A Powys town has been named as one of the best places to live in Wales in the annual Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide.

Presteigne was praised by The Sunday Times judges for its strong community and its new dark skies status.

“The inspirational community in this small town on the Welsh border has a knack for getting things done,” said the judges.

“Presteigne has just been declared the first official ‘dark skies’ community in mainland England and Wales, after a six-year project. 

“Wildflowers and daffodils are planted by volunteers, drivers are on hand to take people for hospital visits and the council and a local arts group have built a community barn on Went’s Meadow that is used for everything from yoga classes to music festivals and the riotous annual carnival.”

The Sunday Times also made mention of the town’s convenience stores in its butcher, deli and greengrocer, and “excellent places to eat and drink” such as Daphne’s, Wild Thyme Italian and Crocketts.

The acclaimed list saw Abergavenny in Monmouthshire named the best place to live in Wales.

Five other locations in Wales are featured in the comprehensive guide.

Published by The Sunday Times, the guide includes 72 locations across the UK and was today (Friday). An abridged version will published as a magazine supplement on Sunday.

The other Welsh areas highlighted are Cardigan, Mumbles, Narberth, and the Vale of Glamorgan. 

Helen Davies, editorial projects director and Best Places to Live editor, said: “This guide is a celebration of towns, cities and villages that are each a fantastic place to live in 2024, from Dunkeld to Knutsford, Falmouth to Leeds. Wherever you are on the property ladder, there will be somewhere to suit you.  

 “These are all places where you can feel grounded as well as upwardly mobile: they have a mature sense of community, lively, supportive high streets and an eye to the future, whether that is eco-friendly measures, transport and regeneration, or imaginative inclusion of new housing.” 

The Sunday Times’ expert judges have visited all the locations and assessed factors from schools to transport, broadband speeds 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. There are more new entries than ever before in this year’s guide and no place for previous winners such as York and Bristol - the judges looked for improving 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,” said Ms Davies.

“That means we can see what people really love about the places they live. That might be fast commutes and high-achieving schools but also clean water to swim in, lively town centres with useful shops, the possibility of earning a living and being part of a friendly community.

In the Britain-wide list, North Berwick was named the best place to live. The East Lothian seaside town is the first Scottish winner in the 12-year history of the list.

Previous winners of the Best Places to Live in Britain title are: 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) and Wadhurst, East Sussex (2023).