Britain's best inland towns and villages have been revealed
Fancy a day trip?
You might think that heading to the coast is best for postcard-perfect towns and beautiful views – but there are plenty of places to discover away from the seaside too.
Consumer champion, Which? has revealed the best inland towns and villages in the UK, as ranked by over 9,000 holidaymakers.
And claiming the top spot is Wells, in Somerset – which is actually one of the UK’s smallest cities.
The locations were ranked based on scenery, food and drink, tourist attractions and value for money – with mediaeval Wells scoring 83% overall.
Which? says: ‘A popular filming location, Wells has featured in major film and television productions including Hot Fuzz, Dungeons and Dragons and Wolf Hall.’
It also ‘boasts stunning architecture, including its famous cathedral’, receiving the full five stars for attractiveness and tourist attractions.
At the other end of the scale, of the 94 towns and villages ranked, Gretna in Scotland is at the bottom, with a score of just 49%.
The romantic town is famous for being the place that young couples from England would elope to in order to get married. The law that required couples under the age of 21 to have their parents’ permission to wed, did not apply in Scotland.
And despite being at the bottom, Which? say the town is ‘steeped in history’.
Elsewhere on the list, the south west is home to firm favourites. Avebury in Wiltshire was second, with 82%, and Corfe Castle in Dorset came next, with 80% – although third place was tied with Port Sunlight, in Merseyside.
The top Welsh town was Llangollen with 79%. Which? said: ‘From canal boat cruises to horse-drawn boat trips, as well as its annual International Musical Eisteddfod festival, there’s plenty for visitors to enjoy.’
And Melrose was the Scottish favourite, with a score of 78%. ‘Once described as those ‘delectable mountains’ by author and historian Sir Walter Scott, the town unsurprisingly scored five stars for scenery and attractiveness,’ said Which? ‘Melrose also scored four stars for its tourist attractions, which famously include Melrose Abbey, the final resting place of the heart of Robert the Bruce.’
Perhaps surprisingly, Cornish town, Bodmin, came second to last, with just 50%.
Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel said: ‘There are beautiful towns and villages in Scotland, Wales and from across England in the top ten – meaning there is a fantastic place to visit on your doorstep no matter where you live.’
Which? best inland towns and villages:
Wells 83%
Avebury 82%
Corfe Castle 80%
Port Sunlight 80%
Grasmere 79%
Lavenham 79%
Llangollen 79%
Ludlow 79%
Stamford 79%
Cartmel 78%
Church Stretton 78%
Crickhowell 78%
Ironbridge 78%
Melrose 78%
Arundel 77%
Grassington 77%
Inveraray 77%
Keswick 77%
Lower and Upper Slaughter 77%
Pitlochry 77%
Alnwick 76%
Beddgelert 76%
Great Malvern 76%
Hutton Le Hole 76%
Betws-y-Coed 75%
Bury St Edmunds 75%
Castleton 75%
Dunkeld 75%
Llanberis 75%
Moffat 75%
Richmond 75%
Salisbury 75%
Skipton 75%
Tavistock 75%
Abergavenny 74%
Dedham 74%
Hawes 74%
Lewes 74%
Painswick 74%
Pittenweem 74%
Windsor 74%
Woodbridge 74%
Ely 73%
Hay on Wye 73%
Stratford upon Avon 73%
Woodstock 73%
Ambleside 72%
Bakewell 72%
Barnard Castle 72%
Beaulieu 72%
Bradford-on-Avon 72%
Hexham 72%
Long Melford 72%
Brecon 71%
Broadway 71%
Henley-on-Thames 71%
Kelso 71%
Narberth 71%
Saltaire 71%
Sherborne 71%
Totnes 71%
Aberfeldy 70%
Braemar 70%
Burford 70%
Buxton 70%
Grantown-on-Spey 70%
Knaresborough 70%
Marlborough 70%
Shaftesbury 70%
Stow-on-the-Wold 70%
Hawkshead 69%
Machynlleth 69%
Monmouth 69%
Truro 69%
Bourton-on-the-Water 68%
Hebden Bridge 68%
Jedburgh 68%
Pickering 68%
Tewkesbury 68%
Thirsk 68%
Dorchester 67%
Windermere 67%
Castle Douglas 66%
Tetbury 66%
Callander 62%
Tunbridge Wells 62%
Burnham Market 61%
Matlock Bath 61%
Fort William 60%
Pembroke 59%
Ross-on-Wye 59%
Blaenau Ffestiniog 57%
Bodmin 50%
Gretna 49%
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