Every year, Rightmove checks in with tens of thousands of Brits to ask them how happy they are where they live. It covers everything from the amount of greenery in the area and the sense of community to the affordability of homes and access to amenities and essential services like schools and doctors. From those responses, it has now crowned one British town the happiest of them all.
The Yorkshire market town of Skipton has been named the happiest place in the nation for 2026. Skipton has always done well in the Happy Homes Index – it placed sixth last year and second in 2020 – but this is the first time it’s taken the top spot.
The cheeriest area last year was the Suffolk seaside town of Woodbridge, and the year before that it was London’s Richmond-upon-Thames. Here’s why Skipton finally came out on top.
Why is Skipton so happy?
The people of Skipton told Rightmove that they feel like they can be themselves living there and that they feel like they earn enough to live comfortably. It ranked the highest out of all the areas for its access to nature and green spaces, the friendliness of the people and access to essential services like schools and doctors.
Patrick McCutcheon, head of residential at Yorkshire estate agents Dacre Son & Hartley said: ‘Combining community, countryside and communication – Skipton has it all. A highly desirable living environment with immediate access to The Dales and a beautiful setting amidst some of the region’s finest countryside, and only a little more than an hour from The Lake District.’
He added that residents have easy access to likes of Leeds, Bradford and Harrogate (the fourth happiest place in the UK) and also get to make the most of regular services to London Kings Cross.
Skipton is also far more affordable than most of Rightmove’s other top 10 happiest places. The average asking price of a home here at the moment is £326,093, which is lower than the national average of £364,833. It’s the second-cheapest place to buy a home in the top 10, after Stirling in Scotland.
The 10 happiest places to live in the UK
Overall, Rightmove found that people who lived in a rural spot were more likely to say they felt happy where they lived than those in urban or suburban areas. Towns in the north of the the country also fared much better than areas down south. Here’s the full top ten for 2026.
- Skipton, Yorkshire
- Richmond-upon-Thames, London
- Camden, London
- Harrogate, Yorkshire
- Woodbridge, Suffolk
- Altrincham, Greater Manchester
- Macclesfield, Cheshire
- Stirling, Scotland
- Cirencester, Gloucestershire
- Hexham, Northumberland
Read more about the happiest place in London and the most depressing place in the capital, according to Rightmove’s 2025 index.
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