Dreaming of a better country life? The best rural places to live in Britain

If your commute is taken up with dreams of a better quality of life in the country, here's where to start your search.

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Lizzie Rivera11 April 2018

Those looking to escape the stresses of city living couldn't get much further away from London than the Orkney Islands — in terms of geography or quality of life.

The islands off the north-east coast of Scotland have been voted the best rural place to live in Britain for the second year in a row.

Orkney has once again secured top spot by offering the highest employment rates and investing heavily in education.

Plus residents enjoy low anxiety levels and crime rates and record consistently high scores in life satisfaction and happiness, according to Halifax's Rural Areas Quality of Life Survey for 2018.

TOP FIVE RURAL HOTSPOTS TO LIVE

Further south, with some of the biggest homes in Britain, Rutland in the East Midlands has jumped from 19th place last year to second place this year.

It is the smallest county in England with one of the smallest population sizes, yet 71 per cent of pupils achieve five A*-C GCSE results, far outperforming the British average of 59 per cent.

Nine out of 10 homes in the region also have superfast Broadband, which most would agree is imperative for reducing stress levels when it comes to using technology.

“The winning formula for quality of life in the countryside seems to consistently include high employment levels and top scores on wellbeing, along with low school class sizes and high average spend per pupil – more than twice the national average," says Russell Galley, managing director of Halifax.

Wychavon in the West Midlands, along with Winchester and Waverley — where residents take home the highest weekly wage in the UK (£921) — in the South East, complete the top five.

These areas all performed well in the 'Personal Well-Being Survey' and have high male and female life expectancy.

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

Almost a fifth of the top 50 rural locations are in the South East, so it's possible to have the best of countryside living with good links to the capital.

South Cambridgeshire has the highest life expectancy for men, 82.1 years, almost three years higher than the national average.

Women fare best in Mid Devon, where life expectancy is an impressive 85.3 years, compared to a national average of 83.1 years.

For those who are not particular fans of classic British weather the Isle of Wight is the place to be. It boasts 36.9 hours of sun per week, compared to the British average of 29.8 hours.

More nocturnal pursuits are on offer in Eden in the North West, which has three times as many pubs as the average in the rest of the country.

But if you rate happiness above all else, then Craven in Yorkshire and the The Humber has to be the destination of choice coming lowest for anxiety levels and top for overall happiness and life satisfaction.