Falkland named on of the best areas in UK to live in Sunday Times 2024 guide

Falkland has been named an area winner, and is one of 72 towns and cities in the UK included in this year’s publication.

The Sunday Times’ judges visited all the locations and assessed factors from schools to transport, broadband speeds to culture, as well as access to green spaces and the health of the high street. It described Falkland as having “bewitched for centuries with its narrow wynds, pretty stone cottages and atmospheric main street.”

Elizabeth Adams, who runs the Fayre Earth shop, described the town as “a very picturesque, ancient, historic” village, with tourism booming.

She added: “You've got visitors from all over the world. You can be talking to someone from Brazil then the next minute you're talking to somebody from Australia.”

Visitors have been flocking to the town for centuries. However there has been a recent resurgence driven by the hit TV series Outlander, which was filmed in the town. The royal burgh also boasts its own unique ancient aesthetic - something Elizabeth said is much loved by tourists.

Elizabeth said: “They just love it. They think it's like a film set. They can’t believe it’s real. A lot of the people are going to be coming from countries that haven't got the history as much and they don't have the age of buildings, so they're absolutely blown away by the wedding lintels that give dates of 1565 or 1695. They're blown away by the history.”

Helen Davies, editorial projects director and Best Places to Live editor, says: “This guide is a celebration of towns, cities and villages that are each a fantastic place to live in 2024, from Dunkeld to Knutsford, Falmouth to Leeds. Wherever you are on the property ladder, there will be somewhere to suit you.

“These are all places where you can feel grounded as well as upwardly mobile: they have a mature sense of community, lively, supportive high streets and an eye to the future, whether that is eco-friendly measures, transport and regeneration, or imaginative inclusion of new housing.”

The overall top spot went to North Berwick, the first Scottish winner in the list’s 12 year history.