The most expensive streets in Wales
The nine most expensive streets to currently live on in Wales have been revealed and the data includes three new South Wales locations. Joanne Ridout reports
ONLINE property giant Zoopla has compiled a list of the most expensive streets to currenbtly live in on in Wales as part of a UK-wide analysis of average house prices.
As might be expected, the UK’s top 10 most expensive streets are all in London, but here in Wales, the posh residential hotspots can be found near the coastline, on leafy, tree-lined roads or nestled within a truly peaceful pocket of the countryside.
Grainne Gilmore, head of research at Zoopla, said: “This data illustrates how the type and size of properties coupled with some of the most desirable locations around Wales create prime areas, resulting in some of the most valuable residential streets in the country.”
There are four new address additions that have seen their average house price and value climb to establish themselves, at least for now, within this exclusive list.
The new additions are Mount Street Denys, Cardiff; Duffryn Lane and Pen-y-Turnpike Road in the Vale of Glamorgan and Cleddon in Monmouthshire.
So, here are the most exclusive addresses in Wales.
1. Llys Helyg Drive, Llandudno
This coastal road is so exclusive that even Google can’t get down it to add to its maps and street view facilities.
The street has an average house price of £1,380,000, making it currently the most expensive street in Wales – the panoramic sea views across the Conwy estuary towards Anglesey are astounding and some properties can even claim to have their own beach.
The road is also flanked by the Great Orme, a vast chunk of limestone that rises out of the sea as part of the headland. According to website Visit Conwy, the landscape’s unique topography gave rise to the Vikings naming it “sea monster”.
The postcode is considered by many locals to be the “millionaire’s row” of the north-east coast and properties rarely become available, but one lucky house-hunter recently snapped up a place in the sun here.
Fron Dirion, a four-bed detached house with a garden terrace with gorgeous views to forever tempt you outside, was sold in December 2020 by estate agent Coast and Marina Properties for £1,175,000.
2. Benar Headland, Abersoch
This achingly exclusive address is on a headland that offers outstanding panoramic sea views.
There are only a small group of luxury houses constructed on this iconic peninsula and most have private steps down to the rocks and beach below.
No surprise then that some estate agents describe this small stretch of coastline as Wales’ equivalent to Sandbanks in England, which welcomes the very wealthy to its exclusive address on the Dorset coastline.
And no surprise then that the average house price for the location is £1,273,000, according to Zoopla.
In 2020 one of the most remarkable Welsh property sales of the year occurred here when a hole in the ground on the clifftop sold for an undisclosed amount, but the guide price was £1.5m.
3. Ty-Gwyn Avenue, Cardiff
Another regular address among the prime places to find a posh abode is Ty-Gwyn Avenue in Penylan, Cardiff. Back in 2014 it was even named as the most expensive street in Wales.
The wide, peaceful road is lined with trees as well as high brick walls, electric gates and security systems, so wandering along the pavement you’ll find it hard to have a good nose into any of the properties.
The road of sprawling urban mansions is tucked away within the “golden triangle” of Roath Park, Cyncoed and Penylan – arguably the most expensive area to live in the capital, although some in Lisvane and Old St Mellons might disagree.
According to Zoopla, the road currently has an average house price of £1,272,000.
4. Marine Drive, Llandudno
Back to the Great Orme again and the main coastal road that runs along the cliff-line for the whole headland,
parallel to Llys Helyg Drive. To call this road home you’ll need a millionaire’s budget – Zoopla states the average house price here is £1.088m.
Such is the rarity of a property on this strip of the Great Orme headland, Zoopla claims there has only been one house sale here within the past five years.
5. Mount Street Denys, Cardiff
This street is tucked away in one of the leafiest and most expensive areas of the capital – Lisvane.
Like a private enclave, two brick and stone mini-pillars announce the entrance to this red-brick road to imposing red-brick houses.
The road makes the Zoopla list by currently having an average house price of £1,067,000.
The location, within the north of the city, has always been a popular suburb to find a pocket of peace – although the building of the new Churchlands development nearby might be shattering the silence somewhat.
6. Rudry Road, Cardiff
Another newcomer to the expensive postcodes list is this long and winding road, also in Lisvane and a neighbour to Mount Street Denys.
It snakes out of the city, under the M4 and on to – you guessed it – Rudry, a rural village about four miles north.
Along the way, the route is dotted with family homes and country pads that can claim to have a fantastic balance of access to the capital as well as access to the countryside directly from their front doors.
The average house price on this city to country road is currently £1,027,000.
7. Cleddon, Monmouthshire
More of a country lane than a road, in most places just a single track, and flanked by hedgerows and the occasional period property.
The route winds through the beautiful Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty from the pretty village of Llandogo, a very popular place itself to live, and on into the rural landscape beyond. The current average house price on this quiet country lane is £1,025,000, which gets it on to the list for the first time.
8. Duffryn Lane, Vale of Glamorgan
Another country lane appears for the first time on Zoopla’s list, but this one is close to Cardiff, and connects two popular Vale of Glamorgan villages – St Nicholas and Dyffryn.
Most of the properties are clustered around the lane at the St Nicholas end as it joins one of the main roads that cuts through the county, joining Cardiff to Cowbridge and Cowbridge to Bridgend.
It is welcomed to the collection with an average house price of £1,004,000.
9. Pen-y-Turnpike Road, Cardiff
The final entry on the list is a major route from the west of Cardiff to the Vale of Glamorgan village of Dinas Powys.
But it takes you through fields dotted with sheep and the occasional substantial home. This city-to-village link road currently has an average house price of £1,002,000.