The 11 ‘coolest’ towns in the UK in 2026

How do you define a ‘cool’ town? It might have a flourishing art scene, buzzing nightlife, trendy restaurants, or be springing forth an abundance of homegrown indie bands. 

Every year at Time Out we publish our list of the coolest neighbourhoods in the UK, but other publications chime in as well. The Sunday Times has recently published its lowdown on Britain’s trendiest UK postcodes in 2026, and some of them might not be what you’d expect. 

The newspaper’s list wasn’t ranked but instead judged as being ‘for’ certain people. For example, Essex’s Manningtree – Britain’s smallest town – was named the best ‘for the Essex girl 2.0’. 

Manningtree was lauded for its ‘understated charm, overwhelmingly indie high street and stellar sunsets’. The writers also shouted out Manningtree’s organic shop Wholefood Store, and top pubs including the Red Lion, the Skinners Arms and the Crown which between them host various live music, comedy, drag nights, life drawing and knitting groups. 

Next up was Keswick in Cumbria, which the Sunday Times called the ideal place ‘for Gen Z trail-heads’. The paper featured the Lake District town because of its popular-with-the-kids walking trails, and annual events like the Lakesman, a half Ironman-length triathlon, and Keswick Mountain Festival. For a place to stay, the Sunday Times recommended Lodore Falls Hotel and Spa, which has hosted slebs like Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury. 

Belfast’s Eastside also made the cut, which the paper said is ‘for Northern Irish hipsters’. The blurb called Eastside ‘one of the most desirable neighbourhoods in Northern Ireland’. 

Surprising inclusions on the Times’ list were also the tiny fishing village of Flushing in Cornwall (pictured up top) that has a population of roughly 700, mainly included for its sauna and weekly food market, and Poplar in London’s East End, which apparently is home to a buzzing crowd of creatives. Milton Keynes was crowned one of the coolest places for its arty scene, and Rothley in Leicestershire was named for its steam train railway and local farm shops. 

The 11 coolest towns in the UK in 2026, according to the Sunday Times 

• Manningtree, Essex
• Keswick, Cumbria
• Eastside, Belfast
• Flushing, Cornwall
• West End, Dundee
• Poplar, east London
• Fishguard, Pembrokeshire
• Rothley, Leicestershire
• Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
• Liverpool city centre
• Redland, Bristol

Read the full feature on the Sunday Times website here.

Sad! This English city is the ‘most depressed’ place in the UK, apparently.