Coastal walks, castles and community: Britain's happiest places to live revealed
Tola Onanuga·
Homepage editor
Thu 4 December 2025 at 1:00 am GMT-5
2 min read
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The British property market is set to bounce back in the aftermath of the budget, and affordable locations offering a sense of community and access to green spaces are likely to be high on homebuyers' wishlists.
For all these attributes and more, they should look no further than Skipton in North Yorkshire, according to Rightmove's (RMV.L) annual Happy at Home Index, which named the market town as the happiest place to live in Great Britain.
Skipton had been the runner-up in 2020 and was sixth on last year’s list. In addition to the town's proximity to nature, the friendliness of locals and access to key amenities ranked highly among its residents.
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Locals felt they could be themselves in Skipton and that they earned enough to live comfortably, the study added. It wasn't all positive news, though, as access to employment opportunities and desirable jobs ranked less favourably.
It was also not particularly easy to find homes near friends and family, according to the study. The average asking price for a home in Skipton is £326,093, which is lower than the current national average of £364,833.
Patrick McCutcheon, head of residential at Yorkshire estate agents Dacre, Son & Hartley, highlighted how close Skipton was to "the region's finest countryside", as well as the Lake District and cities such as Manchester and Leeds.
Richmond-upon-Thames in London was named runner-up on the Happiness Index, with its nature hotspots and essential services ranking highly, while Camden in north London, made the top three for the first time.
Stirling has been ranked the happiest place to live in Scotland and Anglesey is this year’s happiest place to live in Wales.
Ann Evans Jones, director at Morgan Evans in Anglesey said: “Anglesey (Ynys Mon) is a beautiful setting and has so much to offer, including stunning coastal walks, beautiful beaches for relaxing and water activities. A lovely area to raise a family, with a strong feeling of community on the Island with villages being very welcoming.”
The Rightmove Happy at Home Index is in its 14th year, and is completed by thousands of residents across more than 200 areas.
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