Flintshire's Cilcain among UK's best secret villages

Choosing the perfect place to live is one of the many challenges that people face when they decided to move home.

To help make this decision a little easier, The Times has come up with a list of the best 'secret' villages in the UK, revealing "the places few have heard of but where everybody wants to live".

You probably haven’t heard of these communities — and that’s part of their charm. Tim Palmer visits the friendliest and prettiest under-the-radar spots to move to. https://t.co/7IeMF0oFXc

— The Times and The Sunday Times (@thetimes) September 8, 2024

Introducing the list, the news outlet said: "With more than 6,000 villages in the UK of every shape, size and situation, there’s a community out there for anybody looking for life on a smaller scale.

"How do you find the one that’s right for you?

"This list should be a useful starting point, highlighting 20 villages that aren’t well known across the country but are always in demand among those in the know.

"They all have useful amenities, appealing locations and great communities — and often house prices that reflect their popularity."

The best secret villages in the UK

The UK's best secret villages to live in, according to The Times, are:

1. Malpas, Cheshire
2. Maenclochog, Pembrokeshire
3. Ebrington, Gloucestershire
4. The Hartings, West Sussex
5. Bishop Wilton, East Yorkshire
6. Broughton, Hampshire
7. Worstead, Norfolk
8. Hindon, Wiltshire
9. St Boswells, Borders
10. Nunhead, London SE15 and SE4
11. Blagdon, Somerset
12. Constantine, Cornwall
13. Longhoughton, Northumberland
14. Cilcain, Clywd
15. Gaydon, Warwickshire
16. Whiteleaf, Buckinghamshire
17. Kingsbarns, Fife
18. Barlaston, Staffordshire
19. Ockham, Surrey
20. East Hanningfield, Essex

You can see the full list of the UK's best secret villages to live in on The Times' website.

Why Cilcain is among the UK's best secret villages to live in

Cilcain, located just outside Mold in Flintshire, was one of only two locations in Wales named among the best 'secret' villages in the UK.

The North Wales village, with an average asking price of £282,150, was labelled as an ideal spot to "put down roots" as well as being "surprisingly convenient for somewhere that feels so remote".

"There's walking and fishing right on the doorstep and plenty happening in the village too" - The Times talking about Cilcain. (Image: Flintshire County Council)

The Times said: "The Clwydian Range is one of Wales’s most likeable secrets — 21 miles of deliciously lumpy wild terrain that’s usually ignored by holidaying crowds rushing to Snowdonia or the coast.

"It’s a landscape that may not remain secret for long, if plans to turn it into a national park come to fruition.

"The hills are dotted with thriving villages and Cilcain is one of the best — the kind of place where houses come on the market only rarely and prices are always bullish — think £450,000 for something family-sized and detached.

"For that, you get to put down roots in a village that’s surprisingly convenient for somewhere that feels so remote."

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The news outlet continued: "The bright lights of Mold are a short drive away, Wrexham a little bit further and Chester within 40 minutes.

"There’s walking and fishing on the doorstep and plenty happening in the village too — with the volunteer-run community shop and café at the heart of it.

"There’s a pub, a school, and an oil syndicate that gets together to buy fuel at the cheapest possible rate."