UK's best places to live have been revealed - does your neighbourhood make the list?

24 March 2023, 15:39

The UK's best places to live have been revealed. Picture: Alamy

By Kit Heren

The best places to live in the UK have been revealed, alongside a list of neighbourhoods broken down by region.

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The top town, Wadhurst in East Sussex, was chosen because it has "pretty much everything needed for modern life in miniature".

The list was created by the Sunday Times, whose judges looked at several factors, like schools, transport and broadband to culture, green spaces and the wellbeing of the high street.

The judges also named the best town in every region.

Wadhurst Castle in Wadhurst, East Sussex, which has been named as the overall best place to live in the UK. Picture: Alamy

North East - Whitley Bay

The list makers said this north-eastern town has everything, from "a coworking hub, artisan bakery, microbrewery" and even a "wild swimming club

The aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, glow on the horizon at St Mary's Lighthouse in Whitley Bay on the North East coast. Picture date: Thursday March 23, 2023. Photo credit should read: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire. Picture: Alamy

North West - Waterloo and Toxteth, Liverpool

Judges described the Liverpool suburb of Waterloo as a "super-seaside" area that has "fresh air along with fresh attitude".

Meanwhile "the troubles that hit Toxteth in the 1980s — and still blight its reputation — are so last century, and this buzzy, diverse district is now one of Liverpool’s most happening ’hoods," judges said.

London - Crouch End

Judges said Crouch End was a "lovely North London suburb" with the feel of a market town.

Crouch End Broadway, North London. Picture: Alamy

South West - Cirencester

Cirencester is "not your typical Cotswold town," judges said. That's because it "is busy all week, not just when the weekend Range Rover convoy rolls in.

"It has markets, an array of shops, parks, cafés and a smattering of culture to elevate it above the coach-party olde worlde norm."

View of St John Baptist from the streets, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England, UK. Picture: Alamy

South East - Chichester

List makers said "there is plenty of history" in Chichester, as visitors are "never far from an archaeological site or Georgian townhouse — but there’s a lot of modern culture too".

Chichester also has more Ukrainian refugees per capita than any other town, the judges noted.

The Midlands - Leamington Spa

Leamington is "respectable with its golf and rugby clubs, and aspirational shops", but "innovation rather than tradition is the watchword," judges said.

Donaghadee - Northern Ireland

This is a beautiful "seaside town with its lighthouse, multicoloured houses and views across crystal-clear waters to Scotland".

Donaghadee seafront from the pier. Picture: Alamy

Saffron Walden - East of England

Saffron Walden combines |excellent schools, a proper country feel and a handy location" which is "convenient for Cambridge commuters" yet "manageable for London".

Ruthin - Wales

This is a "handsome, historic town" with "a jumble of medieval and Victorian buildings on winding streets leading off the grand hilltop market square".

St Peter's Square at dusk, Ruthin. Picture: Alamy

Dunkeld - Scotland

Judges said that "Dunkeld harbours its own special kind of magic. Add in a high street that would fit better in Sodermalm in Stockholm, Sweden, than Scotland and a foodie scene, and you’ve got arguably the most desirable rural village in the country.