The most beautiful villages in the UK have been named – and ranked – with the prize for the most picturesque going to a fishing townlet with ‘stunning scenery everywhere’.
So reveals Big 7 Travel, which asked some of the UK’s leading travel photographers to vote for the nation’s most beautiful villages and then used their responses to compile the list.
From coastal communities with breathtaking vistas to countryside boltholes with cobbled streets and charming stone houses, the 20-strong ranking is sure to ignite your wanderlust.
It features popular places such as Cornwall’s Port Isaac and Devon’s South Pool as well as lesser-known gems such as Alnmouth, Northumberland, and Laugharne, Carmarthenshire.
Ullapool in Ross and Cromarty, Lower Slaughter in the Cotswolds and Snowdonia’s Betws-y-Coed also feature among the photographers’ favourites.
Scroll down for the full ranking, presented here in reverse order. In theory, the further you scroll, the more mesmerised you’ll be. Don’t agree with the order? Cast your vote for your favourite village in our poll at the bottom…
20. TURVILLE, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, ENGLAND: Turville is the picture-perfect image of a rural English village. So says Big 7 Travel, which praises its Tudor cottages, picket fences, historic church, ‘pretty windmill’ and ‘friendly’ 16th-century pub. ‘The setting is so quaint that it’s been featured on many TV shows, including Killing Eve and The Vicar of Dibley,’ the travel site adds
19. SOUTH POOL, DEVON, ENGLAND: Ways to pass the time here? ‘Walks along picturesque paths, watching the creek’s changing tide, and soaking up the coastal sun in a cosy pub garden,’ says Big 7 Travel, adding: ‘When the tide is high, boats and canoes glide through the waters, bobbing past whitewashed cottages and lush green hills’
18. SONNING, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND: ‘Honey-coloured cottages and overhanging trees along the River Thames’ are what visitors can expect in Sonning, described by Big 7 Travel as ‘a little fairytale nook of Berkshire’. The website recommends the ‘charming’ pub gardens and riverside tearooms and taking a boat tour to marvel at the riverside mansions, adding that the village is ‘so idyllic that it has attracted many celebrities, including George and Amal Clooney’
17. LOWER SLAUGHTER, THE COTSWOLDS, ENGLAND: ‘Lower Slaughter is one of the most beautiful villages in the Cotswolds,’ says Big 7 Travel, ‘with traditional limestone cottages, pretty stone footbridges, the calm River Eye running through, and an old water mill. There has been no building work in Lower Slaughter since 1906, so a walk through the village really does feel like stepping back in time’
16. ALFRISTON, EAST SUSSEX, ENGLAND: Nestled along the banks of Cuckmere River just 16 miles (25km) from the city of Brighton, Alfriston is said to be a place that ’embodies idyllic village life’. Think ‘cosy’ thatch-roofed pubs, ‘chocolate-box cottages’, medieval buildings and independent shops
15. ALNMOUTH, NORTHUMBERLAND, ENGLAND: ‘Alnmouth is a quiet yet quaint village clinging to the edges of the North Sea,’ says Big 7 Travel. ‘When the tide is out, the golden sands come into vision, creating a perfectly curved soft sand beach. With kite surfers taking to the waters and colourful townhouses in the background, it’s a picture-perfect scene’
14. BETWS-Y-COED, SNOWDONIA, WALES: This Welsh village is ‘as pretty as can be’ with its slate houses set along a ‘gentle river flanked by lush greenery’. It is described as the ‘gateway to the grandeur of Snowdonia’, with ‘natural beauty aplenty’
13. BEDDGELERT, SNOWDONIA, WALES: ‘Nestled in the foothills of Snowdon, this village is as scenic as you can get,’ says Big 7 Travel. The village is ‘a pretty smattering of grey-stone cottages, cosy pubs, and craft shops’ while the ‘dramatic’ surrounding scenery ‘stretches up to the mountaintop, which you can take in from the village’s stone bridge’
