EXETER has been named one of the UK’s best towns for cosy pubs this Christmas by  GG.co.uk, who compiled a comprehensive list of the best-rated pubs with fireplaces across 73 major UK towns and cities.

The analysis used Google ratings and data from UseYourLocal.com for areas with populations exceeding 100,000.

Each location earned a cosiness score based on the number of pubs with real fireplaces that also featured large TV screens, broadcast sports like football, rugby, cricket, or horse racing, or provided access to Sky Sports or TNT Sports.

UK's best towns for cosy pubs this Christmas in ranked order

1. Gateshead 

2. Blackburn

3. High Wycombe

4. Chesterfield

5. Huddersfield

6. Wakefield

7. Basildon

8. Oxford

9. Stockport

10. Maidstone

11. Rochdale

12. West Bromwich

13. Blackpool

14. Slough

15. Cheltenham

16. Preston

17. Chelmsford

18. Sunderland

19. Oldham

20. Nottingham

21. Norwich

22. Newcastle upon Tyne

23. York

24. Bolton

25. Basingstoke

26. Rotherham

27. Mansfield

28. Middlesbrough

29. Derry

30. Northampton

31. Eastbourne

32. Salford

33. Brighton and Hove

34. Dundee

35. Bradford

36. Portsmouth

37. Wolverhampton

38. Cambridge

39. Reading

40. Newport

41. Sheffield

42. Worcester

43. Exeter 

44. Plymouth

45. Stoke-on-Trent

46. Watford

47. Southampton 

48. Luton

49. Colchester

50. Worthing

51. Derby

52. Coventry

53. Bristol

54. Telford

55. Leeds

56. Bournemouth

57. Leicester

58. Poole

59. Crawley

60. Gloucester

61. Milton Keynes

62. Peterborough

63. Liverpool

64. Cardiff

65. Doncaster

66. Lincoln

67. Kingston upon Hull

68. Ipswich 

69. Edinburgh 

70. Manchester

71. London

72. Glasgow

73. Birmingham 

Exeter placed in the top 50 of the UK’s best towns for cosy pubs this Christmas

Overall, Exeter placed in the top 50 of the UK’s best towns for cosy pubs this Christmas with a score of 36.8/100 and 15.85 pubs with a fireplace per 100,000 residents.

The Beer Engine was crowned the number one cosiest pub in Exeter, with Hourglass placing second and Travellers Rest following closely behind and landing in third place.

“You just cannot beat that cosy pub feeling that only smaller towns can offer,” said Steve Chambers, Editor for GG.co.uk. “Big cities cannot compete with the warmth of less busy towns when your favourite team is playing. If you are visiting any of these places, make sure you save this cheat sheet for the cosiest pubs in every major town and city.”