Best and worst UK towns and villages named in eye-opening survey

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    • A new survey has revealed the best and worst towns in the UK.

    Which? polled 9,000 holidaymakers about their recent trips to 94 inland towns and villages.

    Each town, visited in the last year, was rated on seven categories including scenery, food, tranquility, tourist spots and value for money.

    The results are in – and Wells in Somerset was ranked the the best place in Britain.

    The small city, with a population of around 12,000, is home to attractions like Wells Cathedral and The Bishop’s Palace & Gardens.

    Runners up were the Wiltshire village of Avebury in second and Dorset’s Corfe Castle and Merseyside’s Port Sunlight tying in third place.

    It wasn’t all positive feedback though – with Scotland Uplands’ Gretna and Cornwall’s Bodmin coming bottom in the survey.

    You can check out the list below…

    1. BEST TOWN1) Wells, Somerset, overall destination score 83%

      Which? calls the medieval city of Wells "a popular filming location, Wells has featured in major film and television productions including Hot Fuzz, Dungeons and Dragons and Wolf Hall."

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    2. 2) Avebury, Wiltshire, overall destination score 82%

      The historic village is famed for its 5,000-year-old Neolithic stone circle, which is free to visit and is a stone’s throw from Stonehenge

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    3. 3) Corfe Castle, Dorset, overall destination score 80%

      Corfe Castle was built by William the Conqueror in the 11th century and boasts gorgeous scenery and viewpoints over the Purbeck Hills and Poole Harbour

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    4. 4) Port Sunlight, Merseyside, overall destination score 80%

      Which? states: "Port Sunlight also offers visitors a unique glimpse into the past… The Merseyside village was built by William Hesketh Lever in 1888 to provide 900 homes to house the workers of his soap factory, and is named for his popular ‘Sunlight’ soap."

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    1. 5) Grasmere, Cumbria, overall destination score 79%

      The former civil parish is situated in the Lake District at the foot of beautiful fells and with its own lake

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    2. 6) Lavenham, Suffolk, overall destination score 79%

      The village is packed with tourist spots like its Guildhall, Little Hall and 15th century church. It’s medieval cottages are also pretty special

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    3. 7) Llangollen, Denbighshire, overall destination score 79%

      The town is situated on the River Dee and is in the Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty too

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    4. 8) Ludlow, Shropshire, overall destination score 79%

      The market town is famous for its food festival and is also situated on the edge of the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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    1. 9) Stamford, Lincolnshire, overall destination score 79%

      The charming location was described as “the finest stone town in England” by Sir Walter Scott and declared a conservation site in 1967 due to its 600 listed buildings made from limestone

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    2. 10) Cartmel, Cumbria, overall destination score 78%

      The hidden gem is located on the edge of the English Lake District and offers plenty of opportunities for scenery, fine dining and retail therapy

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    3. WORST TOWN1) Gretna, Dumries & Galloway, overall destination score 49%

      Despite being "steeped in history", Gretna ranked low for tourist attractions, shopping and value for money

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    4. 2) Bodmin, Cornwall, overall destination score 50%

      The Cornish spot got decent points for scenery but fell down on its food and drink, tourist attractions and attractiveness

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    1. 3) Blaneau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, overall destination score 57%

      Participants called the Welsh town out on its amenities, tourist attractions and value for money

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    2. 4) Ross-on-Wye, Hertfordshire, overall destination score 59%

      The Hertfordshire spot was criticised for food and drink and attractiveness – but it did receive plenty of positive responses to its scenery

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    3. 5) Pembroke, Pembrokshire, overall destination score 59%

      Pembroke scored highly on scenery and tourist attractions but fell down when it came to shopping and food and drink opportunities

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    4. 6) Fort William, Scottish Highlands, overall destination score 60%

      The tourist spot got five stars for its gorgeous scenery in the Scottish Highlands – but was criticised for being loud and expensive

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    1. 7) Matlock Bath, Derbyshire, overall destination score 61%

      Matlock Bath was said to be lacking in amenities like dining experiences and shops

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    2. 8) Burnham Market, Norfolk, overall destination score 61%

      The Norfolk town received just one star for its value and tourist attractions – but was praised for scenery

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    3. 9) Tunbridge Wells, Kent, overall destination score 62%

      Tunbridge Wells fell down when it came to tranquility, attractiveness and value

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    4. 10) Callander, Stirling, overall destination score 62%

      While Callander received just one star for tourist attractions, it did get four stars for its scenery

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