British food and café towns off the beaten path.
Less-touristed food and café towns in Britain, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Conwy
Conwy Castle and the medieval town walls — both on the UNESCO World Heritage List — anchor this small walled town on the River Conwy in North Wales, where mo…
Ilfracombe
A photogenic harbour town on the North Devon coast, Ilfracombe sits among cliffs and hills with scenic views in multiple directions.
Porthmadog
This pocket-sized coastal town in Gwynedd, Wales, Porthmadog grew in the 19th century as a slate port on the Glaslyn estuary, and its surviving wharves now s…
Penparcau
A pocket-sized village just south of Aberystwyth in Ceredigion, Wales, Penparcau sits between Tan y Bwlch beach, the River Ystwyth, and the River Rheidol, wi…
Abersoch
Small sailing village on the south coast of Wales's Llŷn Peninsula, Abersoch sits where the River Soch meets the sea and has grown into one of Britain's more…
Lynton
A pocket-sized village on the Exmoor coast in North Devon, sitting above a steep gorge that separates it from the neighbouring village of Lynmouth below.
Dulverton
A compact Somerset village on the River Exe at the edge of Exmoor, Dulverton serves as the base for the Exmoor National Park Authority and a practical gatewa…
Saltaire
Built between 1851 and 1871 by wool industrialist Sir Titus Salt alongside the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, Saltaire is a Victorian model vi…
Stamford
This walkable Lincolnshire market town with five medieval parish churches, a centre dense with listed stone and timber-framed buildings from the 17th and 18t…
Matlock
This small Derbyshire county town sits in the south-eastern Peak District, where the River Derwent runs through mountain terrain and scenic viewpoints are cl…
Whitchurch
Claimed to be the oldest continuously inhabited town in Shropshire, Whitchurch is a heritage-dense market town in the north of the county, close to the Welsh…
Bangor
Wales's oldest city sits on the Menai Strait in Gwynedd, with mountain terrain rising behind it and the Isle of Anglesey across the water, connected by the B…
Chepstow
Chepstow's clifftop castle, often cited as the oldest surviving stone castle in Britain, rises directly above the tidal River Wye in this small Welsh border…
Sharow
A small village just north-east of Ripon in North Yorkshire, Sharow is home to St John's Church, whose two-acre churchyard has been managed as a wildlife hab…
Buxton
England's highest market town, Buxton sits at around 1,000 feet above sea level on the edge of the Peak District National Park in Derbyshire.
Rainham
This pocket-sized Kent town in the Medway conurbation has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size, with vineyards in the surrounding area add…
Northam
This modest Devon market town north of Bideford sits close to the water and draws visitors with a concentration of listed historic buildings, a real café and…
Bridport
Rope-making shaped Bridport for centuries, and this compact Dorset market town retains a dense concentration of listed historic buildings alongside a café an…
Penydarren
Penydarren, a tiny community north of Merthyr Tydfil centre in Wales, holds a firm place in industrial history as the starting point of Richard Trevithick's…
Keswick
This pocket-sized Lake District market town on the shores of Derwentwater, Keswick has been a holiday destination for more than 150 years and packs a strong…
Chafford Hundred
A modern Essex suburb of red-brick housing estates with easy rail access to Lakeside Shopping Centre, scenic Thames-estuary surrounds, and several UNESCO Wor…