Town

Living in Aultbea: Liveability Score 29/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Aultbea comes out at 29/100 on the 8 categories we can score here. Measured against other towns, bills stands out most: 66/100 where the typical UK town scores 47/100. Furthest below the national norm is broadband, at 10/100 against a town median of 60/100.

That sits 21 points below the UK-wide average of 50, putting it in the bottom 10% of the towns and villages we score. Below 30/100: transport (4), lifestyle (4), schools (11) and healthcare (15). For the surrounding area, see IV22 postcode district.

29
OUT OF 100
Poor
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.

Aultbea scores 29 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Aultbea.
Or compare:
IV22 2AA IV22

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
74
Air Quality NO₂ 0.7 · PM2.5 3.3 · PM10 4.9 µg/m³
89
Green Space 38
Parks Some 1
Sports Pitches None
Allotments None
Golf Courses None
Tennis Courts None
Bowling Greens None
Playgrounds Some 1

Services

Schools
11
1 school in area
1Outstanding
  • Bualnaluib Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2019
    Outstanding
Healthcare
15
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service223.7 mi
Cumberland Infirmary226.6 mi
Hexham General Hospital238.8 mi
Hospital waitsNorthumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust197.1 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks82.8%
A&E seen within 4 hrs91.1%
1 GP surgery in area
GP capacity1,324 patients per GP

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

Broadband
10
Full fibre (FTTP)62.1%
available across Highland
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
2.7%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
2.7%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
99.6%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 7 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
54
Employment rate44.4%
Below the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed44.2%Unemployed2%Retired45.3%Student1.3%Other inactive7.2%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial35%Skilled & technical39.3%Routine & elementary25.7%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications39.4%
Home ownership79%
Around the Scotland average for deprivation
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
66
Council tax Highland · 2025-26
A £1,018
B £1,188
C £1,357
D £1,527
E £2,006
F £2,481
G £2,990
H £3,741
Energy North Scotland region
Typical bill regional £1,641/yr
Ofgem price cap, GB average · Apr–Jun 2026
Typical home efficiency local EPC band E
Water Scottish Water
Average bill regional £456/yr
Combined water & sewerage · GB average £520

Transport

Transport
4
No motorway junctions within 30 mi

No nearby stations or motorway junctions found.

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
4
Pubs & Bars None
Restaurants & Cafes Some 1
Supermarkets & Convenience Some 1
Retail Shopping Some 1
Takeaways None
Fitness None

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Aultbea. 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

Gairloch 37 8.7 mi away ⇄
Ullapool 42 16 mi away ⇄
Lochcarron 34 30 mi away ⇄
Upper Bayble 0 34 mi away ⇄
Lower Bayble 37 34 mi away ⇄
Swordale 0 35 mi away ⇄
Portree 42 37 mi away ⇄
Melbost 31 38 mi away ⇄
Sandwick (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) 0 38 mi away ⇄
Liurbost 27 39 mi away ⇄
Kyle of Lochalsh 34 39 mi away ⇄
Aird Tong 31 39 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Aultbea a nice place to live?

Aultbea scores below average as a place to live. Our liveability score for Aultbea is 29/100, placing it among one of the lower-scoring areas in the UK across nine categories: safety, schools, healthcare, environment, transport, broadband, lifestyle, economic health, and bills.

What are the best schools in Aultbea?

Among the top-rated schools in Aultbea is Bualnaluib Primary School, rated Outstanding by Ofsted. There are 1 rated schools in Aultbea in total.

Postcode districts in Aultbea

IV22 29 ⇄

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