The Sunday Times Best Places to Live list, South-West, published on 8th April, shows Bridport as being number two just behind the winner, Chalke Valley in Wiltshire, with Sherborne placed seventh.
The Sunday Times’s expert judges behind the guide assess a wide range of factors, from schools, transport and broadband to culture, green spaces and the health of the high street.
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.
Helen Davies, The Times and Sunday Times Property Editor 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.”
The attributes which brought Bridport and Sherborne to the fore are:
- Bridport: Festivals, independent shops, beautiful landscapes and the rugged Jurassic Coast just a walk away make Bridport a dream combination of coast, culture and countryside.
Average house price: £400,000
Growth since 2020: 27% - Sherborne, Dorset (New): You’ll never be short of friends in this ancient, beautiful market town. It has more than 200 community groups, an interesting and improving high street and its abbey is as beautiful a parish church as you’ll find.
Average house price: £369,000
Growth since 2020: 8%
Here is the full list:
The Sunday Times Best Places to Live 2022: Southwest
- Winner: Chalke Valley, Wiltshire
- Bridport, Dorset
- Bristol
- Budleigh Salterton, Devon
- Charlton Kings, Gloucestershire
- Ashburton, Dartmoor
- Sherborne, Dorset
- Stroud, Gloucestershire
- Wellow, Somerset
See this website for more information: The Sunday Times Best Places To Live or #bestplacestolive2022 on social media
