Wheathampstead I The Best Place to Live 2023

The Hertfordshire village of Wheathampstead has been included in The Sunday Times Best Places to Live list for 2023, published on March 25th. Situated just a few miles north of St Albans, Wheathampstead has been listed among the best eleven locations in the south-east, as well as one of the top 72 places in the whole of the UK. The village, with a population of about 6,500, was first settled around 50 BC and was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086.

The Best Places to Live list is sponsored by the Halifax Building Society and is drawn up using a variety of factors to give an overall rating. These include school inspection reports, transport connections including cycleways and clean air zones, average house prices and wi-fi speeds. Thriving high streets with a wide mixture of shops are taken into account, as well as open spaces and evidence of a flourishing community that offers markets and festivals, sports facilities and hobby opportunities.

The list says this of Wheathampstead: “ Wake up and smell the lavender. If you want a rural outlook within ten miles of the M25 this unspoilt riverside village offers scents and sensibility. From the burbling River Lea to the crinkle-crankle walled community garden and surrounding countryside several cuts above the commuter-belt norm, Wheathampstead is less than an hour from London and combines old-fashioned charm with modern conveniences.”

Of course lists such as this can only be subjective and based on the preferences of the authors. What makes the overall winner, Wadhurst in East Sussex, a better place to live than other regional hotspots in the list such as Whitley Bay in Tyne and Wear or Leamington Spa in Warwickshire? Previous favourites, including St Albans, have dropped out of the list, although surely most of the positive things about Wheathampstead will apply equally well to St Albans too. As Ken Kinnaird, director of Halifax Mortgages, said about the list: “What people look for when choosing where to live is a very personal choice….But looking at these fantastic locations is a great start, with options for different budgets and family situations, alongside an exciting blend of urban and rural living.”

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