Town

Living in Braidwood: Liveability Score 42/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Our overall score for Braidwood is 42/100, built from 8 categories. Bills is where Braidwood most outperforms the national norm: 78/100 against a median of 47/100 across UK towns. Among the 5 scored places sharing the ML8 postcode district, Braidwood ranks 4th.

Against the wider ML8 district average of 53/100, that is 11 points below. That is 8 points below the national benchmark of 50, the middle half of all UK towns and villages. Healthcare (16), lifestyle (20), transport (25) and schools (29) all fall below 30/100. For the surrounding area, see ML8 postcode district.

42
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.

Braidwood scores 42 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Braidwood.
Or compare:
ML8 4AB ML8 5AA ML8

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
73
Air Quality NO₂ 2.99 · PM2.5 4.454 · PM10 7.901 µg/m³
83
Green Space 48
Parks Ample 15
Sports Pitches None
Allotments None
Golf Courses None
Tennis Courts None
Bowling Greens None
Playgrounds Some 1

Services

Schools
29
2 schools in area · 9 within 4km
2Good
  • Braidwood Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2018
    Good
  • Crawforddyke Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2011
    Good

Score reflects proximity-weighted access to rated schools within 4km: areas with more nearby schools score higher regardless of settlement boundary.

Healthcare
16
A&E departmentsCumberland Infirmary66 mi
Community Paramedic Service80.2 mi
Hexham General Hospital85.5 mi
Hospital waitsNorth Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust59.5 mi
Routine referral (median)12 wks
Treated within 18 weeks64.3%
A&E seen within 4 hrs62.6%
Nearest GP surgeryHigh Mill Medical Practice1.4 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
60
Full fibre (FTTP)63.4%
available across South Lanarkshire
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
81.8%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
81.8%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
98.5%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 10 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
73
Employment rate67.6%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed67.5%Unemployed1.3%Retired21.9%Student2.8%Other inactive6.5%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial46.3%Skilled & technical36.7%Routine & elementary17%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications37.4%
Home ownership83.2%
Among the least-deprived 35% of areas in Scotland
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
78
Council tax South Lanarkshire · 2025-26
A £919
B £1,073
C £1,226
D £1,379
E £1,812
F £2,241
G £2,701
H £3,379
Energy South Scotland region
Typical bill regional £1,641/yr
Ofgem price cap, GB average · Apr–Jun 2026
Typical home efficiency local EPC band C
Water Scottish Water
Average bill regional £456/yr
Combined water & sewerage · GB average £520

Transport

Transport
25
Carluke 1.3 mi
Lanark 3.7 mi
Wishaw 5.4 mi
J8 M74 4.8 mi
J8 M74 4.8 mi
J9 M74 5 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
20
Pubs & Bars Some 1
Restaurants & Cafes Some 1
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 Braidwood. 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

Carluke 56 1.2 mi away ⇄
Crossford (South Lanarkshire) 37 1.8 mi away ⇄
Rosebank 0 2.8 mi away ⇄
Netherburn 39 3.0 mi away ⇄
Law 50 3.0 mi away ⇄
Kirkfieldbank 39 3.2 mi away ⇄
Lanark 50 3.7 mi away ⇄
Cleghorn 42 3.9 mi away ⇄
Ashgill 47 3.9 mi away ⇄
Overtown 56 4.2 mi away ⇄
Morningside 54 4.4 mi away ⇄
Kirkmuirhill and Blackwood 42 4.7 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Braidwood a nice place to live?

Braidwood has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Braidwood is 42/100, 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 Braidwood?

Among the top-rated schools in Braidwood are Braidwood Primary School and Crawforddyke Primary School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 2 rated schools in Braidwood in total.

Postcode districts in Braidwood

ML8 53 ⇄

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