A PAIR of towns near Stroud have been named as two of the best places to live in Gloucestershire.

Nailsworth and Painswick have been included in a list of 10 top places to live in the county by the website Muddy Stilettos.

The luxury lifestyle site for women has announced the winners of its Best Places To Live series for 2024 in association with property consultancy Knight Frank.

Cirencester came top, Bourton-on-the-Water came second and Tetbury came third.

They were followed by Nailsworth in sixth place and Painswick in eighth place.

“A buzzy, artistic haven full of cool boutiques, restaurants and galleries, this pretty town with a great community spirit should be top of your property-search list,” Muddy Stilettos said of Nailsworth.

Of Painswick, it said: “Searching for a pretty-as-a-picture des res that doesn’t compromise your arty tendencies?

“It ain’t cheap, but Painswick is at the top of many people’s wishlists - while it may not be cheap, it’s as charming as a Cotswold village comes.”

The site asked readers to vote for the best local village, town or city to call home in 2024 using its Top 260 Places to Live guide.

Each of the 260 locations were researched and picked by the Muddy editorial team, with over 27,000 readers going on to vote.

Cirencester topped the poll of 10 potential candidates in Gloucestershire in a regional vote across 29 counties.

The full list of the top 10 most popular towns and villages in the county for 2024 were:

  1. Cirencester
  2. Bourton-on-the-Water
  3. Tetbury
  4. Winchcombe
  5. Chipping Campden
  6. Nailsworth
  7. Coleford
  8. Painswick
  9. Charlton Kings
  10. Wotton-under-Edge

Hero Brown, founder and editor-in-chief of Muddy Stilettos, said: “When people move home, they’re searching for more than just a house - they want to find a new lifestyle that works for them.

“Our exclusive reader vote gives them a fresh perspective that can make their search easier.

“This reader vote gives a truly independent view on the towns and villages with the most popular postcodes, schools, restaurants and amenities.”

James Cleland, head of country business at Knight Frank, said: “With hybrid working promoting greater flexibility and an enhanced work-life balance, new hotspots are emerging nationwide as the demand for more space continues.

“The Muddy Stilettos Best Places to Live reader vote is an invaluable source of in-the-know information to guide these decisions.”