The 20 best towns, villages and areas to live in Scotland named - including 7 near Edinburgh

Garrington Scotland has revealed the 20 best places to live in Scotland, with seven of the top 20 near Edinburgh. The list focuses on Natural Beauty, Wellbeing, Employment/Connectivity, Value, Price Change and Average Price to compile its list.

Last year, Kirkintilloch topped the list however it was Bridge of Allan that came out on top this year, but a number of areas closer to home were included in the list - with Loanhead and Penicuik name checked as being well-placed in terms of commuting.

The research said: “Third-placed Loanhead and fourth-placed Penicuik are both a few miles south of the capital in Midlothian, and their combination of quick transport links into the city centre and abundance of well-paying jobs helped them post strong scores in the employment and connectivity category, in which they ranked 24th and 32nd respectively.”

The data analysed more than 160 towns, villages and areas across Scotland before settling on a top 20.