What are the ingredients for a perfect English holiday?

The ideal 24 hours might begin with eggs and bacon or buttery kippers from the local farm shop, before a morning admiring Chippendales and Gainsboroughs at a sumptuous stately home – or dahlias and delphiniums at an RHS garden. For lunch, how about fish and chips wrapped in newspaper, overlooking a Blue Flag beach? Those calories could be burned off in the afternoon, with a long walk – beside a lake, through ancient woodland, up a fell or across a lonely moor – and replenished with a pint of proper beer in a creaking village pub.

To finish, how about some luxury? A Michelin-starred supper, washed down with a bottle of English sparkling wine, before a night in a king-sized bed at a country house hotel. There would be fellow walkers on the footpaths and drinkers in the pub, but no crowds or queues. At night, the stars would be visible and the rumble of motorways and high-speed trains mercifully absent.

It was with these things in mind that Telegraph Travel sought to identify the greatest English county of them all – the corner of our green and pleasant land that offers what holidaymakers treasure in the greatest abundance. We compared the 48 contenders across 33 criteria over four main categories: Natural Wonders (e.g. lakes, forests, mountains, beaches), History and Culture (e.g. museums, castles, cathedrals), Luxuries (e.g. hotels, spas, restaurants), and Peace and Quiet (e.g. population density, dark skies).

It was a closely fought contest, with just a handful of points separating some of the top 10, but after carefully crunching the data (see ‘Our methodology’, below), one county emerged – by a comfortable margin – as the finest.

Few will be too surprised by its identity. After all, with its rolling green hills, thatched villages and dune-backed beaches, nowhere is quite so quintessentially English.

“Splendidly scruffy with an agricultural soul, Dorset is Thomas Hardy and Mary Anning country, particularly the west where rolling fields abruptly meet layered cliffs and wild beaches.”

Consider Dorset and your mind’s eye probably pictures the spectacular Jurassic Coast – the seemingly endless expanse of Chesil Beach, the sweeping dunes of Studland, and the rugged formations of Durdle Door and Old Harry’s Rocks – and Dorset’s seaside certainly helped propel it into our top 10. It has more Blue Flag beaches (14) than any county – a fact worth 48 points, its 174km coastline is the ninth longest, and its World Heritage status boosted its score further. But there’s plenty beyond the shoreline too, from glorious countryside (Dorset’s two AONBs bagged it 20 points and it is England’s ninth most forested county, with woodland accounting for 10.8% of its total area) to stately homes (its 12 National Trust properties were worth 39 points) to delicious local produce (28 points were awarded for its four culinary creations with protected status: West Country Lamb, West Country Beef, Dorset Blue and West Country Farmhouse Cheddar). What’s more, visitors can also enjoy Premier League football, thanks to Bournemouth FC (providing a 20-point bonus).  

Run by the National Trust, Brownsea Island is one of the last English strongholds of the red squirrel – and the birthplace of Scouting and Guiding. 

The Pig on the Beach: “This small group’s winning formula benefits from the Jurassic Coast’s beauty at its Dorset outpost. It’s all about warm interiors imbued with a sense of nostalgia, informal yet pin-sharp service, and a locavore-friendly restaurant worth pigging out in.”

“Norfolk’s vast sandy beaches are its chief draw for visitors: even on the busiest summer day there is always space for games, kite-flying or a family picnic in the dunes.”

For a seaside break far from the maddening crowds, Norfolk is hard to beat. 

Its 200kms of coastline earned it 38 points, its six Blue Flag beaches (Sheringham, Cromer, Mundesley, Sea Palling, East Runton and West Runton) a further 24, and it is one of England’s most clement counties, with just 668mm of rainfall a year (half as much as Cornwall’s 1,241mm). Furthermore, it has a population density of only 440 people per square mile (the ninth lowest of any county), while the absence of a motorway, of any high-speed railways, and of a city or town with a population greater than 150,000, was worth a total of 60 points. Add the bucolic Norfolk Broads (recognised as a National Park, so worth 30 points), seven RSPB reserves (worth 35 points), and plenty of tree-hugging opportunities (9.8 per cent of the county is woodland), and it adds up to a holiday that promises to slow the pulse. 

