England's Prettiest Counties?

Country Life magazine has published a survey naming the county of Devon as "the best place to be", based on 13 criteria, including landscape value, tranquility, wildlife diversity, sunshine hours, and National Trust sites.

All counties that gained 7 points or more out of 10 for 'landscape' are listed below. Scottish and Welsh counties do not appear in the survey, but I've loved all the ones I've visited so far! Images from some of these counties (all photographs by the webmaster of Beautiful Britain) can be seen on the wallpaper pages of this web site, where they can be downloaded as Desktop Wallpaper.

Clicking on the pictures gives more information about the location
Bold print in the tables indicates a maximum score in the survey

Devon

Yorkshire

Northumberland

Cumbria

Buckland-in-the-Moor Ryburn Reservoir - Ripponden St. Mary's Lighthouse Wast Water

Landscape 10 / 10

Tranquility 9/10
Wildlife 4/5
Sunshine 5/10
Nat. Trust sites 5/5

Landscape 9/10

Tranquility 5/10
Wildlife 4/5
Sunshine 2/10
Nat. Trust sites 4/5

Landscape 9/10

Tranquility 10/10
Wildlife 4/5
Sunshine 1/10
Nat. Trust sites 2/5

Landscape 8/10

Tranquility 10/10 Wildlife 4/5
Sunshine 1/10
Nat. Trust sites 4/5

Devon has a rugged coastline, ancient woodland - such as at Buckland-in-the-Moor (picture one above) and wild areas such as Dartmoor. Large parts of Devon have been designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It has 55 National Trust sites and two National Parks.

Clicking on the pictures gives more information about the location

Cornwall

Norfolk

Dorset

Somerset

Mevagissey Harbour Blakeney Gold Hill - Shaftesbuty Dunster

Landscape 8/10

Tranquility 8/10
Wildlife 3/5
Sunshine 7/10
Nat. Trust sites 2/5

Landscape 8/10

Tranquility 8/10
Wildlife 5/5
Sunshine 6/10
Nat. Trust sites 2/5

Landscape 8/10

Tranquility 8/10
Wildlife 5/5
Sunshine 7/10
Nat. Trust sites 3/5

Landscape 7/10

Tranquility 7/10
Wildlife 3/5
Sunshine 5/10
Nat. Trust sites 3/5

Quality of landscape is a very subjective issue. The Royal Family owns much of the land around Bowland in Lancashire. Lancashire scored only 2/10 in the Country Life survey, but it's often claimed that if the Queen was to retire she would spend much of her retirement in the Clitheroe / Bowland area.

Dunsop Bridge in the Trough of Bowland - Lancashire, has been officially declared by ordnance surveys as the nearest village to the exact centre of the British Isles.

Lancashire has much to offer in terms of landscape, yet scored a paltry 2 out of 10 for landscape in the Country Life survey. The pictures below were all taken in Lancashire, so you can judge for yourself the quality of the landscape. I've no 'axe to grind' here, as I was born in the Yorkshire Dales!

Clicking on the pictures gives more information about the location

Lancashire - (the area in which this web site is based) only scored 2 out of 10 in the Country Life Survey for landscape!

Crook O' Lune Pendle Hill Leighton Moss Calf Heys - Rossendale

Tranquility 5/10 - Wildlife 4/5 - Sunshine 6/10 - Nat. Trust sites 1/5

Maybe Bill Bryson (the American author) has the right approach. In his book © Notes from a Small Island he says :-

"In the space of a moment, I realised what it was that I loved about Britain — which is to say all of it. Every last bit of it, good and bad — Marmite, village fetes, country lanes, people saying ‘mustn’t grumble’, people apologising to me when I conk them with a careless elbow, milk in bottles, beans on toast, haymaking in June, stinging nettles, seaside piers, Ordnance Survey maps, crumpets, hot-water bottles as a necessity, drizzly Sundays — every bit of it.

What other country after all, could possibly have come up with place names like Tooting Bec and Farleigh Wallop, or a game like cricket that goes on for three days and never seems to start?

Who else would think it not the least bit odd to make their judges wear little mops on their heads? None of course.

The fact is that this is still the best place in the word for most things —post a letter, go for a walk, watch television, buy a book, venture out for a drink, go to a museum, use the bank, get lost, seek help, or stand on a hillside and take in a view. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I like it here."

Text above © "Notes from a Small Island" by Bill Bryson - ISBN 0380727501

On March 6th 2003 "Notes from a Small Island" was voted as the book that best evokes the spirit of modern Britain. This is a brilliantly written, humorous book about the quirkiness of Britain and its people. And what do we British people do when we read it? We laugh at ourselves - Something else we're good at ! Bill settled in the Yorkshire Dales, moved back to America for a time, but is now back in England, living in Norfolk.

Bill Bryson books can be purchased on the Internet from a variety of sources, including the Amazon web site.

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