VIDEO: Portstewart named the best place to live in Northern Ireland by Sunday Times

Two other locations in Northern Ireland – Donaghadee and the Ormeau area of Belfast – are featured in the comprehensive guide but it’s the Causeway Coast seaside resort which tops the list.

Published by The Sunday Times, the guide includes 72 locations across the UK. There are more new entries than ever before in this year’s guide. The Sunday Times’s expert judges visited all the locations and assessed factors from schools to transport, broadband speeds to culture, as well as access to green spaces and the health of the high street.

Placing Portstewart at the No1 spot, the Sunday Times judges said: “Year-round community spirit is the beating heart of Northern Ireland’s most graceful seaside town.

"Beach cleans, litter picks and the volunteers behind the annual Red Sails festival are just a few examples of the local pride that’s always on display. The two-mile sandy beach is at the centre of life here, but there are also decent shops, cafés and restaurants and an interesting cultural scene at the Flowerfield Arts Centre.”

Portstewart resident and daily sea swimmer Maureen Davidson said: “Portstewart offers a harmonious blend of natural beauty, community spirit and a relaxed lifestyle. It’s no wonder it has been named the Best Place to Live in Northern Ireland 2024.

"So whether you’re sipping coffee by the harbour, catching a wave with the Earlybirds on the Strand Beach or simply enjoying the sunsets and sea breeze, Portstewart is a true coastal gem.”

Maureen listed just some of the things she loves about the seaside resort: the Promenade, playparks, ocean waves and the harbour, the Red Sails Festival, three golf courses, windswept walks, Flowerfield Arts Centre, the NI Air Show, seeing the riders and fans arrive for the North West 200, the town’s talented songwriters, guitarists, comedians, dancers and performers.

“What makes our guide unique is that we actually visit all the places we choose and talk to locals to find out what life is really like there,” Helen Davies, the guide’s editor, says.

“That means we can see what people really love about the places they live. That might be fast commutes and high-achieving schools but also clean water to swim in, lively town centres with useful shops, the possibility of earning a living and being part of a friendly community.

“We do consider affordability, though high house prices are no barrier to inclusion - as long as they provide value for money. Different people may be looking for different things, but what all our best places have in common is that people love living in them and are proud to call them home.”

The guide has again been sponsored by the mortgage lender Halifax, which has provided an average house price for each location.

Previous winners of the Best Places to Live in Britain title are: Stamford, Lincolnshire (2013); Skipton, North Yorkshire (2014); Newnham, Cambridge (2015);

Winchester, Hampshire (2016); Bristol (2017), York (2018), Salisbury, Wiltshire (2019), Altrincham, Cheshire (2020) Stroud, Gloucestershire (2021), Ilkley, West Yorkshire (2022) and Wadhurst, East Sussex (2023).