Woodbridge named in The Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide 2025

A Suffolk town has been named among the best places to live in the UK.

Woodbridge has been included in The Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide alongside Saffron Walden (national winner), Chelmsford (regional winner), Norwich, Reepham, The Shelfords and Wivenhoe.

Judges visited 72 locations, chosen to represent the best of Britain, and assessed everything from schools, transport and broadband speed to culture, green space access and the health of the high street.

Helen Davies, editorial projects director and Best Places to Live editor, said: “It is easy to feel overwhelmed by everything going on in the world, but there really is so much to celebrate as we look closer to home.

“From small gestures that lift the everyday - like verges blooming with daffodils and volunteer-run dementia cafés, to larger initiatives from repair cafés to new railway stations.

“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.

“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.”

The Sunday Times described Woodbridge as a ‘handsome’ town with ‘wonderful’ architecture which has a ‘thriving’ shopping scene and ‘plenty going on’ culturally.

Saffron Walden, which is around 13 miles from Haverhill, claimed the top spot this year — joining the ranks of previous winners of the Best Places to Live in Britain title which can be seen below:

▶ Stamford, Lincolnshire (2013)

▶ Skipton, North Yorkshire (2014)

▶ Newnham, Cambridge (2015)

▶ Winchester, Hampshire (2016)

▶ Bristol (2017)

▶ York (2018)

▶ Salisbury, Wiltshire (2019)

▶ Altrincham, Cheshire (2020)

▶ Stroud, Gloucestershire (2021)

▶ Ilkley, West Yorkshire (2022)

▶Wadhurst, East Sussex (2023)

▶North Berwick, East Lothian (2024)