island looking bonnie. On weekends
volunteers patrol the sandy shores of
Ettrick Bay, where lumps of rose quartz
mingle with jetsam. Rothesay’s railings and
ornate lamp posts are shipshape thanks to two
brothers who traverse the town’s pavements with their
painting trolley and brushes.
Locals also love their festivals, especially the open
studios trail, ButeFest and Bute Noir, the riotously popular
celebration of crime writing. The latter is hoped to return
this year after being killed off in the pandemic, if only so
that islanders can once again bump into Ian Rankin in the
queue for baklava at Helmi’s.
While you’re in Rothesay, you can also pick up island
lamb, duck eggs, and homemade haggis from two
butchers, plus the world’s first oyster gin (£18) from the
Spirit of Bute. And you’ll struggle to find a better eyebrow
wax than at Orient Salon, one of many new businesses that
opened after 15 Syrian families were resettled here in 2015.
Best place to live if... You are an unconventional commuter
seeking a strong sense of community.
Best address There are million-pound mansions dotted in
the countryside — you’ve just got to know where to look.
£155,000
with a sprinkling of parental
competition — that sets the
tone for Dunblane whose high
school is rated as one of the
top state secondaries in
Scotland. “From teenagers to
retirees, everybody gets on
and is massively supportive”
says Pamela Mackie, leader of
the theatre group.
There are plenty more
clubs to sign up to: Dunblane
Sports Club offers a range of
classes. No prizes for guessing
the most popular sport in the
hometown of tennis ace
Sir Andy Murray. His mum,
Judy, has just won an
eight-year planning battle to
build a £40 million tennis and
golf complex on the outskirts
incorporating 19 homes, a
four-star hotel, and an Andy
Murray museum.
Like most high streets
around the UK, Dunblane’s
has seen better days, with
footfall siphoned off by a
Tesco superstore near the
train station (Edinburgh and
Glasgow are within 50
minutes) and an M&S Simply
Food on the southern edge oftown — as well as bigger
superstores in nearby
Stirling. But a handful of
traditional institutions
continue, including two
butchers, David Bennett &
Son and John Hill, and
greengrocer Ian Dunlop.
Leave the handsome
historic centre behind and
you are surrounded by
beautiful countryside. The
footpath that winds its way
along the banks of Allan
Water opens out into Laigh
Hills Park, with its mixture of
wilderness and facilities,
including a hidden concrete
skatepark. Callander, the
gateway to the Trossachs
National Park, with its miles
upon miles of wooded glens,
braes (hillsides) and lochs is a
20-minute drive.
Best place to live if... You
want to turbo-charge your
family’s fortunes.
Best address Glen
Road has a mixture of
characterful Victorian villas,
some of them with views over
the golf course.
£249,000CULROSS, FIFE B
Dense with cobbled streets
and narrow closes winding
and weaving up the hillside,
the former royal burgh of
Culross is a walk (let’s just
admit there are issues with
cars and parking here) back in
time. Though the hustle and
bustle of the thriving
17th-century port may now be
replaced with Instagrammers,
tourists, and occasional
commuters in search of sea
views and period charm
within an hour’s drive of
Edinburgh and Glasgow, this
preserved wonder is finally
earning due recognition
as one Scotland’s most
spellbinding villages — not
least because of its starring
role in the hit fantasy
historical drama Outlander.
In real life, action
centres on an excellent
community-funded children’s
play park, and the Red Lion
pub, which was saved by
locals. Culross has lost its
butcher and post office and
convenience store, but
things are looking up. The
weekend market is a fab
wee gathering of local
suppliers on the green
below the palace,
featuring, among
others, a florist, baker,
a yarn-maker, and an
ice-cream van. Up the
hill, the old butcher’s
shop is Rankin’s café, where
you get great coffee, cake and
sandwiches. While it might
be a pain to have to drive five
minutes to the Co-op in High
Valleyfield just for milk or
bread, you’ll find plenty of
supermarkets and high street
stalwarts another ten-minute
drive beyond in Dunfermline.
From the waterfront you
can pick up the Fife Coastal
Path, a popular walking route
skirting the entire 117-mile
fringe of the ancient kingdom.
Best place to live if... You
want to feel like stepping back
in time every time you step
out your front door.
Best address The cobbled
causeways.
£177,000DUNBLANE, STIRLING C
So popular is Rubber Chicken
Theatre’s annual Show in a
Week summer activity for
kids, that parents are known
to queue up before dawn to
get their children subscribed.
It is just one sign of the
family-friendly nature —Brew with a
view Dave
Evans of the
Braemar
Brewing
Company;
historic Culross,
aboveThis is an edited version. For the complete guide visit thetimes.co.uk/best-places-to-liveApril 10, 2022 21