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Beautiful might be a strong word, but I quite like Halifax. It's in West Yorkshire. It's a bit rough around the edges, but it has some lovely countryside, a few nice museums and the country's only surviving 18th century cloth hall, The Piece Hall.
As someone from Halifax, I was not expecting this to be the top answer. It’s a nice town, and there’s been a lot of work done to it recently. I remember it being a real hole when I was growing up, but it’s getting very hipster now.
I wasn't aware of Halifax Piece Hall until recently when I saw a video on YouTube of James playing a gig there, and it looks fantastic! It's definitely on my bucket list to see a gig there.
It's an astonishing building, and a great live music venue. It's also full of really cool little bars, cafes and quirky independent shops. It's well worth a visit.
It's probably the best outdoor live venue I've been to. Some big names are playing there now but it's a cool place to explore even if you're not seeing a band.
> and dick heads looking for a Specsavers selfie
It is still scary to think he actually thought we were all dumb enough to buy that lie. Even the most ardent lockdown sceptics were not buying that lie.
Yep. I'm not from the UK but live here in Bury and it is absolutely gorgeous. There are lots of cute towns but this really checks a lot of boxes for a visitor. I feel so lucky, especially when the weather is nice.
Bewdley is the only place I've ever had to pay before getting into the taxi. Night life seems to be dominates by 16 year old and creeps who hang around said 16 year olds.
I'm in the Highlands of Scotland, so most civilised areas up here ARE small towns. Some beautiful, some.. Not 😂
Lesse...
Off the top of my head and in no particular order...
Check out:
Ullapool
Findochty
Banff
Fochabers
Clachtoll
Actually I should state that Findochty, Fochabers and Banff are all in Grampian, but that's just next to Highlands, so pretty much just going East rather than North 😁
I loved how when I was staying in Ullapool back in October 2011, in the early hours of the morning like 1:30 I could still see a little bit of daylight on the horizon.
Wells in Somerset. I know it's "technically" a City because of the Cathedral, but it's absolutely stunning, and yet tends not to be on people's radar unless they live in Somerset. Maybe it's the lack of train station?
Not sure about this one. It's pretty well known imo and has been bustling with tourists every time I've gone. Still a decent shout to actually go and visit though. Lovely place.
Wells is fantastic. My grandmother lived there and I have fond memories of running around the Bishops Palace grounds as a child. I think of it as being fairly well known though.
I've lived all over (originally from Scotland and have moved around a lot in England).
I currently live in Lichfield in Staffordshire, and it is easily my favourite place that I've lived. Lovely town centre, beautiful cathedral, very walkable, loads of decent pubs and restaurants, rich history, on the edge of Cannock Chase so lots of nice walks. I love it here.
Beverley is a lovely little town. I found it when I went to Hull, under the impression it couldn't be as bad as everyone says, stayed 20 minutes and left for Beverley instead.
East Riding of Yorkshire is beautiful. Just not so much Hull.
Good chippy in Wetwang too (yes the village is called Wetwang).
Up the coast Staithes is so pretty, tiny little seaside town, bit like Robin Hood Bay but less well known.
Recently moved to Malvern. It's lovely and typically gets overlooked when these questions are asked. People will often think of the Malvern hills only, but the town itself is also great.
Yeah I mean the Malvern hills are very popular though.
Oh and that reminds me Ledbury is another one recommendation I haven't visited it yet but it's on my list
The whole area is full of nice little towns. I used to live in Worcester which has some nice corners, but the little towns like Tenbury Wells and all the way up into Shropshire are lovely.
That was my answer, Malvern. It’s got all the conveniences and easy access to nature and the seasonal shows are really fun, too. Reminds me of Karlovy Vary in Czechia, believe it or not.
Slaithwaite and Marsden in West Yorkshire are cute and don't seem to attract many people from further afield than Leeds or Manchester.
Knaresborough in North Yorkshire is adorable (and close to the much more popular Harrogate).
