Ancient market town with unique windmill is named England's happiest place
A small and "charming" town has been named the happiest place to live in England.
Sleaford has a modest population of around 17,600 residents and is an ancient market town which was founded in the Iron Age. History aficionados and tourists flock to the town for its shops and restaurants, and if the great outdoors is your thing it has walks alongside the River Slea and hiking trails in neighbouring woodland areas.
Visit Lincolnshire called Sleaford a “charming town” and says it is “nestled” in the heart of Lincolnshire.
Tourism chiefs said: “It is a hidden gem that promises a delightful experience for visitors of all ages. With its rich history, bustling market, eclectic shops, and array of local attractions there's plenty to see and do. Why not take a relaxing stroll beside the River Slea? Sleaford is located on the River Slea and Sleaford Canal which makes for lovely scenic walks.
The tourism body also says nearby villages are worth a visit for those using Sleaford as their base. These include many countryside villages where there are walking routes to escape the city, the Express reports.
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It added: “There is also plenty of woodland and unspoilt countryside to explore and the nearby villages Ruskington and Heckington are worth the visit for picturesque walking routes and Heckington Windmill - the world's only eight sail windmill.”
The market town of Sleaford had a high happiness rating (Getty Images/iStockphoto)The Office for National Statistics findings come as part of the latest Annual Population Survey, which takes into account happiness, life satisfaction and anxiety. It showed that between March 2022 and 2023, people across the UK reported feeling less happy and satisfied but more anxious compared to the previous year. This, however, was not the picture in all areas.
The data also allows for an overall “happiness score” to be given to individual places up and down the country. In England, the district of North Kesteven in Lincolnshire took the top spot with a score of 8.09 out of 10. It is also worth a visit for those with an interest in planes and military history.
RAF Cranwell in Sleaford is a popular destination among visitors (Getty Images)Visit Lincolnshire added: “For aviation enthusiasts, there’s Cranwell Aviation Centre and RAF Digby Ops Room offering great insight into local and British aviation history,” While North Kesteven took the top spot for happiness in England, two places in Scotland actually ranked higher for the whole of the UK. Other highly ranked places included Pendle in Lancashire, Malvern Hills in Herefordshire and Torridge in Devon.
The Shetland Islands in Scotland took the crown for having the highest happiness rating with a score of 8.22 out of 10. The second place which also had a high happiness rating in the nationwide survey was Na h-Eileanan Siar, in the Outer Hebrides, which secured a high score of 8.12.
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