Chesham and Amersham have jointly taken the top spot in an index of Britain’s best places to retire.

The towns, popular for their transport links to London, charming and historic streets, and for being a gateway for walkers and cyclists to the Chilterns, were ranked the highest in an index compiled by L&G.

L&G said the area performed “exceptionally well” on its health measure, reflecting a strong proportion of over-65s in good physical and mental health.

It also scored highly on financial security and in other areas, such as access to nature and community, making it a well-rounded environment for later life, according to the index.

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Another Bucks town, Beaconsfield, came in second top of the list.

Towns in neighbouring Berks and Oxon also featured in the top 20 areas. 

Henley, Thame, Maidenhead and Windsor made the list. 

The study was compiled by scoring areas against six "pillars" – housing, health, social and community, financial, nature, and amenities.

The index was based on analysis of a wide range of existing data, including Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures, census data and housing and house price reports.

Opinium survey findings from research among 3,000 UK retirees in April 2024 were also analysed.

The happiest retirees were defined as those with a life satisfaction score greater than the sample median average.

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Bristol Central in Bristol, Gloucester in Gloucestershire, and Bournemouth East in Dorset all performed well for suitable housing for those in retirement.

Meanwhile, Lancashire’s Fylde area was the top performer in terms of social and community connection, followed by Lowestoft in Suffolk and Dorking and Horley in Surrey.

The East of England scored well when ranked according to the nature pillar with Castle Point, Essex, South Holland and The Deepings, Lincolnshire, and South Cambridgeshire, Cambridgeshire, making the top three.

London constituencies claimed the top spots when assessed against the amenities pillar with Cities of London and Westminster, Holborn and St Pancras, and Islington South and Finsbury, all making the top three.

Wales and Scotland also made the top five with Dwyfor Meirionnydd (Wales, Gwynedd) and Glasgow East taking fourth and fifth spots respectively.

Lorna Shah, managing director – retail retirement, L&G, said: “This research gives us a more complete picture of what shapes a happy later life. It’s not just about one factor – it’s the combination of health, social connections, environment, and financial security that all play a part in retirement wellbeing.

“Financial security in particular, is an enabler for many of the other measures, giving people the freedom to choose where and how they want to live in later life.”

Here are the best places to retire in Britain, according to L&G’s index:

1. Chesham and Amersham, Buckinghamshire

2. Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire

3. Dorking and Horley, Surrey

4. Godalming and Ash, Surrey

5. Mid Sussex

6. Woking, Surrey

7. Farnham and Bordon, Surrey

8. Esher and Walton, Surrey

9. Suffolk Coastal, Suffolk

10. East Grinstead and Uckfield, West Sussex

11. Henley and Thame, Oxfordshire

12. Sevenoaks, Kent

13. New Forest West, Hampshire

14. Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner, Outer London

15. Tatton, Cheshire

16. West Dorset

17. Surrey Heath, Surrey

18. Maidenhead, Berkshire

19. Windsor, Berkshire

20. Guildford, Surrey