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I am looking at a job in Dundee. I am 52 and live in Hertfordshire, so hopefully this one will see me retired; its a dream job.
Any thoughts on what its like, places to live and of course bike riding?
Will I need a passport and Google translate?
Dundonian born and bred, but now living in Aberdeenshire due to work.
The past few years have seen a big change in the city for the better. Plenty of nice bars and places to eat, the V&A and there was recent talk of locating a new Eden Project in one of the local parks.
Dundee's location is a big advantage. Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen are all around an hour's drive away.
Lots of decent local riding and the Cairngorms are a shortish drive away, as is Perthshire.
Living wise, the west side of the city is nice, as is Brought Ferry on the east. I wouldn't rule out property in Fife within commuting distance either. I'd imagine your money will go much further than you'd get in Herefordshire!
Feel free to PM if you have any specific questions.
Dundee boy,also in the shire! First off: Fleet rule ya bass. Now that's off my chest,cracking place to live, really good food and as said close to everything. Ferry and West end are best, but the likes of Liff and Monifieth are also lovely and minutes from the city centre.
“Twa pehs an an ingin in anaw” Dundee has its own version of Scots. Instantly recognisable. A roundabout is know as a “circle“.
Not a bad place for biking you can head over the bridge to cycle in Fife or head north west to the Sidlaws. You are also not far from the Angus glens.
Even when dundee was shit i thought it was quite a nice place.
The main issue with Dundee isn't the town itself or its geographical positioning... it's the Dundonians. Never met such a bunch of loud, aggressive, argumentative people with bigger chips on their shoulders in my life. And they hate Fifers.
I agree with everything that future boy and duckman said and none of what the home brewer spouted.They welcomed me in even though I was a posh Edinburgh boy, it's an excellent location, but at the end of the day life's what you make it and all that.
Never met such a bunch of loud, aggressive, argumentative people with bigger chips on their shoulders in my life
That's Glasgow you're thinking of.
i like it, only visted mind though my mums from Broughty.
also its one of the drier citys in scotland by some margin.
And they hate Fifers
Perhaps thats because they used to be charged to cross the bridge into Fife when it was free to cross from Fife into Dundee 😃😃
Perhaps thats because they used to be charged to cross the bridge into Fife when it was free to cross from Fife into Dundee
My Dundonian mate living in Fife used to say "best 50p I ever spent!" 😃
I've never lived in Dundee but grew up just up the road and visit regularly. There's definitely been a huge change to the city in the last 10 years. Great walks along the riverside, nice pubs and restaurants. Harbourside has changed massively. Agree with the comments on looking at the Ferry or west side of the City. I would also look over the Tay in places like Tayport, Wormit, Newport-on-Tay
And they hate Fifers.
Do they? I used to work with a lot of them, and a lot of Fifers who worked with them in Dundee - there was definitely banter, but I never once thought there was hatred. Perhaps that comes from having grown up on the west coast where we did ingrained hatred properly.
Lived in Dundee for 5 years
Lived in Fife for 5 years
I don’t recognise any of what yourguitarhero posted. Assuming we manage to avoid economic apocalypse it’s not entirely out of the question we move back!
I’m in the bit between Perth & Dundee and really like it here.
Not sure how it compares to where you live now, but the ‘straight out of the door’ mtb options are a bit limited: there’s excellent riding to be had within a short drive but not much on the doorstep.
The road riding, on the other hand is outstanding. Lots of quiet roads with beautiful scenery right outside the city.
Oh, and I’d take any ‘x hates y’ stuff with a bit of a pinch of salt.
I studied in Dundee 30 years ago and was not a fan of the city but as I said that was 30yrs ago, and I have rarely been back since. If I was working in Dundee I would look at living nearer Perth as Stevious says above as I much prefer it as a location and has great access to nearby riding (closer to comrie etc).
City changed a lot in the last decade. Lots of regeneration but still lots of deprivation as well in certain areas.
Lots of building going on especially along the peripheries. If you are after an older property Broughty Ferry, Monifieth and Carnoustie are all quite nice and also lots of small villages around if you don’t mind the lack of amenities. Villages along the railway line out on the Perth side are also nice.
Do you have kids at school? If so beware of the Dundee/Angus boundary which would determine where they go to high school. North West corner which looks like Dundee is actually Angus and kids get bused to school in Monifieth on the east of Dundee.
Lots of good biking close by. Sidlaws and Ballo both 10 minutes by car. Can be biked to but not a pleasant ride. Lots of good gravel style riding nearby, Angus has a really good Core Path Network.
im from Dundee originally and still have family there so regulary visit. Lots of affordable housing options, and very quick access to the country, biking, hill walking, climbing, skiing, good sailing scene. Traffic not too bad either. big university scene in west end, plenty commuter options if you wish. Changed huge amount for the better in last 20 years. I would recommend it for a dream job opportunity without hesitation. There are large areas in the city you dont want to live, but thats the case anywhere in the UK.
