It will probably come as no surprise to those lucky enough to live in the Forest of Dean but the area has been named as one of the top places to live in the country in a new study compiled by a national newspaper.

The Express compiled a map of the best places to live in England based on 11 different measures, including house prices, crime rates, school attainment scores and GP waiting lists with the Forest of Dean taking top billing in a series of categories, including NHS treatment times, amenities such as parks, post offices, and pubs, secondary school performance and community spirit.

The paper’s research showed the Forest ranked particularly highly in terms of NHS treatment, with 69.8 per cent of patients being seen within the 18-week target after referral.

School performance also scored highly with pupils' progress ranking above average.

For lovers of the outdoors, the The Forest of Dean is a true winner with the Express survey highlighting its cycling trails and woodland walks as well as the community spirit that thrives in the area. As an extra boost the survey cited the Forest’s housing prices - with the average house price, as of February 2025, standing at £297,084.