Scottish city named 'happiest place to live' and it isn't Edinburgh or Glasgow
The city was praised for its green spaces and yummy food offerings.
A city in Scotland has been named the country's "happiest place to live" - and it might not be the one you expect. It triumphed over more well-known destinations such as Edinburgh and Glasgow.
On Saturday, May 17, The Guardian published a list of the "happiest places to live in Britain". The newspaper considered many factors when putting together the list, including access to green space, average driving time to GPs and dentists, air quality, broadband speeds, and culture.
Cities and towns across the UK were included in the roundup. The most happy city in Scotland was named as Perth, aptly known as The Fair City.
Perth is a city located in Perthshire in the centre of Scotland, nestled by the River Tay. It is home to a population of approximately 40,000 people.
The Guardian praised Perthshire for its diverse landscapes, featuring everything from waterfalls to canyons. The newspaper also singled out the region for its many picturesque lochs, which include Loch Tay and Loch Rannoch.
Perth itself was noted for its unique position "at the gateway to the Highlands". It offers easy access to a huge variety of rural countryside walks, while there is also plenty of green space within the city.
On each side of Perth, there are scenic riverside parks. North Inch is 57 hectares in size and is a popular golfing destination, while South Inch is slightly smaller at 31 hectares and is often used to host fun fairs, circuses, and other shows.
Top attractions in the city, according to the experts, are the Perth Museum and the Perth Leisure Pool. The former is the new home of the legendary Stone of Destiny artefact, while the Perth Leisure Pool boasts various exciting flumes.
While The Guardian noted that the city is "struggling to recover post Covid", the newspaper praised its various independent city-centre businesses. Among those mentioned were coffee specialists The Bean Shop and the Concorde Music record shop.
In terms of places to eat, The Guardian singled out Hinterland, Cafe Tabou, and North Port. Hinterland is an independent coffee shop serving up breakfast and lunches, while Cafe Tabou is a modern French spotlit brasserie, and North Point specialises in ingredient-led Scottish cuisine.
Meanwhile, the newspaper also praised Perth for its transport services. Edinburgh and Glasgow can be reached in around 90 minutes and an hour respectively by rail, while Aviemore and Inverness are also within easy reach.
The experts also considered the average house prices in different areas of Perth. According to The Guardian, the standard cost of a home in the popular Craigie suburb is £280,000, while three-bed flats that overlook South Inch park cost more than £240,000 on average.
The Guardian wrote: "Perth's appealing position at the gateway to the Highlands has long been recognised as a prime real estate spot, with historians tracing settlements as far back as the prehistoric period.
"A rich bounty of archaeological finds from the region's past are displayed at the light and airy Perth Museum, which reopened after refurbishment last year, complete with swish cafe.
"This city of only around 47,000 people punches above its weight as a cultural hub, with a small but mighty art gallery, a theatre, a concert hall and an art deco cinema, not forgetting its annual arts festival.
"June sees Potfest, the UK's biggest ceramics festival, hit the city, while August heralds Perthshire Pride."
Elsewhere, the overall happiest place to live in the UK was named as Berwick-upon-Tweed. The town and civil parish in the very north of England, whose football team play in the Scottish set-up, was praised for its fascinating history, its weekly markets, and its various green spaces.
The full list of the "happiest places to live in Britain" can be found on The Guardian website.
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