Glasgow's Shawlands named as one of the best places to live in the UK

Shawlands is one of seven places in Scotland, and 72 across the UK, to have made it onto the annual The Sunday Times Best Places to Live 2023 guide. 

The Sunday Times expert judges visited all locations on the list and assessed factors such as schools, transport, broadband speeds, culture, access to green spaces and the health of the high street. 

READ MORE: Glasgow's Shawlands named one of the best places to live in Scotland

They praised Shawlands for its "unbeatable coffee culture" and range of independent businesses. 

The guide says: "There's an unbeatable coffee culture in this creative, multicultural corner of the Southside, and much more besides.

"There’s a strong network of independent businesses — especially at busy Park Lane market – arty pop-ups, good sports facilities and rapid rail links to central Glasgow."

This is the second year in a row that the Southside neighbourhood has been named as one of the best places to live by The Sunday Times as we previously reported it made the list in 2022.

We then reported in October last year that Shawlands was named by Times Out as one of the World's Coolest Neighbourhoods.

Also citing the area's coffee shops, it came in at an impressive 11th place on their list of 51 trendy locations across the planet, beating spots in cities including Berlin, Chicago and Barcelona. 

Helen Davies, the editor of Best Places to Live 2023, said: "When times are tough, where we live matters more than ever.

"Attractive surroundings, good neighbours and a comfortable home are the best defences when the stresses of modern life seem overwhelming.

"This guide is a celebration of towns, cities and villages that are each a fantastic place to live in 2023 from Orkney to Felixstowe, the Chew Valley to Manchester city centre.

"Whether you’re downsizing, trading up or getting onto the property ladder, there will be somewhere to suit you."

READ MORE: Shawlands in Glasgow makes Time Out list of 'coolest neighbourhoods in the world'

Shawlands has an abundance of independent coffee shops, with Partenope on Hector Road, Frankie Coffee on Skirving Street, and Toro Coffee on Pollokshaws Road, being among the top-rated on Google.

If you're looking for brunch, there are a range of eateries, such as Cafe Strange Brew, that often tempt diners to the Southside, while bakeries such as Deanston Bakery and Honeytrap Bakery provide a range of sweet and savoury treats.

Park Lane Market takes place on the first and last Sunday of every month and sees up to 20 different traders selling a variety of arts, crafts, vintage clothes, furniture, antiques and more.

Independent shops in the area include Ajouter, which has been featured in Stylist and Grazia, gift shops Hell Yeah and Paper Plane and book shop Young's Interesting Books.

With Queen's Park on one side and Pollok Country Park on the other, Shawlands residents have no shortage of green spaces to enjoy and sports facilities including Pollok Football Club.

The area is served by three train stations which are a short ride away from Glasgow Central making it well-connected to the city centre.

Dunkeld, in Perthshire, claimed the top spot in Scotland while East Linton, Portobello in Edinburgh, Newport-on-Tay, Orkney and Tighnabruaich also made the list.  

You can find out more about The Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide at thetimes.co.uk/bestplacestolive