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21
Mar
Ripon named one of the best places to live in the North
Ripon has been named one of the best places to live in the North and North East in the annual Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide.
Published today by The Sunday Times, the guide includes 72 locations across the UK, which were all visited by judges who assessed factors including schools, transport, broadband speeds and mobile signal, as well as culture, access to green spaces and the health of the high street.
Of Ripon, it says:
This little gem is a city that feels more like a market town. Its pretty cobbled streets are lined with ancient and elegant houses, its schools are excellent and its cultural life thriving, and you’re a stone’s throw from fast road and rail communications and stunning countryside.
The town centre punches above its weight as a place to buy and enjoy local produce and the houses are more affordable than in more famous rivals such as Harrogate or York.
Although few would dispute Ripon’s “ancient charms”, the reference to rail links a "stone's throw" away will raise eyebrows locally. The last passenger train service stopped at Ripon in 1967, and the city's nearest railway station is now at Thirsk, a 20-minute drive away.
The best place to live in the North and North East, according to the guide, is Ilkley, which was the national winner in 2022.
The guide gushes:
It’s not just the fresh air, fantastic scenery, excellent schools and direct trains to Leeds that make Ilkley this year’s pick of the north and northeast. It’s the get-up-and-go of a community that tackles every challenge with gusto.
The Sunday Times judges said:
Our national winner in 2022 is back and proof that you can’t keep a good town down.
Seven other locations in the north and northeast are featured in the comprehensive guide, which named Saffron Walden in Essex as the best place to live in the UK.
The other North and North East towns named in the guide are: Easingwold, Horsforth, Hebden Bridge, Sheffield, Tynemouth and Morpeth in Northumberland.
One notable omission is Harrogate. Following a 'purple patch' in the 2010s, when it routinely merited a mention – it even came top in 2016 – the town has been conspicuously absent from the ranking in recent years, being last included in 2022.
Helen Davies, editorial projects director and Best Places to Live editor, said:
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.
That means we can see what people really love about the places they live. That could be anything from exceptional schools and fast trains to beautiful houses and countryside. The health of the high street is important, but more than anything else, what we are looking for are towns, villages and cities with strong communities who work hard to make the best of where they live, and play hard too.
We also consider affordability. High house prices are no barrier to inclusion – as long as they provide value for money. Different people will be looking for different qualities when they are choosing a place to live. One thing all our chosen locations have in common is that the people who live in them are proud to call them home.
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