Ps "fleet rule ya bass" haha, I thought the hilltoon huns did? 🙂
I stay in Aberdeenshire (yet still feel compelled to stick my oar in), one factor you might want to consider is it's generally colder up here, kind of stating the obvious. Through the summer when we're bouncing around the high teens/low 20s the home counties are pushing into the 30s and obviously can be a good bit colder in winter too. Winters the last decade haven't been very snowy but there have still been some very protracted icy snaps. Also the winters are quite dark (although you're rewarded with endless days in summer!). None of this bothers me but I know it does get to some.
I used to work there when I was an account manager, spent about three days a week in the city working all over the place. I always liked it a lot. That was 15 years ago and the place has changed massively, for the better, since then. I think it is a cracking place and would be a really good move for you.
As said above, you will get waaaay more for your money than in Herts.
FWIW I am originally from Buck/Herts border. Scotland is better on pretty much every single measure and you could do a lot worse than Dundee. Go for it.
Yourguitarhero i think they might Just not like you!
I've always found them friendly.
Used to amaze dundonians o worked with that i commuted over the bridge. They could not understand how you could be over the bridge and still quite close!
Ps “fleet rule ya bass” haha, I thought the hilltoon huns did? 🙂
Nah, Young Lochee Fleet rule! 😉
Oh misspent youth!
Birthplace of Grand Theft Auto.
And more importantly.
Lemmings
My brother went to uni there and due to various events (badly timed architecture degree pre-2008 crash, phd in architecture, job, wife, kids) never left. Seems to love it though.
I'm in Dundee (well, Liff, a village a few miles NW) and moved up from Newcastle 7 years ago to work at the University. As someone who likes open spaces with easy access to the outdoors I really like it. If you want a sophisticated city culture you probably won't. As a city it has everything I want or need and no more. Crossing the city at rush hour takes 20 minutes. As it has a fairly high proportinon of middle class types it does have a fair bit of interest in terms of art/music/theatre etc so it isn't the cultural desert that many paint it to be but it isn't Edinburgh.
The natives are on the whole pretty friendly considering that I sound English in a way that winds the folk in Glasgow up no end when I open my gob there. Probably because I'm not a Fifer. 😉
I can ride on trails 2 minutes from my front door, ride to the Sidlaws mostly off road in 40 minutes and the few roads are quiet B/C roads. Ballo is 30 minutes ride away for the local enduro-style riding, Perth is 20 minutes drive for their trails, Dunkeld, Lomond hills and Pitmedden 40 minutes in the car or Comrie area is under an hour. Likewise Glensee, Glen Clova, etc are about an hour and Braemar is 90 minutes. Torridon is an easy weekend trip. If you live to the east of the city (Broughty Ferry, etc) where things are a bit more la-di-da (the women get someone to hold their chips before they pi$$ in the street) it is all rather flat and of little interest for much other than road biking (unless you also rock climb in which case you are close to the excellent Arbroath sea cliffs sports routes).
Feel free to PM me if you want to chat more.
Don’t know the city well at all but the mountain biking in the Angus Glens nearby is immense.
Dundee has my favourite airport.
I like the airport too, basically a bus shelter with a baggage scanner. It's nice to be able to turn up for a flight 20 minutes before departure, check in and still have time to drink a cup of coffee before boarding.
Dundee is easily one of the better cities in Scotland. I lived there for a while and had a great time, it has a nice vibe about it, plenty going on. The waterfront is an abomination of bad planning and ugly buildings/ spaces but it has some lovely streets/ parks in the West End. Go for it.
Have you got your Toblerone's?
My inlaws stay just over the bridge up behind Newport on Tay.
The road riding around there is absolutely fantastic as mentioned above. For MTBing Dunkeld is only 50 mins away from Dundee and that area has some top notch MTB trails. Check out the Trailforks map for that area
I'm from Arbroath originally , went to uni in Dundee.
Moved to Aberdeen for job prospects in 2008 post crash.
I'd move back to Dundee In a heart beat.
It's a city trying to be a city ....not a town trying to be a city.
And good access to not just trails but real airports (ones where you can go somewhere useful direct )
Wife is from Newport (amazing views of Dundee at night) over the river, she then moved to Invergowrie for work (Ninewells.) She loves the place and would move back tomorrow. If I had to go back with her my choice would be Perth 15mins along the A90. It’s has a totally different feel to Dundee, it’s much more central, feels more cosmopolitan if that’s even a thing!
Ps. The A90 has had all the side exits/entries now changed to up and over/under slip roads so your chance of survival has increased dramatically.
my choice would be Perth 15mins along
At 120miles an hour maybe.
Not being a native to either Dundee feels like it is growing and thriving, Perth feels like it is slowly withering. It still has more fancy middle class shops than Dundee but I wonder for how long? Simple answer is to live between the two like me!
