The 19 most beautiful villages in the UK you'll want to move to immediately

The UK has so many villages that look like they're straight from the pages of a book or the scene of a film. Count yourself very lucky if you're able to call one of them home. Whether surrounded by countryside, perched on the coast or filled with cute stone cottages, narrow cobbled lanes and historic pubs, they're the kind of communities many of us dream of living in.

We've asked writers and experts who live and work all over the UK for their pick of the most beautiful villages the country has to offer. From Scotland to Cornwall and Wales to Kent, we've covered virtually every corner of the country. So if you're looking for inspiration for your next home (or perhaps, more realistically, just somewhere to go for a delightful day trip or weekend away) these gorgeous villages should help.

Let us know in the comments if you're lucky enough to live in one, or if we've missed any that should have made the list.

Driving down through the dramatic limestone gorge of Winnats Pass, it’s immediately obvious that something special lies ahead. Through the steep-sided ravine lies Castleton, one of the Peak District’s most popular and picturesque villages. It’s home to a labyrinth of caves including four show caverns open to visitors, as well as the imposing ruins of Peveril Castle, built by the illegitimate son of William the Conqueror.

The pretty village centre has plenty of pubs and places to eat as well as gift shops and jewellers selling Blue John, the rare, semi-precious gemstone found and mined only here. Towering above it is Mam Tor, one of the national park’s most famous hiking spots. It's so beautiful, in fact, that people who live there are struggling to cope.

Chilham in Kent is a village that looks like it's been frozen in time, with its medieval architecture and charming countryside making it a popular spot for film and TV crews.

Nestled along the idyllic Great Stour River, nine miles from the historic city of Canterbury, it is more akin to a medieval hamlet than a 2025 village. Chilham's charm lies in its impeccably maintained old-style wooden beam buildings, crowned with striking orange triangular roofs. It has served as the backdrop for numerous films and TV shows, including Jane Austen's Emma, Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, Poirot, A Canterbury Tale and even Top Gear.

This hamlet is hidden in the south Wales countryside and home to a number of perfect thatched cottages and a 19th century stone church with a cemetery almost entirely carpeted in bluebells and snowdrops in the spring. It's magical, like stepping back in time by at least a few decades. But one thing that’s especially unique about the village is that all of the houses there are rented out by the Merthyr Mawr Estate, so they will never be for sale. Furthermore, all the buildings with thatched roofs are also listed so can't be altered too much.

Victorian poet William Morris called Bibury "the most beautiful place in England" and it's not difficult to see why. This village's beauty has also inspired numerous paintings, with Arlington Row (pictured above) being the most iconic spot. This historic area features ancient cottages scattered along the river and winding street, often adorned with lush greenery and vibrant flowers.

However, this beauty comes at a price and the people who live there say they are now at "tipping point" because of the numbers of people descending on the village (reportedly as many as 20,000 in a single weekend). Villagers are now exploring ways to mitigate the impact on the village, which contains numerous listed buildings. Councillor Michelle Holt, of Bibury Parish Council, said: "The sheer volume is just overwhelming for the local community and we just don't have the infrastructure to cope."

Postcard-perfect and filled with independent shops and places to eat, Robin Hood’s Bay is like wandering into a painting — a steep one. Navigate the winding, narrow streets of history on the coast of the North York Moors and discover some of the heritage of one of our most beautiful fishing villages in the museum. No cars make it down the steep streets, so you are free to explore the tiny shops selling everything from fossils to jewellery made from the black jet of Whitby, just north of the bay. Or simply enjoy a stroll on the sands of the beach where fish and chips and ice cream are a must.

Milton Abbas is tucked away in the heart of Dorset, just 20 minutes outside the historic market town of Dorchester. The idyllic village is the perfect spot for an afternoon stroll and is famous for its chocolate box thatched cottages. The village is visually beautiful, with breathtaking landscapes and picture-perfect homes designed in the 18th century by renowned landscape gardener Capability Brown and architect William Chambers. At the bottom of the village, visitors can follow the ‘monks’ path’ for 10 to 15 minutes to reach the historic Milton Abbey, which was built over the 14th and 15th centuries on the site of a church founded by Saxon King Athelstan.

Cornwall is brimming with picturesque seaside villages and idyllic coastal boltholes, but Mousehole, located in West Cornwall just three miles from Penzance, is particularly special. Considered one of Cornwall’s prettiest fishing villages, this charming location is quintessentially Cornish, with a maze of narrow streets, a picture-perfect harbour and plenty of galleries, gift shops and places to eat and drink. When the tide is out, visitors can enjoy a sandy beach with views of St Clement’s Isle and St Michael’s Mount. A trip to Mousehole wouldn’t be complete without a coastal walk from the village through the Kemyel Crease nature reserve and around the cliffs of Lamorna Cove. Just make sure to check the weather forecast before you set off!

Nestled within the beautiful Pembrokeshire National Park, this charming harbour village has everything you would expect to find in a quintessentially Welsh tourist hotspot. It offers a picturesque location, a bustling quay and a quaint high street. Its long harbour snakes its way from the grey sand at the foot of the village all the way to the sea. During a quiet walk along this harbour, you'll see limekilns and fishing boats, reminiscent of a working harbour built on industry and toil.

Solva attracts walkers, nature lovers, foodies and families alike, who are looking for an escape from the hustle and bustle of their daily lives. Carol Vorderman is a resident.

According to the local tourist centre in Stanton, it is "probably one of the prettiest and idyllic villages in the whole of the Cotswolds", where "little changed in 300 years". The beautiful spot in the Cotswolds boasts thatched roofs and quaint inns, so next time you're dreaming up a trip in rural England, think of Stanton.

