Beautiful market town named the cleanest and best place to live that tourists overlook
- UK Hidden Gems
- Dec 22, 2025
- 2 min read
The UK is full of lovely towns and villages. From winding cobbled streets in rolling countryside to white houses clinging to cliffs and storybook cottages in quiet rural areas, Britain has plenty of beautiful places to explore.
But if you travel just a little further, you can find destinations that some might say are even more impressive than the UK’s best loved spots.
One place that truly stands out is this hidden gem. It is easy to reach too, with Ryanair, British Airways and Aer Lingus all flying to nearby Knock Airport.
From there, it is only about an hour’s drive west to reach this coastal town, which is officially recognised as a Heritage Town.
As you make your way there, the views become more dramatic, with the Atlantic Ocean getting closer and mountains rising higher around you.
Croagh Patrick, known as Ireland’s Holy Mountain, sits just five miles from the town centre and towers over Clew Bay with its striking cone shape.
The mountain is both a famous visitor attraction and an important place of pilgrimage. Every year on the last Sunday in July, thousands of people climb to the top to visit the chapel, attend Mass and take part in acts of faith, with some even walking barefoot or on their knees.
If that sounds a bit too challenging for a peaceful holiday, there is plenty to enjoy without leaving the town.
Westport has a beautiful Georgian centre, and stone bridges cross a leafy path that follows the Carrowbeg River.
The town is known for being exceptionally clean and well cared for, offering a very high quality of life.
Westport won the Irish Tidy Towns award three times, in 2001, 2006 and 2008, and was named the Best Place to Live in Ireland by The Irish Times in 2012.
It is also no surprise that Westport has a great selection of pubs. Popular spots such as Matt Molloy’s, MacBride’s, Porter House and JJ O’Malley’s are well loved and often host traditional Irish music late into the evening.
Remember - LeaveNoTrace!
As with anywhere outdoors, kindly keep these areas pristine and wild by taking all trash with you. The amount of complaints we have seen since the pandemic is crazy. It's really not that hard to take your rubbish with you!
Litter tends to spread, so if you see any and are able to pick it up and dispose of it outside the hidden gem, it will help keep the area tidy.
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