Ten of the best in Britain

SWEEPING across beaches, hills and ancient remains, Britain’s 46 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) showcase the island’s most spectacular landscapes. Here are some of the highlights:

Gower Peninsula – The very first AONB, near Swansea, Wales, has been protected since 1956. Rhossili Bay is regularly voted one of the world’s best beaches. It has a 39-mile coastal path.

Cotswolds – Fifty years ago, the beauty of the Cotswolds was protected by being designated an AONB. With historic villages made from local honey-coloured stone, alongside meadows and rivers – including the source of the Thames – it’s a quintessentially English landscape. There’s a walking trail that covers the entire 90-mile length of the Cotswolds, starting in Chipping Camden in Oxfordshire and running south to Bath in Somerset, with plenty of pubs on the route.

Northumberland Coast – South of the border with Scotland, things get rugged here. There are cliffs and sweeping beaches studded with ancient forts such as Bamburgh. You’ll also find the Farne Islands, home to thousands of grey seals, and Holy Island, which is linked to the mainland by a causeway that disappears as the tides rise.

Isles of Scilly – These are a chain of small, almost other-worldly islands, surrounded by white sand beaches. As the most southerly part of the United Kingdom – and part of Cornwall – spring arrives here first each year. There are five inhabited islands (mostly car-free) and over a hundred that aren’t.

Reach them via ferries from Penzance or flights from Newquay, Lands’ End, and Exeter.

Lincolnshire Wolds – A hidden gem in the Midlands that even many British people don’t know about – and beautifully unspoilt. It’s great cycling country. Under three hours from London by train, it has a strong Viking history. Stand on top of the aptly named Wolds Top for views across salt marshes and over to Lincoln Cathedral.

Mendip Hills – These Somerset hills take in steep gorges with intricate cave systems (many of which can be explored). This is the home of both Cheddar Cheese and Glastonbury Tor.

Arnside & Silverdale – It’s hard to pick out just one area of the Lake District for its beauty, but this part near Morecambe Bay in Lancashire is worth searching out. To fully experience its stillness and serenity, visit one of its nature reserves. In spring you’ll find wild daffodils, while summer brings butterflies, autumn red deer, and migrating birds in winter.

Wye Valley – Where Wales meets England, this is a 72-mile stretch of river between Chepstow and Hereford, studded with woodland and wildlife. Head to Coppett Hill and you’re likely to see peregrine falcons in the sky. Medieval monks built Tintern Abbey and its impressive ruins have attracted tourists from the 18th century onwards.

Causeway Coast – The Giant’s Causeway is the stuff of myth and legend. A series of dark, mostly hexagonal basalt columns rising from the ground with the sea crashing against them, it’s unlike any other landscape on the planet. Caused by a volcanic eruption approximately 60 million years ago, the Causeway Coast is now mostly owned by the National Trust, and normally an hour’s drive from Belfast.

East Devon – With lush farmland and streams meandering towards the sea near Budleigh Salterton, this part of England’s Jurassic coastline is studded with fossils. East Devon is famous for its thatched cottages, cream teas, and small harbours.

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Picture Credit: Lliw Valley via photopin.com, Tresco Abbey Gardens, Scilly Isles, UK via photopin, Cheddar Gorge via photopin,