Bristol’s great and all, but if you’re looking for a rural refuge, away from the hustle and bustle of city life, then think about moving to Chew Valley. The affluent Somerset that includes Chew Magna, Chew Stoke, Pensford and the Chew Valley Lake has been named the best place to in the South West in the annual Sunday Times’ ‘Best Places to Live’ guide.
The Sunday Times judges said: “A combination of beautiful landscapes and forward-thinking rural enterprises make this hunk of prime English countryside the perfect place to put down deep rural roots. Community is to the fore in its picture-perfect villages and the proximity of Bristol brings creative energy and keeps the buzz and convenience of the city within easy reach.”
You’ll not only find village fêtes, wildflower meadows and babbling brooks but also an area bursting with activity. Valley Fest is a huge family-friendly festival that’s sadly taking a fallow year in 2025. But everything from Josh Eggleton’s Michelin Guide-approved restaurant The Pony Chew Valley to the Valley Arts charity that puts on regular music, comedy and theatre shows, the area’s thriving.
Other reasons for moving include drinking at the artisan Wilding Cider company and Limeburn Hill Vineyard; grabbing food from spots like Jar’s, Lazy Lobster and New Manor Farm Shop; and hiking in the nearby Mendips or fly-fishing in the lake. Chew Valley Plants Trees also plans to double tree coverage in the area by 2030, making Chew Valley a future-proof idyllic place to call home.
What about living in Bristol?
This year’s overall winner of the Sunday Times’ ‘Best Places to Live’ is Saffron Walden in Essex. But there was room among the guide’s 72 locations across the UK for a neighbourhood of Bristol, or should we say two neighbourhoods. The city’s Hotwells and Cliftonwood area made the list, alongside places like Chipping Campden in Gloucestershire and Malmesbury in Wiltshire.
“Despite Bristol’s issues – patchy public transport, terrible traffic and damaging council cuts – few cities offer such an intoxicating combination of friendly people, walkability and an abundance of culture and innovation. It makes sense to live between its two special centres of gravity: the regenerated floating Harbourside and Georgian Clifton. The steep warren of Victorian streets in Hotwells and Cliftonwood offers a nice mix of houses, not too much passing traffic and a superlative community spirit, where volunteering is a big part of life.”
The Best Places to Live in the South West:
- The Chew Valley, Somerset (regional winner)
- Ashburton, Devon
- Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire
- Hotwells and Cliftonwood, Bristol
- Malmesbury, Wiltshire
- Penryn, Cornwall
- Sherborne, Dorset
- Southbourne, Dorset
To see the the annual Sunday Times’ ‘Best Places to Live’ guide head here.