Explore the beautiful villages of England

Everyone has an 'ideal traditional English village' - even if they have never visited it!

For some it might be streets of thatched cottages, while others will picture houses of glowing yellow Cotswold stone alongside a quiet stream, and still more of us might picture a small Cornish seaside village nestled around a quiet harbour, a windswept hamlet high on the moors or a picture-postcard setting on the edge of a lake.

While we might not agree on which is the most beautiful village in England, there is one thing we can all agree on - traditional villages are the heart and soul of England, and exploring them is one of the most pleasant ways to enjoy the countryside and to picture ourselves in an England that no longer exists for most of us...

Some of our favourite beautiful English towns and villages

Villages are ordered by county, and are just a selection of some of our favourites. There is also a map showing the position of the villages further down the page.

Abbotsbury

Abbotsbury (Dorset)

See Abbotsbury guide
Alfriston

Alfriston (East Sussex)

See Alfriston guide
Alnmouth

Alnmouth (Northumberland)

See Alnmouth guide
Ambleside

Ambleside (Cumbria)

See Ambleside guide
Bibury

Bibury (Gloucestershire)

See Bibury guide
Boscastle

Boscastle (Cornwall)

See Boscastle guide
Bourton on the Water

Bourton on the Water (Gloucestershire)

See Bourton on the Water guide
Burnsall

Burnsall (North Yorkshire)

See Burnsall guide
Cadgwith

Cadgwith (Cornwall)

See Cadgwith guide
Cartmel Peninsula

Cartmel Peninsula (Cumbria)

See Cartmel Peninsula guide
Castle Combe

Castle Combe (Wiltshire)

See Castle Combe guide
Clapham

Clapham (North Yorkshire)

See Clapham guide
Clovelly

Clovelly (Devon)

See Clovelly guide
Combe Martin

Combe Martin (Devon)

See Combe Martin guide
Corfe Castle

Corfe Castle (Dorset)

See Corfe Castle guide
Cropredy

Cropredy (Oxfordshire)

See Cropredy guide
Croyde

Croyde (Devon)

See Croyde guide
Diss

Diss (Norfolk)

See Diss guide
Dorchester-on-Thames

Dorchester-on-Thames (Oxfordshire)

See Dorchester-on-Thames guide
Dunster

Dunster (Somerset)

See Dunster guide
Eyam

Eyam (Derbyshire)

See Eyam guide
Goathland

Goathland (North Yorkshire)

See Goathland guide
Gorran Haven

Gorran Haven (Cornwall)

See Gorran Haven guide
Grasmere

Grasmere (Cumbria)

See Grasmere guide
Grassington

Grassington (North Yorkshire)

See Grassington guide
Great Budworth

Great Budworth (Cheshire)

See Great Budworth guide
Hambleden

Hambleden (Buckinghamshire)

See Hambleden guide
Hawes

Hawes (North Yorkshire)

See Hawes guide
Hawkshead

Hawkshead (Cumbria)

See Hawkshead guide
Haworth

Haworth (West Yorkshire)

See Haworth guide
Horton in Ribblesdale

Horton in Ribblesdale (North Yorkshire)

See Horton in Ribblesdale guide
Ingleton

Ingleton (North Yorkshire)

See Ingleton guide
Kendal

Kendal (Cumbria)

See Kendal guide
Lacock

Lacock (Wiltshire)

See Lacock guide
Lavenham

Lavenham (Suffolk)

See Lavenham guide
Long Melford

Long Melford (Suffolk)

See Long Melford guide
Lower Slaughter

Lower Slaughter (Gloucestershire)

See Lower Slaughter guide
Mevagissey

Mevagissey (Cornwall)

See Mevagissey guide
Mousehole

Mousehole (Cornwall)

See Mousehole guide
Polperro

Polperro (Cornwall)

See Polperro guide
Porlock

Porlock (Somerset)

See Porlock guide
Port Isaac

Port Isaac (Cornwall)

See Port Isaac guide
Robin Hood's Bay

Robin Hood's Bay (North Yorkshire)

See Robin Hood's Bay guide
Rye

Rye (East Sussex)

See Rye guide
Sandbach

Sandbach (Cheshire)

See Sandbach guide
Selworthy

Selworthy (Somerset)

See Selworthy guide
Staithes

Staithes (North Yorkshire)

See Staithes guide
Thaxted

Thaxted (Essex)

See Thaxted guide
Turville

Turville (Buckinghamshire)

See Turville guide
Upper Slaughter

Upper Slaughter (Gloucestershire)

See Upper Slaughter guide
Wedmore

Wedmore (Somerset)

See Wedmore guide