And the best place to live is….
The genteel market town of Saffron Walden tops a list of 72 locations across the UK chosen by The Sunday Times to represent the best of Britain in the annual Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide.
These areas might also represent the best places for budding hoteliers and restaurateurs to set up shop, so this article is worth a look.
EAST OF ENGLAND: Chelmsford, Essex
LONDON: Walthamstow
MIDLANDS: Ilmington, Warwickshire
NORTHERN IRELAND: Dundrum, Co Down
NORTH & NORTHEAST: Ilkley, West Yorkshire
NORTHWEST: Woolton, Liverpool
SCOTLAND: North Berwick, East Lothian
SOUTHEAST: Petersfield, Hampshire
SOUTHWEST: Chew Valley, Somerset
WALES: Gower Peninsula, Swansea
Saffron Walden was chosen for its knockout historic looks with excellent state schools, a rich cultural offering and an exploding foodie scene as well as its convenient commuter links to London and Cambridge.
The market town used to have a reputation for being stuffy, old-fashioned and expensive. While the property prices are still high, Saffron Walden is enjoying a swish new lease of life.
Incomers are bringing fresh ideas, cool independent shops and tasty places to eat.
If the traditional high street is dying, Saffron Walden is reinventing it for the 21st century.
Helen Davies, editorial projects director and Best Places to Live editor, says: “It is easy to feel overwhelmed by everything going on in the world, but there really is so much to celebrate as we look closer to home.
“From small gestures that lift the everyday – like verges blooming with daffodils and volunteer-run dementia cafés, to larger initiatives, from repair cafés to new railway stations.”
The Sunday Times’s expert judges have visited all the locations and assessed factors from schools to transport, broadband speeds and mobile signal to culture, as well as access to green spaces and the health of the high street.
The chosen locations come in all shapes and sizes, from the Scottish Island of Tiree and the remote Welsh village of Maenclochog to vibrant market towns, and suburbs of big, lively cities such as Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield and London.
There are more new entries than ever before in this year’s guide and no place for many previous winners including York, Winchester, and Altrincham.
As always, the judges looked for thriving locations with a strong sense of community rather than famous names with high house prices.
“What makes our guide unique is that we actually visit all the places we choose and talk to locals to find out what life is really like there,” Davies says.
“That means we can see what people really love about the places they live.
“That could be anything from exceptional schools and fast trains to beautiful houses and countryside.
“The health of the high street is important, but more than anything else, what we are looking for are towns, villages and cities with strong communities who work hard to make the best of where they live, and play hard too.
“We also consider affordability. High house prices are no barrier to inclusion – as long as they provide value for money.
“Different people will be looking for different qualities when they are choosing a place to live.
“One thing all our chosen locations have in common is that the people who live in them are proud to call them home.”
Overall national winner: Saffron Walden, Essex
There’s a healthy combination of chains and great independent shops, including a traditional toy shop, great clothes and interiors shops, and the much-loved Hart’s Books.
Food lovers are spoilt for choice, with butchers, a fishmonger, a craft beer shop, and a brilliant bakery in Mini Miss Bread.
Then there’s Chater’s – a justly hyped café, wine bar, restaurant, and general store – whose owners also have a vermouth distillery.
Highlight of the week is the Saturday market, which locals say is like being in the South of France.
Regional winners
These locations are published in alphabetical order and are not ranked.
East: Chelmsford, Essex
The fast-growing city takes second place to Saffron Walden in the region but was highly praised by the Sunday Times judges as a commuter hub fit for the 21st century.
Its schools are excellent and transport connections impeccable, with a new station due to open this year serving the new 3,600-home Beaulieu Park development, which was named the “Great Neighbourhood” of 2024 by the Academy of Urbanism.
London: Walthamstow
The judges described Walthamstow as diverse, vibrant and cool without being frosty, living up to its name which is believed to be derived from the Anglo-Saxon for “the welcome place”.
They said it encapsulates so much of what’s great about the capital: hip hangouts, independent shops and restaurants, handsome Victorian housing stock, calming green space, excellent public transport and, imminently, West End-quality culture, courtesy of the new Soho Theatre, adding to a cultural scene that includes a wallet-friendly cinema.
