Stirlingshire?

[MagicMelon]

So we may need to relocate from Aberdeenshire to be near my OH's job which will be in Stirling itself. Im stressing massively about this potential move as I have very settled kids (nursery/primary/secondary ages) and 2 horses to accommodate. We'd need country as ideally I really need a couple of acres for the horses, Ive never liveried and really dont want to go down that route if possible. I cant find any houses at all with just 2 / 3 acres. Its all big properties with loads of land which is too expensive for us. Wheres best to look online? Im looking at rightmove and espc. But I also dont really know what areas to look at as I dont know a nice area from a bad one there! We need to be within say 1 hour max commuting distance from Stirling, Id rather be as north as possible so that would be Perthshire sort of area which seems pricey. Can anyone recommend anywhere we should be looking that I could potentially get a couple acres with a 4/5 bedroom house (doesnt need to be fancy, but nothing needing massively done up either) for under £450k ideally BUT must be within a nice enough area with nice enough schools?? We're used to rural so don't care about close by shops etc. I dont even know where to begin

 

[TPO]

I don't think you'll find what you're looking for at that price. Stirling is really expensive.

If you try looking further out like Callander, Kippen, Fintry, Buchlyvie you might have a bit more luck. But that would be something that needed work.

I used to live in Stirling and Clackmannanshire and livery in quite a few places.

My parents had a healthy budget and looked for >10yrs for someplace with no joy. They ended up buying a rural cottage and kept horses on livery.

They finally managed to buy land in 2018 in Kinross (pricey for no reason too) and spent over your budget putting a house up on it (it had pp when they bought it).

Lanark and Ayr way is cheap for land if that's a commutable distance.

Same with out Bonnybridge way. You get a lot more for your money and there's been a lot of new house so the area is regenerated. I don't know it very well so can't help. I just know it's a cheaper [than stirling] area.

I know most of stirling fairly well, and if I don't my friends will, so feel free to PM if you want to ask about specific areas.

In Stirling the Raploch and Cornton were the bad areas but both have undergone huge regeneration but id probably still avoid. New Raploch houses are built on a flood plain so I'd avoid them and the prison is in Cornton, some people report a lot of noise. However they are residential areas and definitely no land.

The public high schools all have a decent reputation, apart from Alva Academy (last I heard) if you look out the hillfoots way. My company did improvement works at Stirling primary schools and nurseries so I'm OK with locations but don't know much about thr actual schools.

Kings Park and Torbrex are the nicer areas of Stirling for residential and close to city centre.

Doune and Dunblane are outside Stirling, they are nice villages and there are yards around there too. Still expensive for land.

It's mostly DIY yards but I know of one part/full in central Stirling.

As for where to look Savills, Galbraith, uklandandfarm, bell ingram and Facebook are worth a

 

[MagicMelon]

Thanks TPO, thats really helpful. Ive sunk into deep depression though at the lack of land / cost of it though! Where I am its so cheap - my current house is a 2 recep, 5 bed with outbuildings, stable block and 1.5 acre paddock and large garden and its only worth around £300k! Hence why Im really begrudged to move to something at all smaller. I'll check out those further out areas you mention

Im not sure how my 2 horses would cope with a livery yard (would def be DIY if I had to, I dont like others dealing with my horses), they lead a very quiet life here and my retired elderly eventer has never been on a yard so thats a big worry. Out of interest, roughly how much would DIY livery cost?

Thanks, I'll avoid Alva Academy then!

 

[Barton Bounty]

Im ayrshire, and there is nothing for that, well there are properties but those properties listed for £450k are going for £650k. One listed at Dunure was listed at £600k and went for £800k its absolutely ridiculous, horrible clay land , no hacking but a sea view
North ayrshire area seems to be more affordable for properties.
I have been looking for years but I am not prepared to skin myself alive for it.

 

[TPO]

The odd thing does pop up but in that price there's always a catch. Usually some access or clause and always needing masses of work.

