Picturesque English Villages

~ beetleypete

The idea of the perfect English village has been promoted in books, films, and television series. Tourists from all over the world come to this country in search of them, and many still exist. Ironically, that fame has changed them in character, if not in architecture. Some can be crammed with tourists during the season, and property prices for the charming cottages in them have exploded.

Wealthy second-home owners snap up most houses that come onto the market, and local people find themselves unable to afford to live where they were brought up. Many of the villages are in the large area known as The Cotswolds, designated as an ‘Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty’. Because so many houses were built using the light-coloured Cotswold Stone, some of the villages are very similar in appearance.

These are considered to be the ‘Ten Best’.
(The photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.)

Bilbury, Gloucestershire.

Abbotsbury, close to the coast in Devon.

Bourton-On-The-Water, Gloucestershire.

Clovelly, Devon.

Polperro, Cornwall.

Naunton, Gloucestershire.

Painswick, Gloucestershire.

Port Isaac, Cornwall.

Castle Combe, Wiltshire.

Lower Slaughter, Gloucestershire.

64 thoughts on “Picturesque English Villages”

    1. Many are quite close together. You coud easily do four in one day in The Cotswolds. But make sure to go out of season. ( Best from late-September to February) or they will be too crowded with other visitors.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  8. Cornwall has more than its fair share of picturesque places, but the number of holiday homes and Airbnb lets is causing many problems as the hospitality industry cannot get staff mainly because staff cannot afford the houses prices and there are very few long term rentals any more. It’s a sad state of affairs. Shropshire and Herefordshire have some lovely villages and not so many visitors except Ludlow which attracts the foodies.

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      1. It’s definitely become busier since we moved here, from Easter to the end of September really. Hopefully people will start going back abroad now as it is very expensive to holiday down here.

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  9. All are beautiful and I would love to see those charming villages. Unfortunately, I would then become part of the problem! We have many beautiful destinations in the Pacific Northwest, especially the National Parks, and have learned to visit in the off-season since we can.

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  11. Beautiful villages Pete, but I understand the issue – in Napa Valley California, people buy second homes in wine country and prices go up and the locals who work in the industry can no longer afford to live near work!

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  13. Oh Pete, my days off, a train tri[ to a village to play cricket or to watch the paid guys play. You got my eyes watering Pete to wax sufficient superlatives. I’d appreciate more of these.

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  14. These villages are lovely. I have visited a few of them, a long time ago and even then there were tourists. Inevitable, I suppose but very sad. I never got to Bhutan but they had quite effective restrictions on tourism but situated where they are it is manageable. I think I read that they are extending the length of visas or easing up a little. I hope they preserve their country especially since Tibet is overrun now. An absolute crime.

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    1. Nothing like them, Don. It doesn’t have a village centre, no shops or pub. Most of the housing stock (including our house) was built from 1970-1990. But it has no tourists as a result, and is very peaceful.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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    1. I checked, and did comment on the post, Sue. Like you, I have been to most of these (all, I think) in the past, and have little desire to go back now they are literally swamped with tourists arriving in coach parties.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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    1. North Norfolk and The Cotswolds have been overwhelmed by second homers. (And tourists in the season) Our local news is always running features about how young people in the nice areas have been priced out of the housing market.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  20. There’s something about that style that looks inviting even when the homes are close together, connected and congested – they still look like warm and homey.

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  22. It is a shame how the locals have been priced out of these villages. Sam has an aunt in Abbottsbury, who has lived there for years. There’s a picturesque, thatched roof- street on the IOW that draws the tourists, probably the prettiest street on the Island. It’s called Winkle Street, and you can probably Google it these days.

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  24. Sadly it’s the crowds…..people travelling for miles, desperately looking for parking….and then walking through these picturesque and unaffordable villages that has changed the landscape forever – and yes for those who grew up in these places they are no longer for them – which is very sad. Simply put, we have too many people, and not enough space….and as you pointed out in your previous blog about London….foreign money purchasing so many places for the occasional weekend!! Thanks Pete

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    1. Even out of season, the Cotswolds can be full of tourists. I once went for a long weekend to Burford in the month of January, and even then parking for visitors was hard to find.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  26. Pingback: Picturesque English Villages | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

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