Richmond upon Thames in southwest London has been named the happiest place to live in the UK, according to Rightmove's annual Happy at Home Index, while Scottish towns largely struggled to place highly in the survey of more than 24,000 people across Great Britain.
Top five happiest places
The affluent borough topped the list with an average home asking price of £1,021,256 and average rent of £3,298. Its attractions include a large park with deer and a high street lined with trendy shops. Visitors can explore Brewers Lane and Paved Court, enjoy a drink by a fireplace in one of its pubs, or visit the Museum of Richmond to see thousands of objects detailing local history from prehistoric times.
Harrogate in North Yorkshire took second place, followed by Cirencester in Gloucestershire in third. Monmouth in Wales and Hove in the South East completed the top five, placing fourth and fifth respectively.
Scotland's performance
Scottish destinations appear far down the list. Kirkcaldy in Fife was the highest-placed Scottish town at 18th overall, followed by Perth (39), Inverness (40), Dundee (43) and Galashiels (47). Edinburgh ranked 77th and Glasgow 117th out of 220 places. Dumfries was the lowest-placed Scottish town at 161st.
According to a Scotpulse survey, the average adult in Scotland scores happiness at 6.74 out of 10, a recovery from a record low during the pandemic. The 65+ age group reported the highest average score of 7.30.
Kirkcaldy's appeal
Kirkcaldy's high ranking is notable given that Fife residents reported the lowest levels of happiness in the Office for National Statistics' happiness survey, scoring below the UK average. That survey placed those in the Highlands among the happiest in the UK.
The town offers coastal scenery, Victorian and medieval heritage, and a thriving arts scene. Known as the "Lang Toun" for its historic four-mile-long main street, it sits along the Firth of Forth and provides views across the water. Its most famous son is Adam Smith, the 18th-century economist and author of The Wealth of Nations, whose legacy is explored along the Adam Smith Heritage Trail and Adam Smith Close. Ravenscraig Castle, with its 15th-century ruins on a rocky headland, was one of the first castles in Scotland built to withstand and use artillery. Kirkcaldy was once the linoleum manufacturing capital of the world and is near the Wemyss Caves, which contain the largest concentration of ancient Pictish cave carvings in Britain.
The full Scottish rankings place Kirkcaldy first, followed by Perth, Inverness, Dundee, Galashiels, Stirling, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Motherwell, Falkirk, Ayr, Glasgow, Kilmarnock, Paisley and Dumfries in last place.
