Why You Should Pack Up and Move to Edinburgh

• April 9, 2014
• •
• Posted in : Edinburgh

The internet has meant that we can now surf through endless photographs of locations across the globe and imagine what it might be like to live there. Sometimes though, however many places you see, it can be hard to beat somewhere closer at hand. Let us guide you through the reasons why the Scottish capital of Edinburgh is the perfect place for you to pack up and move to. Unless you already live in Edinburgh, in which case you can just pack up and move to a different part of it.

Anyway, let us give you our reasons behind advocating a move to Scotland’s capital –

The majestic sight of Edinburgh Castle

The good thing is that you have a reasonable chance of being able to find a new pad with a view of the Edinburgh castle, given that its initial builders were considerate enough to sit it atop a giant extinct volcano. Extinct. That’s a crucial piece of attention to detail on their part. Archaeologists have found evidence of human habitation on the site going back to the 2nd Century AD, proving that the city has always been a popular location. As far as the castle itself, there has been some form of castle on that spot since at least the 12th Century.

Imagine living in Edinburgh, looking out of your window and seeing a castle, how good would that be? Think of the money you’d save on buying that ‘Pretty Castles’ calendar for the wall. Well, probably about £3.99 and, actually, if it wasn’t there you’d have to write your dental appointments on the wall itself…which would cost more than £3.99 to repaint. Right, forget the calendar thing, our bad. Let’s focus on the positive though – a castle visible from your window!

A great selection of pubs

Edinburgh is said to have more pubs per square mile than anywhere else in the UK. Granted, this is the kind of stat that could quite easily be spun into a negative were we talking about the wrong kind of pub. Thankfully, the bar scene of Scotland’s capital is packed with a mixture of the cosily traditional and the trendily contemporary. You can sample local brews ranging from a hoppy Deuchars IPA (Did you know that there’s an argument that IPA was originally created in Edinburgh rather than in the breweries of the English midlands? Well there is.) to the rich nutty tones of Innis & Gunn beer. Enjoy this sampling process responsibly though…and perhaps line the stomach with the traditional Edinburgh delicacy of chips with salt ‘n’ sauce.

A fantastic array of restaurants

Of course, Edinburgh’s culinary options extend way beyond the chip shop delights that we’ve just mentioned. Whatever your tastes, you’ll be able to find a dining establishment to suit them. The city boasts restaurants specialising in cuisines from all across the globe; Italian, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Spanish, Mexican, Brazilian, Polish, Greek, ….and, of course, Scottish. And no, that doesn’t mean a deep-fried Mars bar. That joke is wearing significantly thinner than the small number of people who actually do indulge in those.

Edinburgh actually has five Michelin-starred restaurants, so you’ll never be short of somewhere impressive to take visiting family members. So long as they’re visiting on their company expenses account.

The biggest arts festival in the world

The Edinburgh Festival descends upon the city every August and means that you can pretty much get your entire annual fix of comedy, theatre, and interpretative physical dance in one month. Then again, you could probably get your annual fix of interpretative physical dance via a 30 second look on Youtube. Thousands of shows are on across the city, many of them free, making even your lunch hour or walk home from work a chance to take in the skills of performers and artists from across the globe. It’s also an opportunity to dress in the eccentric and outlandish manner that you’ve always dreamed of, without anybody even raising an eyebrow.

Nature on your doorstep

Living in Edinburgh doesn’t mean giving up green spaces and fresh air in favour of urban life, in fact, it offers the best of both worlds. The Botanic Gardens, Inverleith Park, and The Meadows all offer a chance to take a stroll in nature without having to leave the city itself. If you don’t consider it a walk unless there’s an incline involved then you’re still in luck. Arthur’s Seat is the hill that dominates much of Edinburgh’s skyline and venturing up it is a popular activity for locals and visitors alike.

If you do fancy getting out of Edinburgh though – which you may well not – then you can enjoy nearby beaches such as Gullane, North Berwick, or Belhaven; or you can cross the Forth and head for Fife to take a wander along the sands at Aberdour. Parks, hills, beaches…whatever you want is within easy reach when you live in Edinburgh. Unless what you want is palm trees. Oh, no, hang on, we mentioned the Botanic Gardens, didn’t we?

Quality of life

Last year Edinburgh was named as the 2nd best place to live in the UK, only narrowly losing out to Bristol. Even within that though, Edinburgh edged out Bristol when it came to the ‘life satisfaction scale’. And why wouldn’t you be satisfied if you were living in Edinburgh? A cosmopolitan city that blends history with modernity and beauty with functionality. We feel satisfied just writing about it.

Planning the dream move

If we’ve sold you on the Auld Reekie then we’d be happy to help with any storage needs in Edinburgh that you may have as part of the moving process. If we haven’t sold you on Edinburgh…then can we ask where you live so that we can move there? It must be amazing!

For a free no-obligation quote, or simply to find out more, please call us.

0845 430 9333