A picturesque medieval village nestled in the depths of Scotland has been named as the best, cheapest place to live in the UK with an average house price of less than £200k
A beautiful medieval village has been announced as the cheapest best place to live.
Nestled within the former royal burgh of Fife, Falkland is a scenic and historically rich village, only 40 miles from Edinburgh. Despite approximately only 1,400 people living in the village, its architecture featuring narrow wynds, stone cottages and cobbled streets makes it an enchanting place to visit and live. Falkland became Scotland’s first conservation area in 1970 and to date, there remains to be only a handful of villages in the country with buildings that have aged pristinely.
According to The Times, Falkland in Fife, Scotland has an average house price of £195k and is one of the best places to live in the UK.
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In the centre of the village is Falkland Palace, with a twin-towered gatehouse. In 1402, the heir to the throne — David, the eldest son of Robert III — died while a prisoner of his uncle, the Duke of Albany, at the palace. Many rumours spiralled at the time about David’s death, including that he was starved to death to further his uncle’s ambitions.
A few centuries later in 1792, the village was also home to 231 weavers — whom formed around a third of the population at the time. Many of the buildings still standing in Falkland today link back to these weavers of linen who helped Falkland’s fortunes grow. Even though the town is small in size, there are around 28 listed buildings in Falkland.
Towering over the entire town is East Lomand Hill —the ideal destination for dog walking. Once at the top of hill, hikers can enjoy panoramic views and a different perspective of Falkland. Also nearby is Falkland Estate — a location once used by Stuart Kings and Queens of Scotland for rest and recreation.
Perhaps the village’s most recent famous claim, is featuring in the series Outlander on Netflix. The successful drama sees a World War II nurse torn between two lives and loves, when a mystical Scottish landmark hurls her back 200 years into the past. Falkland features in the series and as a result, has caused more people to visit the area. Visit Scotland even has The Outlander Trail, which holidaymakers can book and experience a seven day self-led road trip across areas of Scotland which inspired Diana Gabaldon’s books and featured in the TV series.
The village itself also has a few different places to eat, including a tea room, a golf course and a scattering of Airbnbs available to stay in. The nearest train stations to Falkland are Markinch and Ladybank — both around five miles away to the south and north respectively.