Two Buckinghamshire areas named in Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide
A town and city in Buckinghamshire have been shortlisted as being among the best places to live in the UK, by a trusted publication.
The Sunday Times named Amersham and Milton Keynes as among the 10 best areas to live in across the South East region of England.
In its guide, which will be available to purchase on Sunday and can be found online here, the world-famous newspaper has credited the Buckinghamshire areas for their schools and countryside offerings.
Judges representing the newspaper visited the areas in person and ranked them based on the quality of their schools, transport links, broadband speeds, plus the quality of their high streets and number of high-quality green spaces.
Across the entire guide The Sunday Times is showcasing 72 different areas in the UK with Norwich being named as its overall winner. Its list varies between massive famous cities and tiny quaint villages. The Sunday Times has noted that its list includes places often considered to be remote parts of the country.
One judge said of Amersham: “Amersham has all the right dynamics: heritage, high-powered grammar schools, lovely Chiltern Hills countryside, a choice of independent places to eat and excellent transport links. It also has a civic-minded community and an impressive musical pedigree, showcased in the annual Amersham Festival of Music. The festival relies on volunteers, who also keep community life ticking over through a programme which includes the Amersham Museum, active Scout and Guide groups and the very active Amersham in Bloom.”
Another judge told the Sunday Times: “To its early detractors, Milton Keynes was branded ugly and soulless, mocked for its roundabouts and concrete cows. Yet this city is now being recognised for its ambition, innovation, good transport connections, cultural diversity and abundance of greenery.
"Milton Keynes is fast becoming a cultural heavyweight, too. Art is everywhere and there’s a huge range of sporting options, too. There’s indoor skydiving and skiing (on real snow) at Xscape but the real stars are the lakes, rivers and canals, as well as more than 6,000 acres of parks, such as Campbell Park and the watersports wonderland that is Willen Lake.”