A pretty little village has been named one of the best places to live in the UK in 2025, and it’s nowhere near a the seaside. Redbourn is a village in Hertfordshire with a population of just 6,000 people. It is located three miles from Harpenden, four miles from St Albans and five miles from Hemel Hempstead - and around 60 miles from the nearest shore.

It topped a list of the next places to live in the UK in 2025 by Garrington Property Finders, and was closely followed by Epsom in Surrey and Alnwick in Northumberland. The site described the village 30 miles from London as “picture-postcard”, combining “rural charm with easy access to the capital”. It was a top scorer across the board. Its rural location helped it secure 11th place in Garrington’s natural beauty category, and it also performed well in both the heritage and the schools and jobs categories.

The village has an average house price of £604,936, according to Rightmove, and £570,968, according to Zoopla. This is more than double the national average price of £268,548.

Average prices in Redbourn have fallen by 8.2% in the past year – bucking the national trend and propelling the village to 15th place in the value-for-money category.

Redbourn has two golf courses and traces its history back to Roman times, and its village green was the scene of one of the first cricket matches ever played in 1666.

To the southwest of the village is the site of an Iron Age hill fort called the Aubreys. Nearby is Aubrey Park, which dates back to the 13th century. To the north of the village is the site of a complex of Roman temples.

Bus services are operated by three companies and connect the village with Borehamwood, Dunstable, Hemel Hempstead, Harpenden, Luton and St Albans.

Nearby railway stations in Hemel Hempstead and Harpenden run trains to London Euston, London St Pancras, Birmingham, Brighton, and Bedford.