5 mile radius - best & worst places to live vs. reality

[Lightfoot2017]

Have to say, there some really surprising suggestions for worst place. (But Oban is a toilet, right enough.)

Caithness? Really? That's a lovely part of the world. Ok, do no huge hills or mountains, but some lovely landscapes and a gorgeous coastline

[Msp1987]

East Kilbride has a pretty crap 5 mile radius. No hills at all.

[DavidShepherd]

For me:

1. 5 miles from my house gives me access to pretty much all of Edinburgh (including Arthur's Seat), a bit of coastline and the northern end of the Pentland Hills. So not too bad really.

2. Best spots: Aviemore or Callander perhaps?

3. Worst spots: Kilmarnock perhaps? Or maybe somewhere in the barren interior of Caithness, like Halkirk!

Lol. Kilmarnock would be one of the worst place to live when there wasn't a lock-down. Trust me, i grew up there.

[MusicalHiker]

I'm ok with this - I've got the Caledonian Canal, a nice bit of the Great Glen Way, Loch Ness, Craig Dunain and Craig Phadrig all within five miles, and I've been making the most of it!
The centre of a large city would be pretty miserable for me.... so I'm very grateful to be where I am.
Quinag is on the list when we are allowed further......

[Sunset tripper]

Best place - The Clachaig.
Worst place - Fife

I'm not sure the 5 mile rule makes much difference here.

[denfinella]

Caithness? Really? That's a lovely part of the world. Ok, do no huge hills or mountains, but some lovely landscapes and a gorgeous coastline

Caithness is lovely, but if you were in the very flat interior you might be >5 miles from the coast. Also, because it's sparsely populated, there aren't many paths so you might be stuck with roads or boggy, pathless and flat terrain.

[Sgurr]

There are bits of Fife that are very good.
Here in St. Andrews I can't walk far out into the sea except at low tide, but there's the coastal path in either direction. We have seven golf course so can play virtual rounds of golf if you wish every day of the week.
Cycle track, then up through farm and down through town. Climb up Pipeland behind the town and cross to coast path or Spinkie Den. The Lade Braes is a lovely walk by a burn if you don't mind cowering away from King of the Pavement, as it is a bit narrow. You can walk all the way out to Drumcarrow Craig, a smallish hill.
Best Possibly Salen. Lots of rocky lumps and bumps and as there is absolutely no shop (I think) you would have the excuse of shopping in Strontian.
Worst. Somewhere south of the river in London.

Caithness would enable you to take up a new hobby of finding photos for squares on geograph that don't have one.

[walkerali]

Worst place Fife? No way! When lockdown started I set myself a Trig Point Challenge. I identified how many trig points I could reach on foot from my home. There are eight within a day's walk. I completed my challenge last week - walked 120 miles, total ascent 5635 metres, retraced my tracks and walked on tarmac as little as possible, and had many happy hours of social isolation.

[Sunset tripper]

There are bits of Fife that are very good.
Here in St. Andrews I can't walk far out into the sea except at low tide, but there's the coastal path in either direction. We have seven golf course so can play virtual rounds of golf if you wish every day of the week.

I never thought of that! If you stay on the coast in Fife you only get half the area of say someone in Newtonmore. That's an area of 39.25 square miles instead of 78.5 square miles, if my limited maths is right .
Surely if you stay on the coast you should get a 10 mile radius. What if you stayed at the end of a narrow 5 mile peninsula?
I think if you stay in Fife you should be able to go hill walking in the whole of Fife and someone in Inverness should be able to go hill walking in the whole of Inverness-shire.

Now that would be fair.

[Sunset tripper]

As for golf. I might take it up when I'm old enough.

[denfinella]

I think if you stay in Fife you should be able to go hill walking in the whole of Fife and someone in Inverness should be able to go hill walking in the whole of Inverness-shire.

Unlucky if you live in Clackmannanshire.

[Glengavel]

Best place - The Clachaig.
Worst place - Fife

I'm not sure the 5 mile rule makes much difference here.

Fife? The Lomond Hills, The Binn, Benarty, Bishop Hill, Largo Law, the Elie Chain Walk, Fife Coastal Path...

[nathan79]

Best has to be the likes of Glencoe, Torridon, Tyndrum, Braemar as have already been mentioned. I'd chuck Glenmore in there rather than Aviemore.

Worst has to be anywhere too flat like Caithness or too urban and flat- Glasgow comes to mind.

As cities go Edinburgh is pretty darn good. Depending on where you're situated you've got the 7 hills, the Forth coastline, the northern tip of the Pentlands all to play with.

[Outnabout]

Best place, moffat or pitlochry.

Worst place cumbernauld or coatbridge.

[mproudfoot]

I’d be more than happy being in lockdown in the Arrochar, Dalmally, Crianlarich, Kinlochleven or Fort William areas. I’d be less happy if based in the likes of Glasgow, Kilmarnock or Livingston.