The Ribble Valley named one of the UK’s best value picturesque places to buy a home

The Ribble Valley in Lancashire has been named one of the UK’s best value picturesque places to buy a home in 2024, according to a new study.

Finding a great house with scenic views is something most house hunters want (94%), but Brits can pay a big premium to bag a property in a beautiful spot.

Fortunately, new research by Hammonds Furniture has revealed there are some locations where you can snap up a stunning home, and not pay over the odds for it.

They surveyed 2,000 UK adults to name the UK’s 50 most beautiful towns and villages, and then compared the house prices in each place to the national average.

One area where you don’t pay more for a great view is The Ribble Valley, which includes the town of Clitheroe, as well as Longridge, Whalley, Ribchester and pretty villages like Waddington.

Famous for its green valleys and forests that inspired Middle-Earth in Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’ books, houses in this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty cost £183k on average – which is £100k less than the national average (£282k).

It took sixth place in the UK top ten table.

The top ten most affordable picturesque places to buy a home in the UK

1. Isle of Bute, Scotland (Average house price £115,574)
2. Boddam, Scotland (£134,433)
3. Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Scotland (£146,805)
4. Saltburn-by-the-Sea, North East England (£177,009)
5. Warsop, Nottinghamshire (£181,556)
6. Ribble Valley, North West England (£182,693)
7. Holyhead, North Wales (£189,170)
8. Durham, North East England (£189,845)
9. Western Isles, Scotland (£190,097)
10. Portmeirion, Wales (£195,234)

Other affordable picturesque places to buy a home included the idyllic Isle of Bute, on the west coast of southern Scotland.

Properties here cost just £115,000 on average, which is more than £100,000 less than in other popular locations such as the Isle of Skye (£265,000) and the Isle of Wight (£315,000).

Meanwhile Holyhead, the largest town on the island of Anglesey, was ranked the top picturesque affordable place in Wales, with house prices less than a third of the UK average.

Holyhead is known best for being a busy ferry port and for its scenic views overlooking the Wicklow Mountains across the Irish Sea.

On the other hand, Kent and Sussex topped the table for picturesque places where Brits pay a lot more for a better view.

Properties in Dungeness (£675k) and Hartfield in East Sussex (£635k) come with a hefty price tag, as do homes in Oxford (£611k), Bath (£594k) and Cambridge (£579k).

Melissa Denham, Interior Design Expert from Hammonds Fitted Furniture said: “The UK has so many gorgeous places, and our research has revealed some hidden gem locations that may be overlooked during property hunts.

“This ranking should hopefully provide people with some inspiration for beautiful, yet affordable places to move to in 2024.”