Dacre Son and Hartley created on 8th December 2025
Skipton has been named as the happiest place to live in 2025 in research conducted by property search giant Rightmove, and according to the property experts at Dacre, Son & Hartley, it’s easy to see what makes the North Yorkshire market town such a popular place to live.
Thousands of residents from more than 200 areas in Great Britain told Rightmove how they feel about their area, from the friendliness of the people to the access to employment opportunities. The study also asked residents to share how happy they feel about where they live.
This year, Skipton tops the list of happiest areas, having come second in 2020 and sixth in last year’s study. Residents of Skipton ranked the town highest for its access to nature and green spaces, the friendliness of the people and access to essential services like schools and doctors.
The affordability of the area was also a key factor, with the average asking price for a home in Skipton currently standing at £326,093 according to Rightmove. This is lower than the current national average of £364,833.
In second place in this year’s study is the borough of Richmond-upon-Thames in London and third place went to Camden, with the North London borough taking a podium spot for the first time in the 14-year history of the study. Stirling has been ranked the happiest place to live in Scotland by its residents, and Anglesey is this year’s happiest place to live in Wales.
Mark Kane from Dacre, Son & Hartley’s Skipton office, said: “Skipton has it all with a strong identity and it’s full of history, so it’s easy to see why people fall for Skipton’s endless charm and want to make it their home. The town centre is bustling with lots of shops, cafes, restaurants and pubs, as well as a traditional market, medieval castle and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal all at the heart of the town. There are also great schools, the Yorkshire Dales are on the doorstep and the railway station offers excellent links to neighbouring towns and cities including Leeds and Bradford.
“Skipton offers a wide range of attractive house types including apartments and traditional terraces through to grand houses sitting in acres of land and numerous high quality new homes developments have also been built in recent years.
“Grassington Road, Gargrave Road, Raikes Avenue and Raikes Road are always particularly sought after because they offer a wide choice of family houses within easy walking distance of the town centre. Detached Victorian family houses close to town cost between £750,000 and £1.25million, but the entry point is about £300,000 for 1920s or 1930s semis and 1980s or 1990s properties. The most handsome surrounding villages and hamlets include Gargrave, Embsay, Rylstone and Hetton, which all have strong communities in semi-rural surroundings and homes in these locations can range from £400,000 for a three bedroom character property to more than £1.5m for a grander residence.”
One of Yorkshire’s most established estate agents, we’ve been providing expert residential sales and lettings services for over 200 years. Our property advice is built on sound local knowledge and our outstanding professional team, complimented and enhanced by cutting-edge technology. We pride ourselves on delivering personalised, reliable service across our network of 18 Yorkshire offices.
