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1. East Dunbartonshire, Scotland
Town visited: Milngavie, pop 14,482.
“We consider Milngavie to be a slice of paradise,” says Gilbert McVean, 52, father of two teenagers. Just six miles north of Glasgow, the town (pronounced Mull-guy) has some of the most breathtaking scenery in Scotland on its doorste
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The area that scored number one overall, East Dunbartonshire got especially high marks for employment and schools-and, true to form, Milngavie's Douglas Academy is one of the top ranking secondary schools in Scotland.
“It was Milngavie's schools and countryside that won us over when we moved from Glasgow 17 years ago,” says Gilbert's wife Marion, 48. Today their children David, 13, and Julia, 16, both attend the Academy.
Marion and Gilbert run a thriving cookware shop in the pedestrianised town centre. “We're very happy,” says Marion. “There are always familiar faces coming and going and there's lots to do, especially sports-but there are drama and music clubs too.”
The town centre is well known as the start of the 95-mile West Highland Way, linking the town with Fort William at the base of Ben Nevis. But it doesn't take extreme hiking to get to the countryside. “A five-minute drive and you're in the stunningly beautiful Mugdock Country Park,” says local photographer Colin Paterson.
East Dunbartonshire as a whole scored well on affordable housing, but Milngavie's charms are no secret and its house prices reflect that. 2. East Renfrewshire, Scotland
Town visited: Barrhead, pop 11,700.
By contrast Barrhead, some eight miles south-west of Glasgow, hides its charms well. Step off the train and you're greeted with a boarded-up petrol station, sign of the decline that occurred when major employers Armitage Shanks left Barrhead in the 1990s.
But East Renfrewshire Council has budgeted £100 million to breathe new life into the town. Last August, children literally joined hands and danced into Carlibar Primary's £8-million new building. St Mark's has just been pronounced best primary school in all Scotland, remarkable even for an area scoring highly overall for schools as well as jobs. New play parks and a further education college are on the way.
When Rona Campbell, 41, mother of five-month-old Charlie, and her English army partner decided to start a family, she knew there was only one place they could live: Barrhead, where Rona was born and lived until ten years ago. “The secret is the community. Everybody's so friendly.” Margaret Junner, 42, is happy to let her teenage daughter walk to and from school every day. “Everybody does, it's normal.” “And Barrhead is very affordable,” adds Gillian Crossan, 39, mother of one. It's still possible to buy a three-bedroomed house for under £100,000.
“The high street may not look much as yet, but the town's surrounded by stunning countryside and a river runs through it,” Margaret points out. Barr-head is one of Scotland's best-kept secrets-but not for long. Page 2 of 7 |
