Market town named best to live in UK for countryside walks and 'friendly locals'
An adorable market town in East Sussex was crowned the best place to live in the UK earlier this year.
Tunbridge Wells, in Wadhurst, is just an hour's train ride from London. The quiet market town was once of great importance in the iron industry. Earlier this year, the town also gained recognition for topping The Sunday Times’ guide for best places in the UK to live.
Judges noted that, with less than 5,000 residents, the town "offers pretty much everything needed for modern life in miniature".
Our reporter Ariane visited the town in March to find out more about what makes it such a wonderful place to live.
When she first arrived she found the streets eerily quiet, but the amount of cars that were parked on the road hinted at the town's popularity. She found that it was a starting point for many of the nearby walks that are on offer and that the streets are dotted with cafés for those looking to seek refuge in the wind.
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Wadhurst is small, but residents believe it has all you need for 'day-to-day' life (Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)Speaking to locals, many told Ariane about the high street, saying it offers anything you need from a chemist to a doctor's surgery, post office, butcher's and grocer. There is also a cinema that shows films regularly, and there are plenty of groups to join, such as the History Society.
Daniel Fahy, who is the Wadhurst branch owner of Estate Agent LeGrys, wasn't at all shocked about the town's new status. He told The Mirror in March: "Having worked and gone to school here and seen it evolve over the last few years, it doesn't come as a shock."
Noting Wadhurst's "sense of community", the 29-year-old adds that its other main selling point is how the "rural" town, which is surrounded by beautiful countryside, is still "accessible to bigger places like London and Tunbridge Wells". Especially after Covid, he noticed this was something more and more people wanted.
He continued: "It has everything you need for day-to-day life. You don't need to leave. You've got a good range of shops, restaurants, pubs and cafés. You can go on walks. No matter your age, there's everything you need on your doorstep so you don't need to travel out."
The estate agent adds that people who don't already know the area only need to "spend half an hour walking up the high street to fall in love with it because it's got the quaint, farmer's town feel to it".
He reckons the recognition might entice even more people to move to the area, which is a trend he has already noticed in the last few years. He explained: "People are moving out of London for 'the good life', even people who find Tunbridge Wells too urban. I think the recognition will lead to even more people moving here."
When asked whether she agreed that Wadhurst has everything you need, local resident Alison Smith, said: "I think so. If you just think about what you need day-to-day, you can get it here. We've got all the staples. It does work."
Reflecting on the best thing about Wadhurst, Alison, who is the owner of Barnett's bookshop said: "It's extremely friendly. People drop by just to have a chat, which is lovely. And we're really lucky with the countryside.
"If you want country-living while being well connected, this place really does tick that box."
Despite having lived in Wadhurst for 40 years, writer Annette Balfour Lynne is slightly more surprised about her hometown being the winner.
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What has kept the 70-year-old staying all these years is her "beautiful house" which is a "gothic fantasy in the middle of nowhere," but she's not sure it offers much more than any other village in the UK. She has also noticed that "parking has become an issue over the last few years".
Another surprised, long-term resident is the owner of women's clothing shop Jackie Martel.
Jackie remembers the town "took a bit of a downturn" when the banks left the high street, as well as a few retailers. She added: "That's when we lost people who would have come in to go to the banks every week, who will have also visited our little shops. They were the people who supported the locals."
That being said, Jackie reckons the surge of cafés, free-of-charge parking spaces and the school is beginning to drive more people to come to visit the town, which is helping other businesses thrive.
Wadhurst runs through her blood, with the 54-year-old having owned the shop since 2001, and her mum ran the pharmacy next door for 38 years.
She said the town has always had a "lovely and friendly community spirit" and "people look after each other".
Carolyn Keely, who helps out in Jackie's shop as well as volunteering at nearby Scotney Castle, is also "slightly surprised" about Wadhurst's new claim to fame. The 81-year-old, who has lived in the area for 17 years, told The Mirror: "I would have thought there were a lot of villages that are a lot prettier, but maybe they were going for what we have here. If you live in the middle of the village you wouldn't need to go anywhere else."
Retired nurse Helen Mcindoe also told The Mirror she was "surprised to hear" the news, because Wadhurst does have a lot of facilities, but it lacks a big open space or centre for people to gather and sit. There's also a huge amount of traffic that runs through the town, which is a "major bugbear" for the people who live there.
Reflecting on why it appeals to people to live there, the 76-year-old, who has lived in Wadhurst for 10 years, explained: "I think a lot of people who are my age group want to retire here because of the facilities. It also appeals to the young people, as the station is just down the road."
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