Bright single room in Penicuik

The space:

I have a bright single room available in a characterful 4-bed house in Penicuik (council tax band D). It has a large window overlooking the garden. It has a comfortable mattress; a desk; a chest of drawers; and a built-in cupboard. (The piano in the picture will be removed). The rent is £550 a month and includes all bills.

The house is in old Penicuik, just a few minutes’ walk from shops and amenities. It is detached, quiet, and has gardens at the back and front (both quite unkempt at the moment!). The house is located inside a graveyard and has panoramic views of the Pentland hills. I’ve recently built some raised beds in the back garden for growing vegetables and herbs. You are welcome to take part in tending the garden and share what is grown. There is a shared, double aspect living room, which has a multi-fuel woodburner and a futon for occasional guests. There’s no television in the house.

There is one main bathroom, a separate smaller shower room, a spacious kitchen-dining room, a utility room, and a small conservatory.

Penicuik has excellent bus links to Edinburgh city centre, but also has beautiful rolling countryside and hills on the doorstep. Roslin Glen is just down the road, and the Penicuik Old Estate is a 7 minute walk from the house. It's a great place to be if you like being in nature, but also want to stay connected to the city.

About me and others living in the house:

Hello, I’m Annabel. I work as a social anthropologist, currently three days a week, sometimes at home, sometimes in Edinburgh. I also have a five-year-old, Arthur, who lives with me part-time and enjoys getting to know other adults who enjoy getting to know him. I enjoy writing, surfing, wild swimming, dancing, reading, foraging, and long walks. I love singing, especially with other people and playing the guitar (not very well). I like making pots, weaving, and green woodworking, and am studying herbalism. I love laughter and absurdity, and also have a penchant for deep, exploratory conversations. I try to meditate and practise yoga regularly.

Here are some introductory words from Shruti, who also lives at the house:

Hello, this is Shruti! I am a current masters student studying the relationships between humans and our environment. I am an artist, crafter, cook, musician, former land steward and youth worker deeply committed to practicing more connected and sustainable ways of living. I love chatting and embedding myself within the space I live in and would be really excited to get to know you and your worlds! My schedule is quite busy and I am in and out of the house frequently but really value having shared meals, going to events together, have long winding chats, spending time outside and just having intentional time to connect. I am generally very social but also need and value alone time. I’ve absolutely loved living with Annabel and Arthur and treasure hanging out with them both :)

We are all quite sociable, and are often out and about. We have friends/family to stay occasionally. We respect each other's need for privacy and space, but we also enjoy the house being a social space, and cook and eat together fairly regularly.

About you:

We'd like to open this space to a community-minded person who shares some of the existing interests in the house and likes exploring more communal ways of living. Ideally, you would be someone who enjoys being in nature and walking in the hills and woods around here, and is actively engaged and interested in life. We're looking for someone who is emotionally mature, both enjoys company and is also happy spending time alone, and would like to be part of a household, rather than simply a ‘lodger’.

We are looking for someone who would not be working at home most of the time. Crucially, you would enjoy sharing space part-time with a small child.

We value honest, respectful communication around needs/boundaries/any issues that might come up when living in a shared space.

You would be willing to have a few conversations and meet-ups before a decision to move in, so that we know as well as it’s possible to know in advance, whether you, us, and the house are a good fit.

If you decide that this place might be for you, please get in touch, telling us a bit about yourself, the reasons you’d like to move in here and any questions you might have.

Thank you for reading this far - I look forward to hearing from you!