Somerset village is surprise addition to Best Places to Live list for 2026

Paul JonesFebruary 2, 20263 Comments1

A SOMERSET village has been named in the top-five best places to live in England and Wales.

Homes firm Garrington Property Finders has unveiled its Best Places to Live 2026 report – featuring a little-known Somerset parish.

The firm said it analysed a range of data, from value to quality of life and growth potential, from nearly 1,450 cities, towns and villages to come up with the rankings.

“If you’re planning to move in 2026, our Best Places to Live guide can help you pinpoint places in the area you’re most interested in that offer an ideal blend of a high quality of life, strong value, and growth potential,” a spokesperson said.

“Our data analysts have identified nearly 1450 cities, towns, and villages across England and Wales that all score highly in at least one of five selection criteria: natural environment, wellbeing, heritage and culture, schools and jobs, plus value for money.”

And the top 10 for 2026 included the often-overlooked Somerset parish of Long Ashton, which came in at number five.

The top 20 Best places to Live 2026 according to Garrington Property Finders is:

1. Marple, Greater Manchester
2. Rawdon, West Yorkshire
3. St Albans, Hertfordshire
4. Bramhall, Greater Manchester
5. Long Ashton, Somerset
6. Bowdon, Greater Manchester
7. Stoke Gifford, South Gloucestershire
8. Whitnash, Warwickshire
9. Merley, Dorset
10. Poynton, Cheshire
11. Reddish,
12. Epsom, Surrey
13. Tring, Hertfordshire
14. Twyford (Wokingham), Berkshire
15. Stockport, Greater Manchester
16. Bristol
17. Bushey, Hertfordshire
18. Hildenborough, Kent
19. Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire
20. Ewell, Surrey

3 Comments

andy cooper February 3, 2026 at 9:36 am Reply

The way they are building all over Somerset, there won’t be any countryside left, such a shame for a once beautiful county.
1. Katie February 3, 2026 at 9:27 pm Reply
  
  👍👍👍👍👍
Keith February 3, 2026 at 3:07 pm Reply

This is a ridiculous comment. I don’t know where you’ve been lately, but if you travel around Somerset with your eyes open you will see that it is over 95% countryside, with 70-75% agricultural, ~10% woodland and the rest water bodies, wetlands and scrub. Over 90% of England as a whole is not developed (i.e. buildings and infrastructure).