‘Pretty’ village and ‘picturesque’ town named two of best UK locations to live

According to the travel website Muddy Stilettos, Helmsley in the North Yorkshire Moors, is one of the most sought-after locations to live in the UK – beating some of the best and most beautiful places in England, Scotland and Wales. 

In their ‘best of the rest’ list, Muddy Stilettos readers voted for areas that were further afield than other top locations – but still deserved recognition for an excellent quality of life. 

(Image: The Northern Echo)

Harrogate 

Harrogate, a scenic spa town that’s often a tourist hotspot in North Yorkshire, comes in at number three on the Muddy Stilettos list. 

 Excellent schools, stylish shops and great rail links make it a “no-brainer.”

Young families and couples flock to Yorkshire, specifically Harrogate, to fill their boots with leafy parks, great schools, tempting house prices and a buzzy town centre that’s bursting with one-off shops, cafés and restaurants.

Yorkshire institution Betty’s Tearoom is deemed “worth making the move for”, and local favourites like the Coach & Horses gastropub and Michelin-tipped Paradise Cafe earn praise too. 

Harrogate is also Yorkshire’s “shopping capital”, and is “Buzzing with indies”, like Imagined Things Bookshop, Inger & Rae, and the Cheeseboard. 

Nearby attractions and culture are tipped too – like Stump Cross Caverns, Rudding Park Spa, the Mercer Art Gallery and the town’s two theatres. 

(Image: The Northern Echo)

Helmsley 

According to the travel website Muddy Stilettos, Helmsley in the North Yorkshire Moors, is one of the most sought-after locations to live in the UK – beating some of the best and most beautiful places in England, Scotland and Wales. 

The North Yorkshire Moor’s only market town, Helmsley (located between Thirsk and Pickering) is a location that delivers a history lesson stretching from the Stone Age (3000BC) to the modern day. 

Boasting a castle, an award-winning market, a “galaxy of surrounding Michelin-starred restaurants”, and some of the best landscapes around, Helmsley takes some beating when it comes to community and views.

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It came in at 5th spot on the site’s list. 

Muddy Stilettos said: “If you move here: you’ll need a will of iron, blinkers or Couch to 5K to cope with the tea shops and bakers, delis and grocers, selling sucrose in various forms: pickles, jams, chutneys, chocs, fudge, treacle, Yorkshire curd tarts, mint choc chips.”

A previous winner of best market town in the Great British High Street Awards, Hemsley’s definitely punching above its weight on the shopping front too, with the likes of Thomas of Helmsley, a butcher, baker, and delicatessen praises.