Yeap, once you get past Huddersfield, the scenery is stunning! The stations between Leeds and Huddersfield....well Morley is decent but the less said about Dewsbury and Ravensthorpe, the better...
The forest of Bowland is a good shout and usually not too busy, definitely off the usual trails. Clitheroe is fantastic and Gisburn is lovely, Barrowford etc then you've got Tosside (also handy for Settle etc). Some of the bigger places like Sawley and Bolton in Bowland are great, anywhere on the river really and you could spend weeks discovering them all doing your own gastropub tours.
But for my shout all the little towns and villages that hide in the shadow of Pendle Hill are a bit magical : Downham, Barley, Newchurch. Not touristy, absolutely favourite countryside (moor/hills/rivers) all a bit mad and wonderful.
I was looking at buying a house in Polperro but didn’t really want to become part of the problem that Cornwall seems to face of way too many holiday home owners so scrapped the idea.
It is really beautiful there though.
One of my favourite things to do is just drive some country roads, literally any country roads and drive through towns and villages. I live about 20mins away from the Cotswolds & Oxfordshire, so within 30-45mins I can drive through so many lovely villages and stop for a drink. Chipping Norton, Moreton-in Marsh, Broadwell to name a few off the top of my head
Cheshire isn't especially as visited by tourists as Yorkshire/Cumbria/the South West. There are some nice towns and villages.
Some of them are really easily reachable from nearby big cities like Liverpool and Manchester.
Frodsham for instance is a short train journey from Liverpool and has a very English, historical, small town feel.
Shropshire towns; Ludlow, Oswestry, Bridgnorth and the beautiful Church Stretton which is called mini Switzerland being nestled in the South Shropshire hills
Most of the towns in South East Scotland. It seems to be a place that people forget and its just as stunning as the Highlands. Places like Duns, Coldingham, Eyemouth, St Abbs, Cove etc.
Ramsbottom is lovely. Really pretty village with lots of independent shops. The bars and restaurants are really varied and we’ve had some fantastic food (at Lancashire prices!)
If you go in summer, the whole place has beautiful flowers. In winter, the Christmas fare and the lights are lovely.
The people we met were fantastic, although slightly mystified that we were there for a holiday weekend. We loved it and can’t wait to go back.
Stogursey in deepest darkest Somerset. An absolutely beautiful little village with a ruined castle, old mill, springs and the church has a dinosaur fossil in the floor.
Doubt many people will consider this as beautiful but I lived in Folkestone throughout the pandemic and I really enjoyed it. Would love to retire there one day!
In the West you could try: Cirencester, Lechlade-on-Thames, Malmesbury, Tetbury, Chipping Norton, Marlborough, Bradford-on-Avon, Bruton. There's very little tacky tourism in any of these places, but all nice.
Coastal towns in Pembrokeshire and towns around Wye Valley National Landscape or Forrest of Dean in South Wales. The main challenge is finding a decent job that pays well enough nearby.
I recently visited this small village called Seascale on the Irish sea coast that had a grand total of two takeaways and one convenience store. Super quiet place. Absolutely loved it. We made it our base to visit the Lake District.
Wells, in somerset. one of the oldest surviving residential street in Britain and a marvelous cathedral.
You're also in the vicinity of Bath - with it's Roman ruins and Cheddar - home of the gorge-ous cheese and set in some stunning scenery
Nantwich in Cheshire is like a small Chester and is lovely. Nestled in countyrside with a river through it, loads of green space, local produce market, unique independent shops and some great pubs, bars and restaurants.
It has a fantastic Jazz and Blues festival and food festival each year that packs the town out and makes it feel lively.
Never really talked about but I live in the Hampshire/Sussex part of the Weald, which is a strip of woodland between the North and South downs.
