Every year, we’ve eagerly anticipated The Sunday Times’ Best Places to Live and every year Bristol has not been disappointed. It even won Best Place to Live in the UK in 2017. But for the first time in the annual list’s 12-year history, there’s no room for Bristol – because of its “ruthless property market and gruelling public transport system.” Fair.
“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,” said Helen Davies, editorial projects director and Best Places to Live editor. “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.”
So where are the Best Places to Live in the South West?
Well, North Berwick in Scotland was named the overall Best Place to Live in the UK. But the best in the South West – according to the Sunday Times anyway – is still over an hour and a half away in Dorset. Sherborne was picked for its busy high street, high-class education and for being a “community-centred, cultured town”.
The Sunday Times said: “Sherborne is handsome and historic, but it’s the friendly, energetic population that really makes it stand out. There are more than 200 community groups covering every conceivable interest, while the opening of Sherborne House as a high-end arts and community centre later this spring will add extra cachet to a town that already has a perceptible spring in its step.”
Also making the list in the South West is a little seaside town often associated with Bristol. Clevedon was highlighted for “attracting growing numbers of refugees from the city’s gruelling transport network and pitiless property market” (which is not how we would’ve worded it).
It continues: “It may not have the same grit or urban edge, but it does have tree-lined avenues of smart Victorian villas, an elegant pier and, in Clevedon Marine Lake, a seawater infinity pool with a claim to being the largest in the world – an unbeatable asset for outdoor swimmers.”
Moving on… Cirencester in Gloucestershire was also picked for “an authentic Cotswold life” that can also cater for modern comforts and community spirit. While Wiltshire’s Tisbury has “festivals, a choice of great places to eat and world-class exhibitions”. Also among the Sunday Times’ Best Place to Live in the South West were Dartmouth and Exmouth (Devon), Falmouth (Cornwall) and Isle of Purbeck (Dorset).
The Sunday Times’ judges 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. To see all 72 locations across the UK head here.