Shaftesbury in Dorset is a tiny town – but one of its streets is world famous. In 1973, British company, Hovis, produced the iconic ‘Boy on the Bike’ advert directed by Ridley Scott, which was filmed on the town’s Gold Hill.

It featured a young boy – played by Carl Barlow – pushing his bike slowly up the hill and delivering bread to the top of the pretty cobbled street before hopping on his bike and kicking out his legs in glee as he wheels down the slope.

As well as its starring TV role, the little town also has other claims to fame – as it’s the only significant hilltop settlement in Dorset, being built about 215 metres above sea level. The town looks over the Blackmore Vale, part of the River Stour basin.

It’s also renowned for being the site of the former Shaftesbury Abbey, which was founded in 888 by King Alfred and became one of the richest religious establishments in the country, before being destroyed in the dissolution in 1539.

The town – which has a diddly population of just over 9,000 people – is within striking distance of the beautiful city of Salisbury, in neighbouring Wiltshire, which is just 20 miles away. The stunning city regularly grabs acclaim for being a top place to live – including regular rankings in best place to live lists – and grabbing the Sunday Times title overall in 2019.

Last year Salisbury was also crowned as the best place to live in Wiltshire by Muddy Stillettos.

Lifestyle blogger Muddy Stilettos wrote: “As Salisbury has a cathedral, it’s a city – one full of medieval splendour, windy streets, gothic architecture, a large market square that plays host to festivals and markets, a cluster of funky independent shops and restaurants and a racecourse.

“Plus it’s only a few short miles from the ultimate heritage attraction, Stonehenge – so when you’re bored of shopping, eating and drinking you can hot-foot it there and commune with your inner druid.”

The city is also home to a breathtaking cathedral with Britain’s tallest spire and an original 1215 Magna Carta, which is the best-preserved copy in existence. And the cathedral houses a 14th century clock – the oldest working mechanical clock in the world.

But life in the two pretty UK destinations will cost more than many British towns, where the current average property price is £284,691.

Properties in Shaftesbury had an overall average price of £322,964 over the last year, according to Rightmove. Life in Salisbury, however, comes at a slightly higher cost of £346,747 says the online property platform.