Help please with commuter villages

Hi Anne, you don't mention your preferred property type, budget or whether it's state or private schooling you're looking for, but I can make the following general suggestions (if you've not already moved!)

Villages & small towns with railway stations to the west of Edinburgh include: Linlithgow, Currie and Kirknewton. Linlithgow is a small, pleasant town about 15 miles from the centre of Edinburgh, whereas Currie is really a satellite suburb and Kirknewton a pleasant village with a local shop and post office about 8 miles from the city centre. These three areas all have reasonably priced housing. A very nice area next door to Currie is Balerno which has a good state school and lots of property types available - some very luxurious. Balerno is right on the south west fringes of the city and not far from fantastic walks in the Pentland hills - great for a young family.

To the east of Edinburgh in East Lothian you might want to consider North Berwick or Dunbar which again both have railway stations. These areas are often sought after, especially North Berwick and can be very pricey, but with some lovely housing. North Berwick is around 25 miles outside Edinburgh and Dunbar around 30.

North of Edinburgh is North and South Queensferry which are very popular. They are basically situated at the north and south of the road and railways bridges and each have stations. South Queensferry is bigger with a range of houses and budgets, but it does have a very delightful main street with lovely shops, bars and restaurants not to mention a beach and fantastic walks and views of the bridges and the estuary. North Queensferry is a little more intimate and quiet, but has some real property gems and is a delightful place to live.

There will undoubtedly be other villages that I've forgotten, but these are the ones that spring to mind with a convenient railway station. Hope this helps and don't hesitate to let me know if i can help in any other way. Good luck, David.