Wells in Somerset has officially been crowned the best of all the UK’s inland towns and villages. Yep, despite it technically being a city – even if it is one of the UK’s smallest cities.
That’s according to Which, the UK’s largest consumer body. The company came to its conclusion after surveying over 9,000 of its members, who judged the contenders based on seven categories. These included food and drink scenes, tourist attractions, levels of peace and quiet and value for money.
Wells secured five out of five stars in the tourist attractions and attractiveness categories, as well as four stars in the remaining attributes.
Some of Wells’ highlights include its huge medieval cathedral and the adjoining Vicar’s Close, which is thought to be the only complete medieval street left in England. The village also happens to have starred in ‘Wolf Hall’, the ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ movie and ‘Hot Fuzz’. Though if you’re planning a visit, rest assured – no murderous OAPs actually reside here.
Following closely behind in second and third place was the village of Avebury in Wiltshire, famed for its 5,000-year-old Neolithic stone circle, and Corfe Castle in Dorset, which was built by William the Conqueror in the eleventh century and was a favourite haunt of Enid Blyton.
Here’s the list of the top ten best villages and small towns in the UK, according to Which.
- Wells, Somerset
- Avebury, Wiltshire
- Corfe Castle, Dorset
- Port Sunlight, Merseyside
- Grasmere, Cumbria
- Lavenham, Suffolk
- Llangollen, Denbighshire, North Wales
- Ludlow, Shropshire
- Stamford, Lincolnshire
- Cartmel, Cumbria
Keen to find out more? You can read the full ranking on the Which website here.
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