From St Andrews up in Scotland to Lewes on England’s south coast, and everywhere in between, experts at The Telegraph have compiled a list of Britain’s prettiest towns.
To create the list, the news outlet gave each town an overall score out of 50 based on rankings (out of 10) in five different categories:
Shop fronts
Historic architecture
Low traffic/litter
Views
Greenery
🏡 If there’s something Britain does well, it’s towns. But which are the prettiest in Great Britain?
We’ve ranked the best and worst Britain has to offer.
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Introducing the list, The Telegraph said: “If there’s something Britain does well, it’s towns. And we have a lot of them, almost 1,250 to be precise, across England, Scotland and Wales.
“There are well-heeled towns like Henley-on-Thames, market towns like Buxton, commutable towns like Harpenden, liveable towns like Altrincham and towns to film the perfect Hovis advert in, like Shaftesbury.
“But which are the prettiest towns in Great Britain?”
Prettiest towns in Britain
The prettiest towns in Britain, according to The Telegraph, are:
Lewes, East Sussex
Queensferry, West Lothian
St David’s, Pembrokeshire
St Andrews, Fife
Ilkley, West Yorkshire
Chagford, Devon
Ludlow, Shropshire
Fowey, Cornwall
Crickhowell, Powys
Ripon, North Yorkshire
Ledbury, Herefordshire
Woodbridge, Suffolk
Holt, Norfolk
Rye, East Sussex
Why St David’s is among Britain’s prettiest towns
Although St David’s is Britain’s tiniest city, for the purpose of this study The Telegraph classed it as a town.
Why? Because, according to expert Kerry Christiani, the Pembrokeshire city is “an instant heart-stealer”.
Boasting some of the countries best historical architecture, an array of “cute pubs and tearooms” and located on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path it’s easy to see why.
Christiani said: “Pilgrims have flocked for centuries to the shrine of the country’s patron saint in its whopping cathedral, a medieval marvel hewn from local purple stone.
“The town itself is a beauty: all pastel paint jobs, cute pubs and tearooms, with the easy vibe that makes you long to move to the seaside pronto.
“And the restaurants are right up there with Wales’ best: Blas at Twr Y Felin, the forage-focused Really Wild Emporium.”
St Davids scored a perfect 10 for its historic architecture. (Image: Getty Images) But what The Telegraph expert said was “the clincher” was the location of St Davids.
Christiani explained: “You’re right on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, with trails clambering over stile and gorse-clad cliff to surf-smashed coves, prehistoric standing stones and the mile-long golden smile of Whitesands Beach.
“The four-mile ramble to St Davids Head is a knockout, with broad views out across an island-speckled sea, where dolphins, Atlantic grey seals and harbour porpoises splash.”
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The Telegraph gave St Davids an overall score of 44 (out of 50), just two points behind Lewes (East Sussex) in top spot, which scored 46.
The Pembrokeshire city scored a perfect 10 when it came to historic architecture and nine for shop fronts, views and greenery.
While it scored a seven in the low traffic/litter category.