Perched on a hilltop in the heart of Yorkshire’s Brontë country, Haworth is heaven for literature lovers. The wild and windy moors that inspired Wuthering Heights can be seen from steep cobbled streets lined with soot-blackened stone book shops, boutiques, pubs and tea rooms. The Brontë Parsonage Museum can be found in the former family home where the sisters wrote their world-famous works. Also worth a visit is the Keighley and Worth Valley Heritage Railway, where steam engines whistling through the village add to the antiquated charm of a place untouched by time.

Originally built by ‘Soap King’ William Hesketh Lever for the workers of the Sunlight Soap Factory, much of the Merseyside village remains untouched. You can stroll the streets lined with pristine flowers and variations of quaint and idyllic homes that look much like they did more than 100 years ago, except for a car or two.

There are daily guided tours where you can learn the secrets to this village frozen in time or visit the museum and one of the houses preserved as it would have been in the Victorian era. Or you can visit the free-to-enter Lady Lever Art Gallery at the heart of the village, displaying fine paintings including some Pre-Raphaelite art, as well as Chinese ceramics and some of the world’s finest Wedgwood jasperware. There is a cafe in the gallery serving up delicious food and cake, an ice cream stall on the green in the summer or visit The Bridge Inn pub for a perfect end to the day.

This village, located on the Isle of Mull in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, is brimming with coastal charm and allure. You might recognise its distinctive row of colourful houses, made famous in the noughties children’s television show Balamory, but there’s so much more to this gorgeous spot. Uniquely curved around the port, this burgh is the capital of the island and boasts so much to see and do. There’s a high street packed with eclectic shops, pubs and eateries, including Tobermory Stores, which serves up a mouth-watering selection of local delicacies from meats to shortbread. You can even take a boat trip from the harbour to spot some whales, dolphins and seals, so it’s a haven for animal lovers too.

Crail is the epitome of Scottish coastal charm. One of the loveliest wee villages on the beautiful strip of coast known as the East Neuk of Fife, it’s often overshadowed by its famous neighbour, St Andrews. Drive just 20 minutes away from the hordes of golf tourists and university students and you’ll find yourself transported into a postcard. Vie for an outdoor seat at the cliffside-hugging Crail Harbour Cafe and don’t leave without a nosy at the local art and knickknacks for sale. If lobster shack Reilly and Sons is open, count your stars – they serve freshly caught and cooked lobster that doesn’t cost the earth.

Broad Campden is a beautiful village full of thatched cottages made from honey Cotswold stone. Unusually, the population of this gorgeous place nearly halved between the 18th and late 19th centuries, from around 250 people to 137. CR Ashbee, the architect whose influence can be seen clearly in nearby Chipping Campden, lived here for a while in the early 20th century. There is a rare 17th century Friends Meeting House and the Cotswold Way runs through the village.

Surrounded by the jagged outlines of mountains including Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) and Crib Goch, this beautiful village is known as the jewel of Snowdonia. The dramatic scenery is matched with dramatic folklore: Beddgelert translates as "Gelert's grave". Gelert was the dog of the medieval Welsh ruler Llywelyn The Great, mistakenly killed by his master who then buried him here in his grief. This enchanting location, with its slate-roofed cottages, meandering lanes and inviting tearooms, is situated at the meeting point of the rivers Colwyn and Glaslyn and its allure is arguably at its peak when the leaves turn orange and the appeal of seeking shelter in a cosy pub becomes irresistible.

Dunkeld is quickly becoming one of Scotland’s most desirable places to live, nestled beside the River Tay. Regularly featured on lists of the UK’s best places to live, it's also where Beatrix Potter spent her childhood, inspiring the likes of Peter Rabbit. In summer, enjoy a pint at The Taybank overlooking the river, or browse the many independent shops, galleries and cafés that line Dunkeld’s picturesque high street. Meanwhile, Great British Bake Off semi-finalist Flora Shedden runs the much-loved bakery, ARAN, which draws visitors from far and wide. Community spirit is very much alive in Dunkeld, so expect to wander into pubs and hotels to the sound of lively traditional music.

Even in an area as blessed with beautiful villages as the Cotswolds, Castle Combe stands out. Publishers and and bloggers alike have named it among the prettiest villages in the world and respected travel publication Condé Nast Traveller described it as "quintessentially" English. Its beauty has seen it featured in films such as The Wolf Man, Stardust and Stephen Spielberg’s War Horse, as well as the original Dr Doolittle movie. Typical for a village in the area, the houses are mostly built using Cotswold stone, giving the facades their distinct, warm colour. It boasts a couple of attractions dating from the 13th century, including Market Cross and St Andrews Church, which itself houses a faceless clock said to be one of the oldest working clocks in the country.

When you picture a quintessential English village, Hambleden immediately springs to mind. This idyllic Buckinghamshire spot is straight out of a storybook, with winding lanes, stone cottages and the rolling countryside of the Chiltern Hills. It famously served as a filming location for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, as well as Sleepy Hollow, 101 Dalmatians, Band of Brothers, and even The Avengers, thanks to its impossibly preserved medieval homes. Surrounded by lush greenery and thickets, the village comes alive in summer — visitors can enjoy the friendly local pub and scenic walking routes, while the post office also serves as the village shop and café.

Culross is truly a time-capsule village — one of Scotland’s best-preserved 17th-century settlements, sitting on the banks of the Firth of Forth in Fife. With its cobbled streets, ochre-hued palace and whitewashed houses, it feels like stepping back in time. The village’s old-world beauty has also gained recent fame as a filming location for the television series Outlander. Wander through the historic gardens of Culross Palace, blooming with roses, or enjoy a stroll along the waterfront. Meanwhile, local cafés and independent shops are tucked among the pretty ancient buildings.