The UK’s happiest place is only an hour away from Manchester

As the winter nights draw in and we’re surrounded by darkness when we go to work and when we leave for the day, things can all get a bit depressing.

But if you’re feeling down at the moment we’ve got some good news for you, as it turns out happiness is only a short drive away from Manchester.

This is according to research by the Office for National Statistics, which set out to find the happiest places in the UK – and the number one location is only an hour away.

ARG_Flickr / Flickr

Using a happiness scale from 0-10, ONS researchers found the Ribble Valley came out on top with a score of 8.30 – the countrywide average was 7.56.

The high-scoring residents of the Ribble Valley in Lancashire were asked to rank how happy they felt, with their response officially making them the happiest people in the UK.

The ONS research took into account numerous factors, including happiness and anxiety levels, overall life satisfaction, and whether people felt their lives had purpose or meaning.

Graham Hogg / Geograph

The Orkney Islands and Chichester came in joint second – just below Ribble with scores of 8.29 apiece – closely followed by Hambleton and Fylde (8.19 and 8.18 respectively).

As for Manchester, our city scored very low for personal well-being, coming sixth worst after London’s Lambeth, Hackney, Islington and Camden, as well as Wolverhampton.

So if you’re looking to get away from Manchester for the weekend, you know where to go…