The best place to live in Scotland has been revealed in the annual Sunday Times list.
The Isle of Bute was named the best in Scotland, with seven Scottish locations in total chosen from across the UK in the annual Best Places to Live guide.
The comprehensive guide, which includes 70 locations, is released online today and an edited version will be available in the paper on Sunday.
Ilkley in West Yorkshire was named the overall Best Place to Live in the UK.
According to the Sunday Times, their judging panel assessed a wide range of factors, from schools, transport and broadband to culture, green spaces and the health of the high street.
They say they look to celebrate improving towns, villages or city centres; attractive, well-designed homes, and locations bursting with community spirit – which the pandemic has shown to be the most vital quality of all.
An average house price for each location has been supplied by Halifax, the sponsor of the guide, and up-to-date information on broadband speeds has been provided by Thinkbroadband.com, the UK’s leading independent guide to broadband.
The Sunday Times Best Places to Live 2022: Scotland
- Winner: Isle of Bute, Argyll
- Braemar, Aberdeenshire
- Culross, Fife
- Dunblane, Stirling
- Glasgow: Shawlands
- Melrose, Borders
- North Berwick, East Lothian
Speaking about the annual guide, The Times and Sunday Times Property Editor Helen Davies, said: “The Sunday Times Best Places to Live list is necessarily subjective. Leave it just to statistics and you will never capture the spirit of a place.
"For that, you need to visit to take into account that ‘you have to be here’ feeling. Is the pub dog-friendly, for example? Can you live car-free?
"What are the schools and houses like? Is it multicultural and multigenerational, and can it offer a good way of life to lots of different sorts of people?
“Ten years ago, when we launched the inaugural list, London’s gravitational pull was strong, the WFH revolution had not yet reached our doorstep and high streets were stacked with chains. How times have changed — and how welcome that change is.
“This year we have discovered new best places to live, from resurgent city centres in the North, rejuvenated suburbs across the country, hidden villages in the Southwest, and a commutable Scottish island.
“We hope there is something to suit everyone.”
The Sunday Times Best Places to Live 2022: Scotland
Isle of Bute, Argyll (Winner, new): "Island life with a difference takes pride of place in Scotland. Just 90 minutes from Glasgow, Bute stands head and shoulders above all the other Scottish Islands for commutability, and it’s full of adventurous locals fizzing with ideas to make their neighbourhoods shine."
Average house price: £155,000
Growth since 2020: data not available
Braemar, Aberdeenshire (New): "This elevated village shows Scotland at its most rugged and beautiful, but also its most sophisticated, thanks to a high street that sells everything from cashmere and posh chocolates to walking boots and skis."
Average house price: £245,000
Growth since 2020: data not available
Culross, Fife (New): " Sea views and the period charm of its cobbled, winding streets make this one of Scotland’s most spellbinding villages, all within an hour’s drive of both Glasgow and Edinburgh."
Average house price: £177,000
Growth since 2020: 3%
Dunblane, Stirling: " One of the best state secondaries in Scotland, glorious countryside and a strong sporting tradition – not only for tennis – make this the perfect perch for families."
Average house price: £249,000
Growth since 2020: data not available
Shawlands, Glasgow: " The Southside’s premium coffee and cake quarter is both practical and cool – and perfectly placed to take advantage of Pollok Country Park, and the reopened Burrell Collection."
Average house price: £245,000
Growth since 2020: 15%
Melrose, Borders: " You don’t have to like rugby to live here (it does help) – you can also enjoy the views of the Eildon Hills, and the town’s literary reputation, which comes to the fore every summer in the Borders Book Festival."
Average house price: £311,000
Growth since 2020: data not available
North Berwick: " The jewel of the East Lothian coast is too good to leave out of the list, thanks to its unbeatable combination of schools, independent shops, laid-back beach life and trains to the capital."
Average house price: £401,000
Growth since 2020: Data not available
Don't miss the top culture and heritage stories from around Scotland. Sign up to our twice weekly Scotland Now newsletter here.