I've not been on livery since 2018. I was on a yard in kincardine and that was £25pw including mon-fri breakfast and turnout done.

The yards I was on in Stirling were £30pw but that's going back to 2010ish.

I used to have sole use of an old farm in Cambusbarron. It was £50pm per horse but sadly the owner passed away and it was sold.

I could make a list of stirling and clackmannshire liveries and ask some friends when you narrow down an area.

I'm always looking too, just in case my numbers come up, so will let you know if I spot anything.

I'm directionally challenged but sort of north east Fife, but not so north that you're into St Andrews area, is cheaper too but the commute to Stirling daily would be brutal.

@Midlifecrisis used to be Stirlingish and might be able to help too.

 

[Cloball]

Have you tried on the market there's occasionally differences to Rightmove and you can search for property with land

 

[Cloball]

https://www.onthemarket.com/details/14811824/

Greenfield, Glenmavis, Airdrie 4 bed detached house for sale - £420,000

Kirkland Estate Agents - Coatbridge present this 4 bedroom detached house for sale in Greenfield, Glenmavis, Airdrie

www.onthemarket.com

Mill Farm, Bowhousebrae Road... 2 bed property with land for sale - £265,000

DM Hall - Stirling present this 2 bedroom property with land for sale in Mill Farm, Bowhousebrae Road, Airdrie, ML6 8PR

www.onthemarket.com

Bit of a wild suggestion

 

[Cloball]

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/153899411#/?channel=RES_BUY might be commutable

 

[Poing]

Check out this 4 bedroom detached house for sale on Rightmove

4 bedroom detached house for sale in California, Falkirk, Stirlingshire, FK1 for £500,000. Marketed by Bell Ingram, Perth

www.rightmove.co.uk

Check out this 5 bedroom cottage for sale on Rightmove

5 bedroom cottage for sale in Blackbyres Cottage, Pyatknowe, Biggar, ML12 6JJ, ML12 for £500,000. Marketed by Prime Property Auctions (Scotland) Ltd, Glasgow

www.rightmove.co.uk

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/153225986#/?channel=RES_BUY Option to rent grazing.

 

[Poing]

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/152427149#/?channel=RES_BUY More land available.

Check out this 4 bedroom detached house for sale on Rightmove

4 bedroom detached house for sale in North Barns Farmhouse & Paddock, Bankfoot, Perth, PH1 for £460,000. Marketed by Bell Ingram, Perth

www.rightmove.co.uk

Check out this 4 bedroom bungalow for sale on Rightmove

4 bedroom bungalow for sale in 19 Candymill Road, Biggar, ML12 6FJ, ML12 for £450,000. Marketed by McEwan Fraser Legal, Edinburgh

www.rightmove.co.uk

 

[TPO]

Is your husband willing to commute? If so, how long a journey? There are really good commuter links to Stirling.

Might be worth looking out Denny way. It's cheaper and 20mins from Stirling. Further in you're out to Bonnybridge which is cheaper again.

Out the other side of falkirk is cheaper and stuff sometimes comes up in Slammanan, Sheildhill and Avonbridge areas. They aren't what you'd call nice areas but tend to be more remote so not likely to have "undesirables" hanging about near your property. Having said that a friend rented a private farm house off the beaten track in one of those places and constantly had heating oil stolen.

The Bankfoot one would be worth a look if the commute was doable. It's approx 50mins on a good day to Stirling from there but the A9 can be awful. The other links aren't areas with good reputations but with all the regeneration and house building going in everywhere areas are lifting. Plus these properties are more isolated so won't have a lot of foot traffic. Schools might be a factor, I know nothing about Lanark and airdrie schools.

