A southside suburb of Glasgow has been named one of the best places to live in the UK in a new release by The Sunday Times.
Newlands is one of a total of 72 locations across the UK were chosen in their annual Best Places to Live guide. The comprehensive look at neighbourhoods across the country is released online today, Friday, 15 March. An abridged version will be published as a magazine supplement on Sunday.
In addition, the annual guide named seven other locations in Scotland, including the West End of Dundee, which was selected as an area winner. The remaining locations are published in alphabetical order and are not ranked.
North Berwick is the first Scottish winner in the 12-year history of Best Places to Live. It was picked for its combination of a great high street, a great school, the great outdoors and family-friendly houses. The judges were impressed by its easy connections to Edinburgh and the way life revolves around the town’s two beaches as well as the wealth of activities whatever your age. They also highlighted the thriving independent shops as a sign of the positive effect that small businesses can have on a community.
Helen Davies, editorial projects director and Best Places to Live editor, says: “This guide is a celebration of towns, cities and villages that are each a fantastic place to live in 2024, from Dunkeld to Knutsford, Falmouth to Leeds. Wherever you are on the property ladder, there will be somewhere to suit you.
"These are all places where you can feel grounded as well as upwardly mobile: they have a mature sense of community, lively, supportive high streets and an eye to the future, whether that is eco-friendly measures, transport and regeneration, or imaginative inclusion of new housing.”
The Sunday Times’s expert judges have visited all the locations and assessed factors from schools to transport, broadband speeds to culture, as well as access to green spaces and the health of the high street.
The chosen locations come in all shapes and sizes, from the tiny Scottish island of Kerrera and the remote Welsh village of Presteigne to big, lively cities such as Belfast, Liverpool and London.
“What makes our guide unique is that we actually visit all the places we choose and talk to locals to find out what life is really like there,” Helen Davies, the guide’s editor, says. “That means we can see what people really love about the places they live. That might be fast commutes and high-achieving schools but also clean water to swim in, lively town centres with useful shops, the possibility of earning a living and being part of a friendly community.
“We do consider affordability, though high house prices are no barrier to inclusion- as long as they provide value for money. Different people may be looking for different things, but what all our best places have in common is that people love living in them and are proud to call them home.”
Previous winners of the Best Places to Live in Britain title are: Stamford, Lincolnshire (2013); Skipton, North Yorkshire (2014); Newnham, Cambridge (2015); Winchester, Hampshire (2016); Bristol (2017), York (2018), Salisbury, Wiltshire (2019), Altrincham, Cheshire (2020) Stroud, Gloucestershire (2021), Ilkley, West Yorkshire (2022) and Wadhurst, East Sussex (2023).
Take a look below to see the best places to live in Scotland as named by The Sunday Times, take a look below to see why each location was nominated.
1. North Berwick, East Lothian
North Berwick was voted the overall winner to become the first Scottish winner in the 12-year history of Best Places to Live by The Sunday Times. Selected for its combination of a great high street, school, and great outdoors, the judges were also impressed by its easy connections to Edinburgh and the way life revolves around the town’s two beaches. Judges also highlighted the town’s thriving high street and its many independent shops as a sign of the positive effect that small businesses can have on a community. Photo: Mike McBey, flickr
2. Dundee West End
The judging panel found the West End of Dundee to be a buzzy conservation that is 'arty and affordable.' Once the preserve of students, now it’s popular with house-hunters impressed by the sense of community and a great little high street. Photo: Matt Buck, flickr
3. Dunkeld, Perthshire
Tucked between velvety mountains, the glittering River Tay and Douglas fir forests, Dunkeld is Scotland on a postcard. But it’s not just a pretty face: there’s creative gold in them hills. A band of potters, entrepreneurs and chefs are carving out an aesthetic for Dunkeld that screams cool Caledonia. You’ll find kimchi cheddar toasties in the bakery, minimalist pottery for sale in the village shop and a riverside sauna and plunge pool where you can get your Wim Hof on. Photo: dun_deagh flickr
4. East Linton, East Lothian
There’s a strong entrepreneurial streak in this affluent and gloriously leafy corner of Scotland. It is riding even higher since the opening of the village’s £15 million railway station that has finally connected this honey-coloured East Lothian jewel with Edinburgh. There are two pubs, a farm shop that does great coffee and a bakery whose cheese croissants draw pastry lovers from miles around. Photo: Karen Bryan flickr