Cambridgeshire is home to many beautiful villages, such as the lovely Grantchester and its meadows, the riverside Hemingford Abbots and Castor. But they’ve all been beaten to the top spot
The prettiest village in Cambridgeshire has been crowned.
When it comes to fair-looking spots across the country, there are plenty to choose from.
There is Grantchester, located just two miles south of Cambridge along the River Cam. It is famous for its links to the poet Rupert Brooke, its iconic Grantchester Meadows, and for taking afternoon tea at the Orchard Tea Garden.
Hemingford Abbots is another classic. It’s a highly sought-after riverside village near Huntingdon which features 16th and 17th-century thatched cottages. Its peaceful setting along the River Ouse makes it one of the most picturesque spots in the county.
And who could forget Castor, made up as it is of dry stone walls, thatched cottages, and a stunning 12th-century church. It is also home to the ruins of a significant Roman palace.
As pretty as all of these places are, they’ve been beaten to the top spot by Elton.
“Elton’s highlight is Elton Hall, a magnificent 15th-century estate that has been home to the Proby family since 1660. The Hall’s gorgeously furnished interiors – including a library housing ancient manuscripts – and its serene Victorian gardens make it a historical treasure,” writes Love Exploring, which placed Elton at number 41 on the overall England list.
“If bored of Elton Estate’s 3,800 acres, visitors can meander through woodlands of the Nene Valley, and areas bursting with local biodiversity. Additionally Elton Mill, a three-storey watermill on the River Nene, hints at the area’s industrial heritage.”
There are plenty of reasons to visit Elton.
Its main draw is Elton Hall, a historic country house that’s been in the Proby family for over 300 years. It’s a genuinely striking place, part Gothic in style, set in over 40 acres of land, including formal gardens, woodland walks, a lake, a large yew hedge, a walled garden, and a water garden.
The house and gardens are open to the public at certain times of year, with guided tours and occasional events like outdoor concerts and art exhibitions.
Beyond the Hall itself, a few things make Elton a good base for a day out. It’s two miles from Fotheringhay, where Mary, Queen of Scots, was executed, and the atmospheric ruins/church there draw many visitors.
Elton sits near Ferry Meadows Country Park, offering good cycling and walking routes toward Peterborough. Burghley House, an Elizabethan stately home, isn’t far.
Neiter is Oundle, an historic market town five miles away, home to the Talbot Inn. It is built from stones of the ruined Fotheringhay Castle and reportedly contains the staircase Mary Queen of Scots walked down to her execution.
The prettiest villages in England
- Devon: Clovelly
- Staffordshire: Ilam
- Wiltshire: Castle Combe
- Cornwall: Mousehole
- West Yorkshire: Haworth
- West Midlands: Bournville
- Suffolk: Lavenham
- North Yorkshire: Thornton-le-Dale
- Norfolk: Thornham
- Lancashire: Downham
- Gloucestershire: Painswick
- Dorset: Cerne Abbas
- Tyne and Wear: Tynemouth
- Derbyshire: Tideswell
- Cumbria: Grasmere
- Somerset: Dunster
- East Sussex: Alfriston
- East Riding of Yorkshire: Thixendale
- County Durham: Staindrop
- South Yorkshire: Wentworth
- West Sussex: Amberley
- Kent: Chiddingstone
- Worcestershire: Inkberrow
- Isle of Wight: Godshill
- Hertfordshire: Kimpton
- Herefordshire: Pembridge
- Greater Manchester: Worsley
- Greater London: Hampstead
- Berkshire: Sonning-on-Thames
- Buckinghamshire: Turville
- Oxfordshire: Faringdon
- Surrey: Shere
- Bedfordshire: Woburn
- Lincolnshire: Tealby
- Leicestershire: Quorn
- Cheshire: Christleton
- Merseyside: Port Sunlight
- Essex: Finchingfield
- Bristol: Winterbourne
- Warwickshire: Barton-on-the-Heath
- Cambridgeshire: Elton
- Nottinghamshire: Edwinstowe
- Shropshire: Much Wenlock
- Hampshire: Hurstbourne Tarrant
- Northumberland: Alnmouth
- Rutland: Seaton
- Northamptonshire: Stoke Bruerne
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