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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Susie Beever

Sunday Times reveals UK's best places to live 2023 as quiet town beats rest - full list

A quiet market town in East Sussex has been crowned Britain's best place to live as the Sunday Times list of most favourable places to locate to is released for 2023.

The popular annual list has ranked Wadhurst as the nicest place to live in the UK, beating off competition from 71 other locations. See the full list below.

The small southern market town offered "pretty much everything needed for modern life in miniature", according to the coveted list, which also named the Dorset village of Poundbury and Ruthin in Denbighshire as ideal spots.

Judges for the list made trips to all the towns, ranking things such as schools, transport links, culture, broadband speeds, access to nature and the state of their high streets.

Wadhurst was praised for its good schools, convenient transport links, variety of high street shops and being surrounded by "stunning scenery".

A winner was also selected for each region in England, with Crouch End named best spot to live in London, beating off competition from Notting Hill and Beckenham.

(Alamy Stock Photo)

Crown of the North was the coastal gem of Whitley Bay, Tyne & Wear, which has frequently featured on the list for its scenic beach and buzzing high street, while previous winner Ilkley and the West Yorkshire town of Holmfirth also got honourable mentions.

Cities also seeing a return to the shortlist were Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield and Newcastle, while the towns of Chichester and Cirencester won best locations in the South East and South West respectively.

Meanwhile, the list made mention of a group of local dads named the 'Wadhurst Warriors' as 'stars of the show' for their efforts in fundraising to invest in the town.

With a population of just 5,000 people, the town is the smallest to hold the top spot in its 11-year history, former winners of which include Ilkley near Leeds, and Stroud in Gloucestershire.

Wadhurst's parish council described the news as "really exciting".

"Wadhurst is a lovely, lovely place to live with a great community feel," a spokesperson said.

Dunkeld in Perthshire took the title as Scotland's best spot to live (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

"What makes it really special is the community, We have lots of different village clubs and a really active community.

"We are all helping each other out and during Covid that really came to the forefront, with lots of groups helping to get food and medicine to people.

"I would say to someone thinking of moving here that it's a great place to live, you have the best of both worlds."

Paula Lee, 58, who owns the @ONE homeware shop on Wadhurst's high street said: "I would agree completely - it is a lovely place to live and it has got a good sense of community.

"I am not surprised - I think you would be hard-pushed, certainly in the South East, to find somewhere better.

"There are some really lovely shops, it is a well-rounded high street - there is a nice independent butcher, grocers and a nice community spirit.

"The countryside in this area is just outstanding. There is lots of walking and lots of sporting activities in an area of outstanding natural beauty."

Crouch End was named the best spot to live in London (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Ruthin in Denbighshire was identified as the best place to live in Wales, Dunkeld in Perthshire was named as the best place to live in Scotland, and Donaghadee in Co Down was placed top in Northern Ireland.

Helen Davies, editor of Best Places To Live 2023, said: "When times are tough, where we live matters more than ever.

"Attractive surroundings, good neighbours and a comfortable home are the best defences when the stresses of modern life seem overwhelming.

"This guide is a celebration of towns, cities and villages that are each a fantastic place to live in 2023 from Orkney to Felixstowe, the Chew Valley to Manchester city centre."

Here is the full list

Wadhurst, East Sussex was named as the overall Best Place to Live in the UK

EAST OF ENGLAND

Winner: Saffron Walden, Essex

Aylsham, Norfolk

Bourn, Cambridgeshire

Buckhurst Hill, Essex

Dedham Vale, Suffolk

Felixstowe, Suffolk

Norwich

Saffron Walden in Essex was named best spot in the East of England (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

LONDON

Winner: Crouch End

Beckenham

Hackney borders N1 and E8

Earlsfield

King’s Cross

Notting Hill

Woolwich

MIDLANDS

Winner: Leamington Spa, Warwickshire

Digbeth, Stirchley, Birmingham

Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire

Great Malvern, Worcestershire

Market Harborough, Leicestershire

Melbourne, Derbyshire

Rutland

NORTHERN IRELAND

Winner: Donaghadee, Co Down

Ormeau, Belfast

Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh

Donaghadee in County Down (Alamy Stock Photo)

NORTH AND NORTH EAST ENGLAND

Winner: Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear

Holmfirth, West Yorkshire

Ilkley, West Yorkshire

Leeds

Ouseburn, Newcastle

Sheffield

Thirsk, North Yorkshire

Wooler, Northumberland

The glow of the northern lights pictured in Whitley Bay earlier this month (PA)

NORTH WEST

Winner: Liverpool

Manchester

Penrith, Cumbria

Rawtenstall, Lancashire

Sale, Greater Manchester

Stockport, Greater Manchester

Tarporley, Cheshire

SCOTLAND

Winner: Dunkeld, Perthshire

East Linton, East Lothian

Portobello, Edinburgh

Shawlands, Glasgow

Newport-on-Tay, Fife

Orkney

Tighnabruaich, Argyll and Bute

SOUTH EAST ENGLAND

Winner: Chichester, West Sussex

Alresford, Hampshire

Brighton and Hove, Seven Dials

Folkestone, Kent

Guildford, Surrey

Lindfield, West Sussex

(East) Oxford

Reading, Berkshire

Reigate, Surrey

Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire

Chichester, West Sussex (Getty Images/EyeEm)

SOUTH WEST ENGLAND

Winner: Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Bishopsteignton, Devon

Bristol

Broad Chalke, Wiltshire

The Chew Valley, Somerset

Marlborough, Wiltshire

Penzance, Cornwall

Poundbury, Dorset

Ruthin in Denbighshire was named Wales' best place to live (Getty Images)

WALES

Winner: Ruthin, Denbighshire

Abergavenny, Monmouthshire

Barmouth, Gwynedd

Pontcanna, Cardiff

Gower Peninsula, Swansea

Narberth, Pembrokeshire

Solva, Pembrokeshire

– The list can be found online at thetimes.co.uk/bestplacestolive.

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