Lancashire district named in the annual Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide

The Sunday Times has today revealed the best places in the UK to live, a comprehensive guide featuring 72 locations across the country, one of which is right here in Lancashire - the Ribble Valley.

In the Ribble Valley entry, The Sunday Times states: “There’s a reason this hearty corner of Lancashire has previously been named both the happiest and the healthiest place in the UK. It has glorious countryside, excellent schools, community-minded locals and a well-deserved gourmet reputation, thanks to its local produce and stellar roster of gastropubs.”

This is not the first time the Lancashire district has been highlighted as one of the best places to live, only this week, Ribble Valley also came out top in a study which looked at the happiest areas in the UK.

How have the best places to live been decided?

The Sunday Times’s expert judges have visited all the locations and assessed factors from schools to transport, broadband speeds to culture, as well as access to green spaces and the health of the high street. 

The average house price for each location was provided by mortgage lender, Halifax, who sponsored the guide this year while broadband speeds were provided by Thinkbroadband.com, the UK’s leading independent guide to broadband. 

Which other northwest locations feature?

Stockport in Greater Manchester was named the best place in the northwest to live, then aside from the winner, five other northwest locations were named in the wider guide but not ranked in any order.

Ribble Valley was joined by Christleton in Cheshire, Kendal in Cumbria, Knutsford in Cheshire, Prestwich in Greater Manchester and Sefton Park in Liverpool.

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Where was the best place to live nationally?

North Berwick in East Lothian, Scotland was named the overall best place to live in the UK.

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) and Wadhurst, East Sussex (2023). 

What does the Sunday Times say about its findings?

Helen Davies, editorial projects director and Best Places to Live editor, said: “This guide is a celebration of towns, cities and villages that are each a fantastic place to live in 2024, from Dunkeld to Knutsford, Falmouth to Leeds. Wherever you are on the property ladder, there will be somewhere to suit you.  

“These are all places where you can feel grounded as well as upwardly mobile: they have a mature sense of community, lively, supportive high streets and an eye to the future, whether that is eco-friendly measures, transport and regeneration, or imaginative inclusion of new housing.

“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. That means we can see what people really love about the places they live. That might be fast commutes and high-achieving schools but also clean water to swim in, lively town centres with useful shops, the possibility of earning a living and being part of a friendly community.  

“We do consider affordability, though high house prices are no barrier to inclusion - as long as they provide value for money. Different people may be looking for different things, but what all our best places have in common is that people love living in them and are proud to call them home.” 

Read the full guide here: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/best-places-to-live