Portrush has been named the second-best village in the UK for remote workers, according to a report by Hollands Country Clothing.
The outdoor retail brand took a list of villages with populations of less than 10,000 people and scored them on a series of factors out of 70 in total.
Criteria included broadband speed, house prices, train station quality, closeness of major cities, and the number of national parks, pubs, restaurants and TripAdvisor attractions.
While Scotland’s Balloch at Loch Lomond took first place in the UK rankings, Co Antrim’s Portrush came a close second, scoring 53/70.
Castlewellan in Co Down also came fifth in the overall index and the coastal town of Antrim’s Whitehead came eighth.
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Mathew Holland of Hollands Country Clothing said: "With our focus on the UK countryside and country living, we created this index to reveal which UK villages would be the best for remote workers.
“There were certain boxes that needed ticking.
“The villages had to be smaller to counter city living - so nothing under 10k," he continued.
"Property prices had to be low to encourage people to move to the villages, whilst generally broadband speeds had to be high - if you’re remote working from another spot in the country, then internet quality is going to be key. But we also wanted people to have things to do - attractions, days out, and the ability to easily visit bigger cities when the mood struck.
“The pandemic has brought so many changes into our lives, with one of the biggest being the shift to working from home. Whilst some companies are keen to get staff back in, many are weighing up options and it seems unlikely that everyone is going to want to go back. For some, the pandemic has given them an escape from the rat race that can be city living."
Below is Hollands Country Clothing's list of top 10 villages in Northern Ireland for remote workers.
