TWO towns just over the Herefordshire border have been named by the Times as some of the best places to live in the UK.

Abergavenny was awarded the regional winner for Wales, with the newspaper praising it for its annual food festival, sense of community, and strong and varied sporting scene. 

The market town also scored highly on practical matters, including having a hospital, doctors' surgeries, and a local comprehensive school that is opening new buildings this September.

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Meanwhile, Presteigne was praised for its strong community spirit. 

Situated just five miles from Shobdon, it was declared the first official “dark skies” community in mainland England and Wales this year after a six-year project that involved adjusting existing lighting and installing LED street lamps.

"Nobody seems to mind waiting behind a car that’s stopped on the high street to chat with a neighbour," said reporter Tim Palmer.

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"The wildflowers on the roundabouts and roadside daffodils were planted by volunteers and drivers are on hand to take people for hospital visits.

"The council and a local arts group have built a community barn on Went’s Meadow which hosts the Golden Fleece music festival and fundraisers for Ukrainian refugees who settled here.

It is also at the centre of an annual carnival which starts with a wheelbarrow race down the high street and is a typically quirky and joyful celebration of life on the Welsh border."

The overall winner was North Berwick in East Lothian, Scotland, while Stirchley, in Birmingham, picked up the Midlands prize.