TrackPostcode.UK

Rankings

Best places in the UK for things to do

Counted at the point, not the council: what is genuinely within about two kilometres of where you would live.

In short

The best UK places for things to do are ranked here on the number of everyday amenities within about two kilometres of each point - food and drink, shops, parks and sport, culture and community - counted from OpenStreetMap. The current top three are Edinburgh (94), Brighton (93) and Cardiff (93).

  • Lifestyle category: OpenStreetMap amenity counts within about 2 km of the point, across six groups, on a diminishing-returns curve.
  • Ranked from 539 indexed UK areas, rebuilt daily from the latest published figures.
  • Every area links to a full report with the source behind each figure.

Compiled by the TrackPostcode.UK data team Data last updated How we score every area Data sources

Edinburgh94Brighton93Cardiff93Leeds93Nottingham93Sheffield93Glasgow93Norwich93York93Manchester93
Best places in the UK for things to do: the top ten, drawn from the same figures as the table below.
Top ten compared across the categories that most often change the answer
#AreaNationScoreCost of livingSafetyWeatherBroadband
1EdinburghScotland944636—93
=2BrightonEngland9323308988
=2CardiffWales9361316295
=2LeedsEngland9363326495
=2NottinghamEngland9370318197
=2SheffieldEngland9375346593
=2GlasgowScotland935531—94
=2NorwichEngland936238—93
=2YorkEngland936036—92
=2ManchesterEngland9350——88

Category scores are 0 to 100 and a dash means that dataset has not loaded for the area yet, in which case it is excluded from the overall score rather than guessed at. Open any area for the full report and its sources.

Best places in the UK for things to do: the full ranking

Areas are ranked on whatever categories they have, with the weights renormalised over them, so an area with a gap is scored on its own remaining evidence. Show only areas measured on all twelve categories to compare like with like.

1EdinburghCity of Edinburgh, Scotland · 90% complete94=2BrightonBrighton and Hove, South East, England · 100% complete93=2CardiffCardiff, Wales · 100% complete93=2LeedsLeeds, Yorkshire and The Humber, England · 100% complete93=2NottinghamNottingham, East Midlands, England · 100% complete93=2SheffieldSheffield, Yorkshire and The Humber, England · 100% complete93=2GlasgowGlasgow City, Scotland · 90% complete93=2NorwichNorwich, East of England, England · 90% complete93=2YorkYork, Yorkshire and The Humber, England · 90% complete93=2ManchesterManchester, North West, England · 80% complete93=11LeicesterLeicester, East Midlands, England · 100% complete92=11Newcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon Tyne, North East, England · 100% complete92=11ReadingReading, South East, England · 100% complete92=11BathBath and North East Somerset, South West, England · 90% complete92=15DerbyDerby, East Midlands, England · 100% complete91=15BirminghamBirmingham, West Midlands, England · 90% complete91=17CambridgeCambridge, East of England, England · 100% complete90=17DundeeDundee City, Scotland · 100% complete90=17AberdeenAberdeen City, Scotland · 90% complete90=17LiverpoolLiverpool, North West, England · 90% complete90=17ExeterExeter, South West, England · 85% complete90=17StockportStockport, North West, England · 80% complete9023SwindonSwindon, South West, England · 90% complete89=24NewportNewport, Wales · 100% complete87=24CoventryCoventry, West Midlands, England · 90% complete87=26BarkingBarking and Dagenham, London, England · 100% complete86=26CroydonCroydon, London, England · 100% complete86=26LancasterLancaster, North West, England · 90% complete86=26NorthamptonWest Northamptonshire, East Midlands, England · 90% complete86=30ChelmsfordChelmsford, East of England, England · 90% complete85=30PortsmouthPortsmouth, South East, England · 90% complete85=32Kingston upon ThamesKingston upon Thames, London, England · 100% complete84=32WakefieldWakefield, Yorkshire and The Humber, England · 100% complete84=32WarringtonWarrington, North West, England · 90% complete84=32BoltonBolton, North West, England · 80% complete84=36GuildfordGuildford, South East, England · 100% complete83=36HuddersfieldKirklees, Yorkshire and The Humber, England · 100% complete83=36LutonLuton, East of England, England · 90% complete83=36Royal Leamington SpaWarwick, West Midlands, England · 90% complete83=40ShrewsburyShropshire, West Midlands, England · 100% complete82=40ColchesterColchester, East of England, England · 90% complete82=40PrestonPreston, North West, England · 90% complete82=43TauntonSomerset, South West, England · 100% complete81=43GloucesterGloucester, South West, England · 90% complete81=43GrimsbyNorth East Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and The Humber, England · 90% complete81=43WolverhamptonWolverhampton, West Midlands, England · 90% complete81=47CanterburyCanterbury, South East, England · 100% complete80=47OldburySandwell, West Midlands, England · 90% complete80=49SouthamptonSouthampton, South East, England · 100% complete79=49ChesterCheshire West and Chester, North West, England · 90% complete79

