As the coronavirus threatens to bring Britain’s property market to a standstill, prospective house buyers are shifting their gaze northwards.

Inverness and the Shetland Islands have topped a UK-wide list which ranks the largest increases in searches as measured by a leading property website.

The local village of NHS fundraising hero Captain Tom Moore and glamorous locations popular with celebrities are also enjoying a surge in interest during the Covid-19 lockdown, according to Rightmove.

The site compared searches last month with April 2019 to pinpoint the current hotspots. Its findings suggest that, with pandemic restrictions set to continue, people have been contemplating moves to remote locations by the sea and in the countryside - or merely want to daydream and have perhaps been inspired by their favourite television shows.

Inverness and the Shetland Islands saw search increases of 167 per cent and 131% respectively, according to the figures.

Ullapool was in ninth spot, with a 30% jump.

Rightmove housing market analyst Miles Shipside said: “People often use Rightmove to daydream, so it’s not surprising to see some of the search areas on the up being the most expensive in the UK.

“The beautiful areas in the far north in the list are likely a mixture of people dreaming of living somewhere more remote, and those seriously thinking about changing their lifestyle after lockdown.

“Locations in Scotland feature three times in the list, and with property prices comparatively affordable compared to others in the top 10, it’s highly likely that properties in these areas will find buyers more quickly when restrictions are eased.

“As well as the UK public expressing their passion for property, there seems to be a growing desire to find a quiet place to live.”

The high placing for the Shetland Islands in Rightmove’s list comes after the success of Shetland, the BBC’s murder-mystery drama starring Douglas Henshall.

It was previously said to have boosted tourism on the archipelago, which lies around 600 miles north of London.

Property experts in Inverness, meanwhile, have attributed its chart-topping position to the surrounding landscape’s beauty and the fact local prices have not soared out of reach.

Commenting on the search figures, Duncan Chisholm, director of Munro and Noble, said: “The city has been developing quickly in recent years and so the fact that it’s still relatively affordable compared to other cities around the UK makes it an appealing place to live.

“Not to mention the amazing scenery, beaches and hillsides that we’re fortunate to have on our doorstep.”

Rural and secluded locations elsewhere in the UK were also ranked highly in the Rightmove list. Captain Tom Moore’s village of Marston Moretaine in Bedfordshire took a spot in the top 10, with a 46% increase, as did picturesque St Davids in Pembrokeshire, Wales, which had a 58% rise.

The research suggests people have been occupying some of their time by browsing through dream million-pound properties in recent weeks – perhaps looking for some escapism.

Sandbanks in Poole, where the average house price is £1.2 million and which in 2018 was named the world’s most expensive piece of coastal real estate, has seen the third biggest increase in property searches, at 64%.

It comes after ITV show Harry Redknapp’s Sandbanks Summer gave audiences an insight into the exclusive celebrity hangout, referred to as “the Hamptons of England”.

Steve Isaacs, director of Luxury and Prestige in Sandbanks, said: “Sandbanks is the ultimate lifestyle location in the UK, though we know there’s only a fortunate few who are lucky enough to afford to live in the area.

“It has miles and miles of fabulous beaches.” Not every location in the Rightmove list is remote or rural. Belgravia in central London – also the title of an ITV period drama from Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes – has seen a 42% increase in searches.

The rise has come despite the average price tag in the affluent district being upwards of £3m.