Easingwold has been named one of the top places to live in the North and Northeast in The Sunday Times Best Places to Live Guide.
The town was praised for its picturesque charm, thriving community, and excellent schools, offering a perfect blend of countryside living, with easy access to local amenities and stunning landscapes.
Easingwold joins Ilkley, West Yorkshire, as a regional winner, alongside other notable Yorkshire destinations including Ripon.
The full list of 2025 winners is below.
· Ilkley, West Yorkshire (regional winner)
· Easingwold, North Yorkshire
· Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire
· Horsforth, Leeds
· Morpeth, Northumberland
· Ripon, North Yorkshire
· Sheffield, South Yorkshire
· Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear
Ilkley, awarded the title for a second time, previously secured the best place to live nationally in 2022.
The Sunday Times judges selected the genteel market town for its knockout historic looks with excellent state schools, rich cultural offering and an exploding foodie scene as well as its convenient commuter links to both London and Cambridge.
The judges commented on Ilkley, stating: “It’s not just the fresh air, fantastic scenery, excellent schools and direct trains to Leeds that make Ilkley this year’s pick of the north and northeast. It’s the get-up and go of a community that tackles every challenge with gusto.”
The Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide features 72 locations across the UK, with Saffron Walden, Essex, named as the best place to live overall.
The judges assess various factors, including school, transport, broadband speeds, mobile signal, culture, as well as access to green spaces and the health of the high street.
A Sunday Times spokesperson said there were more new entries than ever before this year, which left no place for many previous winners, including York, crowned the national winner in 2018.
Helen Davies, editorial projects director and Best Places to Live editor, says: “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.”
To view the full guide of Best Places to Live in the UK, click here.
