It is nicknamed “the gateway to the Dales”, is home to one of England’s best-preserved medieval castles and, for trivia fans, was the birthplace of half of Marks & Spencer. Now, the Yorkshire market town of Skipton has been named “the happiest place to live” in Great Britain.

It received the accolade from the property website Rightmove, which runs a “happy at home” index – now in its 14th year. The survey asks residents how they feel about their area based on a range of factors.

With its picturesque location on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, Skipton was ranked particularly highly for its access to nature and green spaces, the friendliness of the people and access to essential services such as schools and doctors.

This is the first time Skipton has taken the top spot in the index, having come second in 2020 and sixth last year.

Perhaps there is something in the water of the Leeds and Liverpool canal, which winds prettily through the town, as Skipton regularly scores highly in this type of poll. It was named the best place to live in Britain by the Sunday Times in 2014, and in 2017 residents of the area that includes the town were named by the Office for National Statistics as the happiest in the country. (Hopefully the people of Skipton did not mind not being featured in the Guardian’s list of the happiest places to live in Britain published in May.)

In second and third place this year’s Rightmovehappiness index were two London boroughs: Richmond upon Thames and Camden.

Thousands of residents across more than 200 areas of Great Britain told the website how they felt about where they lived. Skipton scored highly as a place where people felt “they can be themselves” and for its affordability. The average asking price for a home in Skipton is £326,093, which is lower than the national average of £364,833, according to the website.

The Yorkshire market town being lauded as a great place to live did not seem to come as a big surprise to Ian Rigarlsford, the group public affairs and campaigns lead at what is thought to be its largest employer, Skipton building society, which is headquartered in the town and has a network of 82 branches.

“Skipton is a place where community genuinely means something,” he said, adding: “From lunchtime walks to simply enjoying the views from our office, the balance this town offers is remarkable.”

He said it was a place where people looked out for each other, while Patrick McCutcheon, the head of residential at Yorkshire estate agent Dacre, Son & Hartley, praised the town for its transport links to Leeds, Bradford and Harrogate, and its “beautiful setting”.

“The historic castle lights up the colourful high street market, while the Leeds & Liverpool canal, Pennine Way and surrounding moors offer endless opportunities for challenging walks, road and mountain biking,” he added.

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Tom Spencer, the co-founder (with Michael Marks) of M&S, was born in Skipton in 1851.

Second-placed Richmond upon Thames topped the Rightmove index two years ago, with its happiness quotient seemingly bolstered by its association with the hit TV comedy Ted Lasso, about a US coach taking on an English football team: (the fictional) AFC Richmond.

Third-placed Camden was perhaps a more unexpected name – this is its first podium spot – though the north London borough is another area featuring a picturesque canal and some prime green spaces including Regent’s Park, which it splits with the City of Westminster.