Town

Living in Kames: Liveability Score 37/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Kames scores 37/100 overall, across 8 scored categories. Healthcare is where Kames most outperforms the national norm: 49/100 against a median of 18/100 across UK towns. The biggest shortfall against other towns is broadband: 10/100 versus a median of 60/100.

It scores 5 points above the PA21 postcode district as a whole, which averages 32/100. Its healthcare score runs 20 points above the PA21 district's 29/100. That is 13 points below the national benchmark of 50, the bottom quarter of all UK towns and villages. Wider context for the surrounding area: PA21 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.

Loading map…

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.

Kames scores 37 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Kames.
Or compare:
PA21 2AA PA21

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
81
Air Quality NO₂ 1.127 · PM2.5 3.766 · PM10 6.159 µg/m³
87
Green Space 66
Parks None
Sports Pitches None
Allotments None
Golf Courses Some 1
Tennis Courts None
Bowling Greens None
Playgrounds None

Services

Schools
21
1 school in area
1Good
  • Tighnabruaich Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2011
    Good
Healthcare
49
A&E departmentsCumberland Infirmary112.5 mi
Community Paramedic Service135.9 mi
Hexham General Hospital138.6 mi
Hospital waitsUniversity Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust93.9 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks69.4%
A&E seen within 4 hrs64.2%
Nearest GP surgeryDr A MacGregor & Dr N Hallum0.8 mi
GP capacity1,513 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)21.8%
available across Argyll and Bute
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
0%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
0%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
99.3%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 11 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
41
Employment rate51.2%
Below the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed51.5%Unemployed1.4%Retired36.6%Student1.7%Other inactive8.8%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial44.2%Skilled & technical37.4%Routine & elementary18.4%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications44.5%
Home ownership76.1%
Around the Scotland average for deprivation
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
66
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 E
Water Scottish Water
Average bill regional £456/yr
Combined water & sewerage · GB average £520

Transport

Transport
7
Wemyss Bay 13.8 mi
Inverkip 14.4 mi
Largs 16.1 mi
J31 M8 26.5 mi
J31 M8 27 mi
J30 M8 29.4 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
10
Pubs & Bars Some 1
Restaurants & Cafes Some 2
Supermarkets & Convenience Some 1
Retail Shopping Some 1
Takeaways None
Fitness None

Places like Kames Pro

Pick the categories you want to beat. Pro members see the most similar settlements that score higher in all of them.

Find somewhere like Kames, but with a higher score in …

ProSimilar settlements is a Pro featureUpgrade to Pro

House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Kames. 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

Tighnabruaich 37 1.3 mi away ⇄
Tarbert (Argyll and Bute) 43 6.9 mi away ⇄
Port Bannatyne 29 7.1 mi away ⇄
Rothesay 39 8.2 mi away ⇄
Craigmore 35 9.0 mi away ⇄
Toward 35 10 mi away ⇄
Innellan 38 11 mi away ⇄
Ardrishaig 32 12 mi away ⇄
Lochgilphead 38 12 mi away ⇄
Dunoon 44 13 mi away ⇄
Sandbank 32 13 mi away ⇄
Wemyss Bay 36 14 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Kames a nice place to live?

Kames has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Kames 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 Kames?

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

Postcode districts in Kames

PA21 32 ⇄

Check your exact postcode

Get a personalised score for any UK postcode, tailored to what matters most to you.

Score my postcode