Ruthin is best place in Wales to live on Sunday Times list

The ancient market town of Ruthin has been named the best place to live in Wales.

The Denbighshire community was ranked ninth of 72 places in the UK, but took the Welsh title.

It snatched it from rivals Abergavenny in Monmouthshire, Barmouth in Gwynedd and Gower after it was visited by judges from The Sunday Times.

Its list praised a "handsome, historic town" for using period properties in a modern manner.

It mentioned an 18th century building occupied by a pub, a 600-year-old former courthouse that is now a community hub, and an old bank that recycles unwanted goods.

Janine Cusworth, who runs Resource Scrap Store in a former Barclays branch, said: "There's a lot of innovation happening for such a small place in terms of thinking differently how things can be done."

Ruthin resident of 25 years, Hannah Dyer, was unsurprised by the win.

She said: "The architecture is beautiful here, we've got so many independent shops, we're not overrun by chains."

Former residents Brian Roberts, 67, and Hazel Roberts, 70, were going to lunch at Ruthin Castle.

Mr Roberts highlighted "the character, the old buildings and the jail which has reopened now".

The prison, which no longer houses inmates, is open to the public as a tourist attraction.

Dharma Sivakumar, 45, lives in Carmarthen but her husband runs a Ruthin takeaway.

She said: "I go around all the shops and walk everywhere. I go to the market every Saturday and they have nice knitwear."

The Sunday Times list is compiled by judges who visit all the locations.

Helen Davies, editor of Best Places To Live 2023, said Ruthin was a handsome town.

"It's a small town with big ambitions and an even bigger heart," she said.

It was recently awarded £11m in UK government funding to restore local historic monuments and improve the town's St Peter's Square.

On the edge of the Brecon Beacons, Abergavenny, in Monmouthshire, is the "gateway to the good life" according to the Sunday Times.

The paper said: "The setting is a delight - the peaks of Blorenge, Skirrid and Sugar Loaf, which stand sentry over the town, see a procession of hikers and dog walkers heading for the hills."

It praised Barmouth, in Gwynedd, for offering "small-town friendliness" and majestic backdrops. It referred to its "picturesque" harbour and star-filled skies.

The Pontcanna suburb of Cardiff made it onto the list for being "bijou, friendly and beguilingly unpretentious". The city, the paper said, was "surely the UK's most agreeable capital city".

Heading west to the Gower Peninsula, the area was hailed for being "all crashing waves, sandy coves and majestic limestone cliffs" with a mix of properties available from stone cottages to new builds.

The "brightly painted star" of Narberth, in Pembrokeshire, was highlighted by the judges for being welcoming and having an independent streak.

They called the town "robust, real and regenerated."

Former fishing village Solva, also in Pembrokeshire, drew admiring glances for its colourful shops and pretty cottages.

"Climb into Upper Solva and you'll find big skies and stunning views over St Brides Bay," said the paper.