Woodbridge has been voted the UK’s best place to live (Image: Getty)
A new poll, collecting the views of some 35,000 respondents, has crowned a Suffolk as the best place to live in the whole of the UK. Woodbridge has an unusually warm summer climate, according to the averages for 1991–2020, and is exceptionally dry by British standards too.
With the coast just 15 minutes away, Woodbridge is already onto a winner. Although it has a population of around 8,000, Woodbridge still “feels like a village,” according to one local.
Sam Denny Hodson, who runs an interiors and clothing shop in the town, told the Sunday Telegraph: “All ages have something nice to do. Every holiday, my adult children come home.”
The town is home to the world’s oldest tide mill (Image: Getty)
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Sam added: “Everybody feels very safe, and people appreciate that we have more independent shops than just about any town in the UK. And the water makes a massive difference.”
The owner of one of those shops, Russell Stowe says: “We’re very lucky,” before adding: “Everybody here just goes about their business in, well, a jolly way. Everybody seems quite happy with life, and I think that comes from the town itself.”
He goes on to point out that there’s plenty to do: “The coast is 15 minutes away, you’ve got the river at the bottom, fabulous walks, great pubs, there’s not a bad one.”
The River Debden offers fun for sailing enthusiasts, as well as scenic walks (Image: Getty)
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Despite its comparatively modest size, Woodbridge has plenty of places to go alongside its wealth of pubs – with restaurants and a cinema as well as a dozens of attractive country walks.
Woodbridge also boasts the oldest working tide mill in the world and the site of Anglo Saxon burial site Sutton Hoo is just up the road.
Kate Trefusis moved to Woodbridge with her husband, local vicar Charles Trefusis, in 2022. She says “It’s the happiest place I’ve ever lived.”
Property in Woodbridge is increasingly sought-after (Image: Getty)
The only negatives that anyone can find to day about Woodbridge are about how popular it’s becoming – with parking becoming an increasingly serious problem and property prices on the rise.
The average in Woodbridge is now an eye-watering £441,569.
One local says that what really sold her on Woodbridge is that ”the people are amazing,” but adds: “Don’t tell everyone, though, because they’ll all want to move here.”