Marlow has been named among the UK’s best places to live for 2027.

The Thames town, south of High Wycombe, was included in Muddy Stilettos’ list of the UK’s Top 260 Best Places to Live, published at the end of October.

Published annually, the guide picks out the best places to live in each county and looks at what they offer, from schools, commuting and house prices to where to eat, shop and spend a weekend.

Marlow is one of eight places in Buckinghamshire to make the list, alongside Wooburn Green, Penn and Tylers Green, Amersham, Wendover, Turville, Long Crendon and Milton Keynes.

Why Marlow made the list

The guide calls “well-heeled Marlow” a “dead cert for city dwellers thanks to the super-speedy London commute, fabulous shopping and Michelin-starred foodie scene (courtesy of local boy Tom Kerridge)”.

It describes the town as “the original escape for Londoners”, with “stunning Victorian architecture and picturesque riverside location”.

“Live here and you’ll get the best of both worlds,” it says, “greenery and fresh air, but a city-quality lifestyle.”

“You can’t mention food in Marlow without talking about Kerridge’s” restaurants, according to the guide, which lists The Hand & Flowers, The Coach, The Butcher’s Tap and Grill and his private dining room, The Shed.

It also sends readers to The Chequers, “a meaty haven”, SUUM Kitchen “for authentic Vietnamese”, and Atul Kochhar’s Sindhu at The Compleat Angler, with its “stunning views of Marlow weir”.

Shops and red-brick buildings on Marlow High Street, with the obelisk at the top of the street and shoppers on the pavement
Marlow High Street. Photo: Bill Boaden, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph

“Arguably Marlow is the best retail destination in Buckinghamshire,” the guide says, pointing to “a high street bursting with chichi boutiques”.

Each year an “esteemed local” is chosen to switch on the town’s Christmas lights, it says, “(think Mary Berry calibre), and the streets are rammed”.

Pub in the Park at Higginson Park “reliably pulls in a major line-up of starry chefs and big-name acts”, according to the guide, while the Wycombe Swan, “15 mins away in High Wycombe”, hosts touring theatre, comedy and panto.

A gravel path through bright green beech woodland with bluebells carpeting the ground on both sides
Bluebells in Bisham Woods. Photo: Timo Newton-Syms, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Its best kept secret is Bisham Woods, seven minutes’ drive away, the Woodland Trust site it says “inspired The Wind in the Willows”, with wild orchids in May and June and bluebells in April.

How much it costs to live in Marlow

Homes in Marlow cost £727,577 on average, according to the guide, with terraced houses averaging £590,346.

Detached homes, the most common type in the town, have dipped in price over the last year, it says.

For commuters, the fastest train from Marlow to London “has two changes (at Bourne End and Maidenhead) and takes 45 mins”, the guide says, with season tickets “around £4,000”.

It suggests driving to High Wycombe for trains to London Marylebone, or to Maidenhead or Taplow for Paddington and Crossrail.

What do you think makes Marlow a good place to live? Tell us in the comments.