I visited the Lancashire village ranked third as England’s most relaxed area and I can see the allure

Hambleton recently ranked third as England’s most relaxed area in a recent study by fitness equipment supplier Mirafit.

The study analysed the latest survey data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Health Index to judge 307 England’s local authorities on three factors.

These factors were based on survey respondents’ answers to questions about feelings of anxiety, general happiness, and life satisfaction.

Join our new WhatsApp Community to get the latest news and top stories from across Lancashire directly to your phone

Dartford in Kent came first, Surrey Heath received second place, and Hambleton in Lancashire ranked third.

Respondents scored an average of 2.17 for feelings of anxiety, 8.05 for general happiness, and 8.09 for life satisfaction.

Hearing about this recent study, I decided to visit the village myself to see why it may have ranked so high.

With a population of around 2,500 people, the village has an off licence, butchers, pharmacy, chippie, dentist and more.

Get the latest headlines, straight to your inbox, with The Gazette’s free emails

There’s also the Shovels Inn pub on Green Meadow Lane which serves a variety of classic dishes, from cheese and onion pie to bangers and mash.

Everyone smiled and said hello as I moseyed down the main street, making me feel very welcome.

I decided to pop into Cardwell Butchers and ended up speaking to a man called Cameron who was working behind the counter.

He explained that a lot of elderly people lived in the village and that the area had a “very relaxed vibe”.

Get the latest headlines, straight to your inbox, with The LEP’s free emails

“I had a customer who came in recently who said he’d rather shop local than at larger supermarkets to keep our businesses going,” he said.

The village is about a ten-minute drive away from Poulton town centre and 40 minutes from Lancaster, meaning residents are situated nicely away from the hustle and bustle.

Properties in the area had an overall average price of £232,308 over the last year.

The majority of sales were detached properties, selling for an average price of £286,172.

Semi-detached properties sold for an average of £178,444.

The village is also home to the Hambleton Lakeside Lodges - beautiful lodges which are all wrapped around small lakes within the site.

As I walked through the village and spoke to more of the locals, it wasn’t hard to see why the area was so relaxed.

The streets were clean, the people were friendly, the village is surrounded by beautiful countryside, and there’s easy access to towns like Blackpool or Poulton.

If you’re looking for a place that is quite but not too far away from a city, then Hambleton might be the perfect place for you.