FOR a decade the Sunday Times has been publishing annually the best places to live in the UK.The paper explains:

“When we launched the inaugural list, it was all about schools and smart supermarkets. London’s gravitational pull was strong, the work from home revolution (WFH) had not yet reached our doorstep and high streets were stacked with chains. These days there’s more mention of festivals, bookshops, markets, living car-free, wild swimming spots and energetic communities who’ll stop at nothing to improve where they live.”locations in Wales the Sunday Times guide

The annual guide picked Llandeilo, with its population of 2,000, as the best place to live in Wales for its thriving town centre packed with independent shops. Describing it as:

“This colourful and characterful corner of west Wales is remote but still luxurious”

The Guide goes on to say:

“In different surroundings this sparkler of a town could all be a little bit twee with its brightly painted Georgian houses and a high street offering boutique fashion outlets, arts and crafts galleries, and posh chocolate shops. However, out here in rural west Wales, set in some spectacular countryside, it feels like small-town living at its unpretentious best.”

It goes on:

“It’s rare to see so many nice things in such a small area.

Whether you want a freshly made Welsh cake from Heavenly or a unique piece of local arts and crafts, the independent shops and cafés in Llandeilo’s tiny centre are full of the good things in life.

Its colourful houses are a delightful backdrop and the surrounding countryside is full of magical places to explore.”

Llandeilo was one of six locations in Wales chosen as representing the best of what the UK provides. The others were:

Conwy, Penarth, Ruthin, St Dogmaels, and Usk.

There will be some of course that will challenge this idyllic description of Llandeilo especially when thinking of the relentless traffic that goes through the town centre and side roads. For over 50 years people have been campaigning for a by-pass of the town and the project has been on planned road programmers for Wales seemingly forever. But too often there have been objections to the proposal from local groups and businesses.