Join a boat trip to Blakeney Point Nature Reserve to see common and grey seals basking at the water’s edge, and then do your own basking at Holkham Beach, one of Britain’s finest stretches of sand.

The Blakeney Hotel: “This grande dame of Norfolk opened in 1922 and offers grandstand views towards Blakeney Point over moored boats, narrow creaks and the atmospheric salt marshes.”

“London has something for everyone, from grisly history to jaw-dropping modern architecture, from high culture to a dining scene that rivals any city in the world.”

Where Norfolk slows the heart rate, London quickens it. Yes, it nabbed the wooden spoon in the Peace and Quiet category, thanks to its population density of 14,690 people per square mile (for Northumberland, England’s quietest county, the figure is 170), but as top dog for both Luxuries and History and Culture, few would argue that it doesn’t deserve a place in the top 10.

It has more luxury hotels and Michelin stars than the rest of England combined, four World Heritage Sites (worth 80 points), 514 museums and galleries (48 points), seven award-winning spas (35 points), has produced 15 Mercury Prize winners (40 points) – a testament to its unbeatable music scene – and offers Premier League Football, Premiership Rugby and First Class Cricket (worth a total of 60 points). 

Is it even a county? Having been formed from parts of Middlesex, Essex, Surrey, Kent and Hertfordshire, traditionalists might balk at its inclusion at all. But that was way back in 1965 – it’s time to move forward, folks. London always does. 

Two must-dos in London are afternoon tea and finding somewhere high to check out the cityscape. At Aqua Shard, a slick British restaurant and bar on the 31st floor of London’s tallest skyscraper, you can do both.

The Goring: “A favourite of dowager duchesses, lords, ladies and assorted gentlefolk for over a century.”

“Hampshire’s landscapes are wonderfully varied, from the sweeping chalk uplands of the South Downs to the blustery Solent shore.”

Hampshire has never quite made it onto Britain’s tourism hot list – which is a surprise when one examines the stats that propelled it into our top 10. It has two national parks (the New Forest and the South Downs) and three AONBs (Chichester Harbour, Cranborne Chase and the West Wiltshire Downs, and the North Wessex Downs), worth a total of 90 points.

Thanks largely to the New Forest, it comes third for woodland as a percentage of its total area (behind only Surrey and West Sussex), raising its score by 46. It has two cathedrals (Winchester and Portsmouth), worth 40 points. It is one of only two counties (alongside Cornwall) with not one but two International Dark Sky Reserves, adding 40 points. There’s culture too, with 105 museums and galleries, 15 English Heritage properties, and both First Class Cricket and Premier League football (step forward, Southampton – for now).

In the New Forest, you can walk or cycle on miles of paths and tracks through leafy glades and pretty villages, beneath towering redwoods and across gorse-covered heathland where wild ponies graze.

Lime Wood: “A petite, buttercream-coloured country house hotel located within the sylvan New Forest National Park.”

“Kent combines famous attractions, from Canterbury Cathedral to the packed sands of Margate, with old-fashioned country pubs, tree-shaded trails and beaches that see more seagulls than sunbathers.”

The Garden of England scored poorly for Peace and Quiet, thanks to its high population density (1,280 people per square mile), clutch of motorways, high-speed railway and major freight port. But in every other category it excelled.

It has 27 English Heritage properties, more than any other county (a fact worth 48 points). It produced four Gold medal-winning wines at the 2022 Decanter Awards, also a record (and worth 40 points). Its 163 museums and galleries surpass all but three of its rivals (garnering 45 points). Only the Isle of Wight enjoys more hours of sunshine than Kent’s 1,744. Add to the mix two AONBs (High Weald and the Kent Downs), 183kms of coastline, six RSPB reserves, three food and drink creations with protected status (Whitstable Oysters, East Kent Goldings and Kentish Ale), two cathedrals (Canterbury and Rochester) and First Class Cricket, and you’ve got all the ingredients for English holiday heaven. It’s far more than a commuter belt. 

