{"id":823,"date":"2025-03-25T10:20:07","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T11:20:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.merlinscove.com\/?p=823"},"modified":"2025-04-13T08:05:36","modified_gmt":"2025-04-13T08:05:36","slug":"uks-posh-enclave-where-house-prices-average-532000-named-best-place-to-live-in-the-north","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.merlinscove.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/25\/uks-posh-enclave-where-house-prices-average-532000-named-best-place-to-live-in-the-north\/","title":{"rendered":"UK\u2019s \u2018posh enclave\u2019 where house prices average \u00a3532,000 named best place to live in the north"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\"Person\t<\/div>
One ‘posh enclave’ has been named one of the best places to live in England (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Looking for new digs? One town jokingly labelled a \u2018posh enclave\u2019 has been named the best place<\/a> to live in the north of England.<\/p>\n

Just outside of the bustling city of Leeds<\/a> lies the quaint town of Ilkley \u2013 known for its independent caf\u00e9s, trendy brunch spots <\/a>and picturesque hiking views.<\/p>\n

According to a brand-new list, it trumps absolutely every other single place in the north and northeast of England when it comes to various factors, including schools, transport, access to green spaces, mobile coverage and even the \u2018health<\/a> of the high street<\/a>\u2019 \u2013 including the likes of Hebden Bridge<\/a>, Horsforth and Morpeth, which also scored highly.<\/p>\n

The average house up in Ilkley isn\u2019t cheap at \u00a3532,000, according to The Sunday Times\u2019 list \u2013 while the typical UK house price is almost half the cost at \u00a3267,200<\/a>, as research from Zoopla shows.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Dawn\t<\/div>
Ilkley Moor looms over the Yorkshire town – and it’s pretty gorgeous (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s not the first time Ilkley has been praised, as it was named the best place to live in the entirety of the UK in 2022. Clearly, West Yorkshire is where it’s at.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tReady to start your homebuying journey?\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
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Mortgage service provided by London & Country Mortgages (L&C), which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (registered number: 143002). The FCA does not regulate most Buy to Let mortgages. Your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

As for the rest of the UK, Saffron Walden<\/a> in Essex \u2013 where house prices average out at a whopping \u00a3607,100 \u2013 came in first place, while in London, the eternally cool Walthamstow <\/a>(or \u2018Awesomestow,\u2019 as locals know it) won a landslide victory.<\/p>\n

What locals are saying about Ilkley<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Both locals and visitors to Ilkley alike have long been completely enamoured with it \u2013 even if it\u2019s a little bit \u2018posh.\u2019<\/p>\n

Over on the r\/Yorkshire Subreddit<\/a>, @Ok-Fox1262 jokingly called the West Yorkshire town a \u2018posh enclave,\u2019 but noted that it\u2019s \u2018really nice, albeit a bit expensive by local standards\u2026and you have the whole of the dales to go at if you like walking and countryside.\u2019<\/p>\n

For @oovavoooo, Ilkley very much resembles \u2018an old money spa town\u2019 that alongside \u2018Skipton and York\u2019 forms part of the \u2018Yorkshire Golden Triangle.\u2019 In their view, you won\u2019t find many \u2018better places to live\u2019 in England \u2013 and the latest rankings certainly prove that point.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Sunset\t<\/div>
Think you can find a better view than this? (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018It does have quite a west London vibe to it, but with very different surroundings. It\u2019s also full of people who have moved from or back from London,\u2019 they added.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, @No_Potato_4341<\/a> branded it \u2018picturesque\u2019 as well as \u2018a complete anomaly compared to other places in the Bradford Borough.\u2019 For them, The Toy Museum and Manor House are the peak of Ilkley living, as well as the beautiful countryside.<\/p>\n

Things to do in Ilkley<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Thinking of making the move? Undoubtedly, the best thing about Ilkley is its proximity to absolutely breathtaking views \u2013 the most notable looming right over the town on Ilkley Moor, by the Cow and Calf Rocks.<\/p>\n

Also known as the Hangingstone Rocks, they\u2019re about a 35-minute walk from the train station at the bottom of the hill \u2013 which various locals have even been spotted running up and down in all weathers. You would if you could, right?<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Illkley\t<\/div>
The Cow and Calf rocks are an Ilkley mainstay (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tipples and roast dinners aplenty are served up at The Cow And Calf pub which is, of course, a mere seven minutes on foot from the neighbouring rocks, overlooking the Wharfe Valley. <\/p>\n

And back towards the centre of town, who could forget the iconic Betty’s Tea Room? It’s been serving up Fat Rascals – a famous Yorkshire bun resembling a scone – since 1919, after all.<\/p>\n

If swimming is more your thing, Ilkley Lido is found right next to the indoor pool. Opened in 1935, it was originally part of the celebrations for the Silver Jubilee of George V.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Apartment\t<\/div>
Leeds is around half an hour away on the train (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And when the weekend rolls around, it\u2019s always nice to indulge in a spot of brunch \u2013 found in abundance at the likes of Toast House, Outside The Box, and Arlo. Hash brown, anyone?<\/p>\n

Transport links in Ilkley<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Wondering what your new daily commute might look like? Leeds and Bradford \u2013 both giants of West Yorkshire respectively \u2013 are approximately 30 minutes from Ilkley on the train (or 45 minutes by car).<\/p>\n

And if you ever find yourself yearning for London, there\u2019s a direct train down to King\u2019s Cross from Leeds, which takes around 2 hours and 15 minutes.<\/p>\n

Do you have a story to share?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One ‘posh enclave’ has been named one of the best places to live in England (Picture: Getty Images) Looking for new digs? One town jokingly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":825,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-property"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.merlinscove.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.merlinscove.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.merlinscove.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.merlinscove.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.merlinscove.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=823"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.merlinscove.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/823\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":839,"href":"http:\/\/www.merlinscove.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/823\/revisions\/839"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.merlinscove.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.merlinscove.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.merlinscove.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.merlinscove.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}