The Sunday Times Best Places to Live Guide 2022: The Yorkshire postcodes that just missed out - and the ones not considered

The region's seven entries - no other county has more than two - included national winner Ilkley, Leeds, Harrogate, Slaithwaite and newcomers Great Ayton, Hovingham and Cawthorne.

But which postcodes narrowly missed out on being featured in the prestigious annual publication - and which are a way off from being considered? Guide edtor Tim Palmer gave us an exclusive insight into his Yorkshire shortlist.

One of the main contenders was Holmfirth, near Huddersfield - a small town which has shaken off its Last of the Summer Wine image and diversified with new bars, cafes and even a vineyard. Yet it lacks a railway station - sustainable transport being one of the Guide's main criteria.

Many readers will have been surprised to see the Dales and coast absent - yet controversy over second homes, holiday lets and rising house prices means these honeypot towns are considered to be tailored to visitors rather than residents.

Tim said: "On the coast, Saltburn is getting closer, but it's not quite there yet. In Leeds, Farsley is an area we will look at harder in the future. We also want to consider the Aire Valley, which is more affordable. It's ended up quite a high-end list this year.

"Sheffield's revival is a few years off - it's not there yet, with the issues around John Lewis leaving the city centre. It needs to work out what direction it's going in."

He also spoke about the focus on villages rather than towns or city suburbs for 2022.

"It's very villagey this year - partly because since Covid we have been able to travel to more places and look a bit harder at them.

"We haven't included East Yorkshire this time. We've had Beverley in so many times but we feel we've said everything there is to say.

"Harrogate is just very popular so the weight of demand has brought it back. It's got a lot of things people want - good schools, transport, and it's very walkable.

"Ilkley is one of the few places where you can manage better without a car than with one. You can even walk to the supermarket. The town is really behind people like the bathing water campaigners.

'Walkability' and sustainable transport options are key bellwethers for the Guide now, with many towns missing out if they lack a railway station and good cycling infrastructure or are clogged with through traffic.

Although all Guide entries understandably come with a housing premium, editors are keen to avoid areas where property prices have spiralled out of control.

Mr Palmer added: "Other places that did not quite make it would include a lot of previous entries which are still good. Malton has a great food scene but too much traffic. Chapel Allerton and/or Horsforth if we'd have had room for a Leeds suburb, and Saltaire, which is great but the gorgeous Salt cottages aren't best suited to modern living.

"Otley and Skipton are both good, but lost out to Ilkley. We also liked Clapham, in the tourist heart of the Dales but still with a brilliant community-run village shop. Pickering and Kirkbymoorside are places I'll definitely try and look at in the future.

"We did think hard about York, but it's now so popular that it's not an easy place to afford or even to get around."

Who's dropped off the list?

Back in 2016, the Guide only featured North Yorkshire entries. Writers picked Harrogate, Helmsley, Leyburn, Richmond, Skipton and Thirsk.

Yet the Dales market towns of Leyburn and Thirsk haven't appeared since.

2017 saw seaside resort Saltburn make its debut, and although writers have revisited it several times since, they feel it hasn't quite developed as they hoped. The same year Hull was given inclusion in its City of Culture year, though it has yet to return to the Guide. Helmsley and Richmond were back, alongside the Leeds suburb of Horsforth and Sheffield neighbourhood Fulwood.

In 2018, saw Malton and Pateley Bridge debut - the latter for its renowned high street - and there were also first appearances for Beverley and Wetherby, as well as the trendy Leeds suburb of Chapel Allerton.

In 2019, Pateley Bridge returned and York was included for the first time. Beverley was back, Leeds city centre was chosen and Skipton returned. There were debuts for two popular villages near Leeds - Boston Spa and Saltaire, the latter a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as the market town of Driffield.

The 2020 Guide coincided with the first lockdown, and the end of house-hunting as we knew it. The Howardian Hills AONB featured, and Ripon was included as an alternative to Harrogate. Saltaire and York returned, as did Beverley, and the newcomers were the Leeds suburb of Roundhay and Ranmoor in Sheffield.

2021's selections reflected shifting priorities post-Covid - rural locations and small towns took precedence over cities, but National Parks were swerved after a summer of lockdown-related overcrowding and poor visitor behaviour. Yorkshire's picks were Ilkley, Leeds, debutants Easingwold and Masham, York and two more newcomers, Slaithwaite and Todmorden.