The North Downs Way traces an ancient pilgrims’ trail that once led all the way to Rome, with dizzying sea views on the section from Wye to Dover.

Chilston Park Hotel: “Set in glorious parkland, this is a classic country house hotel, and awash with original 17th-century features and antiques.”

“A few days of breathing fresh, clean Cornish air, eating fish straight from the sea and sleeping deeply in a clifftop eyrie is the perfect antidote to the stress of city living.”

Love it for its rugged shoreline and golden sands, or hate it because every man and his dog makes a beeline there come summer, Cornwall’s charms are undeniable. Chief among them is the aforementioned coast, all 841kms of it (a record – and worth 48 points), which has AONB status (adding 10 points), is adorned with nine Blue Flag beaches (36 points), and is roasted by 1,636 hours of sunshine a year (20 points). There’s also a burgeoning culinary scene, with three Michelin-starred restaurants (20 points) making full use of its local ingredients (the county’s seven foods with protected status – West Country Lamb, West Country Beef, West Country Farmhouse Cheddar, Cornish Clotted Cream, Cornish Sardines, Fal Oysters and the humble Cornish Pasty – are worth 49 points), and a surfeit of history – no county has more National Trust listings (47, adding 48 points), and its mining landscape has Unesco World Heritage status (20 points).

With two Dark Sky Reserves, no major cities or motorways, and a low population density (410 people per square mile), Cornwall also scored very highly for Peace and Quiet. So long as you avoid August, that is…

A show at the magical open-air Minack Theatre. Book well in advance and bring warm windproof clothes and a rug – even on a summer’s evening.

The Scarlet: “An adults-only, eco-friendly retreat where lashings of style and comfort are combined with breathtaking sea vistas.”

“Somerset’s landscapes are rich in legend, from the lush fields of ‘Avalon’ to Cheddar Gorge and the wilds of Exmoor.”

The archetypal “green and pleasant land”, steeped in Arthurian folklore, and home to Bath, a double World Heritage Site and arguably the most visually arresting city in the whole of England, Somerset’s position at the business end of our rankings is incontrovertible. On top of Exmoor National Park (worth 30 points), its five AONBs – Blackdown Hills, Cotswolds, Cranborne Chase and the West Wiltshire Downs, Mendip Hills and Quantock Hills – are a record (and worth 50 more). It has 25 National Trust listings and 13 English Heritage properties, for a further 84 points. Its five protected food and drink products (West Country Lamb, West Country Beef, Exmoor Jersey Blue, West Country Farmhouse Cheddar, Somerset Cider Brandy) snaffle it another 35. Four RSPB reserves – where you can watch starlings murmurate in winter – are another highlight. And with a low population density, some of England’s darkest skies and no high-speed rail, major city, freight port or international airport, its Peace and Quiet credentials are hard to top.

Nor is it resting on its bucolic laurels, with luxury hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants popping up in its increasingly stylish market towns. Rich in history, but with its finger on the pulse.

Glastonbury Tor, topped by 14th-century St Michael’s Tower, offers extensive views across the Somerset Levels.

The Newt: “Quite simply one of the most exceptional country house hotels Britain has ever seen.”

“One of the charms of Yorkshire is its ability to surprise, effortlessly segueing from one landscape to another, and from bustling town to empty horizon.”

A united Yorkshire would wipe the floor with the rest of England, scoring well in excess of 1,000 points. Luckily for the competition, this behemoth was quartered in 1974, becoming North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and Humberside (now East Riding). Nevertheless, its largest section still slips easily into our top three.