I think it depends on your husband's stance on commuting. I don't think you'll get land in your budget in Stirling, or very close by. You'd definitely get a nice house for that money in Stirling or Bridge of Allan (really nice area) and there are quite a few yards. You'd get an even more for your money a bit further out like clackmannanshire, Plean or denny. There's lots of development and new houses in the latter two and a new schools popping up everywhere. I work in construction and we have 3 schools in the pipeline for clackmannanshire/falkirk/Stirling. All of the high schools in the area are newbuilds with good facilities.

The Gargunnock road from Stirling had a couple of farms that did DIY/grass livery and there are a couple of yards out in Thornhill. Might be worth looking out that way too for a house if you want a rural setting.

So yeah, basically need to confirm husband's commute limit and if it's a house and livery what type of house/setting you're after.

 

[Midlifecrisis]

TPO has things pretty well covered to be honest and the brutal truth is that you won’t get what you want for the money you have mentioned in Stirlingshire or Perthshire…it’s way too desirable.
Plean/Fallin/Cowie are ex mining areas and I was told that south of the Forth river wasn’t the place to be and an incinerator is going to be built. Personally I would look for an affordable house in Dollar/Dunblane/Calandar/Bridge of Allan where the schools are very good and you and the children have access to lots of activities/nice shopping/cafes etc and livery the horses. There are many livery yards close by and I’ve been at many of them.
If you have any questions at all give me a shout.

 

[TPO]

Dunblane/Calandar/Bridge of Allan where the schools are very good and you and the children have access to lots of activities/nice shopping/cafes etc and livery the horses. There are many livery yards close by and I’ve been at many of them.

I'd throw Doune in the mix too, but that would be my thoughts too.

Lots of liveries and odd small yards/farms with a handful of DIYers

 

[Cloball]

I was going to say Denny as well, there is often yards on the FB livery groups central Scotland I'm still on. Not that I can personally recommend. I do often keep an eye out as there's a chance I might be headed back to Forth Valley at some point in the next few years.

 

[TPO]

Meant to say previously, thr Carron Valley might be worth a punt. It is beyond denny/Stirling out towards Fintry. The land is pretty wet and it's isolated but land is cheaper. The roads aren't great and you'd need a 4x4 in snow.

Lots of places with questionable reputations are changing with so many new builds. Plean is exploding with thousands of new builds but the downside is that 2 livery yards are sold/reserved for some of them. It is going to get harder to find livery in that area. The other yards I know of are prone to flooding and the good yard has a mile long wait list and is quite a regimented yard. There's another absolute bargepole yard in that area too.

But yeah I think between posters on here and friends in real life hho can provide yoi with reviews of almost every yard in a 30 mile radius of stirling!

 

[Midlifecrisis]

TPO I’m laughing cos I know each yard you re referencing

 

[Cloball]

I know who to get the gossip from now when I move north again.

 

[holeymoley]

Sorry not much help as south west of stirling but you won’t get anything like what you have just now in even the areas of Callendar, Buchlyvie etc they’re just non-existent unless you pay close to £1m or just under it, they either don’t exist or it would be an old larger farming property. I’m on the national park and prices are insane for anything with a little bit of land.

 

[AnShanDan]

I know the area really well (5 miles from Stirling), there are a lot of livery yards, some better than others obv. There are also quite a few smaller yards which might suit you if you do go down that route.
One thing about this area is that it is well served with motorways, esp. the M9 and M80 which both go to Stirling, and the town itself is small, so not difficult to get out of/get around.
Schools-wise, Stirling High gets a reasonable rep. but a friend who is in the catchment is sending her sporty son to Wallace High. Dunblane High is prob. the best around but it's not a cheap area.
The only incinerator I know of locally is the new one at Grangemouth, which is already operating.

 

[Midlifecrisis]

Incinator to be built at Fallin on edge of river Forth.

 

[AnShanDan]

Incinator to be built at Fallin on edge of river Forth.

Ah, interesting, down at Polmaise? I don't live that near it but I hear the one at Grangemouth is a big improvement on the rubbish tip next door to it!!

 

[Midlifecrisis]

Bandeath industrial estate where the MOD ammunitions huts are.