The Cotswolds, Gloucestershire & Oxfordshire

The Cotswolds is less about ticking off sights and more about the pace: mornings wandering villages like Bibury, Castle Combe, Stow-on-the-Wold and Broadway, afternoons on gentle footpaths between them, and evenings in a beamed pub with rooms. The distinctive honey-coloured limestone gives the whole area a storybook consistency, and there's a strong crop of country hotels and destination gastropubs for couples who like to eat well. It ranks a little lower only because it takes effort to do properly — the prettiest villages aren't on the rail network, so you either drive or pick a single well-connected base such as Moreton-in-Marsh or Kingham and walk from there, and the honeypot spots get busy on fine weekends. Pick a quieter village to stay in, avoid the midday coach crowds, and it's one of England's most relaxing breaks.