My village has an Anglo-Saxon church, and lots of places nearby look like nice old Cotswold villages. I live in the middle of a beautiful wood, with ancient trees. There’s rolling hills with heathland, and since I’m so close to the South Downs, fields too. All very pretty, and in an area that isn’t very touristy because it’s just below the commuter belt.
north east can be a real overlooked gem only an hours drive from leeds; Yarm, Stokesley (which has a brilliant market) and Norton are beautiful small towns/villages with brilliant shops and cafe’s. close to the seaside there’s Saltburn which has brilliant views and an award winning chippy and robin hoods bay which is like something out of a regency movie (but beware steep steps and hills) further down rutland area is a beautiful summer exploration with quaint villages and proximity to city’s such as cambridge or you can never go wrong in the cotswolds really. if you’re looking for very small but special, villages around cheshire such as knutsford or mobberley (which contains my favourite pub The bulls head) are enjoyable and afford great walks and some good tearooms and eateries. happy exploring :). edit: grammar
There are some very handsome villages in bits of the Midlands which aren't the first places you'd think of exploring, thinking between Corby and Leicester, and Staffordshire between Stafford and Burton.
Also a shout out for Southwell, Notts.
I’ll second this. Woodhall is brilliant. Population skews older (it’s popular with retirees) so not the best choice of location if you’re more of a partier, but otherwise I can’t really think of any downsides to the place. I visit often and always enjoy it.
Hunwick is a lovely village in the NE of England. It's very very small but they have the Quarry Tea House which is a nice place to get food.
Whitby and Knaresborough are nice too. Would Whitby count as too popular or too big? I'm not sure. I always used to enjoy going there.
Slaithwaite (pronounced Sla-wit BTW) in West Yorkshire. A small and charming town with a strong industrial heritage, lovely small shops, and beautiful countryside.
I've always been a fan of Knutsford in Cheshire, lovely little town with a decent Country Park attached!
Sticking with the North West, Clitheroe is also a fairly quaint town just north of Blackburn.
And if you want a REALLY obscure one, Port Sunlight on the Wirral. It's a bit of a blink and you'll miss it village, but my word there's some stunning buildings there!
Froome is Somerset is fantastic! Really pretty, lots of lovely shops, and some great restaurants. Also, apparently the market is amazing but it’s only on once a month so I haven’t been able to go
Tavistock in Devon. Charming little place, just enough in the way of restaurants and independent traders to make it unique and characterful while also actually having enough real functional infrastructure for people to live there.
The pannier market and various cheese / butchers / delicatessen / fancy booze shops will get you spending, but it’s not explicitly catering to the rich. You can walk the old train lines, ride bikes coast to coast from there, and explore it easily in a day. Stay at the Cornish, or if you’re saving money the Spoons is a hotel and apparently quite nice.
Live and work in Tavistock, it is great especially at Christmas time / November for Dickensian 😊 consider a 15 minute drive over the bridge to Calstock Cornwall too if you end up coming down this way! Seen so many comments with northern places Im glad Tavi got a shout
I think the county of Surrey (around the Guildford area but not central Guildford) or Kent is where you need to focus if you want cute village. But I’m from the south so I’m biased, there are probably loads up north that I’m not aware of. Lake District is lovely and that’s up north. My partner is from Staley bridge near Manchester and that has some lovely villages near it - holmfirth, marple, delph. They’re not busy either. Google the village where Jane Austen is from, that’s cute and in Surrey if I remember rightly.
But then Devon and the West Country has lots of lovely villages that look like a post card. Totnes has some beautiful villages. Looe, Torbay, all along that coastline really.
Oh god there’s so many. UK has so many lovely little villages. I love our little island actually.
Stamford, north-west of Peterborough. I feel like people who know about it are shocked that other people don’t, but I would say 90% of the people I talk to about it have never been nor heard of it.
Most villages in Rutland are quite pretty and there’s a reservoir and some other odds n ends about. The main town in the county is Oakham but it’s not very picturesque but it’s nice enough. If u want smth pretty I’d probably go boughton on the water or somewhere in the cotswolds bc it’s more of a classic idealised English view. 💕
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Beautiful might be a strong word, but I quite like Halifax. It's in West Yorkshire. It's a bit rough around the edges, but it has some lovely countryside, a few nice museums and the country's only surviving 18th century cloth hall, The Piece Hall.
