Seaside villages with hints of the Mediterranean, wildlife sanctuaries and botanical gardens are among the best but least visited in the country.
Each year the travel writers of the United Kingdom make an argument for which coastal destination is the go to place of the summer.
Inevitably big hitters like St Ives, Whitby and Salcombe come out on or near the top, adding to their fame, encouraging visitors and making them throngs of tourist activity when the weather is good.
If you love the British seaside but also like a little peace and quiet - as well as a short queue for a Mr Whippy - then it is probably wise to avoid these tipped destinations, and go for somewhere a little off the beaten track.
Pembrokeshire, Devon and Cornwall may be famously popular spots for UK holidays, but there are actually quieter villages hidden away if you want to enjoy the gorgeous scenery without facing the constant crowds. In fact, a number have made it into new rankings of the UK's most beautiful villages by The Telegraph.
We take a look at some of the prettiest villages you won't want to miss - check them out below...
Alnmouth, Northumberland
The thriving port of Alnmouth had a complete and sudden change of fortunes in 1806 when a fearsome storm changed the course of the estuary it sat on.
As a result the villagers would end up swapping exporting grain for life running one of the first seaside resorts which dramatically grew in popularity once the railways arrived.
It became home to one of the earliest English golf courses, a holiday camp, bathing houses, beach huts and spacious sea-view villas.
Today the village has just 500 people but is bustling enough to keep four pubs, a handful of cafes and a few small restaurants going. Arguably the best part of the village is the beach, which stretches for two sandy miles.
Shaldon, Devon
This 1,500 person village is best approached for the first time from the sea. If you're lucky enough to be able to do so you'll see its elegant Georgian houses rising up onto the green hill above the picturesque bay below.
Shaldon, on the Teign estuary, gets a fraction of the visitors of the more popular and better known Salcombe which is just down the road, despite the many things to do there.
People flock to the village for nine days over August when the Shaldon regatta - one of the oldest in England dating back to at least 1817 - takes place.
Homeyards Botanical Gardens, a bowling green, a wildlife sanctuary and two lovely beaches - one accessed through an smugglers’ tunnel are other features which make Shaldon a must visit if you're in the area.
Lizard, Cornwall
Lizard has the honour of not only being named after a reptile, but of being Britain's most southerly mainland village.
"It may not be conventionally pretty but it is full of small pleasures and treasures, as Victorian holidaymakers discovered, like winding lanes, lined with thatched cottages and cute 1930s bungalows, that lead to clifftop panoramas," writes Gill Charlton.
It’s still very much an ice cream and pasties destination that feels more like an island community than one on the mainland, according to one of its most famous residents – Ann Muller of Ann’s Pasties.
It certainly feels that way, with the nearest town, Helston, a 20-minute drive away and Spain a bit of a sail in the other direction.
Just down the road as you amble your way to Lizard Point - a beautiful beach at the end of the island - is the 15th century Witchball, the most southerly pub in the UK.
Bosham, West Sussex
This idyllic view of Bosham and its surrounding villages is one that continues to enchant those few people who live there, such is the beauty of its quay strewn with little wooden boats and a Grade I-listed church.
"It looks completely unspoiled," one happy local told SussexLive in March last year. "I love cycling around the harbour and kayaking through the waterways.
"Bosham is especially lovely during the summer. It looks a bit like an old fishing village you might find in Devon or Cornwall.
"It’s still very quaint and old-fashioned. People here are really friendly and will say hello as you walk past them. Lots of people discovered the village during the Covid lockdown as it used to be a hidden jewel in Sussex."
The village green is laid out in such a way that the light falls on it perfectly at sunset, elongating the shadows, picnics and family games that go there as late into the evening as possible.
Solva, Pembrokeshire
"Be warned: once you clap eyes on this village, with its flower-draped, stone cottages in bright ice-cream pastels and deep, fjord-like harbour where boats gaily bob, you’ll be sorely tempted to jack in the day job and move to the coast pronto," Kerry Walker writes.
The village has galleries, craft shops and pubs that are definitely worth visiting, including the cosy Ship Inn and the Harbour Inn with its waterfront views.
If the weather is good, a walk down the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, up and over gorse-clad cliffs and coves to St Davids might be worth embarking upon.
In a recent ranking of the prettiest parts of the UK Solva was judged to be Wales' best, such is the way the hills roll down into the green fields surround the quaint cottages and pubs in its centre.
