What do you think makes somewhere a good place to live? Good transport links? Lots of jobs? A Gail’s bakery? As it turns out, whatever you might believe doesn’t actually matter, because the best places to settle in the UK have now been officially discovered according to science.
That’s right. This year, the Times has decided to ‘take a different approach’ to the newspaper’s annual ranking of the best places to live; considering hard facts, data, and evidence. None of this ‘I like living here because it’s near the park’ nonsense. No, this is inarguable and final.
Okay, numbers can lie. And, as it turns out, this strategy is not quite as revolutionary as you might have hoped. The winner, and official best place to live in the UK was Richmond, which is by no means a controversial suggestion. This tranquil London borough gets the best of both city and country living, and looks good while doing it, but that’s what spending a couple million pounds on a two bed flat gets you. Last month Richmond was also named the UK’s second-happiest place to live.
But what numbers exactly did the Times even use? Well, the paper compared each location based on data from the local council on schools, satisfaction with GPs, crime rates, listed buildings, parks, and average house prices. From there, averages were calculated, and lists for each country in the UK were created. According to the Times: ‘We originally wanted to make a big UK-wide list, [but] Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England all count things in slightly different way — so we had to keep them separate.’
In Scotland, the top three spots were all very remote islands at the very top of Scotland, or even beyond, so ease of access and warmth were clearly not considered. The number one place in Scotland which you can get to without a ferry ride was East Lothian, which came fourth.
The Times does admit that there’s some cracks in the methodology: ‘Not everyone wants the same thing. If we weight our ranking slightly differently, for example, and prioritise public services, it is the London borough of Kingston-upon-Thames which actually triumphs.
‘Similarly, prioritising culture… results in Westminster coming out on top… In many cases, places that are good by one measure are not so good for others.’
With all of that in mind, here are the top locations to live in, as determined by the Times, in each nation.
Best places to live in England
- Richmond, London
Best places to live in Scotland
- Na h-Eileanan Siar, Outer Hebrides
Best places to live in Wales
- Ceredigion, west Wales
Best places to live in Northern Ireland
- County Fermanagh
You can check out the full lists on the Times’ website here.
Where to go in the British Isles
Wherever you live, there’s plenty of reason to adventure across the UK. Here’s our favourite family friendly holiday digs, and some tree houses you can rent out for something a little different. We’ve also got guides to the country’s cosiest cabins, and the coolest castles you can stay overnight in.
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