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Bristol Post
Bristol Post
National
Anita Merritt & Ellie Kendall

Privately-owned village less than three hours from Bristol among UK's 'most beautiful places'

If you're looking for a new beautiful place to visit, then a new list of the top 50 most beautiful places in the UK might include some ideas for you. What's more, there are at least a couple that won't take you too long a drive from Bristol to venture to.

The list includes the likes of Oxford and Cambridge, the white cliffs of Dover, Loch Ness in Scotland and Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, to name a few. But, closer to home you also have destinations such as Cheddar Gorge, Tintern Abbey, Durdle Door and Castle Combe.

If you fancied a drive down to our nearby holiday hotspots in Devon and Cornwall, the list also features the Minack Theatre, Keynance Cove, St Michael's Mount and a lesser-known beauty spot - the village of Clovelly. The ancient fishing village in Devon has been ranked at number 26 in the list and is famous for being one of the UK's only privately-owned villages.

Read more: Pretty village half an hour from Bristol with an Abbey and loads of pubs

Situated two-and-a-half hours' drive from Bristol, on the side of a 400ft cliff above Bideford Bay, the write-up in Big 7 Travel's list describes it as treating residents and visitors to 'magnificent views - walk the steep cobblestone streets and take in the scenery'. It goes on to say: "While 500 people call Clovelly home, visitors do have to pay an entrance fee - every penny goes towards the village and maintaining its Elizabethan charm."

According to Devon Live, the estate of Clovelly originally belonged to William the Conqueror and remained in royal hands until 1242. The village is now owned by John Rous who inherited it from his mother, Mary Rous, in early 1983.

And the village is no stranger to featuring among polls of the best spots around. Back in 2022, the Milky Way Adventure Park in Clovelly was named the UK's top ranked amusement park on TripAdvisor and it was one of 11 categories in the platform's 2022 Traveller's Choice Best of the Best Things to Do Awards.

Prior to that, in 2021, Clovelly was named one of the UK's most Christmassy locations, voted the fifth best place in the country for a festive staycation and was the only place in Devon to make the list in a survey carried out by holiday lettings company holidaycottages.co.uk. And in 2020 it was dubbed the UK's most 'Instagrammable' place, according to Google.

Despite being perched on a 400ft cliff and with a strict ban on vehicles, Clovelly is renowned for its unique charms, including its cobbled streets, picturesque cottages, incredible views and even a friendly donkey or two. And all this surely makes it well worth a visit.

Big 7 Travel's list of the UK's Top 50 most beautiful places in full

50. Port Sunlight, the Wirral – England

49. The Dark Hedges – Northern Ireland

48. Cheddar Gorge – England

47. Belfast – Northern Ireland

46. Isle of Muck – Scotland

45. Dolgellau, Snowdonia National Park – Wales

44. Eilean Donan – Scotland

43. Oxford – England

42. Glen Nevis – Scotland

41. St. Michael’s Mount – England

40. The Orkney Islands – Scotland

39. Isle of Mull and Iona – Scotland

37. The Isles of Scilly – England

36. Brighton – England

35. Stratford upon Avon – England

34. Loch Ness – Scotland

33. Isle of Staffa – Scotland

32. The Shambles, York – England

31. Bamburgh Castle – England

30. Shaftesbury – England

29. Tintern Abbey – Wales

28. Chalcot Crescent, London – England

27. Kynance Cove – England

26. Clovelly Village, Devon – England

25. Eoligarry Beach, Isle of Barra – Scotland

24. Dunnottar Castle – Scotland

23. High Force Waterfalls – England

22. Kinbane Castle – Northern Ireland

21. Glenfinnan Viaduct – Scotland

20. Tollymore Forest Park – Northern Ireland

19. Gower Peninsula – Wales

18. The Shetland Islands – Scotland

17. Dean Village – Scotland

16. White Cliffs of Dover – England

15. Giant’s Causeway – Northern Ireland

14. Conwy Castle – Wales

13. Durdle Door, Dorset

12. Loch Lomond & The Trossachs – Scotland

11. Minack Theatre, Cornwall

10. Devil’s Pulpit, Finnich Glen – Scotland

9. Three Cliffs Bay – Wales

8. Castle Combe, the Cotswolds – England

7. Edinburgh – Scotland

6. Cambridge – England

5. Pembrokeshire Coast – Wales

4. Bath – England

3. The Lake District – England

2. Snowdonia National Park – Wales

1. Isle of Skye – Scotland

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