15mins! Ah you’re right maybe 30mins. Still it’s not a bad commute. In the Autumn sun as you reach the outskirts of Perth the trees look amazing. I’ll never tire of that view.
Another local here. Grew up in Invergowrie, had a flat in town for a while then moved out to Birkhill 26 years ago.
As others have said the biggest plus point is location, you don't have to go far for good mtbing, road cycling, walking up the Angus glens, skiing at Glenshee, beaches on the Angus and Fife coast. Edinburgh is only an hour away for better shopping choices or a proper airport.
Thanks everyone for your replies, it does sound good.
My issue is that we have a council house, which is really good, so that limits our moving choices. Buying or renting are our options, which is a big risk.
I guess the application process will sort that out. Its at the University, so that probably means someone is lined up for the job already...
Hiya. Dundee uni has had some proper staffing issues (last Principal "resigned" as didnt pay rent!) but I know people working there who love it.... if you get to interview ask lots of questions!
City has changed a lot for the better, there is however still mass youth unemployment, social housing shortages and anti social behavoir challenges in the city.
The uni is right in the centre of town so v convenient.
I work at the University, don't assume someone is lined up! Which dept/area is it you are looking at?
Dundee uni has had some proper staffing issues (last Principal “resigned” as didnt pay rent!) but I know people working there who love it…. if you get to interview ask lots of questions!
It was a lot murkier than that, basically he did lots of things that wouldn't be acceptable to most people in terms of what I will euphemistically call interpersonal interactions. What he "resigned" over wasn't what the real problem was, it was just what they could make stick....
By brother in law works at the Uni, you probably know him.
We were in Dundee the other week visiting from Manchester, second time I've been there and I really like it. We've stayed in Broughty Ferry and a place called Cupar a bit south (?) the whole area was really nice.
I was brought up in Dundee and loved it. Cycling was fantastic and deserted roads north of the city. I was a member of the Dundee Wheelers and a great bunch.
I then ended up in Aberdeen which was dreadful and hated the place and back down in England now in the Forest of Dean which I really like.
I grew up in Perth, used to go to Dundee all the time, still do when up there, i find that Dundee has benefited from changes recently, it's got a lot going for it and not far from a lot of decent riding/walking/etc.
Perth has went the other way, bit of a declining city due to the way they've been run, if i was going back up i'd have to say i'd be slightly north of both, but the area is fine, Dundee does mean you're a proper east coaster though, and will need to start brushing up on your language, just keep practicing "twa pehs, ain plen bridie an an ingin ain ana"
a place called Cupar
Dump. It used to be a busy wee market town. Now its a town screaming for a bypass.
twa pehs, ain plen bridie an an ingin ain ana”
None of them in a buttered roll? Amateur.
Im married to Dundonian, well she is a pretend Dundonian. Angus Girl from Muirhead and Birkhill.
Once married i repatriated her to Ayrshire where we live.
the In-laws still live in Muirhead,
Its a pretty nice place to live, Village life, local shop, village pub (wifes uncle is the owner) within 5 mins of downtown Dundee.
Other Suggestions from across the sofa,
Liff
Monifieth
Fowlis (brother inlaw lives there)
As for riding,
Dunkeld 40mins away,
Gorms in just over an hour,
Tweed Valley in 2 hrs
Also plenty of riding across the water in fife
If Dundee were South of the border, it would be the trendiest, South facing, spa town on the sea with uber cool bars, restaurants, tourists aplenty, house prices through the roof and middle class luvvies striving to get Antoine into thier choice of school.
I've two staff who went to uni there and won't have a bad word said about the place.
As others have said, it's finally starting to shed the hangover it's had for a few decades. I can imagine more than a few businesses and people relocating there over the next few years. Like every town, is got issues, and the youth unemployment, some crime issues and deprived neighbourhood's are worse than many cities I work in.
If you can afford to choose where you get a house, go for it.
I really liked Dundee. Went out with a girl there for quite a while. It was beginning to redevelop at the time (maybe 10 years ago now) but it was still (mostly) a nice place even then.
Reminded me a bit of Cardiff (where I went to uni) - small(ish) city, some nice bits, some of it a dump but definitely on the up. Cardiff Bay, when I was at uni, was an absolute shithole. It's now a really desirable part of the city. Dundee felt very similar to me, a neat compact city that was improving all the time.
Would also add that housing seems to be in high demand. My brother recently put central Dundee pad on the market, had about 20 viewings over the first weekend and it was sold within 2 weeks.
Another pal, relocating from London, has struggled to find a flat....
A friend has just been given her notice at the Uni, she works in IT support. 2/3 bedroom flat prices have been daft for 20 years, there is a lack of the sort of central flats students like. Weirdly all my mates have moved out to the likes of Monifieth, Birkie etc as they have got older.