A new guide has named 12 locations in Scotland in its list of the best places to live in Britain.

The seaside town of North Berwick in East Lothian was named the top spot in Scotland in The Sunday Times Best Place to Live list.

In selecting the list, judges took facts and figures into account as well as their own experiences of the areas.

They included factors such as jobs, exam results, broadband speed, culture, community spirit and local shops to compile a guide to the "definitive top locations".

The other Scottish areas featured, which are not been ranked in any order, are Banchory in Aberdeenshire, Cramond in Edinburgh, Cromarty, Dunblane, Dundee, Gairloch, Shawlands in Glasgow, Helensburgh, Killearn, Melrose and Orkney.

The list is due to be published this Sunday.

The Sunday Times home editor Helen Davies said: "This is the fifth year we have compiled the list and this year's is even bigger and better - the guide is more personal, more detailed and more comprehensive than ever before.

"The list weighs up everything from considering the likely impact of the local plan to whether the post office is still open, the range of housing, and the quality of the coffee.

"Numbers on a spreadsheet can only tell us so much so we carefully balance statistics with our writers' decades of knowledge and expertise to create the definitive list of the best places to live in the UK."

In addition to the list, Edinburgh was named one of the Sunday Times Best Places Top 20 perennials, marking the places that have appeared in almost every list over the past five years.

Property firm Countrywide provided much of the date on house prices and rental rates.

Johnny Morris, research and analytics director at Countrywide, said: "Using extensive data from across our businesses, along with official statistics, we have been able to paint a detailed picture, not just of how much it costs to buy or rent in different places across the country, but what it is like to live there too.

"We've been able to do this for all types of people, from someone renting their first flat to a family buying their forever home."

Last year, North Berwick topped a list of the most expensive seaside towns in Scotland, with average house prices at £327,124.