Richmond upon Thames has been crowned Britain's happiest place to live, according to Rightmove's annual Happy at Home Index, which polled more than 24,000 residents across Great Britain. The southwest London borough – famous for its riverside, deer-filled park and village-like high street – knocked last year's winner, Skipton in North Yorkshire, off the top spot. Property there doesn't come cheap: average asking prices sit at just over £1m, with rents around £3,298 a month. Locals praised the green space, shops, restaurants, local services and general pride in the area.

Rounding out the top five: Harrogate in North Yorkshire (second), Cirencester in Gloucestershire (third), Monmouth in Wales (fourth) and Hove on the Sussex coast (fifth). Skipton held on at seventh. All five make easy trips, and each has a distinct draw.

Richmond feels a world away from central London despite being a short train ride out. In summer you can row on the Thames, watch deer in Richmond Park or wander Kew Gardens' Victorian glasshouses. When it's cold, browse the lanes around Brewers Lane and Paved Court, then warm up with a pint by a fire. History fans have the Museum of Richmond, Strawberry Hill House – Horace Walpole's 18th-century 'little gothic castle' – and National Trust's Ham House. Ted Lasso viewers can hunt filming spots, including The Prince's Head, aka the show's Crown and Anchor.

Harrogate, on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, is a food town first and foremost. Book into the Victorian Turkish Baths, try a Fat Rascal scone at Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms, and stroll Valley Gardens, The Stray's 200 acres, or RHS Harlow Carr's botanical gardens.

Cirencester calls itself the capital of the Cotswolds and gets overlooked in favour of Bourton-on-the-Water and Bibury – unfairly. Its golden-stone streets hold Octavia's Bookshop, the Barn Theatre and Corinium Museum, while St John Baptist's church anchors a market place that still hosts regular farmers' markets. It's also a handy base for exploring the wider Cotswolds.

Monmouth sits in the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Kymin Loop walk climbs to a National Trust spot with views over the town, while Monnow Bridge is Britain's only surviving medieval fortified river bridge with its gate tower intact. Refuel with Welsh rarebit on Monnow Street.

Finally Hove, Brighton's calmer neighbour, trades crowds for cream-coloured townhouses and seafront lawns. In warm weather Hove Lagoon runs windsurfing, sailing and paddleboard sessions, and a flat seaside bike path links you to Brighton if you fancy a livelier evening.

For UK staycationers, the list doubles as a ready-made shortlist: three of the five are reachable from London by train in under two hours, and none require a car to enjoy the town centres themselves. If you only have time for one, Richmond offers the easiest combo of parkland, riverside and pub stops; if you want proper countryside, base yourself in Cirencester or Monmouth.