Marple is the best place to live in England and Wales in 2026.

That's according to Garrington, a national property agency, who have compiled a list of the top living locations in the country.

Nor is it just Marple that has scored highly - Stockport has swept the board in this year's rankings, with Bramhall, Reddish and Stockport ranking at fourth, eleventh, and fifteenth respectively.

The researchers considered metrics such as access to green space, number of listed buildings, air quality, crime figures, and the availability of nearby outstanding schools.

Garrington described Marple as a 'picture-postcard, perennial high-achiever'.

"Despite being just nine miles and around 25 minutes from the bright lights of central Manchester, Marple has an understated charm and calm much like the frequently underestimated Miss Marple, Agatha Christie's much-loved sleuth who was named after the town", the researchers said.

"With a strong community spirit and two brass bands, a neighbourhood cinema and lots of independent shops, Marple sits at the foot of the Peak District and has miles of canal towpaths and wooded valleys that lifted it to 18th place in the natural beauty category of our ranking."

It's not the first time that Marple has featured in Garrington's list, with the town placing at number four in the 2025 roundup of best places to live.

The property experts were similarly enthused about Bramhall, which figured just behind Marple in the list at number four.

"Just 20 minutes by train from the heart of Manchester, Bramhall is popular with professionals and has a vibrant high street, excellent schools, and a village atmosphere", they said.

"The concentration of high-paying jobs and good transport links powered it to 21st place in the schools, jobs, and connectivity category of the ranking."

Speaking more generally of the research, a Garrington spokesperson said: "Our report is NOT a league table of the 'best and worst places to live'.

"On the contrary, the research only ranks the best places to live, so being included – whether at number 1 or number 1447 – is to be applauded."

You can browse the full rankings here.

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