Life in the picture-perfect Greater Manchester town named one of the best places to live in the UK

It's previously been dubbed ''The Jewel of the Cheshire Alps', and this picturesque Stockport town is attracting a lot of attention

Irena King and her dog Skip are taking a leisurely stroll down Marple high-street. It's a warm spring day, people are sat outside the local bakery, All Things Nice, and blossom from the trees has blown onto the well-kept pavements.

As Skip takes a detour into one of the local charity shops, Irena, who lives just past Marple Railway station in Marple Bridge, is positively enthused to hear that where she lives is amongst one of three Stockport neighbourhoods to have been named on the the 'best places to live' in 2025 in a new ranking released last week.

Originally from Glossop, Irena has also lived in Whitefield and Shaw, but family brought her back to the picturesque town on the edge of the Peak District.

"It's got everything, it's got the canals, beautiful walks, a little community, easy transport to Manchester - everything about it is lovely," she beams.

Lying within the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, Marple became part of Greater Manchester in 1974. Perched along the Peak Forest Canal, it's popular with walkers and day-trippers. Many are enticed by the beautiful locks, aqueduct and Roman Lakes which can be explored and are in close proximity.

It has long been deemed to be one of the most picturesque and desirable parts of the Stockport borough, but earlier this month, Garrington Property Finders released its annual list of the top 10 best place to live in England, Wales and Scotland.

Celebrating locations that combine quality of life, access to green space, broadband speeds and property value, the ranking included Gatley, Bramhall and Marple. It comes just weeks after The Heatons were also bestowed the same honour by the Sunday Times.

"The town is within easy reach of the big city – it boasts two train stations and is just 10 miles from central Manchester – but offers a gentler pace of life with a rural location and canalside walks, along with a farmer’s market, theatre and independent cinema," the experts declared.

"I’m absolutely delighted to see Marple, Gatley and Bramhall all ranked in the top 10 best places to live in England and Wales in Garrington’s 2025 report," said Councillor Mark Hunter, leader of Stockport Council.

"Marple is climbing the national ranks for good reason – its beautiful setting, strong sense of community and the exciting plans for the new Marple Hub are putting it firmly on the map.

"The Hub will have a huge and lasting impact on the prosperity, health and wellbeing of local people - and shows what’s possible when you back a place to succeed."

In 2024, the average value of a home in England rose by 4.3 percent to reach £290,564, whilst the average price paid for a home in Wales rose by 3 percent to £208,197.

But analysis by Garrington revealed dozens of prime areas where the price of a family home either fell or rose more slowly than the regional average, making for better quality value.

The average house price in Marple is currently £496,289, with a -3.3 percent price change. However some properties can fetch for much higher, and while Irena loves the area, she feels there has actually been an uptick in prices.

"It's really shot up, it's astronomical. I've been here that long that the price we bought compared to what they go for on the road now is a lot different. We bought for about £105,000 and there's some around here selling for £1m."

Irena says the town is evolving though, and attracting new people: "It used to be an old area for older people, but it's changing. I don't know what else to say, I just think its superb."

Last year, a £20m leisure centre and swimming pool known as the 'Marple Community Hub', was approved several years after the closure of the town's much-loved and historic baths.

The new community hub will give the town a 25-metre, five-lane swimming pool, with a spectator seating area and a changing village, as well as a 60-station fitness suite and two multipurpose fitness studios.

It includes a replacement library and health clinic facility, a community room, café, and meeting spaces. The development was awarded funding through the former government's 'levelling up fund' in March 2023.

The investment is another nod to the development of the town, which is fortunate enough to boast a thriving high street with a mixture of clothing boutiques, pet shops, micro pubs, its own picture house, and a range of cafes and bakeries.

Stephen Toombs, area manager for Greenhalghs bakery, which sits right in the heart of the town, says the Marple branch is one of the busiest and best in the region.

"Marple is lovely, and we get lots of people walking here because of the lovely canals just up the road," he tells us from outside the shop where they're selling hot cross buns ahead of the Easter break.

"It's just a nice area, very vibrant, there's lots of shops, especially independent shops which is great.

