The Warwickshire town of Royal Leamington Spa has been ranked the happiest place to live in Britain, in a survey which saw several spa towns make the list. Harrogate, Royal Tunbridge Wells and Epsom also featured in the top 10 “happy at home” index compiled by property website, Rightmove.Meanwhile Llandrindod Wells was deemed the happiest place to live in Wales.Spa towns have natural springs with waters thought to have health benefits.
There are spa towns all across England and Wales – including Cheltenham and Bath which came in 29th and 38th place in terms of happiness rating.Dumfries was identified as the happiest place to live in Scotland.More than 17,000 people were asked how happy they are with aspects of where they live.Community spirit, feeling safe, the friendliness of locals, the amenities and local services available and earning enough to live comfortably were all taken into account.
Rightmove said Royal Leamington Spa scored highly for friendly neighbours and a strong sense of belonging.But happiness comes with a price, with the average asking price of a home in Leamington Spa at £330,848, compared with a national average of £310,003, according to Rightmove.The town’s mayor, Caroline Evetts, said Royal Leamington Spa “has it all” – from Regency buildings, to independent boutiques.Last year’s winner, Leigh-On-Sea, Essex, took the runner-up spot in this year’s survey.
The top 10 happiest places to live in Britain:
Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
Leigh-on-Sea, Essex
Wirral, Merseyside and Cheshire
Harrogate, North Yorkshire
Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent
King’s Lynn, Norfolk
Epsom, Surrey
Richmond upon Thames, London
Poole, Dorset
Chichester, West Sussex
Source: Rightmove
Source: BBC News