North Berwick, East Lothian has been named the best place to live in Scotland in the annual Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide. Last year’s overall best place to live in the UK takes top spot in Scotland thanks to its unbeatable combination of lovely beaches, quality schools, thriving independent businesses, just half an hour’s train ride from Edinburgh. It’s wrapped in natural beauty and whether it’s yachting, surfing, sea kayaking, paddleboarding or open-water swimming, not to mention golf, you’ll find a club for it in North Berwick. Cultural attractions include Fringe by the Sea, North Berwick’s laid-back alternative to the Edinburgh Fringe, every August. Seven other locations in Scotland are included in the comprehensive guide, which named Saffron Walden in Essex as the best place to live in the UK. The Sunday Times judges chose the genteel market town for its knockout historic looks with excellent state schools, a rich cultural offering and an exploding foodie scene as well as its convenient commuter links to both London and Cambridge. It used to have a reputation for being stuffy, old-fashioned and expensive. While the property prices are still high, Saffron Walden is enjoying a swish new lease of life. Incomers are bringing fresh ideas, cool independent shops and tasty places to eat with them. If the traditional high street is dying, Saffron Walden is reinventing it for the 21st century. Published by The Sunday Times, the guide includes 72 locations across the UK and is released on Friday, March 21. An abridged version will be published as a magazine supplement on Sunday. A total of 8 locations have been named in Scotland. Helen Davies, editorial projects director and Best Places to Live editor, says: “It is easy to feel overwhelmed by everything going on in the world, but there really is so much to celebrate closer to home, from small gestures that lift the everyday from verges blooming with daffodils to volunteer-run dementia cafés, to new initiatives from repair cafés to new railway stations.” The Sunday Times’s expert judges have visited all the locations and assessed factors from schools to transport, broadband speeds and mobile signal to culture, as well as access to green spaces and the health of the high street. The chosen locations come in all shapes and sizes, from the Scottish Island of Tiree and the remote Welsh village of Maenclochog to vibrant market towns, and suburbs of big, lively cities such as Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield and London. There are more new entries than ever before in this year’s guide and no place for many previous winners including York, Winchester, and Altrincham. As always, the judges looked for thriving locations with a strong sense of community rather than famous names with high house prices. “What makes our guide unique is that we actually visit all the places we choose and talk to locals to find out what life is really like there,” Davies says. “That means we can see what people really love about the places they live. That could be anything from exceptional schools and fast trains to beautiful houses and countryside. The health of the high street is important, but more than anything else, what we are looking for are towns, villages and cities with strong communities who work hard to make the best of where they live, and play hard too. “We also consider affordability. High house prices are no barrier to inclusion - as long as they provide value for money. Different people will be looking for different qualities when they are choosing a place to live. One thing all our chosen locations have in common is that the people who live in them are proud to call them home.” You can see the full Best Places to Live Guide 2025 by The Sunday Times by clicking here.