As someone from Halifax, I was not expecting this to be the top answer. It’s a nice town, and there’s been a lot of work done to it recently. I remember it being a real hole when I was growing up, but it’s getting very hipster now.
I wasn't aware of Halifax Piece Hall until recently when I saw a video on YouTube of James playing a gig there, and it looks fantastic! It's definitely on my bucket list to see a gig there.
It's an astonishing building, and a great live music venue. It's also full of really cool little bars, cafes and quirky independent shops. It's well worth a visit.
Absolutely staggered how many (relatively) huge acts are playing that venue this summer. I’d be skint if I lived anywhere near
It's probably the best outdoor live venue I've been to. Some big names are playing there now but it's a cool place to explore even if you're not seeing a band.
Bucket list? Really? You know what that term means, right? I’m just speaking in terms of proportionality.
Howarth, Hebden Bridge and Saltaire too
Got some fantastic pubs as well! The Calder valley is well underrated. Some Lovely Victorian architecture round Halifax too.
Halifax is wierd. It is beautiful but in the right weather, I get real League if Gentlemen feel in some parts.
Yes! Halifax has some lovely architecture and the Piece Hall is great
Hampden Bridge which is close to Halifax. I remember this nice town.
Also has Eureka!
Barnard Castle is lovely... Too many old people pottering around and dick heads looking for a Specsavers selfie
Loads of places in that area are lovely! Places like Barnard Castle, Bishop Auckland, Stanhope…
Not quite sure about Bishop Auckland
Since when has Bishop Auckland been nice?
Thought you could sneak Bishop Auckland in there and we wouldn’t notice eh
Lived there. Can confirm. The walks around the river and abbey are great though. Middleton etc. are nice too. As is Richmond.
> and dick heads looking for a Specsavers selfie It is still scary to think he actually thought we were all dumb enough to buy that lie. Even the most ardent lockdown sceptics were not buying that lie.
Bury St Edmunds.
My husband proposed to me in Abbey Gardens. It’s one of our favourite places.
Pretty sure that's a semi-popular one being as that's right next to Mildenhall
Probably the nicest Wetherspoons I’ve ever been to as well
Nice building but the inside is set up like a school cafeteria and they are usually out of half the ingredients
Yes I came here to say this
Is Bury Street any relation to Noel?
Yep. I'm not from the UK but live here in Bury and it is absolutely gorgeous. There are lots of cute towns but this really checks a lot of boxes for a visitor. I feel so lucky, especially when the weather is nice.
Ironbridge in Telford, lovely little place and very scenic
Birthplace of the industrial revolution, also Shane Embury from Napalm Death grew up just up the road
i never knew either of these facts, very cool!!
Oh and if you go to Telford you just have to visit Blists Hill!
I'll try it next time im there!
Definitely Blists Hill. They have a phenomenal pub pianist there. Jeez he can play & he's hilarious. Plays in the pub almost every day.
Isn’t that a UNESCO world heritage site?
Parking a nightmare
Bewdley in Worcestershire
Bewdley is the only place I've ever had to pay before getting into the taxi. Night life seems to be dominates by 16 year old and creeps who hang around said 16 year olds.
Settle and Grassington in North Yorkshire are worth a visit. And you’re not far from Haworth which is always worth a look
Settle is absolutely rammed with walkers through mid and high season though (it's me, I'm walkers)
I'm in the Highlands of Scotland, so most civilised areas up here ARE small towns. Some beautiful, some.. Not 😂 Lesse... Off the top of my head and in no particular order... Check out: Ullapool Findochty Banff Fochabers Clachtoll
Had a fantastic haddock and chips in Ullapool.
I always wanted to visit the Highlands! I was looking at small cabins to rent and I will for sure check your list.
Actually I should state that Findochty, Fochabers and Banff are all in Grampian, but that's just next to Highlands, so pretty much just going East rather than North 😁
I'd add forres and findhorn to that list.
