'SPECIAL PLACE' NEAR PLYMOUTH NAMED ONE OF SUNDAY TIMES' BEST AREAS TO LIVE

The annual Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide has named a "beautiful, atmospheric" town not far from Plymouth among the best places to live in the South West.

Just 25-miles away from Britain's Ocean City lies Ashburton, which has been described as "surprisingly well connected", with a wealth of independent shops and activities meaning residents "need never go elsewhere".

Once known for its links to the Monster Raving Loony Party, the town is now seen as a "more sensible and special place". The guide also praised its selection of schools and family-friendly activities, reports Devon Live.

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The judges sought out thriving locations with strong community ties, rather than just famous names with high property prices. They visited each location to evaluate factors such as schools, transport, broadband speeds, mobile signal, culture, access to green spaces, and the health of the high street.

The Chew Valley in Somerset was named the top place to live in the South West, while Saffron Walden in Essex was crowned the overall best place to live in the UK. The guide, which includes 72 locations across the UK, was released today (Friday, March 21).

The Sunday Times judges said of Ashburton: "Once known for being the HQ of the Monster Raving Loony Party, today's Ashburton is a more sensible - and special - place. The setting on the southern fringe of Dartmoor is beautiful."

"The historic town centre is a colourful, atmospheric delight and its exceptional range of independent shops means you need never go elsewhere for provisions. Downsizers who flock here can spend their days yomping across the moor or wild swimming in the River Dart, and their evenings doing yoga or watching films in the cosy community cinema.

"For families, there’s a wide choice of schools, a skate park and open-air swimming pool along with the comfort that comes from living a healthy outdoor lifestyle in a town that’s surprisingly well connected."

Chipping Campden in Gloucestershire, Hotwells and Cliftonwood in Bristol, Malmesbury in Wiltshire, Penryn in Cornwall and Sherborne and Southborne, both in Dorset, were the other South West spots to make the grade.

Helen Davies, editorial projects director and Best Places to Live editor, said: "It is easy to feel overwhelmed by everything going on in the world, but there really is so much to celebrate as we look closer to home. From small gestures that lift the everyday - like verges blooming with daffodils and volunteer-run dementia cafés, to larger initiatives from repair cafés to new railway stations.

“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.”

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) Wadhurst, East Sussex (2023), and North Berwick, East Lothian (2024).

Read the full Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide here. An abridged version will be published as a magazine supplement on Sunday (March 23).

2025-03-21T07:43:16Z