter Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Yeah, I finally watched the YouTube clip that Hedgecutter suggested (it's 5/5 BTW; about 1/3 of the way in). Jesus Oops. My memory for numbers is horrendous but felt confident that I'd remembered at least some, sorry! You can kill yourself by chucking yourself into the harbour at Girvan. All the others it's throw yourself in front of the train or nothing. Excellent pub at said harbour for a last supper / drink too. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungWinston Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Im originally from Girvan so probably biased, but the only thing I could add over whats already been said is that it has a beach and you can get some decent views out over the clyde / ailsa craig etc Thanks honesty, It occurred to me that if it's used as a holiday area, I might be able to get a bit of seasonal work because I speak good French. Was also a programmer for 30 years (including a stint at South Ayrshire Council), so might be able to get some contract work. At these prices I don't need much to keep my savings relatively intact. BTW, anyone have any opinions about Johnstone? Found a couple of places there too, and it's a lot closer to Glasgow. Just don't know whether that's good or bad. :-) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungWinston Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Excellent pub at said harbour for a last supper / drink too. Ah right. So at least I can drink myself to death. Spot on. Winston 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungWinston Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Any excuse to post this: Marshmallo. If you're stiil out there son, that's one of the funniest clips I've heard in a long time. Ended up having to wipe snot off me keyboard. Winston 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungWinston Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 This is a good interactive map which highlights the areas of deprivation by postcode / district. http://simd.scotland.gov.uk/map Brilliant. Bookmarked. Thanks Doc. Winston 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungWinston Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Thanks for everyone who helped me out. Much appreciated. Still not sure I'll make the 'right' decision, but it won't be for lack of advice; and I've had a damn good laugh along the way. I'd forgotten about Scottish spelling too - once you get used to it, it's great, because it reads exactly like it sounds. Winston 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergeant Wilson Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 Oops. My memory for numbers is horrendous but felt confident that I'd remembered at least some, sorry! Excellent pub at said harbour for a last supper / drink too. Girvan is alright for a visit. Did you go to Auchinleck!eck? I did. It was very quiet. I think the Cumnock supporters have had the fight thrashed out of them. The pub nearest the ground seems to have been done up a bit. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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