A quiet market town in East Sussex has been crowned Britain's best place to live as the Sunday Times list of most favourable places to locate to is released for 2023.
The popular annual list has ranked Wadhurst as the nicest place to live in the UK, beating off competition from 71 other locations. See the full list below.
The small southern market town offered "pretty much everything needed for modern life in miniature", according to the coveted list, which also named the Dorset village of Poundbury and Ruthin in Denbighshire as ideal spots.
Judges for the list made trips to all the towns, ranking things such as schools, transport links, culture, broadband speeds, access to nature and the state of their high streets.
Wadhurst was praised for its good schools, convenient transport links, variety of high street shops and being surrounded by "stunning scenery".
A winner was also selected for each region in England, with Crouch End named best spot to live in London, beating off competition from Notting Hill and Beckenham.
Crown of the North was the coastal gem of Whitley Bay, Tyne & Wear, which has frequently featured on the list for its scenic beach and buzzing high street, while previous winner Ilkley and the West Yorkshire town of Holmfirth also got honourable mentions.
Cities also seeing a return to the shortlist were Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield and Newcastle, while the towns of Chichester and Cirencester won best locations in the South East and South West respectively.
Meanwhile, the list made mention of a group of local dads named the 'Wadhurst Warriors' as 'stars of the show' for their efforts in fundraising to invest in the town.
With a population of just 5,000 people, the town is the smallest to hold the top spot in its 11-year history, former winners of which include Ilkley near Leeds, and Stroud in Gloucestershire.
Wadhurst's parish council described the news as "really exciting".
"Wadhurst is a lovely, lovely place to live with a great community feel," a spokesperson said.
"What makes it really special is the community, We have lots of different village clubs and a really active community.
"We are all helping each other out and during Covid that really came to the forefront, with lots of groups helping to get food and medicine to people.
"I would say to someone thinking of moving here that it's a great place to live, you have the best of both worlds."
Paula Lee, 58, who owns the @ONE homeware shop on Wadhurst's high street said: "I would agree completely - it is a lovely place to live and it has got a good sense of community.
"I am not surprised - I think you would be hard-pushed, certainly in the South East, to find somewhere better.
"There are some really lovely shops, it is a well-rounded high street - there is a nice independent butcher, grocers and a nice community spirit.
"The countryside in this area is just outstanding. There is lots of walking and lots of sporting activities in an area of outstanding natural beauty."
Ruthin in Denbighshire was identified as the best place to live in Wales, Dunkeld in Perthshire was named as the best place to live in Scotland, and Donaghadee in Co Down was placed top in Northern Ireland.
Helen Davies, editor of Best Places To Live 2023, said: "When times are tough, where we live matters more than ever.
"Attractive surroundings, good neighbours and a comfortable home are the best defences when the stresses of modern life seem overwhelming.
"This guide is a celebration of towns, cities and villages that are each a fantastic place to live in 2023 from Orkney to Felixstowe, the Chew Valley to Manchester city centre."
Here is the full list
Wadhurst, East Sussex was named as the overall Best Place to Live in the UK
EAST OF ENGLAND
Winner: Saffron Walden, Essex
Aylsham, Norfolk
Bourn, Cambridgeshire
Buckhurst Hill, Essex
Dedham Vale, Suffolk
Felixstowe, Suffolk
Norwich
LONDON
Winner: Crouch End
Beckenham
Hackney borders N1 and E8
Earlsfield
King’s Cross
Notting Hill
Woolwich
MIDLANDS
Winner: Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
Digbeth, Stirchley, Birmingham
Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire
Great Malvern, Worcestershire
Market Harborough, Leicestershire
Melbourne, Derbyshire
Rutland
NORTHERN IRELAND
Winner: Donaghadee, Co Down
Ormeau, Belfast
Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh
NORTH AND NORTH EAST ENGLAND
Winner: Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear
Holmfirth, West Yorkshire
Ilkley, West Yorkshire
Leeds
Ouseburn, Newcastle
Sheffield
Thirsk, North Yorkshire
Wooler, Northumberland
NORTH WEST
Winner: Liverpool
Manchester
Penrith, Cumbria
Rawtenstall, Lancashire
Sale, Greater Manchester
Stockport, Greater Manchester
Tarporley, Cheshire
SCOTLAND
Winner: Dunkeld, Perthshire
East Linton, East Lothian
Portobello, Edinburgh
Shawlands, Glasgow
Newport-on-Tay, Fife
Orkney
Tighnabruaich, Argyll and Bute
SOUTH EAST ENGLAND
Winner: Chichester, West Sussex
Alresford, Hampshire
Brighton and Hove, Seven Dials
Folkestone, Kent
Guildford, Surrey
Lindfield, West Sussex
(East) Oxford
Reading, Berkshire
Reigate, Surrey
Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire
SOUTH WEST ENGLAND
Winner: Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Bishopsteignton, Devon
Bristol
Broad Chalke, Wiltshire
The Chew Valley, Somerset
Marlborough, Wiltshire
Penzance, Cornwall
Poundbury, Dorset
WALES
Winner: Ruthin, Denbighshire
Abergavenny, Monmouthshire
Barmouth, Gwynedd
Pontcanna, Cardiff
Gower Peninsula, Swansea
Narberth, Pembrokeshire
Solva, Pembrokeshire
– The list can be found online at thetimes.co.uk/bestplacestolive.
