The two best 'secret villages' in Scotland to live in, as rated by The Times in top 20 UK list

They are two quiet villages in Scotland that are distinctly under the radar - but they have been rated amongst the best ‘secret villages’ to live in across the UK.

St Boswells, in the Scottish Borders, and Kingsbarns, in Fife, have made a prestigious list compiled by The Times of the UK’s 20 best secret villages to call home.

A small village on the south side of the River Tweed, St Boswells is situated just four miles and a 10-minute drive from Melrose.

King Charles as he arrives to visit the Mainstreet Trading Company in St Boswells. Picture: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire | Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

A description of the village on the VisitScotland website states: “Visitors to St Boswells will find a thriving business community offering a variety of services including a hotel, post office, award-winning butcher, and well known café and bookshop.

“The village also provides an ideal base for those interested in walking as the Borders Abbey Way passes by the village. The St Cuthbert’s Way, a long distance linking Melrose Abbey to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne on the east coast also passes through the village.”

The grand Dryburgh Abbey - first established in 1150 and now lying in partial ruins - lies just a short distance to the north of the village and is an attraction that draws visitors to the area.

The village’s Mainstreet Trading Company - an-award-winning shop previously visited by King Charles selling books, fine cheeses, deli food and other collectibles - is among the drawcards of St Boswells. The village boasts an average home price of around £249,050 and ranked ninth on The Times list.

North of Edinburgh in Fife, Kingsbarns has also made the list, ranking 17th in terms of the rated villages.

Situated on Scotland’s east coast, around a 15-minute drive from St Andrews, the village may not mentioned amongst the East Neuk’s most popular destinations such as Crail and Anstruther.

But boasting a two-mile stretch of dunes and soft sand, as well as one of Scotland’s best golf courses, Kingsbarns is a desirable place to live in its own right.

A stretch of Kingsbarns Beach. Picture: Fife Free Press | Fife Free Press

The Kingsbarns Inn is the village’s central meeting point, and has just been bought by the local community with plans to transform it into a village hub and much-needed shop.

The village’s name derives from the area being the location of the barns used to store grain before being transported to the Palace at Falkland.

The average price for a property in Kingsbarns is about £376,930, although the smallest cottages can go for as little as £200,000.

Other villages from outside of the UK to make The Times list included Malpas in Cheshire, Ebrington in Gloucestershire, and Blagdon in Somerset.