Orkney, or as World War Two servicemen called it, "Bloody Orkney", has not always had Britain's best reputation.

"The bloody roads are bloody bad," went a popular1940s poem. "The bloody folks are bloody mad; They'd make the brightest bloody sad; In bloody Orkney."

One of Scotland's most northern outposts, the treeless archipelago long suffered from an image of short, dark winter days, cheek-reddening howling winds and dour Presbyterian locals who turn wild after a dram.

Analysis: Place with an unrivalled quality of air that also happens to breathe history

Yet over recent years old stereotypes about the islands have been cast aside as its astonishing quality of life, superior public services and stunning scenery are acknowledged

The 21,000 Orcadians stay in what one survey last year declared to be the best place in Scotland to live, pipping the the Shetland and Western Islands which were once poor vassals of the Orkney Earldom.

Now another survey, by Halifax, has declared Orkney to have the best quality of life of any rural area in Britain, according to a survey.

Martin Ellis, an economist at Halifax, said: "With one of the lowest population densities and traffic levels in Scotland, some of the most stunning scenery in the British Isles and the lowest levels of anxiety and highest life satisfaction ratings, the Orkneys offer a quality of life unmatched elsewhere in rural Britain."

Mr Ellis said a leisure category included in the survey "shows that residents in the Orkneys have a good choice of pubs from which to choose".

The banker did not, however, appear to know that one thing sure to raise the blood pressure of Orcadians is "sooth" folk referring to the islands as the plural "Orkneys".

Halifax said the Orkney Islands came top of its annual list as it scores strongly in terms of its employment rate, average earnings and average spend per pupil on education, as well as low anxiety levels and crime rates.

Analysis: Place with an unrivalled quality of air that also happens to breathe history

Orkney beat a place called Wychavon in Worcestershire as the most desirable place to live, scoring highly on average life expectancy and with 95 per cent of adults there being in good health.

Wychavon residents also have some of the biggest homes in rural Britain, with an average of just over six habitable rooms, of which 98 per cent have central heating and 92 per cent of all houses have superfast broadband.

The Derbyshire Dales, Hambleton in Yorkshire and Purbeck in Dorset completed the top five, all performing well in terms of personal wellbeing and life expectancy, Halifax said.

House hunters searching for the good life in the Orkneys may also find it relatively affordable.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show average house prices there fell by 4.3 per cent annually in January to reach £108,224. The average UK house price was twice as expensive, at £218,000 in January, according to the number-crunchers.

Last year's winner in Halifax's survey, South Oxfordshire, tumbled to 10th place in 2017, but still scores strongly on earnings, employment rate and a low crime rate.

Halifax said the fall was partly due to the inclusion of the two new categories this year looking at the choice of pubs and the availability of health clubs and leisure centres.

Analysis: Place with an unrivalled quality of air that also happens to breathe history

The South East and the South West of England combined bagged 20 places on Halifax's list of the top 50 rural places with the best quality of life in 2017.

Nowhere in the North East of England made the top 50, with Northumberland ranked at 94.

The annual survey gathers figures covering the labour market, the housing market, the environment, education, health, and personal wellbeing using a variety of sources including the ONS, government data, the Met Office, Ofcom and Halifax itself.

Last September the Bank of Scotland, which is part of the same banking group as Halifax, made similar claims about Orkeny as the best place to bring up children.