Inside the town 'one of best places to live in Scotland' near Glasgow

Milngavie was named as one of Muddy Stiletto’s top places to live in 2026 alongside seven other towns and cities across the country, with the winner being announced next year.

The lifestyle website describes Milngavie as “village charm meets city cool” with “leafy walks, indie shops, and a buzzing food scene” nestled just 20 minutes away from Glasgow.

Having not spent much time in the East Dunbartonshire town, I hopped on the train to find out all about it from the people who know Milngavie best.

The start of the West Highland Way on Douglas Street, Milngavie town centre. (Image: Colin Mearns)

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Arriving in the quaint town, you're greeted by a metal-engraved sign over the underpass, which takes you to the historic high street.

It reads, "Welcome to Milngavie", and the underpass's walls are decorated with glimpses into the history of the place, which are accompanied in a juxtaposition to the blustery weather, with a sea of smiling faces.

Stopping a few of them and speaking to a few local shops, I get into a bit of bother when I reference the centre of the town as being the "town centre" - ask any local and they'll tell you it's known as "the village", lesson learned.

"The village" is immaculate, and members of the local community volunteer groups, such as Milngavie in Bloom, clear up the flower beds and walkways as we chat to locals.

Read on to hear why the people who live and work in Milngavie think all the fuss is about:

Flower planters in Milngavie (Image: Colin Mearns)

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Do you agree that Milngavie is one of the best places to live in Scotland?

This was an easy one, and all of our Milngavie-ians were unanimous in their agreement that Milngavie is one of, if not the, best place to live in Scotland.

Helen and Jenny have both lived in the area for over 60 years, 18-year-old Holly, who works at Honeybee Bakery, Vinnie, who's a smiling face behind the counter at Colpi's Gelateria and James, who raised his family in the town, all heaped praise on their "slice of paradise."

Helen and Jenny have lived in the area for over 60 years each (Image: Newsquest)

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Why do you think it's been selected?

Helen and Jenny think it's due to "what Milngavie has to offer", a big part of which is the West Highland Way and regular markets.

They added: "We are also very friendly; everybody usually speaks to everybody.

"A relative visiting from America this year was very enamoured with the look of Milngavie and couldn't understand how I knew so many people."

Holly agreed: "Everyone here is lovely; it is such a welcoming place, and you never meet a bad person.

"As a business right off the train, we are one of the first places visitors see. The town has the West Highland Way, Mugdock, and a lot of great restaurants."

Vinnie said part of the charm is that it's "maintained its style from 100 years ago", and that he likes to go for a walk during his break.

James said: "It is a very friendly place. When you are in the village, you meet a lot of people you know, and they will stop and take the time to talk to you.

"It also has good transport links with the train and buses, and provides all the facilities you need."

Vinnie added, "My favourite parts include a local pizzeria and having a drink with staff after shift in The Talbot."

Vinnie's worked at the award-winning Colpi Gelateria for four years (Image: Newsquest)

Would you change anything about Milngavie?

This was another easily answered question for our locals, with most of them saying "nothing at all."

James did explain: "There are always things one might like to change, and everybody has a different idea of what they would like to see."

This was shown by Helen and Jenny suggesting "better buses" for the specific areas they live in, despite others praising the public transport.

Holly said the only improvement would be "more people."

While Vinnie, who lives in Johnstone, said: "It’s perfect. It’s perfect. I would change nothing."

Holly, 18, works at Honeybee Bakery (Image: Newsquest)

Why was Milngavie chosen over Bearsden?

We're aware of some light-hearted local rivalry between Milngavie and Bearsden, so we thought we'd stir things up by asking our interviewees this one.

Helen's actually from Bearsden and made the point: "The only thing that really separates the two places is the burn."

Jenny added, "Maybe it's because they did up the square in the village. The West Highland Way is a strong attraction, too."

James agreed and made the point that "Milngavie is a slightly bigger hub".

Holly suggested that Bearsden is a more "business-y place" with commuters, whereas Milngavie is very "family orientated", where "people come to settle down and stay."

Vinnie has never been to Bearsden, so he couldn't make a judgment.

James has lived in Milngavie for over 26 years and raised his family here (Image: Newsquest)

How many people pronounce Milngavie wrong?

There's a surefire way to annoy anyone from this corner of East Dunbartonshire - getting the pronunciation of Milngavie wrong.

As a tongue-in-cheek end to our chats with our locals, we asked them the simple question - is it "mil-guy" or "mil-en-gav-ee"?

Thankfully, this got us a laugh from all of them as they recalled many times they'd either corrected people or let it slide and "let folk away with it, especially American tourists."

James said that "people sometimes definitely pronounce it the wrong way as a joke or Mickey take."

But Holly did quip: "You would be surprised how many people actually get it right!"

Vinnie admitted that, having only come to the area when he started at Colpi, when he first asked for a train ticket, he got it wrong, but hasn't since.