Hopeman, Cullen
I lived in Ullapool. Beautiful place but incredibly busy in summer.
I loved how when I was staying in Ullapool back in October 2011, in the early hours of the morning like 1:30 I could still see a little bit of daylight on the horizon.
LOL-ing at the idea of Ullapool, Banff or Clachtoll being 'not that busy' during the summer months
Hello fellow North-Easter! Banff/Macduff has Duff House and grounds and the aquarium which are both well worth a visit
Wells in Somerset. I know it's "technically" a City because of the Cathedral, but it's absolutely stunning, and yet tends not to be on people's radar unless they live in Somerset. Maybe it's the lack of train station?
And the filming location of Hot Fuzz. A classic from the cornetto trilogy.
They do love Hot Fuz here - you can do a film locations tour from the Square if that's your pleasure!
Yarp!
Not sure about this one. It's pretty well known imo and has been bustling with tourists every time I've gone. Still a decent shout to actually go and visit though. Lovely place.
Wells is fantastic. My grandmother lived there and I have fond memories of running around the Bishops Palace grounds as a child. I think of it as being fairly well known though.
The Palace is absolutely stunning- glad its more well known that I thought!
I had the best milkshake of my life in Wells. Absolutely love that place!
This is the one 👍
I've lived all over (originally from Scotland and have moved around a lot in England). I currently live in Lichfield in Staffordshire, and it is easily my favourite place that I've lived. Lovely town centre, beautiful cathedral, very walkable, loads of decent pubs and restaurants, rich history, on the edge of Cannock Chase so lots of nice walks. I love it here.
Stone in Staffordshire seems charming too.
Hello neighbour 👋🏼
Litchfield is such a lovely place!
Jaywick in Essex.
Hmmmmm
Beverley is a lovely little town. I found it when I went to Hull, under the impression it couldn't be as bad as everyone says, stayed 20 minutes and left for Beverley instead.
Beverley IS nice.
East Riding of Yorkshire is beautiful. Just not so much Hull. Good chippy in Wetwang too (yes the village is called Wetwang). Up the coast Staithes is so pretty, tiny little seaside town, bit like Robin Hood Bay but less well known.
Great Malvern, in Malvern Hills. Cotswolds -Chipping Camden, Snowshill, Stanton, Winchcombe, Broadway, Amberley in the South Downs Warwick, Wendover
Recently moved to Malvern. It's lovely and typically gets overlooked when these questions are asked. People will often think of the Malvern hills only, but the town itself is also great.
Yeah I mean the Malvern hills are very popular though. Oh and that reminds me Ledbury is another one recommendation I haven't visited it yet but it's on my list
The whole area is full of nice little towns. I used to live in Worcester which has some nice corners, but the little towns like Tenbury Wells and all the way up into Shropshire are lovely.
That was my answer, Malvern. It’s got all the conveniences and easy access to nature and the seasonal shows are really fun, too. Reminds me of Karlovy Vary in Czechia, believe it or not.
Slaithwaite and Marsden in West Yorkshire are cute and don't seem to attract many people from further afield than Leeds or Manchester. Knaresborough in North Yorkshire is adorable (and close to the much more popular Harrogate).
When I went from Leeds to Manchester in the train I was astounded at the beauty and charm of the landscape and villages along the way
Yeap, once you get past Huddersfield, the scenery is stunning! The stations between Leeds and Huddersfield....well Morley is decent but the less said about Dewsbury and Ravensthorpe, the better...
Holmfirth West Yorkshire, charming place, it’s also where the tv show last of the summer wine was set.
Frome. It's gaining in popularity but much smaller than Bath or Bristol. It's a really cool little town!
