Town tops best places to live list

A MARKET town in the Vale of Glamorgan has been named as the best place to live in Wales, according to the Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide.

Cowbridge was the regional winner for Wales, with judges citing its chic shops, affluent swagger and “designer clobber”, with families and retirees alike taking a shine to the area.

The accolade comes in part one of The Sunday Times Best Places to Live in Britain guide, which is published on Sunday.

A total of 12 Welsh locations have been named in the guide which also includes Penarth.

Abergavenny, Abersoch, Bishopston and Gower, Cardigan, Carmarthen, Hay-on-Wye, Llandeilo, Llanidloes, Monmouth and Narberth also make the list.

Judges behind the supplement assess factors including everything from jobs, exam results and broadband speed to culture, community spirit and shops to compile a definitive list of desirable locations.

It relies on statistics on crime and education, but also on expert knowledge from The Sunday Times judging panel.

The judges then combine the numbers with their own experience of the villages, towns and cities, like pubs, transport and the range of attractive property to ensure places chosen are “places where readers and their families can thrive”.

The list includes more than 100 locations across Britain.

Helen Davies, editor of The Sunday Times Best Places to Live, described Cowbridge as “the smartest of market towns”.

She said: “It is less about dour old pubs and dusty charity shops, and more about tapas at Bar 44 and live jazz at the Arboreal bistro.

“There is an affluent swagger at high-street shops such as the fancy shoe boutique Jon Ian and Sara Caroline, a posh florist. Chic shops have numbers for names: No 39 does swish interiors, No 41 is a ‘fashion dispensary’ and E91 offers designer clobber.

“Young families are attracted by the excellent schools (Cowbridge Comprehensive was ranked fourth in Wales in our 2016 Parent Power guide).

“Retirees like it here, too – in between shopping and eating at one of the 22 cafes, delis and takeaways, they can sign up for classes from art history to Zumba.

“The heritage coast lies nearby, as do lovely villages in the Vale of Glamorgan.”

Cardiff’s Llandaff also gets a special mention by being named as one of the Sunday Times Best Places Top 20 perennials – the list which celebrates the places that have appeared in almost every list over the past five years.