12. PORTLOE, CORNWALL, ENGLAND: A ‘cluster of sea-sprayed, whitewashed cottages’ make up the village of Portloe, which is perched on the Roseland Peninsula. It is said to be ‘a true snapshot of what a peaceful Cornish fishing village is like’, with ‘blissfully uncrowded’ beaches and ‘jaw-droppingly beautiful’ coastal walks
11. CRAIL, FIFE, SCOTLAND: This quiet, scenic fishing village boasts ‘the prettiest harbour in the coastal region’, comprising a ‘maze of sloping streets, quaint cafes, independent eateries and charming speciality stores’
10. LAUGHARNE, CARMARTHENSHIRE, WALES: ‘When you pay a visit to lovely Laugharne, it’s not hard to see why Dylan Thomas loved it so much,’ says Big 7 Travel. The Welsh poet described it as ‘timeless’ and ‘beguiling’. Today, visitors can ‘stop by his house, the Dylan Thomas Boathouse, overlooking the calm estuary’. Note – Laugharne is listed as a town on many websites
9. SOLVA, PEMBROKESHIRE, WALES: Solva is ‘postcard-perfect’, with its ‘brightly painted cottages’ set among the ‘sweeping landscapes’ of the Pembrokeshire Coast. The ‘timeless’ village is ‘not short of things to do’, offering an abundance of ‘cosy’ pubs, delis, craft stores, galleries and more. However, climbing the Gribin ridge is ‘arguably the best thing to do here’
8. CARTMEL, CUMBRIA, ENGLAND: Packed with Edwardian charm, Cartmel is a beautiful village on the edge of the Lake District. So says Big 7 Travel, which it says is home to a ‘picturesque maze of limestone cottages, cobblestone lanes, and a 12th-century Priory’. The village is also ‘a bustling hotspot for boutique hotels and fine dining restaurants’, with the list including chef Simon Rogan’s three-Michelin-starred L’Enclume
7. ST ABBS, SCOTTISH BORDERS, SCOTLAND: Marvel movie fans might recognise this quaint village from Avengers: Endgame, says Big 7 Travel. ‘While the harbour is dotted with colourful fishing boats and the whitewashed houses are beautiful, the rugged coastal scenery is the standout here,’ it adds, praising its volcanic cliff faces and unspoilt sea views
6. DENT, CUMBRIA, ENGLAND: ‘Sunken into a deep valley’, this ‘sleepy village’ consists of whitewashed cottages, sloping alleyways, a blacksmith and ‘just two traditional pubs’. The surrounding area, meanwhile, offers ‘plenty of walking trails’ such as the Dales Way
5. CUSHENDUN, COUNTY ANTRIM, NORTHERN IRELAND: There’s ‘lots to love’ in Cushendun, from the ‘sheltered harbour’ to the ‘expansive beaches’, says Big 7 Travel, adding: ‘Whitewashed cottages, rose gardens, and historical buildings make up the town, while the surrounding area is full of hikes’
4. CULROSS, FIFE, SCOTLAND: With its rows of golden and pastel-hued 17th-century cottages, Culross is as charming as can be. So says Big 7 Travel, which adds: ‘The National Trust of Scotland has ensured the village is frozen in time, perfectly preserving this slice of pretty history’
3. PORT ISAAC, CORNWALL, ENGLAND: Taking third place on the winners’ podium is this Cornish coastal village, which boasts ‘sloping 14th-century narrow streets’ and ‘cute shops’. It is described as ‘an idyllic setting, where you can watch fishing boats throw their lines and sail back to the harbour with the day’s catch’
2. TOBERMORY, ISLE OF MULL, SCOTLAND: Even on the greyest of days, the colourful seafront cottages of Tobermory are beautifully bright. That’s according to Big 7 Travel, which says the village is ‘so photogenic’ that CBeebies children’s show Balamory was filmed here
1. ULLAPOOL, ROSS AND CROMARTY, SCOTLAND: Behold the UK’s ‘most beautiful village’ – Ullapool – situated on the shores of Loch Broom ‘in one of the most unspoilt areas of the UK’. ‘The harbour has a timeless buzz,’ says Big 7 Travel, ‘with fishing boats casting their nets as they’ve done for centuries.’ Visitors can ‘easily perch on the waterfront and soak it all in for hours’. Meanwhile, a short drive away is Inverpolly National Nature Reserve, which is home to ‘golden eagles, wildcats, pine martens and other wildlife, as well as the highly photographed hill, Stac Pollaidh’