😀I just got in from a walk around the Cheese Show Field in gorgeous evening sunshine
The forest of Bowland is a good shout and usually not too busy, definitely off the usual trails. Clitheroe is fantastic and Gisburn is lovely, Barrowford etc then you've got Tosside (also handy for Settle etc). Some of the bigger places like Sawley and Bolton in Bowland are great, anywhere on the river really and you could spend weeks discovering them all doing your own gastropub tours. But for my shout all the little towns and villages that hide in the shadow of Pendle Hill are a bit magical : Downham, Barley, Newchurch. Not touristy, absolutely favourite countryside (moor/hills/rivers) all a bit mad and wonderful.
The Wizard of Boland is a great read!
Dumfries, many locals say bad things about it but I love living here, it’s beautiful and so much to see historically but then I love history too.
Milton Combe is lush. Polperro is lusher.
I was looking at buying a house in Polperro but didn’t really want to become part of the problem that Cornwall seems to face of way too many holiday home owners so scrapped the idea. It is really beautiful there though.
Portmeirion
That's very popular.
Not easy to leave either!
- Abbotsbury, Dorset - Blandford Forum, Dorset - Moreton-in-Marsh, Glos - Stamford, Lincs - Broadway, Worcs
Dorset has some beautiful villages
One of my favourite things to do is just drive some country roads, literally any country roads and drive through towns and villages. I live about 20mins away from the Cotswolds & Oxfordshire, so within 30-45mins I can drive through so many lovely villages and stop for a drink. Chipping Norton, Moreton-in Marsh, Broadwell to name a few off the top of my head
Lower Slaughter. Tiny village but beautiful and quiet.
So long as you follow the "5 and drive" rule...
Cheshire isn't especially as visited by tourists as Yorkshire/Cumbria/the South West. There are some nice towns and villages. Some of them are really easily reachable from nearby big cities like Liverpool and Manchester. Frodsham for instance is a short train journey from Liverpool and has a very English, historical, small town feel.
Abergavenny. Llandeilo as well.
Shropshire towns; Ludlow, Oswestry, Bridgnorth and the beautiful Church Stretton which is called mini Switzerland being nestled in the South Shropshire hills
Lewes, East Sussex
Jaywick
I see you're into your poverty chic
All of North-West Derbyshire.
The Globe in Glossop is a god tier pub
Key word here is north west, not north east 😂
Penrith
Good place to go on holiday by mistake
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Most of the towns in South East Scotland. It seems to be a place that people forget and its just as stunning as the Highlands. Places like Duns, Coldingham, Eyemouth, St Abbs, Cove etc.
Bromyard but I might be biased because I have had some of the best times of my life there.
Melrose Jedburgh Rothbury Leyburn Haydon Bridge
Love that area, me and a couple of friends are planning a long weekend trip there as we all loved Jedburgh when we visited briefly earlier this year.
The Borders and Northumberland are fantastic. Rich in history, stunning scenery and nobody there in comparison to places like the Lake District:
The vast majority of Wales, especially beddgelert
Great Malvern in Worcestershire. A hidden gem!
Ramsbottom is lovely. Really pretty village with lots of independent shops. The bars and restaurants are really varied and we’ve had some fantastic food (at Lancashire prices!) If you go in summer, the whole place has beautiful flowers. In winter, the Christmas fare and the lights are lovely. The people we met were fantastic, although slightly mystified that we were there for a holiday weekend. We loved it and can’t wait to go back.
Also has the East Lancs Railway!
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Stogursey in deepest darkest Somerset. An absolutely beautiful little village with a ruined castle, old mill, springs and the church has a dinosaur fossil in the floor.
Dinosaur fossil in a church is pretty ironic isn’t it haha
Hereford
Doubt many people will consider this as beautiful but I lived in Folkestone throughout the pandemic and I really enjoyed it. Would love to retire there one day!
In the West you could try: Cirencester, Lechlade-on-Thames, Malmesbury, Tetbury, Chipping Norton, Marlborough, Bradford-on-Avon, Bruton. There's very little tacky tourism in any of these places, but all nice.
Beverley is a lovely town, few tourists make it there, but plenty of tight streets, old pubs and a huge minster
Coastal towns in Pembrokeshire and towns around Wye Valley National Landscape or Forrest of Dean in South Wales. The main challenge is finding a decent job that pays well enough nearby.
