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

The West Dorset market town 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.

Bridport is one of eight places in Dorset to make the list, alongside Sherborne, Lyme Regis, Wimborne, Evershot, Wareham, Ashley Cross in Poole and Southbourne in Bournemouth.

Why Bridport made the list

“A vibrant community, rich cultural scene, oodles of indie shops and eateries,” the guide says, adding that the town is “surrounded by stunning countryside”.

Golden sandstone cliffs and a pebble beach curving away from the harbour mouth at West Bay, with a boat heading out to sea
The harbour mouth and East Cliff at West Bay. Photo: Colin Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph

It points out that the beaches of West Bay are “just a mile and a half away”.

“Add its famous twice-weekly street market and a seriously creative streak, and this is a Dorset town punching well above its weight,” it says.

The guide picks out the Electric Palace, Bridport Arts Centre and The Lyric for films, theatre and music, and Bridport Museum for the town’s “fascinating rope- and net-making history”.

It names R J Balson & Son, a family butcher “whose roots stretch back to 1515”, and the market on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Colmer's Hill near Bridport, a rounded green hill topped by a small cluster of pine trees, under a grey sky
Colmer's Hill, near Bridport. Photo: John Stephen, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph

For walks, it recommends the Jurassic Coast, Golden Cap and “the iconic Colmer’s Hill, with its distinctive cluster of pine trees and knockout countryside views”.

Its best kept secret is Palmers, which the guide calls “the only thatched brewery in the UK”, brewing “since 1794”.

How much it costs to live in Bridport

The average sold price over the past year was £357,761, according to the guide, with detached homes at £501,419, terraced houses at £300,892 and flats at £161,345.

It puts prices down 5% on the year.

Land Registry records put the median house price in Bridport at £360,000 across 345 sales in the year to June 2026.

There is no railway station in the town, and the guide says it is “around a 25-30 min drive to Crewkerne”, where direct trains to London Waterloo take around 2 hours 40 to 50 minutes.

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