Best Place to Live in the UK 2025 Crowned

Saffron Walden in Essex has been crowned the UK's best place to live, according to the annual 'Best Places to Live Guide' by the Sunday Times, sponsored by Halifax mortgages. Described as a 'knockout' market town, Saffron Walden was compared in many aspects to the South of France.

The yearly guide considers a number of factors when the judges are assessing each entry, from green spaces to schools, transport links, the local culture, even down to the speed of the internet and accessibility to its residents.

The Essex market town won the judges over with it's convenient commuter access to London and other areas of the country, coupled with its thriving cultural diversity and local foodie scene.

With 72 locations around the UK being judged, Helen Davies, Best Places to Live Editor, said "It is easy to feel overwhelmed by everything going on in the world, but there really is so much to celebrate as we look closer to home. From small gestures that lift the everyday – like verges blooming with daffodils and volunteer-run dementia cafes, to larger initiatives, from repair cafes to new railway stations.” She added, “High house prices are no barrier to inclusion – as long as they provide value for money. Different people will be looking for different qualities when they are choosing a place to live.

The judges visit all the entries, to assess the area, talk to locals, to get a sense of the community and why they are places that people are proud to call them home.

Some of the previous winners of the 'Best Places to Live in Britain' title include: Newnham, Cambridge (2015); Winchester, Hampshire (2016); Bristol (2017), York (2018), Salisbury, Wiltshire (2019), Altrincham, Cheshire (2020) Stroud, Gloucestershire (2021), Ilkley, West Yorkshire (2022) Wadhurst, East Sussex (2023), and North Berwick, East Lothian (2024).

This year the regional winners included:

East: Chelmsford, Essex

London: Walthamstow

Midlands: Ilmington, Warwickshire

Ilkley, West Yorkshire

Northern Ireland: Dundrum, Co Down

North West: Woolton, Liverpool

Scotland: North Berwick

South East: Petersfield, Hampshire

South West: The Chew Valley, Somerset

Wales: Gower Peninsula, Swansea

The guide not only highlights some of the amazing villages, towns and cities the UK has to offer, but with affordability a consideration, it provides something for everyone and any budget. If you are a subscriber to the Sunday Times you can read more here