"The people here are very nice and friendly, and there's lot of events on, like the makers markets this weekend. We usually have a massive carnival every summer, but that's not on this year because of the work going on in the park with the new hub."

Sat just outside on the benches in front of the card and gift shop, long-term residents Chris, who has lived in the town for 33 years, and friend Pat, who has spent more than 40 here, say they think the desirability is down to the stunning location and access to both the countryside and the city.

"Personally I think it's because we're on the edge of the Peak District, it's such a lovely area, but also we have easy access to Stockport and Manchester - you can't go wrong really," says Pat.

"I think the hub will be a big advantage. We lost the swimming pool down there so it will be nice to have somewhere for the kids and I think the library will still be there. It'll be a nice feature."

If you're familiar with the Stockport-based artist Eric Jackson, whose prints depict various locations across Greater Manchester, you'll know his Marple artwork.

With the aqueduct in the backdrop and a motorcyclist attempting to jump over one of the many locks, it describes the town as ''The Jewel of the Cheshire Alps'. What is also notes, and this is something residents of Marple talk about often, is the fact that's there's 'only one road in, one road out'.

Which may explain why one of the few gripes people have about living here is the traffic.

"The traffic situation is dreadful, and I think if we had better public transport into Stockport, like a tram system, but I don't know if I'll be around to see that," says Pat.

Its been exacerbated of late by the works in the Memorial Park as part of the new hub, but there's also been roadworks down to Marple Bridge.

And while the town does boast two railway stations, bus links, and is less than five miles from Stockport town centre, some services have been scrapped or run less often than in previous years.

"We used to have a bus service that went into Buxton but now you have to go to Hazel Grove to catch the 199 service through to Bakewell, and the transport from Stockport into Hazel Grove isn't as regular," says Chris.

"Also, when I first moved in Marple we had three banks, two post boxes, the banks have gone, I think we're left with a building society and one post office. You can do some banking from the post office but that's all."

While there is a lot of change happening in the town, Laura Roberts, who grew up in Marple before moving to Leicester and her mum Julie, who still lives in the area, think the improvements, despite the disruption, are good for the town. She also has fond memories of growing up in the picturesque spot.

"Growing up here was lovely, it was always busy, and lots going on," recalls Laura, as she pushes a pram and waits for her mum on the main high street.

"I think it's a diverse space, you can go for walks, visit nice cafes and there's a bit more nightlife now with bars, plus the parks and canals.

"There's more nightlife now than say ten years ago. Growing up there wasn't really anything in terms of that, whereas now, you could do a bit of a bar crawl now, or there's late-night food places too."

"It's got everything," adds Julie as she pops out from one of the shops.

"It has two stations so just can commute. You've got the park, plus countryside on the doorstep so you don't have to travel far for beautiful walks. Where we live, there's the Middlewood Way you can join as well.

"It's a friendly community, very friendly, lots going on. My husband was born and bred here, we moved away for five years then came back, we're not going anywhere."

Julie is going to be working at the new hub, and says it's worth the work that's going into it.

"People aren't happy at the moment because it's being built and a bit of a mess, but you can't make an omelette without cracking a couple of eggs.

"The traffic moves through Marple, but it's just getting in and out of it. If you work out of the area, traffic can be heavy, but I can't see how they can change it to be honest.

"There's been a lot of roadworks recently, they're still going on and it has caused chaos, but it's got to be done to improve it."

They've just been for some for at The Locks cafe, and Julie says the independent nature of Marple is one of its best features.

"It's all the independent shops that keeps it alive, they have a lot of local support. Lots of places like high streets and shopping centres are dying off, but we don't have many chains and it's kept going here.

"Even a little bookshop that's been there forever."

Karen, who is in her ninth year at Marple bookshop, a family run business that has been going since 1969, agrees that the support for local shops is key.

"It's really well established here. We have a very loyal set of customers, people that come back and back. A lot of those customers tend to order specific books through us. There's a big core of people who try to support the local area."

On why she thinks people choose Marple as somewhere to live, Karen adds: "It is a desirable area and it's attracting young families.

"We're very lucky with the canals up here, and there's so many lovely walks. The connectivity into Manchester is a big tick too."