A Sussex town has been named among the top 10 places in Britain where people live the longest.
While the UK has no ‘blue zones’, places where people live over 100, it does have some spots where residents live over 80.
The Telegraph has rounded up the top 10, with one place in Sussex making the list.
Where in Britain do people live longest?
Introducing the list, The Telegraph wrote: “We’ve listed the top 10 British areas where people live the longest.
“And with sociability initiatives, opportunities to get active and places to take healthy, detoxifying meals, what better way to boost your own longevity than by taking some lifestyle lessons on your next UK minibreak?”
The location with the highest average life expectancy was Kensington and Chelsea in London, with 87.1 years for females and 83.9 for males.
Other places featured on the list included Totnes, in Devon, Monmouth, in Wales, and Fleet, in Hampshire.
The full list of the top 10 places in Britain where people live longest, according to The Telegraph, is:
Wokingham, Berkshire
Kensington and Chelsea, London
Windsor, Berkshire
Richmond, London
Totnes, Devon
Bearsden, Scotland
Monmouth, Wales
Fleet, Hampshire
Lewes, East Sussex
Stroud, Gloucestershire
Sussex town of Lewes among top places where people live longest
Making the list was Lewes, the county town of East Sussex, found on the River Ouse, where the river cuts through the South Downs.
Visit Sussex describes Lewes as “a mixture of the unusual and intriguing and so typically Sussex”, with plenty to do here.
It adds: “Lewes is a market town of small, specialist, independent retailers and on certain days, the subtle aromas wafting from Harvey’s Brewery will attract any visitor to Cliffe High Street.
“Bookshops, boutiques and antique centres sit alongside individual craft workshops, and the restaurants, cafes, and pubs offer delicious choices all year round with real emphasis on local produce.”
Lewes has an average female life expectancy of 85.1 years, with an average male life expectancy of 80.9 years.
The Telegraph said that London commuters have “cottoned onto this hip and historic market town thanks to its doorstep access to the South Downs National Park and independent bookshops”.
It also highlighted the town’s Unity Centre, a not-for-profit spa with a sauna and flotation tanks, as well as yoga and meditation classes.
During a visit to the town, The Telegraph recommends visiting Flint Owl Bakery, famed for its Lewes-baked organic breads and pastries, or the Michelin-recommended restaurant Dill, beloved for its sharing plates and organic wines.
It is not the first time this market town has been highlighted as a great place to live, picked out as one of Britain’s happiest places to live previously.
A list from The Guardian last year praised Lewes for its food market, “eclectic flea market”, car boot sale and “regular seasonal crops of fairs and art shows”, adding that the range of food in the town is “mouth-watering”.
The publisher added: “From the top of the tallest tower of Lewes Castle, you can see the chalky downs that ring the red-roofed market town.
“Lewes is entirely inside the South Downs National Park. The same tectonic shifts that built the Alps lifted the prehistoric seabed to become wildlife-rich chalk grassland, one of Earth’s rarest landscapes.”
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The list was based on many factors, including access to countryside and parks, how easy it was to see a GP and distance to hospitals, pharmacists, and dentists, air quality, broadband speeds, public transport, crime, and more.
“Extra weight” was given to “proximity to cinemas, theatres and museums, pubs and libraries”, to “reflect the importance of culture and community”.
Have you visited Lewes before? Let us know in the comments.