Beautiful and friendly town is Wales’ happiest place to live
LLANDRINDOD Wells has been crowned Wales’ happiest place to live in an annual poll. The “happy at home” index, now in its 10th year, asked more than 21,000 people across Britain how they feel about various aspects of where they live
Happiness measures in the index, compiled by Rightmove, include friendliness and community spirit, whether people feel they can be themselves, nature and green spaces, opportunities locally to develop skills, and amenities including schools, restaurants, shops and sports facilities.
The market town of Hexham, in Northumberland, has been named the happiest place in the UK to live in the rankings of the top 20 happiest locations, and the Powys market town of Llandrindod Wells is the highest Wales entry and appears at number five – and the highest Welsh entry for the third year running.
It’s one of three Welsh places to appear in the British top 10 – Monmouth is at number seven and the whole of Anglesey at number nine.
According to Visit Wales, Llandrindod Wells has been a popular place to live for thousands of years, with evidence of Iron Age and Roman settlements in the area.
More recently, it has become a popular spa town, with the Victorians keen to try the ‘healing qualities’ of the local spring water that was identified by the Romans.
The legacy of the influx of people during this ‘boom time’ is the town’s distinct and attractive architecture when ornate hotels, shops, homes and even garages were built with grand design at their core.
Since Victorian times the town has become popular as the central point of travelling through Wales, and the result is a mix of property stock ranging from grand Victorian, to mid-century to new-build homes in the area.
Local agents selling a range of homes in and around the town for many years know exactly why the town continues to be popular with residents and buyers.
Jeff Williams, of McCartneys estate agents, said: “Llandrindod Wells is a happy and charming town with a wonderful community of not just local families, but those who have moved to the area to enjoy the wonderful pace of life. It can offer a diverse range of property, from new builds to the traditional Victorian-period townhouses which made it the spa town that it is renowned for today.
“Its central mid-Wales location makes it perfect for travelling to our unspoilt attractions such as the Elan Valley Lakes, the Wye Valley and various mountain ranges close by. This has now become a target destination to live permanently, not just for holidays.”
Andrew Turner, a partner at Morris, Marshall and Poole with Norman Lloyd, said: “Llandrindod has historically been a popular destination for home-buyers due to its idyllic location in the heart of Wales.
“Not only do you have the beautiful surrounding Radnorshire countryside, but within the town you have a wide range of varying architecture, the lake, Rock Park Spa and an abundance of green spaces. Additionally,. you have good local services, such as a busy retail town centre, health services and schools, access to north and south Wales along the A483.
“In addition, access into Hereford and the West Midlands to the east of the town, is also good.”
Meanwhile, athletics hero Steve Cram joined other Hexham residents in extolling the virtues of the town named Britain’s happiest place to live for the second time in three years.
The well-appointed market town in Northumberland’s Tyne Valley has an 800-year-old marketplace and abbey, has independent shops, bars and restaurants, clean streets and a leafstrewn park.
Close to Hexham is the fabulous scenery of the Tyne with its leaping salmon, Hadrian’s Wall and enough activities to fill any keen outdoors enthusiast’s weekends.
Cram, who runs his events business, Events of the North, from the Tyne Valley, said: “Having lived in the Hexham region for well over 17 years now I’m delighted to hear it’s retained its status as the Happiest Place to Live in the UK. You’ll not fail to receive a warm welcome wherever you go in our traditional market town and I’ve enjoyed seeing the growth and development of the area, drawing new people into our happy community. It’s a jewel of the Tyne Valley.”