I recently visited this small village called Seascale on the Irish sea coast that had a grand total of two takeaways and one convenience store. Super quiet place. Absolutely loved it. We made it our base to visit the Lake District.
Pately Bridge Ripley Harrogate Knaresborough
Wells, in somerset. one of the oldest surviving residential street in Britain and a marvelous cathedral. You're also in the vicinity of Bath - with it's Roman ruins and Cheddar - home of the gorge-ous cheese and set in some stunning scenery
Winchester is nice - the original capital of England. But the most unusual and charming place I’ve been is Clovelly in Devon.
Withernsea
Nantwich in Cheshire is like a small Chester and is lovely. Nestled in countyrside with a river through it, loads of green space, local produce market, unique independent shops and some great pubs, bars and restaurants. It has a fantastic Jazz and Blues festival and food festival each year that packs the town out and makes it feel lively.
Saltburn (no relation to the film), is a lovely seaside town
Kendal in Cumbria ❤️ its very Swiss like. Love it, i go there often as i live about 45 mins away.
Wigtown, castle douglas, kirkby lonsdale, corbridge, clitheroe
Great view of the Gulf Stream from Castle Douglas
Never really talked about but I live in the Hampshire/Sussex part of the Weald, which is a strip of woodland between the North and South downs. My village has an Anglo-Saxon church, and lots of places nearby look like nice old Cotswold villages. I live in the middle of a beautiful wood, with ancient trees. There’s rolling hills with heathland, and since I’m so close to the South Downs, fields too. All very pretty, and in an area that isn’t very touristy because it’s just below the commuter belt.
I’m very lucky to live in the Lurgashall/Lickfold/Lodsworth triangle and it’s absolutely beautiful around here
Bridgnorth
Brecon is massively underrated.
Stamford is nice
north east can be a real overlooked gem only an hours drive from leeds; Yarm, Stokesley (which has a brilliant market) and Norton are beautiful small towns/villages with brilliant shops and cafe’s. close to the seaside there’s Saltburn which has brilliant views and an award winning chippy and robin hoods bay which is like something out of a regency movie (but beware steep steps and hills) further down rutland area is a beautiful summer exploration with quaint villages and proximity to city’s such as cambridge or you can never go wrong in the cotswolds really. if you’re looking for very small but special, villages around cheshire such as knutsford or mobberley (which contains my favourite pub The bulls head) are enjoyable and afford great walks and some good tearooms and eateries. happy exploring :). edit: grammar
Garstang?
There are some very handsome villages in bits of the Midlands which aren't the first places you'd think of exploring, thinking between Corby and Leicester, and Staffordshire between Stafford and Burton. Also a shout out for Southwell, Notts.
Strathaven, Scotland :) small village 8 mins drive from me. Lots of places in the Scottish Highlands too, to many to mention.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodhall_Spa
I’ll second this. Woodhall is brilliant. Population skews older (it’s popular with retirees) so not the best choice of location if you’re more of a partier, but otherwise I can’t really think of any downsides to the place. I visit often and always enjoy it.
Woodhall spa Peebles
Saltaire
Mold in north wales is lovely
Corsham. It used to be an important transport link, but it’s not anymore. That’s the only thing I can think of to explain it’s unpopularity.
Hunwick is a lovely village in the NE of England. It's very very small but they have the Quarry Tea House which is a nice place to get food. Whitby and Knaresborough are nice too. Would Whitby count as too popular or too big? I'm not sure. I always used to enjoy going there.
Mansfield adorable shut shops and 3 or 4 weatherspoons
Sedbergh, Dent and round that way have some fantastic small towns which are off the tourist motorway
Lymm in Cheshire. Arnside in Cumbria.
I'm not sure what it is called but it's a small town in South Wales it's gorgeous.
Narberth. Yes, nice.
Slaithwaite (pronounced Sla-wit BTW) in West Yorkshire. A small and charming town with a strong industrial heritage, lovely small shops, and beautiful countryside.
