The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
Pick your perfect British village
For every tourist honeypot featured in the likes of ‘Downton Abbey’, there is an idyllic equivalent with great pubs, historic churches and a real sense of community. Oliver Smith introduces 25 of the best, chosen by our experts
For evidence that many of Britain’s most eye-catching villages have been spoiled by mass tourism, look no further than a recent Telegraph travel report. “All summer long, people peer through our windows and tour guides bellow out the same infuriating jokes,” lamented Mark McArthur-Christie, a resident of Bampton, Oxfordshire. “We’ve lost the peace we came to the country to enjoy.”
His village remained relatively obscure until 2010, when it appeared in ITV’s period drama Downton Abbey.
Ever since then, it has been a firm fixture for coach tourists. “We call them the ‘Downton Peeries’ because of their habit of cupping their hands against private house windows and peering inside,” McArthur-Christie added.
Television fame provides a rapid route to staycation stardom, but it isn’t a necessity. Good looks, convenience for day-trippers and a few influential endorsements can be enough to turn what was once a peaceful village into a battleground inundated with selfie stick-wielding tourists from April until
October. For the Cotswolds, think Castle Combe and Bourton-on-theWater; for Cornwall, consider Polperro and Mousehole – all now exist largely to serve tourists, not residents.
Fortunately, there are still plenty of beautiful, uncrowded British villages that retain their authentic character, where medieval pubs and churches remain the beating heart of village life, and welcoming shopkeepers stock treats from local producers.
Here are some of the most idyllic, chosen by Telegraph Travel experts.