100 Prettiest Villages in Engand
 

We're planning a 3-week trip to England this summer and we'd like to visit some picturesque villages.<BR>Which are your favorites? Which ones shouldn't we miss?<BR><BR>Thanks for any help!

In random order (and mostly Cotswolds) The Swells and Slaughters<BR>Bourton on the Water<BR>Burford<BR>Port Isaac<BR>

CASTLE COMBE (Cotswolds)<BR>Once voted 'prettiest village in England'<BR><BR>SELWORTHY (Exmoor, Somerset)<BR>Chocolate-box National Trust village of thatched cottages<BR><BR>CLOVELLY (North Devon)<BR>Picture-postcard village overlooking the sea<BR><BR>BOURTON-ON-THE-WATER (Cotswolds)<BR>(Ditto Sheila's suggestion). A real delight in the evening once the tourist coaches have gone <BR><BR>LACOCK (Wiltshire)<BR>Another National Trust protected gem<BR><BR>Steve<BR>

You're planning to visit 100 villages in 3 weeks? Very ambitious!

Avoid the Cotswolds unless there's an R in the month.<BR>Suffolk is handy for London and is not too touristy. Lavenham and Southwold are really small towns not villages. Lavenham has houses which were built with unseasoned wood and so are twisted and uneven. Southwold is a pretty, unspoiled little seaside town with a common.Try Constable country, places like Flatford and East Bergholt. There are lots of pretty villages, e.g. Thorpness with it's "house in the sky", Clare, Walberswick and Dunwich which used to be a big town but which has gradually been eaten by the North Sea.

Have you seen the book called "The Most Beautiful Villages of England"?<BR><BR>http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...521883-9572959

I agree on Suffolk and East Anglia in general. The area around Lavenham is rich in great villages, especially Kersey. You can start in Cambridge and work eastward.<BR><BR>In the west, Winsford in Somerset is gorgeous, especially the very nice inn, see http://www.royaloak-somerset.co.uk/ - somewhat inconvenient to get to, which is an advantage.<BR><BR>There are a handful of superb stone villages in the Yorkshire Dales, far from undiscovered, of course.

St. Ives!! (southwest- in Cornwall)

Bath may not be the most picturesque, but was definitely one of my favorites - very friendly in addition to interesting history, take the free walking tour by the locals. Bourton-on-the-water is like a story book. Stratford-upon-Avon is also a must see.

St. Mawes (Cornwall)<BR>Great Tew (Oxfordshire, I think)<BR>Port Isaac (Cornwall)<BR>Bourton on the Water (in the evening after the tourists leave) (Cotswolds)<BR>Chipping Campden (") (")<BR>Criccieth (N. Wales)<BR>Cropredy (Oxfordshire)<BR>Epperstone (Nottinghamshire)<BR>Sibford Gower (Oxfordshire)<BR>Burwash (Sussex)

There are so many I'm sure... some of my favorites...the medieval village of Stanton, Lower Slaughter and Great Tew which are all in the Cotswolds. Stanton and Great Tew are definitely sleepy-little-villages-off-the-beaten-path.

POLPERRO (Cornwall)<BR>Picturesque fishing village<BR><BR>LYMOUTH (N. Devon)<BR>Attractive seaside village in wonderful setting<BR><BR>PAINSWICK<BR>'Queen of the Cotswolds'<BR><BR>

Hi, I've heard nice things about Amberley down near Arundel. Has anyone been there? My recommendation is probably the smallest, it's Monkton Farleigh near Bradford on Avon. Tiny, tiny, tiny, but with a wonderful B & B called Fern Cottage. Perfect location for driving into the Cotswolds or west to Exmoor or south to Lyme Regis. We spent seven nights in their little carriage house and never ran out of places to visit. J.

I've been to Amberley - it's beautiful. Of course, I may be a little biased as it's where we got engaged last year, but it is very pretty. It's quite small though, and probably not worth travelling to unless you're in the area anyway. There is a fantastic place to stay - Amberley Castle - www.amberleycastle.co.uk and a pottery. Other than that, there are just the usual church, pubs and houses.

TTT

Most of these seem to be in the southern half of England. <BR>Does anyone have suggestions for picturesque villages in the North?

Lynton/Lynmouth in Exmoor<BR>Lyme Regis

2nd vote for St. Ives in Cornwall... I want to retire there!

I second the Lynmouth vote. We were there on our honeymoon. From the Rough Guide "Lynmouth...lies in a spot described by Gainsborough as the most delightful place for a landscape painter this country can boast." Shelley honeymooned here, too!

This list is just wonderful!! Can anyone help with attractive villages I shouldn't miss in Northern England and the Midlands too?<BR>Thanks so much for all your suggestions.<BR>Please keep them coming!