Rural living in the United Kingdom means to cut off the strains of urban life's stresses and take in the countryside with all its amorous natural beauty and scenery. Britain's urban quality of life is top-notch against other developed nations, but its rural countryside along with its communities promise a healthier, stress-free alternative to the stresses brought by high salaries and high technology.

According to Halifax's Rural Areas Quality of Life Survey, which takes into consideration resident health, life expectancy, salary and crime rates, Hambleton in Yorkshire and The Humber is an excellent village to retire or for families and people who only wish a peaceful community and an excellent work-life balance. Hambleton is ranked the fourth best rural community to live in.

In the East of England, Babergh makes it to the UK's top rural communities to live in. Babergh's traditional English village feel, along with a relaxed vibe and virtually no traffic, make it easy to head to different sites including Shotley, a beachside village and historical churches in Boxford, Long Melford and Hadleigh, Suffolk. It may rank 25th, but it has potential to enter the top 10 in the following year.

If trees, nature and open fields are one's idea of rural living, then South Cambridgeshire, again in East of England, is rated as having 96.8% or more households with good or fairly good health, according to The Telegraph. The reason behind is the fresh air, plentiful greens and natural food eaten by these families accompanied by a stress-free and life almost unaffected by urban economies. It ranked sixth in Halifax's list.

The Daily Mail UK reports that Halifax has found Orkney Islands to be the top rural district in the United Kingdom because "the wild and remote archipelago" situated on top of Scotland has an amazing educational system coupled with low crime rates, indicating a productive and healthy community. Orkney's villages and properties are situated near beaches and bodies of water and feature amazing boat and water travel activities for travelers.

Despite Orkney taking the top spot for the best rural community, 2016's best rural district South Oxfordshire in the South East did not deteriorate in value but moreover was only overtaken by a few fractions by the rural top 10. Today, it ranked 10th but still shows significant growth in earnings and employment.