When one imagines Yorkshire – God’s Own Country – it is North Yorkshire that they envisage, a land of windswept moors, rugged fells, photogenic sheep, drystone walls and endless pots of tea. Here you’ll find two national parks (North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales) and four AONBs (Forest of Bowland, Howardian Hills, Nidderdale and North Pennines), amassing 100 points, two cathedrals (York and Ripon), for a further 40, the Studley Royal Park World Heritage Site (20 points), 166 museums and galleries (46 points), 15 National Trust listings (42 points), 23 English Heritage properties (45 points) and an RHS garden (20 points).

Then there’s its 152kms of seaside (30 points), home to lovable resorts such as Filey, Scarborough and Whitby, and an ever-increasing number of luxury hotels, spas and Michelin-starred restaurants (only Greater London could trump it in the Luxury category). In fact, the only area where North Yorkshire fell down was the weather: its annual 1,386 hours of sunshine was the fourth lowest – lower than Lancashire, even – and its 943mms of rainfall the ninth highest. Pack a brolly.

Wharfedale, arguably the most attractive of the dales with its rounded fells, soft green valley sides criss-crossed by dry-stone walls, and handsome stone villages.

Grantley Hall: “In film-set-perfect parkland and with Palladian good looks, this hotel fires on five-star cylinders.”

“With more than a dozen lakes, craggy fells, tumbling waterfalls, and timeless villages of whitewashed cottages, the pull is irresistible.” 

Cumbria is synonymous with the Lake District, and this expanse of glorious waters and soaring peaks was a key factor behind its lofty ranking. It has both World Heritage and National Park status, worth 50 points. The Lake District’s highest point, Scafell Pike, reaches 978 metres, making Cumbria England’s highest county (for a further 48 points). The presence of such an extensive protected area also helps explain why it bagged 127 points in the Peace and Quiet category.

We were a little surprised, however, to learn that Cumbria is not England’s most lake-covered county. According to the Ordnance Survey only 1.5 per cent of its surface area is water, putting it in seventh place, behind Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Surrey, Berkshire, Cambridgeshire and runaway winner Rutland – the real Lake District. Still, it was worth another 39 points.

There’s much more to Cumbria than meres and mountains, however. Its oft-overlooked 247km coastline is England’s fourth longest (worth 42 points) and showcases two AONBs (for another 40) – Arnside and Silverdale and the Solway Coast. Then there’s its 10 Michelin stars (45 points), 25 National Trust listings (46 points) and 24 English Heritage properties (46 points). Were it not for the decidedly dicey weather – Cumbria is the county with both the fewest hours of annual sunshine (1,352) and the most rain (1,532mms) – we’d probably be crowning it the winner. 

The Lake District’s most picturesque valley: Borrowdale, where you can enjoy stunning views to Cat Bells and Skiddaw.

Gilpin Hotel & Lake House: “The epitome of a modern country house hotel pimped up with a dash of bling.”

“Holidays in Devon are simple, wholesome and old-fashioned. A trip here mixes two of life’s loveliest pleasures: delicious food and the great outdoors.”

Devon didn’t just top our rankings – it blew away the competition, with 79 points separating it from second-placed Cumbria. In a nip-and-tuck competition, this represented a chasm. 

Simply put, it has everything. Two national parks and five AONBs (worth a total of 110 points), 13 Blue Flag beaches (52 points) along its 495kms of coast (46 points – second only to Cornwall). Nine RSPB reserves (45 points), an RHS garden (20 points), and vast tracts of woodland (9.9 per cent of Devon is tree-covered, according to the Ordnance Survey, a fact worth 38 points). That’s the natural wonders covered. 

As for history and culture, there’s 177 museums and galleries (47 points), 34 National Trust listings (47 points), 13 English Heritage properties (38 points), and – in Exeter – a cathedral (20 points) and Premiership Rugby to enjoy (20 points). 

After a day of hiking and sightseeing, you’ll need a decent supper and somewhere nice to lay your weary head, and Devon provides, with four Michelin-starred restaurants (25 points) and a couple of hotels with 5 AA Red Stars (Gidleigh Park in Chagford and Bovey Castle in Moretonhampstead). 

