'It's got everything you could want on your doorstep' - Life in Newcastle suburb named 'best place to live'

Residents of a Newcastle suburb that 'has everything' on their doorstep are not surprised it has been voted one of the best places to live in the UK. Last month Gosforth was named among the top in the Sunday Times' Best Places to Live guide for 2026 . Gosforth and Morpeth in Northumberland were both selected to showcase 'the best of Britain' and were rated among the top eight places to live in the North and the North East, with Norwich named overall winner.

Chronicle Live spoke to locals of the bustling town on what they thought about living in one Tyneside's most desirable postcodes and what qualities earned its place on the list. Anita Davies has lived in Gosforth for over 40 years, moving to the North East from the Welsh borders.

She said: "I didn't know anything about the place, we moved for my husband's work. It's improved a lot since I've been here. Although my husband will say the traffic's got worse, he hates it!”

She was joined by friends in the popular Caffe 1901 after a group Pilates session at the Trinity Community centre when we spoke to her. The lifestyle in particular in Gosforth is a positive to Anita who says she couldn't see herself moving to anywhere else.

She continued: "

We've been coming here for years, the staff are so lovely and it's such a community hub. We've been part of the pilates class for 10 years. Lots of things happen within the church from baby classes to massages and it's so central and easy to get to."

Cathy Knox says Gosforth has "much improved" in recent years, "the shops, cafes and bars. You can get everything, you can actually go to a bank. Whereas before maybe it wasn't as much of a sociable place."

Some of her favourite spots on the high street are fusion restaurant Osters and new addition Say When. She continues: "

Me and my girlfriends go - it's great, nice even if you just want a glass." Cathy who has lived in the town 24 years says she debated moving to either Hexham or Morpeth when her family were younger but decided against it and was happy to raise her children in Gosforth. Her son has recently returned to the area and is really happy to be back. she also praised the 'green spaces' Gosforth has in excess of and convenient transport links to Newcastle city centre . "

It's so close for a walk to the moor and there's plenty of gyms and running clubs which I'm now a part of." Richard Archer would agree with the vote "apart from the high street." He said: ”

Gosforth is a wealthy place however it does suffer from road pollution and that can make some of the shops suffer - a lot had to close after covid because there was too much traffic." He praised the amenities and lifestyle Gosforth offers "good schools, healthcare, dentists, green spaces, excellent transport links." Richard has always lived in the town and apart from maybe swaying towards the coast, could not see himself moving elsewhere.

On whether he could see a town competing with Gosforth he added: " Heaton is coming up as an alternative place to Gosforth and Jesmond but that's more students." Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said he has lived in Gosforth since 1982. ”

It's a good place" he said, but he was saddened to see "the closure of several banks and some independent businesses like greengrocers and fishmongers from years back no longer on the high street. ”

They're instead replaced by too many restaurants." He also shared frustration on the congestion caused on the high street in recent years. "

As a cyclist, for me, it's faster than using the metro. The bus service is excellent but it clogs up the high street. Some changes have been sensible but removing the cycle lane doesn't help encourage people - they need to make the roads feel safe."

Malcolm McCourt and Chris Wardale were enjoying an afternoon coffee in Caffe 1901 when we spoke to them. Both were not surprised Gosforth had been named among the best places to live. Chris said: "

It's very pleasant, tree-lined streets, a range of shops, supermarkets nearby, restaurants." Malcom added however one drawback that both agree, was the lack of banks: ”

There used to be seven or eight on the high street but now there's two." Chris continued: "

We like being here. Virtually everything is on the doorstep. We go into town occasionally. It's nice to have to come into cafes like this," joking "we live here most afternoons!" The will pair often go about their shopping on the high street, then come into a cafe and read their papers before going back out to run errands. "

Its like our routine," Chris said. Malcom added: ”

This place along with others is very friendly, though we try to resist the cakes!" Did you know you can make ChronicleLive a preferred source of North East news in Google, which will mean you get more of our breaking news, exclusives, and must-read stories straight away? Here's more information about what this means and how to do it - you can also do it straight away by clicking here .

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