Susan Dalgety: Blackpool’s great – but I’d much rather live in Edinburgh

Sandcastle Waterpark, Blackpool

Sandcastle Waterpark – the largest indoor water park in the UK – is a thrilling if rather wet way to spend an afternoon. It is the only place where I will wear a swimsuit so that I can splash about with my granddaughters.

I have never been to the top of Blackpool Tower, but there is still time, though I will have to overcome my fear of heights first.

All things being equal, Blackpool is hard to beat for a fun few days with all the family, unless it is raining of course, and even then there is always bingo.

But Blackpool a better place to live than Edinburgh? You must be joking. According to a recent survey, the Capital is the fourth most desirable place to live in the UK after York, Nottingham and Blackpool.

York beating us I can just about understand. Like Edinburgh, it is a beautiful city with a fascinating history and sits at the heart of the best county in England.

I can’t say I can recall ever having visited Nottingham so it may well beat Edinburgh for culture, castles, and elegant Georgian streets – but somehow I doubt it.

And there is no way that Blackpool is a better place to live than Edinburgh, even if the house prices are considerably cheaper.

You can pick up a two-bedroom end-of-terrace in Blackpool for a guide price of £25,000. A parking space for two cars just metres from my flat is currently on the market for £85,000.

But I am lucky. I have survived Edinburgh’s housing market for nigh on forty years, starting in a council flat in Wester Hailes and ending up in a garden flat in the heart of the city.

My grandchildren may not be so lucky, with house prices and private rentals out of the reach of most young people. And there is simply not enough social housing to meet demand.

That said, it is still a far better place to live than Blackpool – even without a water park.