A beautiful British town almost 400 miles north from London has been reported to be one of the best places to retire in the country, with searches online for care homes in the area rocketing by 126%. Haddington, in East Lothian, sits on the pretty River Tyne just inland from the mouth of the Firth of Forth. 

Locals living in the affluent rural town enjoy a weekly farmers’ market and a host of independent retailers, cafes and restaurants, in a location which is just a half-an-hour drive from Edinburgh. According to the local tourism website, Haddington is known as “the hidden toun” because of the way the settlement is almost hidden from view by the bends in the river and lovely local rolling hills.

The Sun reports Haddington care home comparison site Lottie has seen a huge spike in searches for Haddington. 

And the Guardian describes the town as somewhere you “can be riding horses along the beach in the shadow of Tantallon Castle or eating lobster and chips while gazing out at Bass Rock”.

Local tourism website, Visit East Lothian, says life has not always been tranquil in Haddington due to the age-old conflict between Scotland and England. It reads: “Haddington was a gateway to Edinburgh on the Great North Road and suffered many attacks from marauding armies over the years. English invaders brought havoc to the town on many occasions.

“From 1543 to 1548 ‘The Rough Wooing’ took place when Protestant England wanted to end the alliance between Catholic Scotland and France which posed a threat by securing marriage between the infant Mary Queen of Scots and the young Edward Prince of Wales, son of Henry VIII. The Scots rejected this and in 1544 the English laid waste to much of the south of Scotland in an attempt to secure the deal.”

Thankfully the fighting is long since over, but many locations steeped in history remain locally, with the nearby Lennoxlove House, a stately home belonging to the Duke of Hamilton which has associations with Mary Queen of Scots and boasts an excellent art collection.

Other historic attractions include Traprain Law, the site of an Iron Age Fort with evidence of occupation as early as 1,000 BC, which overlooks the picturesque Hailes Castle. 

For those with a passion for all things green-fingered there is the chance to enjoy the stunning 18th century Amisfield Walled Garden, one of the largest in Scotland, as well as the nearby St Mary’s Pleasance, which is described as “a heritage walled garden of high horticultural interest”

The garden is run by Haddington Garden Trust “for the enjoyment of the public” and sits close to St. Mary’s Church and Haddington House. 

For more information visit the local tourism website.