The street market is part of an impressive retail offering that runs from upmarket lifestyle stores, pubs and delis in chichi Walthamstow Village to no-frills fabric shops on the High Street.
Midlands: Ilmington, Warwickshire
Pretty as a picture, with its twin village greens, winding lanes and ancient church, Ilmington was described by the judges as a blissful example of village life as it should be.
Perched on the very edge of the Cotswolds, it welcomes day-trippers in walking boots rather than on tourist coaches.
The village boasts good pubs, sports clubs and community groups but at its heart— its proudest achievement — is the community shop manned by more than 100 volunteers (one in seven of the population) which celebrates its 10th birthday this year.
North and northeast: Ilkley, West Yorkshire
With the magical moor on the doorstep, attractive town centre, easy trains to Leeds and excellent schools, Ilkley, which was chosen as best place to live in the UK in 2022, has everything a best place to live needs.
What most impressed the judges was the get up and go of a community that tackles every challenge with gusto as well as the sporting and cultural opportunities the town offers its young people.
Northern Ireland: Dundrum, Co Down
Sporty, friendly and seriously community minded, Dundrum must be the best village in Northern Ireland.
The setting is magical – almost every house here has a view of either the Mourne Mountains or the sea, and many have both, with the buzz of Belfast just a 45-minute drive away.
There’s a further bonus in the shape of a food scene with a winning menu of serious destination restaurants, good cafés, highly regarded takeaways and a friendly pub at the heart of the community.
Northwest: Woolton, Liverpool
Everything is within walking distance in the Liverpool suburb where Lennon and McCartney met for the first time.
Its independent-minded village centre has cool coffee shops, a formidable fromagerie and cocktail bars, as well as a belting neighbourhood boozer in the Elephant Pub and Bakehouse.
It’s a gloriously family-friendly place to put down roots, with excellent schools, parks and even a patch of woodland.
Scotland: North Berwick
Last year’s overall best place to live in the UK takes top spot in Scotland thanks to its unbeatable combination of lovely beaches, quality schools and thriving independent businesses.
Not to mention it’s just half an hour’s train ride from Edinburgh.
The town’s appeal is something more fundamental and timeless, and it’s hard to beat this seaside stunner.
Southeast: Petersfield, Hampshire
Petersfield is family-friendly town with excellent schools – several of which are working together to support the Smartphone Free Childhood movement – along with plenty of sporty and artistic pursuits and a caring community that looks out for all ages.
From am-dram and events at the excellent museum and art gallery to the busy weekly markets, there’s always something happening in Petersfield’s historic streets, all set against the stunning backdrop of the South Downs countryside.
Southwest: The Chew Valley, Somerset
The rural idyll – unspoiled lakes and orchards, burbling streams and picture-perfect russet-hued villages – is home to an impressive selection of forward-thinking, super-sustainable rural businesses.
From natural wines at Limeburn Hill, Wilding natural cider, and antibiotic-free milk from Langford Farm to The Pony restaurant and cookery school – a high-end gastro destination at the heart of the Chew Valley’s sustainable, local ethos – this region is a hub of innovation.
Being close to Bristol is just a bonus.
Wales: Gower Peninsula, Swansea
You get every type of seaside on the Gower – crashing waves, sandy coves, brooding limestone cliffs and smart urban promenades – along with easy access to the improving city of Swansea.
The judges were most impressed, however, with cool, creative and sustainable independent businesses springing up in the pretty villages and hamlets in the wilder corners of the peninsula.
Past Winners
Previous winners of the Best Places to Live in Britain title are: Stamford, Lincolnshire (2013); Skipton, North Yorkshire (2014); Newnham, Cambridge (2015); Winchester, Hampshire (2016); Bristol (2017), York (2018), Salisbury, Wiltshire (2019), Altrincham, Cheshire (2020) Stroud, Gloucestershire (2021), Ilkley, West Yorkshire (2022) Wadhurst, East Sussex (2023), and North Berwick, East Lothian (2024).
thetimes.com/best-places-to-live
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