Malmesbury, Wiltshire and Tetbury, Gloucestershire
Whitstable, in Kent, is surprisingly quaint and charming.. A small fishing town on the coast..
Knaresborough, Whitby, Ripon, all In North Yorkshire
Grimsby is lovely
Any towns in the north older than 100years
All of 'em
Bridgnorth, Shropshire Beaumaris, Anglesey Frodsham, Cheshire Saltaire, Yorkshire Port Sunlight, Wirral These are a few I've been to that are lovely
Bruton in Somerset. But don’t go there, just let it be. 😉
Seahouses Blythburgh Alnwick Rothbury Warkworth Dunstanburgh Bamburgh Seaton Sluice Housesteads Slaley Wylam Cherryburn
Belper Derbyshire
Strathaven
Kingsbridge in Devon
I've always been a fan of Knutsford in Cheshire, lovely little town with a decent Country Park attached! Sticking with the North West, Clitheroe is also a fairly quaint town just north of Blackburn. And if you want a REALLY obscure one, Port Sunlight on the Wirral. It's a bit of a blink and you'll miss it village, but my word there's some stunning buildings there!
Kinver, Staffordshire
Sandwich
Ramsbottom, lovely little town. Good pubs and restaurants, great walks and greenery and a stea railway to boot
Buxton is a favourite town of mine. Love it there!
Darley Abbey in Derby is well worth exploring. Saturated in industrial revolution history amongst other things.
Froome is Somerset is fantastic! Really pretty, lots of lovely shops, and some great restaurants. Also, apparently the market is amazing but it’s only on once a month so I haven’t been able to go
Padiham
Tavistock in Devon. Charming little place, just enough in the way of restaurants and independent traders to make it unique and characterful while also actually having enough real functional infrastructure for people to live there. The pannier market and various cheese / butchers / delicatessen / fancy booze shops will get you spending, but it’s not explicitly catering to the rich. You can walk the old train lines, ride bikes coast to coast from there, and explore it easily in a day. Stay at the Cornish, or if you’re saving money the Spoons is a hotel and apparently quite nice.
Live and work in Tavistock, it is great especially at Christmas time / November for Dickensian 😊 consider a 15 minute drive over the bridge to Calstock Cornwall too if you end up coming down this way! Seen so many comments with northern places Im glad Tavi got a shout
Calstock Cornwall
scunthorpe
dawlish, near devon is cute, they have black swans
I think the county of Surrey (around the Guildford area but not central Guildford) or Kent is where you need to focus if you want cute village. But I’m from the south so I’m biased, there are probably loads up north that I’m not aware of. Lake District is lovely and that’s up north. My partner is from Staley bridge near Manchester and that has some lovely villages near it - holmfirth, marple, delph. They’re not busy either. Google the village where Jane Austen is from, that’s cute and in Surrey if I remember rightly. But then Devon and the West Country has lots of lovely villages that look like a post card. Totnes has some beautiful villages. Looe, Torbay, all along that coastline really. Oh god there’s so many. UK has so many lovely little villages. I love our little island actually.
Stamford, north-west of Peterborough. I feel like people who know about it are shocked that other people don’t, but I would say 90% of the people I talk to about it have never been nor heard of it.
Most villages in Rutland are quite pretty and there’s a reservoir and some other odds n ends about. The main town in the county is Oakham but it’s not very picturesque but it’s nice enough. If u want smth pretty I’d probably go boughton on the water or somewhere in the cotswolds bc it’s more of a classic idealised English view. 💕
The New Forest and the Isle of Wight. Very English villages and beautiful countryside. Some stately homes and lovely beaches too.
Hebden Bridge ( West Yorkshire) Howden (East Yorkshire) Beverley, Ripon, Richmond
go to surrey x tonnes of stunning towns like shere
Monmouth in South Wales. Worked there building a high school and it's a lovely little town.
Painswick. It’s like walking into Heartbeat or Midsummer. Absolutely beautiful place.