A charming book on the hidden gems of southern England, detailing charming towns and countryside escapes.
Southern England’s most popular villages (and towns) also attract visitors by offering baths and bright lights; but it’s the quietest villages in the Cotswolds that are sometimes most rewarding. Once you’ve visited the usual places, where to head next.
## Overlooked Villages
### Lacock, Wiltshire
The entire village, which is owned by the National Trust, is completely intact, with little trace of modern buildings or signage, other than overhead cables in the upper corner. Frequently used as a film set (such as ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘Harry Potter’ and many others) but much less utilized than Bibury or Castle Combe.
### Rye, East Sussex
Cobbled medieval streets, timber framed houses and a high point overlooking Romney Marsh. It’s close enough to London to make a day trip, but just never gets the attention it deserves, compared to Canterbury or Brighton.
### Beaulieu, Hampshire
None of the coach-tour traffic that soaks Lyndhurst nearby, and a New Forest village nestled around a former abbey and stately home. Suitable for exploring in an undisturbed afternoon.
## Countryside Beyond the Cotswolds
### Exmoor National Park
Smaller and much less visited than Dartmoor, and home to wild red deer herds, dramatic coastal cliffs at Valley of the Rocks and villages like Dunster that receive a fraction of the Devon’s seasonal tourist numbers.
### North Wessex Downs
Rolling chalk downland between the Cotswolds and Salisbury Plain, strewn with prehistoric chalk figures, such as the Uffington White Horse. Although an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, this is almost neglected on the standard England itinerary.
### Chiltern Hills
An hour’s drive from London, they are as accessible as Beech woodlands and chalk streams for those who want to get away from the city without the crowds.
## Underrated Historic Towns
### Winchester
The capital of England, where there is a cathedral on par with Salisbury’s, and a true connection with the Round Table story at Winchester Castle’s Great Hall. Commonly omitted in preference to Oxford, even though they have similar pasts.
### Arundel, West Sussex
A castle town in the heart of the Sussex landscape, a working cathedral and walks along the river and along the Arun — just a small fraction of Warwick Castle in a similarly picturesque setting.
### Wells, Somerset
The smallest of English cites, almost entirely planned around the cathedral and the moated Bishop’s Palace. Usually missed by travellers who travel direct from Bath to Glastonbury.
## Coastal Quiet
### Chesil Beach, Dorset
A shingle barrier beach 18 miles in length, backing onto a dramatic and strange geology of the Fleet Lagoon which is far less populated than Durdle Door, just down the coast.
### Selsey, West Sussex
A sleepy port town that’s only as fashionable as the people who live there and offers a real possibility of sighting seals and dolphins at sea.
## How to Fit These In
### Weekend Trip
Combine Lacock or Winchester (from London or Bath) with a countryside lunch in the North Wessex Downs or Chilterns.
### Week-Long Loop
Heading back to London, back over the North Wessex Downs, through Lacock, Wells, Exmoor and Beaulieu to reach Winchester.
### Getting Around
A car is becoming a necessity — Winchester and Rye are within train easy reach of London, but Exmoor, the Downs and many of these villages are in between stations and would need a car to reach.
## Final Word
So, for those that like the idea of swapping one well-known destination for two lesser known ones, Southern England’s hidden gems are for you. So, skip a second day in Bath and a third in the Cotswolds and you’ll exit the country with some kind of England that you may not see elsewhere.