It’s not without its faults, of course – parts of it are becoming overwhelmed by tourism – but it’s the English county that comes closest to perfection. You can’t argue with science.

Dartmoor National Park, a mythical world of Bronze Age hut circles, remote hamlets, ancient glades and open moors.

Lympstone Manor: “Britain’s most exciting new country house hotel in decades, with BBC Great British Menu icon Michael Caines at the helm, and showstopping Michelin-starred food.”

Devon took the top prize in our study, but when we opened up the floor to our Twitter followers another winner emerged.

Over the course of three weeks this summer we hosted the Twitter Cup of English Counties, featuring a series of polls. The 48 English counties were divided into 12 groups of four, with the winners and the four best runners-up advancing to the semi-finals. 

To nobody’s shock, Devon, Cornwall and North Yorkshire won their semi-finals – but there was a surprise in the final poll, with Shropshire thrashing Dorset, Lancashire and Northumberland with a staggering 63.8 per cent of the vote.

It couldn’t repeat the trick in the final, we thought. But we were wrong. Almost two-thirds of the 3,527 votes cast were for this plucky underdog. Do our followers have a curious soft spot for Shropshire? Perhaps. But the identities of those retweeting the poll (Shropshire Council, Shropshire Family History Society, Telford Live!, Shrewsbury Town Council, etc) suggest our contest was hijacked by an admirably determined band of Salopians. 

The Twitter victory was worth a whopping 90 points, lifting Shropshire from 28th to 18th in the final rankings. Power to the people!

Unlike in our recent ranking of the world’s most beautiful countries, we took the decision not to award scores on a per capita or per square mile basis. Compared to the nations of the world, the English counties are relatively small and uniform in size, we surmised, and the case of Lincolnshire, for example – England’s second largest county but only 25th in the rankings – would appear to vindicate our decision.

Conversely, East Sussex (England’s 33rd largest county but 16th in the rankings) and West Sussex (30th largest and 13th) punched well above their weight, as did Surrey (35th largest and 15th), the Isle of Wight (45th largest and 34th) and Berkshire (40th largest and 28th).

The smallest county in England – the City of London – unsurprisingly propped up the table. But, given its minute size (1.12 square miles), declaring it the worst county in England seems churlish. The same can be said of Bristol, 47th in our rankings and the second smallest county in the land.

Then there’s Bedfordshire, which is a reasonable size (477 square miles, comparable with Berkshire) but mustered just 235 points (compared to Berkshire’s 363) for 46th place. It has no World Heritage Sites, National Parks, coastline, Michelin-starred restaurants, first-rate hotels, world-class sport, RHS gardens, Dark Sky Reserves or cathedrals. Consolation is provided by an AONB (Chiltern Hills), one RSPB reserve, one Great British Pub Awards winner (step forward the Knife & Cleaver in Houghton Conquest), 24 museums and galleries and a handful of National Trust and English Heritage properties.

Or else Northamptonshire might be a fairer pick. It is huge – 913 square miles, making it England’s fifth largest county – but came a lowly 43rd in the table with 270 points. It too is devoid of World Heritage Sites, National Parks, coastline, Michelin-starred restaurants, RHS gardens, Dark Sky Reserves and cathedrals (though it does have Premiership Rugby, First Class cricket and a couple of top-notch hotels). Despite being twice the size of Bedfordshire, it has just three more museums, fewer National Trust and English Heritage properties – and no AONB or RSPB reserve. All of which gives it one advantage over the competition – you’re unlikely to be encumbered by other tourists!

Northumberland was unlucky to finish outside the top 10 – it came 11th overall – after topping the Peace and Quiet category. Devon pipped Cumbria and Kent in the Natural Wonders classification and Greater London won for both History and Culture and Luxuries. Drilling down further, there were minor victories for Essex (most RSPB reserves), Cambridgeshire (least rainfall), Isle of Wight (most sunshine), Surrey (most woodland), Rutland (most water) and Cheshire (most award-winning spas). See the tables below for more information.