Town

Living in Ardfern: Liveability Score 37/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Ardfern comes out at 37/100 on the 7 categories we can score here. Bills is where Ardfern most outperforms the national norm: 76/100 against a median of 47/100 across UK towns. Broadband falls furthest short: 19/100 where the typical UK town reaches 60/100.

Of the 3 places sharing the PA31 postcode district, Ardfern scores lowest. That sits 13 points below the UK-wide average of 50, putting it in the bottom quarter of the towns and villages we score. Below 30/100: lifestyle (3), schools (4) and transport (4). The same breakdown for the wider area is on the PA31 postcode district.

37
OUT OF 100
Below Avg
Score for:

Settlement area

The built-up area boundary and the postcodes its score is averaged from, each shaded by its own score. Clustered pins are other settlements. Tap one to view or compare it, or zoom in to reveal more.

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Each postcode is coloured by its own overall score on the default weighting. Scores are filled in as postcodes get searched on the site, so a blue dot just means that postcode hasn't been scored yet.

Ardfern scores 37 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Ardfern.
Or compare:
PA31 8AA PA31 9BB PA31

Score breakdown

Safety & Environment

Safety
—

Crime is scored from the last 12 months of police street-level data. Police Scotland does not publish this, and there is no Scottish equivalent of the Police UK open data service, so crime has been left out of the score for this area. This is a gap in published data, not a sign of low crime.

Environment
78
Air Quality NO₂ 1 · PM2.5 3.6 · PM10 5.7 µg/m³
88
Green Space 56
Parks None
Sports Pitches None
Allotments None
Golf Courses None
Tennis Courts None
Bowling Greens None
Playgrounds None

Services

Schools
4
1 school in area
1Good
  • Craignish Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2017
    Good
Healthcare
—
A&E departmentsCumberland Infirmary134.6 mi
Community Paramedic Service153.6 mi
Hexham General Hospital158.7 mi
Hospital waitsUniversity Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust110.9 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks69.4%
A&E seen within 4 hrs64.2%
Nearest GP surgeryEasdale Medical Practice8.8 mi
GP capacity1,577 patients per GP

A&E, dentist and pharmacy data, and CQC ratings, are currently available for England only, not Scotland.

Broadband
19
Full fibre (FTTP)21.8%
available across Argyll and Bute
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
37.7%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
37.7%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
98.1%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 6 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
73
Employment rate61.7%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed61.5%Unemployed1.2%Retired28.5%Student2.2%Other inactive6.6%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial41.2%Skilled & technical40.5%Routine & elementary18.3%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications43.9%
Home ownership77.8%
Around the Scotland average for deprivation
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
76
Council tax Argyll & Bute · 2025-26
A £1,084
B £1,265
C £1,445
D £1,626
E £2,136
F £2,642
G £3,184
H £3,984
Energy South Scotland region
Typical bill regional £1,641/yr
Ofgem price cap, GB average · Apr–Jun 2026
Typical home efficiency local EPC band D
Water Scottish Water
Average bill regional £456/yr
Combined water & sewerage · GB average £520

Transport

Transport
4
Oban 16.2 mi
No motorway junctions within 30 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
3
Pubs & Bars Some 1
Restaurants & Cafes None
Supermarkets & Convenience Some 1
Retail Shopping None
Takeaways None
Fitness None

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Ardfern. HM Land Registry's Price Paid dataset covers England and Wales only. Scottish sales are recorded separately by Registers of Scotland, which we don't yet include. This is a gap in the data we hold, not a sign of an inactive market.

Nearby places

Lochgilphead 38 11 mi away ⇄
Tayvallich 43 11 mi away ⇄
Ardrishaig 32 12 mi away ⇄
Oban 46 16 mi away ⇄
Strachur 27 17 mi away ⇄
Dunbeg 35 19 mi away ⇄
Connel 34 20 mi away ⇄
North Connel 28 20 mi away ⇄
Taynuilt 45 21 mi away ⇄
Tighnabruaich 37 22 mi away ⇄
Tarbert (Argyll and Bute) 43 22 mi away ⇄
Benderloch 0 23 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Ardfern a nice place to live?

Ardfern has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Ardfern is 37/100, placing it among a below-average areas in the UK across nine categories: safety, schools, healthcare, environment, transport, broadband, lifestyle, economic health, and bills.

What are the best schools in Ardfern?

Among the top-rated schools in Ardfern is Craignish Primary School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 1 rated schools in Ardfern in total.

Postcode districts in Ardfern

PA31 35 ⇄

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