ORKNEY has been named as the most desirable rural place to live in Britain.
The picturesque islands came top of the poll, carried out by the Halifax Building Society, scoring highly on employment, average earnings and average spend per pupil on education, as well as low levels of anxiety and crime.
Martin Ellis, an economist at the 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."
He added a leisure category included in the survey "shows that residents in the Orkneys have a good choice of pubs from which to choose".
Wychavon in Worcestershire was identified as the second most desirable place to live.
The Derbyshire Dales, Hambleton in Yorkshire and Purbeck in Dorset completed the top five.
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