Head south to enjoy the best quality rural life, claims survey

Two-thirds of the top 50 rural locations that offer the best quality of life are in southern England while all of the top 10 best places to live are in the south, according to Halifax.

The group rated rural locations in terms of the health and life expectancy of their occupants, employment rates and earnings levels, school exam results and the climate.

It found that South Cambridgeshire offers the highest quality of life out of all rural locations, with 95 per cent of people living there claiming to be in good health while 79 per cent have jobs, earning an average of £739 a week. The area also has significantly less rain than average.

East Hertfordshire came in second place, followed by Uttlesford in Essex, with Aylesbury Vale and Waverley in Surrey completing the top five.

Overall, 15 of the top 50 rural local authorities were in the south-east, with 14 in the east and seven in the south-west. Nine rural local authorities in the East Midlands made it into the top 50 best places to live but only three in the West Midlands and two in Yorkshire and the Humber were included.

Ryedale and Hambleton were the only places in the North and Yorkshire and the Humber to make it on to the list while no towns in the north-east, north-west, Scotland or Wales were included in the top 50.

The group said rural areas in northern regions tended to receive high ratings for school exam results and environmental factors, such as low pollution and traffic levels, while people in southern areas generally had higher employment rates and wages and better health.

People in Chiltern in Buckinghamshire had the highest average earnings at £833 a week while they also had the biggest homes.