West Meon is best village in Britain; with Cheriton 27th! (From Andover Advertiser)

West Meon is best village in Britain; with Cheriton 27th!

4:02pm Tuesday 19th March 2013 in Winchester

WEST Meon has been hailed as the best village in Britain.

The village was praised for its shops, social life and “strong community feel” in a Times poll this week.

Nearby Cheriton made the list at 27. The “idyllic village” earned plaudits for its sport and transport links.

The judges also considered schools, scenery and house prices.

Vanessa Wills, owner of the The Stables at West Meon’s Black Hedges Farmhouse, said: “We’ve got an award-winning pub, we’ve got an award-winning shop, we’ve got an award-winning butcher.

“I think it has everything you would like in a chocolate box village.”

Sandy Worth, who owns a nursery in Cheriton, said: “It’s not just a pretty postcard type village with a village green and a stream running through it. I think the main thing with people who live here, besides it being a beautiful village, is that it’s such an active village.

“It’s a village where people don’t look away when they pass you; they look at you and smile.”

Winchester was recently named one of the South East’s best places to live by The Sunday Times.