Two Cumbrian villages have been named among the top 30 'unspoilt' villages to explore in Britain for 2024.

By 'unspoilt', The Telegraph referred to the villages as being free from over-tourism.

They wrote: "Britain has no shortage of eye-catching villages, but a combination of good looks, convenience for day trippers and a few influential endorsements can be enough to turn what was once a peaceful retreat into an over-tourism battleground inundated with selfie stick-wielding tourists from April till October."

In the warmer months, tourists and visitors flock to the Lake District which is considered one of the best places to holiday in the UK.

With holiday lets on the rise, there has been an equal amount of friction between locals and tourists. That said, not everywhere has this problem.

They continued: "Fortunately, there are still plenty of beautiful but uncrowded British villages that do retain their authentic character, where medieval pubs and churches remain the beating heart of the community, and where welcoming shopkeepers stock treats from local producers."

The full list of the 30 best British villages for 2024 can be found on The Telegraph website here.

Two Cumbrian villages among best 'unspoilt' spots:

Dent, Cumbria

The Telegraph wrote: "The oft-forgotten dale, Dentdale, lies on the western slopes of the Pennines, in Cumbria but with its heart in Yorkshire – where it was until 1970s boundary changes – and within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. With a sparsely populated sheep- and cattle-farming valley, Dent village comes as a surprise with its handsome 12th-century church (flagstones are made of the local black Dent ‘marble’), cat’s cradle of cobbled lanes, whitewashed houses, and clutch of pubs and cafes.

"It even boasts an eminent ‘son’; the Victorian Adam Sedgwick, one of the founders of modern geology and professor at Cambridge University, is commemorated with a granite fountain. There’s a village shop and a packed-to-the-rafters Heritage Centre which traces local folks’ working lives and social customs from the 16th century – including ‘The Terrible Knitters of Dent’.

"You’ll search in vain for Dent Station; it’s four miles away, a stop on the celebrated Settle-Carlisle railway and, at 1,150 feet, England’s highest mainline station."


Recommended reading:

Tourist slams Lake District cave for just being a cave

BrewDog's hide and seek game in pubs promises free beer

Two Cumbria restaurants added to the Michelin Guide


Cartmel, Cumbria

"Outside the Lake District National Park, this southern Lakeland village is as alluring as any village within," according to The Telegraph.

"Huddled in the shadow of its 12th-century Priory church are higgledy-piggledy narrow lanes lined with stone cottages, a market square, a cheerily bubbling river and, on the western side, what is surely the country’s most scenic racecourse.

"The influence of chef-restaurateur Simon Rogan cannot be ignored: his Michelin-starred restaurants (L’Enclume and Rogan & Co) have elevated the offerings – although both restaurants are so low-key, they are by-passed by the casual observer. Stock up on sticky toffee pudding at the village shop, artisan cheeses at Cartmel Cheeses, local ales at Unsworth’s Yard Brewery and fine wines at the Drinkshop.

"Elsewhere, there’s an antiquarian bookshop, smart gift shops, a couple of tearooms and, astonishingly, five pubs. Highlights of the church, with its crenellated square belfry tower built, eye-catchingly, at a diagonal across the original tower, include medieval stained glass and misericords."