Tiny village named 'most beautiful in the UK' with French gastro pub and just 140 locals | The Sun
A TINY UK village has become a surprising destination for tourists, despite having fewer than 200 residents.
Its old stone cottages and narrow winding streets are just as charming as its quiet beaches, all of which have played a part in it being named the UK's most beautiful village.
The title was handed out to South Pool in Devon by Travel Experts at CN Traveller in 2022, who were won over by its views and slower way of life compared to other towns in the area.
They wrote: "Salcombe’s streets, teeming with the sailing brigade, smart shops and ice-cream parlours, seem another world on the other side of the Kingsbridge Estuary in South Pool, where the changing tides of the creek are the most noteworthy activity.
"Savvy canoeists who’ve checked the tide charts arrive by boat and tie up to the pontoon.
"But others on foot can just as happily wander the water’s edge before climbing the steep steps to the pretty 14th-century St Nicholas and St Cyriac Church with its views out across the patchwork fields."
Read more on UK villages
How the tiny UK village of Bethlehem suddenly lost all its Christmas tourists
UK village with the first wave pool in the UK – where you can learn to surf
Only 143 people live in South Pool, but all have access to one of the best beaches in Europe, according to Lonely Planet, which listed it as sixth out of the continent's beaches in 2015.
Bantham Beach has clear blue waters, views out to Burgh Island and has won awards for its cleanliness – and it's just a short drive away.
Visit South Devon said of the beach: "This crackingly good beach is part of the designated South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
"It’s also won awards from the Marine Conservation Society and the coveted Blue Flag, so you know it’s clean."
Most read in Travel
STRAP IN
The £2 item that passengers swear by when checking in suitcase
SCANWICH
The dos and don’ts of taking food through airport security
BUILD UP
First look at new ‘duelling family coaster’ coming to Legoland next year
BLANK SPACE