Quiet rural escapes in Britain off the beaten path.
Less-touristed rural getaways in Britain, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Hatherleigh's November carnival — two flaming tar barrel runs through a Devon market town — sets the tone for the kind of rural Britain this list is built around: places with their own calendars, their own rhythms. From the Somerset Levels hamlet of Cocklake to the hilltop ridge of Gringley on the Hill, and deep into the Powys uplands around Beguildy and Felin-fach, these 15 picks reward travelers who want countryside that still belongs to the people living in it.
Hatherleigh
A modest market town in West Devon known for its November carnival, which features two flaming tar barrel runs, and a weekly livestock market that has served…
Cocklake
A quiet Somerset hamlet on the Somerset Levels, Cocklake sits within the historic Isle of Wedmore parish, where a traditional village pub and listed stone-an…
Felin-fach
This compact Welsh village in Powys near Brecon, where stone-and-render cottages line quiet lanes close to the upland country of the Brecon Beacons, with two…
Lifton
A tiny Devon village where two rivers meet near the Cornwall border, anchored by a handsome stone-built inn lining the quiet main street, with rolling upland…
Gringley on the Hill
This small Nottinghamshire village set on a hilltop ridge, where a substantial golden-stone medieval church with a battlemented tower rises above a well-kept…
West Coker
This Somerset village where thatched stone cottages and traditional pubs line a quiet country road, offering an authentic slice of rural English heritage wit…
West Chinnock
Stone cottages with thatched roofs line a quiet Somerset lane in this pocket-sized village, where flower-filled gardens, rolling green hills, and a heritage-…
Beguildy
A little Welsh village in Powys near the headwaters of the River Teme, with a 15th-century church screen and the remains of a Norman motte-and-bailey castle…
Llandre
Compact Welsh village in Ceredigion's wooded valley country, with stone-walled cottages lining a quiet road beneath bare-treed hillsides, offering a peaceful…
Wookey
This Somerset village on the River Axe, just west of Wells, Wookey is often confused with its better-known neighbour Wookey Hole, home to the famous caves.
Great Witley
This red-brick Georgian manor house set among rolling Worcestershire farmland typifies this small village in the Malvern Hills District, where open arable fi…
Nether Compton
This small Dorset hamlet where a weathered stone church tower rises above honey-coloured walls and flowering lilac, offering a quiet lane-side walk through a…
Prees
A small Shropshire village close to the England–Wales border, where a battlemented stone church tower rises above a broad, tree-lined churchyard, offering a…
Upper Broadheath
A tiny hamlet in Worcestershire sitting right at the water's edge, with upland country close by and listed heritage architecture nearby, making it a quiet ba…
Sennybridge
A tiny upland hamlet in Wales sitting right at the water's edge, Sennybridge offers a rugged rural base for exploring the surrounding hills and the wider reg…