Alnwick takes title of 'coolest place to live in Northumberland'

The 'coolest places' to live in Northumberland.

The market town which is famous for its castle was highest rated town in the county in a list of the UK's 50 coolest places to live by health and well-being brand Naturecan.

In second place in Northumberland was Morpeth, Rothbury was third, Haltwhistle was fourth and Bellingham was fifth.

Locations were ranked according to the number of independent shops per head of population, the range of cultural events, how ‘Instagrammable’ were the best features and their popularity as a location for films and TV shows;

The beautiful display of spring flowers at Bowburn Park beside Alnwick Castle. Picture Jane Coltman

Alnwick Castle has been used several times as a TV location - most recently for the ITV drama Downtown Abbey and also for the movie Transformers: The Last Knight.

It also doubled up as Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in two of the Harry Potter movies - The Philosopher's Stone and the Chamber of Secrets.

Naturecan polled 5,000 people with panels in each county and big city and monitored likes on Instagram

Alnwick was ranked 39th on the UK top 50 which was headed by Polperro in Cornwall.

The River Wansbeck at Morpeth. Picture: Alison Byard

Naturecan’s chief executive Andy Duckworth said: “Alnwick is the coolest place to live in Northumberland, narrowly beating Morpeth in second place.

"Alnwick was ranked 39th on the national list of the top 50 coolest places to live.

“All the 50 places on the list would have been worthy winners and show why the UK and Northumberland in particular are such beautiful places, loved by film makers and tourists from all over the world.

“What is interesting is how influential Instagram has become in boosting tourism in many of our top 50. It is a massive help for visitor numbers, too, if a popular film or TV show uses a town as a location.

“Hidden gems which are largely only visited by local tourists can find themselves being showcased throughout the world if they are pictured by the right influencer or featured in a movie.”

Jesmond in Newcastle was ranked 48th.

Naturecan, a CBD health business backed by ex-England cricketer Freddie Flintoff, enjoyed sales of £11m last year.

Find all 50 of the UK’s coolest places to live on Naturecan’s map - https://uk.naturecan.com/pages/top-50-coolest-places-to-live