Felixstowe and Dedham Vale named among best places to live in East of England
Saffron Walden has been named as the top place to live in the region
Places in Norfolk and Suffolk have been named by the The Sunday Times as among the best places to live in the East of England.
Within the region, Saffron Walden, Essex has been named as the top place to live in the area, with judges praising the town for its excellent schools, country feel, busy high street and cafe scene, as well as its convenient location for commuters to both Cambridge and London.
Six other locations in the East of England are featured in the guide:
Aylsham, Norfolk
Aylsham is the perfect advert for small-town living. It’s perfectly placed for the best of Norfolk, with the coast, the Broads and Norwich all within easy reach. With its excellent butcher and baker, the town centre has all you need and the slow food festival is just one way that a lively community shows its commitment to sustainability and living well.
Bourn, Cambridgeshire
A combination of community spirit and traditional picturesque backdrop of neat cottages, and ancient windmill and babbling brook make this village stand out from the crowd, along with a thriving high street that meets daily needs.
Buckhurst Hill, Essex
Its hair salons and nail bars mark out Buckhurst Hill as one of the corners of Towie’s Golden Triangle, but the star attraction is the wild expanse of Epping Forest. There are plenty of sports clubs, and the town shows its caring side through a new community pantry and a Memory Café for people living with dementia and their carers.
Dedham Vale, Suffolk
For anyone who wants to live close to nature while remaining within range of the capital, Dedham Vale is the perfect option. This is prime – and fiercely protected – countryside for every level of activity, from birdwatching and walking to running, cycling and messing about in boats on the Stour. Our favourite village, Polstead, is a picture of pastoral innocence with a lively and friendly community.
Felixstowe, Suffolk
Old Felixstowe is friendlier and cheaper than the more favoured resorts further up the Suffolk coast, and it has one of only two blue flag beaches in the county. Away from the port, it’s beautiful, too -- especially around the tiny hamlet of Felixstowe Ferry. A vast programme of regeneration has paid dividends.
Norwich, Norfolk
Norwich is a regular fixture in our Best Places to Live series. It’s the UK’s most complete medieval city which also boasts bold modern architecture, and it’s a creative, artistic and literary powerhouse. Most impressive is its ability to move with the times, with a commitment to sustainability on show in its cycleways and an app that allows people to hire pedal bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters.
Where's best to live nationally?
Wadhurst in East Sussex has beaten 71 other locations to be named the UK's best place to live.
Judges for the Sunday Times said the small market town offers "pretty much everything needed for modern life in miniature".
It was praised for its good schools, convenient transport links, variety of high street shops and being surrounded by "stunning scenery".
The Wadhurst Warriors, a group of fathers who began fundraising for the town's primary school in 2004 and now raise money for the whole village, were praised as the "stars of the show".
Judges also praised the town of less than 5,000 people - the smallest winner of the award in its 11-year history - for the many activities available for children, the farmers' market, clubs, classes and the community cinema at the Community Hall.
Wadhurst Warriors chairman Chris Poulton told PA news agency the group organises events such as fetes, fireworks nights and putting up Christmas decorations- and the money raised is used to help those in the village who need it, such as the Girl Guides and local school.
He said: "We do believe Wadhurst is the best place to live and that is down to us all working together to make it a place where everyone can be supported.
"We don't do it for ourselves, we do it for the community."
"Being recognised is great but the more we can give back to the community the better.
"Recognition can just be someone coming up to us and saying thank you."
A parish council spokesperson told PA news agency: "This is really exciting news. Wadhurst is a lovely, lovely place to live with a great community feel.
"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.
"You have easy access to towns and cities but if you want a rural lifestyle it is perfect."
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.