Best in Scotland

1EdinburghCity of Edinburgh, Scotland942GlasgowGlasgow City, Scotland93=3DundeeDundee City, Scotland90=3AberdeenAberdeen City, Scotland905PerthPerth and Kinross, Scotland786InvernessHighland, Scotland727FalkirkFalkirk, Scotland718LivingstonWest Lothian, Scotland679AyrSouth Ayrshire, Scotland6610PaisleyRenfrewshire, Scotland60

Best in England

=1BrightonBrighton and Hove, South East, England93=1LeedsLeeds, Yorkshire and The Humber, England93=1NottinghamNottingham, East Midlands, England93=1SheffieldSheffield, Yorkshire and The Humber, England93=1NorwichNorwich, East of England, England93=1YorkYork, Yorkshire and The Humber, England93=1ManchesterManchester, North West, England93=8LeicesterLeicester, East Midlands, England92=8Newcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon Tyne, North East, England92=8ReadingReading, South East, England92

Best in Wales

1CardiffCardiff, Wales932NewportNewport, Wales87=3WrexhamWrexham, Wales77=3SwanseaSwansea, Wales775BarryVale of Glamorgan, Wales756RhylDenbighshire, Wales64=7BridgendBridgend, Wales58=7LlandudnoConwy, Wales589CarmarthenCarmarthenshire, Wales5610Merthyr TydfilMerthyr Tydfil, Wales52

Ranked from 539 indexed areas by TrackPostcode.UK scores. Coverage grows as more areas are indexed.

About this ranking

How are places with the most to do ranked?

By counting everyday amenities within about two kilometres of each point from OpenStreetMap, across six groups - food and drink, shops, health services, schools and learning, parks and sport, and culture and community - and combining them on a diminishing-returns curve. This is measured at the point, not averaged across the council. Right now the highest are Edinburgh (94/100), Brighton (93/100), Cardiff (93/100).

Does this measure how good the amenities are?

No. It counts what is there. A high score means plenty within walking distance, not that any of it is worth walking to, and it makes no distinction between a chain and an independent. Treat it as a density measure and read the area report for the rest.

Is OpenStreetMap complete enough for this?

Coverage across Britain is good but it is volunteer-maintained, so mapping density varies and small differences between areas mean little. Scores within a few points of each other should be read as equivalent rather than ranked against one another.

Every ranking

Best places to liveBest places for remote workersBest places for familiesBest places for studentsBest places for retirementBest places under £200,000Most affordable placesCheapest places to liveSafest placesSunniest placesBest weatherFastest broadbandCleanest airBest places for jobsBest transport linksBest healthcare access

The same index ordered by a different measurement each time, from the same twelve category scores and rebuilt daily. Each one states on its own page what it measures and what it does not.

Read next: the best places to live in the UK, the most affordable places to live, the safest places to live, the sunniest places in the UK, the relocation quiz and how every score is built.

What this ranking measures: Lifestyle category: OpenStreetMap amenity counts within about 2 km of the point, across six groups, on a diminishing-returns curve. Read the full methodology before quoting a figure.

Primary source: OpenStreetMap. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.