Best place to live in the UK

[crazyhorses3]

Where is the best place to live in the UK in your opinion and why? I am looking to move and have been searching for some time without success so thinking about looking in a new area. It's doing my head in. I want to live a rural/semi rural life but reasonably close to good transport links and culture. Friendly people. a decent airport within a couple of hours, good community. Half of me wants to live in a rural community with great views etc, but the other half does not want to travel too far for a culture fix/shops/airport/train station etc. I work from home. Perhaps I'm asking far too much.

East Lothian, Midlothian, Scottish Borders. Easy commuting to Edinburgh and all it's stuff, but very green (and near the sea!)

east of Scotland esp Borders, East Lothian, Fife and Angus. Esp within striking distance of Edinburgh although obvs that's not cheap. Loads of beaches and countryside. Small towns are nice although some are a bit "dormitory" and the local shops are suffering from e-commerce and big out of town shopping centres, so choose with care.

Try and get near a rail station, makes a huge difference if you can stay off the roads which are v boring (but are nothing like the motorway madness of the S of England)

Another vote for Chester or just over the border in N Wales 😊

Welwyn Garden City. Maidenhead. Kingston.

www.primelocation.com/for-sale/details/43786843?search_identifier=1efd4c0e01f2eaf073a8315800c278e5#7zZz34GOkSHpf1v5.97

Village life with two stations within a couple of miles. Good transport links
Beautiful canal nearby, small lanes and peaceful.
Four five miles from Dorridge, Warwick & 10 miles from Birmingham.

Next villages have cricket & rugby clubs, many good schools, sports facilities.

Low crime, friendly place.

You'd find some lovely houses in your price range around Canterbury. Wye is a lively village with train station and fast train from Ashford to London. A few shops, pubs and beautiful walks and near to Canterbury for theatre, concerts. Other way there is Whitstable or quieter villages towards North Downs.

www.primelocation.com/for-sale/details/42330390?search_identifier=f92a3141b8f527d704fff227d328d90b#3tbrYyuQlHDubZPE.97

Alcester is a lovely town and this house is in a village just outside, good links again to Birmingham, London, trains etc

This - who could not love this house? (no, it's not mine) - I saw it when I was looking at the Warwickshire houses.

www.primelocation.com/for-sale/details/44360091?search_identifier=1765dfcc13f54ec4411142a782b534af#fxpPSdKGv4YFJfDV.97

Worcester. Near to the Cotswolds but without the big prices. 45 min to Birmingham airport. 1 hour to Bristol. 2 hours to the coast (Ynyslas in mid west wales) lots of things to do with kids. Plenty of good schools. Lots of fab countryside and history. M5 and M50 on the doorstep. We can get to London in 2-2.5 hours. 2 train stations and a new one to be built just outside. Lots of investment recently. We love it and have just moved back having moved away for 5 years but missed it!

www.rightmove.co.uk/s6p/59450926

Chester

This...??

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-48928218.html

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-49550658.html

This?

2 hours to the coast (Ynyslas in mid west wales)

2 hours?! What car do you drive? It's 105 miles away cross country and the roads aren't NSL suitable!

Try villages in Charnwood area of Leicestershire. Great transport links, fabulous countryside and very low property prices.

It depends a bit on what sort of countryside you are after, and whether you want to literally in the middle of it or want to be in a rural town. I would suggest Ilkley - on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, and can walk up Ilkley Moor from the town. Things going on in the town itself but train to go into Leeds for theatre etc. Could get a beautiful stone terrace house in town.

Or Hebden Bridge, easy on the train to both Leeds and Manchester but in stunning countryside. Could have a rather nice new build.

Northumberland! Newcastle and Edinburgh not far away at all for good transport links, the coast not far either, and absolutely beautiful countryside. Super friendly people and the house prices aren't obscene.

I leave my estate and am surrounded by countryside, but it's only a 15/20 minute drive to the city centre and a 10 minute drive to the coast - perfection!

Matlock Bath, Matlock and the surrounding villages. Cromford is lovely. The Peak district is on your doorstep.

The Wirral is fantastic - train to Liverpool and chester, lovely towns, great beaches. Close to North Wales.
Wear Kirby/Hoylake/Meols great. Good state and private schools and reasonably priced housing.
A lovely part of the world to live and especially for kids.
Good luck OP

Anywhere in the Hope Valley in the Peak District would be perfect for you. Beautiful countryside and on the train-line for both Sheffield and Manchester. Can be in either of them in about half an hour.

Ticks all your boxes!

Not one but two log burners and right on the edge of open green space, will see cows across the road !
Only the one log burner but overlooks village green in beautiful spot

Beverley has cafe culture, cinema, festivals and theatre. Trains to London fine if need to go for a day. Roads not busy so people commute as far as Leeds, Doncaster, York, Sheffield. I allow 2 hours for Manchester airport or East Midlands. For a holiday hop Leeds/Bradford, Robin Hood, Humberside (and Humberside & Schipol is much easier than Heathrow/Gatwick).

Chester, Shropshire etc all get far more rain

Try villages in Charnwood area of Leicestershire. Great transport links, fabulous countryside and very low property prices.

My brother lives in this part of the world and it is really lovely. Quorn in particular. After my home town it's my favourite place.

Hexham
Lyme Regis

Tavistock always scores highly on those quality of life surveys.

Oh my goodness! Such great ideas and links! Thank you all so much.