9 places in Hampshire named among best to live in the UK for 2025

The women’s lifestyle website creates a list of the best places to live every year, and it has expanded its number of entrants from 260 to 300 with London, Yorkshire and Cheshire being added to its regions.

In a post on their Instagram page, it shared: “We’ve used our unrivalled insider local knowledge on schools, shops, commutes, culture, community and eating out to shortlist 300 gorgeous villages, towns and cities across our 35 ‘Muddy’ counties and beyond.”

The research for the locations included was completed in association with the estate agent Knight Frank.

The full list of the 300 places to live for 2025 can be found at the Muddy Stilettos website here, but here are the Hampshire locations that were included.

Hampshire’s 9 best places to live for 2025

The nine best places to live in Hampshire are listed here alphabetically from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight section of the Muddy Stilettos website.

Alresford

Alresford was praised for its “postcard-pretty pastel houses” and riverside walks among other features.

It also boasts a “surprising number of indie shops and excellent eateries” which makes it perfect for those “wanting countryside vibes while still having enough to do”.

Emsworth

Emsworth is said to offer a “slice of traditional coastal living” among its many charms.

Other selling points include Georgian and Victorian architecture which lines the narrow streets and lots of independent shops and cafés.

Lymington

Lymington is “perched between the forest and the sea” which allows it to have the “perfect combo of coast and New Forest”.

Its focus on “sailing, shopping and sipping drinks in the various top-notch restaurants and cafes” helped its case to be featured among Hampshire’s best places to live.

Overton

Overton is said to be a “very well connected” village that is commutable for London and sits near the source of the River Test.

The village centre is a “charming patchwork of period property” including thatched cottages, bijou terraces and more contemporary newer builds.

Petersfield

The “ancient market town” of Petersfield is said to have a real community feel which makes it a pleasant place to live.

Other selling points include “fantastic schools, great train connections and the fact you’re right in the middle of the beautiful South Downs National Park.”

Ringwood

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Located close to Southampton and Bournemouth you can find the “historic New Forest town” of Ringwood which is said to have a “buzzy vibe”.

Features include “quaint and modern shops” and being surrounded by beautiful forests and countryside. 

Romsey

Romsey is described as a “gentle, countryside market town” which has “characterful streets, good schools and indie shops and cafes in abundance”.

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Wickham

Wickham has “charm and history in equal measure” due to being a former Roman military post and Saxon settlement.

It is best known for having one of England’s largest surviving village market squares alongside timber-framed buildings which “sit alongside handsome Georgian facades”.

Winchester

Winchester has a whole host of great selling points including “lush, leafy surrounds, foodie hot spots and historic attractions at every turn”.