The UK’s friendliest place has been crowned — and it’s not up north

It’s hard to believe it but these beaches really do exist in the UK (Picture: Shutterstock / La suerte prod)

If you’re searching for an end-of-summer break and want to combine friendly locals with stunning scenery, we’ve got just the place.

The Isles of Scilly — a scattering of islands 28 miles off the Cornish coast — have officially been named the friendliest place in the UK.

It’s thanks to a new index using government data to measure how often people chat to neighbours, feelings of loneliness, local pride, and levels of participation in civic life.

The islands achieved a near-perfect score for almost all of the eight ‘connection...