Powys has been voted the happiest place in the UK, and is certainly a rural idyll complete with the usual benefits including beautiful scenery and low crime rates. The usual drawbacks, including limited rail and bus links and the time it takes to drive to schools and the shops, come alongside the benefits, but it doesn’t seem to bother Powys residents - many of whom seem to have come in search of a different pace of life. Powys is a very large county, and it is the most sparsely populated in England and Wales, according to 2013 data, with most people living in villages and hamlets. With Snowdonia to the county’s north, the Cambrian Mountains to the west, and the Brecon Beacons to the south and may attractions in between, Powys is a very beautiful place to live.