Bath has been named the best place to live in Britain in the annual league table, ranking above other popular locations including Lyme Regis in Devon and Salisbury, Somerset.
The rankings are compiled by the UK's largest independent buying agents Garrington Property Finders and rates nearly 1,400 cities, towns and villages across England and Wales according to four criteria – natural beauty, architectural beauty, quality of life and environmental credentials.
Bath topped the list, Lyme Regis was second, followed by Salisbury. Other places to make up the prestigious top 10 included Caton in Lancashire, Kidwelly in Wales and Newport on the Isle of Wight.
Caton, in the Lower Lune Valley near Lancaster, was ranked fourth on the list - with particular praise for it's architectural beauty, scoring 294 in that category. It also scored highly in environmental credentials with a rating of 117.
A spokesperson for Garrington Property Finders said: "In a year in which the COVID-19 pandemic was a trigger for around 630,000 home moves, the race for space, reassessment of ‘home’ and rising recognition of ‘green’ credentials among home movers has led to a significant shift in our top 20 Places to Live Index. Just seven of our top 20 locations of 2021 remain there this year.
"2022 has seen the Garrington Index update with additional criteria added to our quality-of-life category, and, reflecting the changing demands of buyers, sustainability criteria have been included."
Just seven of the top 20 locations of 2021 remain there this year, although the spa town of Bath retains the number one position.
For prime purchases, the coastal resort of Fowey, Cornwall, is in second spot. Lewes retains third position in this category, with Winchester, Henley-on-Thames and Sevenoaks also retaining top 10 positions.
The market towns of Arundel, Farnham and West Malling, along with the famous pebble beaches of the culturally vibrant Brighton and Hove, make up the top 10.
Half of the top 10 destinations for 2022 are located in the south-west of England.
All top 10 locations for those looking for the best place to live within a budget between £350,000 and £650,000 are ranked within the top 1.2% of all locations.
In a similar vein to last year, small market towns dominate the listings. Curiously, just three locations are home to more than 20,000 households.
Only Lyme Regis and Wilton featured in the 2020 top 10, Salisbury and Hadleigh in no small part making the top ten in 2021 due to their green credentials.
The organisation operates a similar list ranking the best places to live in Scotland as well. Saltcoats in North Ayrshire, tops the overall ranking, scoring in the top 10% of all locations in two of the three categories.
Balloch and Haldane take the second spot, taking second place in the ‘Going Green’ category and within the top 10% of locations for their physical environment.
