The pretty little UK town named 'best place to live' in the north of England in 2025

Ilkley has been named the best place to live in the north of England (Image: Getty)

A picturesque town located in the south of the Yorkshire Dales has been named the best place to live in the North of England. Ilkley, West Yorkshrie, is an old spa town in Wharfe Valley just outside Bradford, admired for its moorlands, countryside and architecture.

Approximately 225,000 people visit each year whether to enjoy the charming town or the hiking trails and moors. Ilkley is most famous for the Cow and Calf rock formation and its moor; the rock formations is made of millstone grit and a 5.1km circular hiking trail connects the two landmarks.

The town has been awarded Walkers are Welcome status, which aims to promote walking and small businesses by attracting walkers to the town. It also has one of the largest cycling groups in the country with more than 1,000 members and a youth development program.

The Cow and Calf in Ilkley (Image: Getty)

Ilkley Moor has featured in numerous films and TV shows including Monty Python’s Flying Circus, The Witcher: Blood Origin, DCI Banks and Ghost Stories.

The town, which was named as the overall winner by the Times in the category of "best place to live in the north of England", is also home to the longest running literature festival in the North of England. The festival started more than 50 years ago and runs for 17 days in October and has attracted writers from a range of genres such as: Alan Bennett, Margaret Atwood, Hilary Mantel, and Poet Laureate Simon Armitage.

Other places on interest in Ilkley include Ilkley Manor House, Cliffe Castle, Ilkley Toy Museum and White Wells Spa Cottage. In the last year the average price for a property was £534,782 according to Rightmove with the majority of properties sold being flats. This price is double that of the typical UK house which is approximately £267,200 making Ilkley a more expensive place to live.

It's one of England's prettiest towns (Image: Getty)

For families looking to move to the area there are highly regarded primary and secondary schools as well as Ilkley Grammar School which is considered the top comprehensive school in the North of England.

The town has good transport links with the average waiting time for regular bus services being 10 minutes, with only one hourly bus which goes to Leeds. The train line is part of the Wharfedale line operated by Northern Trains and has good connections to Leeds and Bradford.

One tourist who visited Ilkley Moor wrote on TripAdvisor: "Absolutely beautiful well worth the walk, scenery is amazing, so much to see. Quite a hike up from Ilkley to the plunge pool and beyond but worth it. Town itself is pretty full of boutiques, bars and restaurants. Highly recommend."