English Towns That Could Star In A Hallmark Christmas Movie

1. York, North Yorkshire

Offering superb food, seasonal arts and crafts,..

Photo: Visit York

At Christmas, those scenic lanes are filled with smells of mulled wine, sausages, warm cinnamon doughnuts, cookies, mince pies, and much more, simply oozing a Christmas atmosphere.

2. Bibury, Gloucestershire

That English village charm

Photo: GREATWESTWAY.CO.UK

Picture-perfect cottages, that gurgling stream, and all the charm you could possibly wish for.

The most iconic and most photogenic spot is Arlington Row, where you can just imagine your favorite Hallmark actors hamming it up in a sentimental Christmas story.

3. Whitby, North Yorkshire

The colorful fishermen’s cottages clinging onto the side of the hill...

Photo: YORKSHIRE.COM

The colorful fishermen’s cottages clinging onto the side of the hill that rises from the old harbor, together with the steep, narrow lanes make this a definite contender, should Hallmark ever come and scout locations in North Yorkshire.

4. Castle Combe, Wiltshire

Voted The Prettiest Place in the UK in 2021.

Photo: GREATWESTWAY.CO.UK

Not unlike Bibury, with cutesy cottages at every step, Castle Combe simply offers you more of that cuteness.

The honey-colored cottages are set along the small River Bybrook, which is crossed by ancient stone bridges, and is the location of a rubber duck race in the summer

5. Bamburgh, Northumberland

While it is tiny, it oozes charm, even in winter.

Photo: ULRIKE LEMMIN-WOOLFREY

Presided over by an enormous castle where recently the latest Indiana Jones movie was filmed, and which was also a Harry Potter location, if not a Hallmark movie quite yet, the main street is lined with small cottages, has a village green with a red public phone box, and has the best beach in the entire UK.

6. Lavenham, Suffolk

Like a mini Rouen, just smaller and in England.

Photo: VISIT SUFFOLK

Crooked half-timbered houses line the high street, painted in all colors from pink to orange, yellow to white, making this a very picturesque spot indeed.

Add snow, and this is an enormously romantic spot to visit.

7. Broadway, Worcestershire

More stone cottages, village greens, quaint pubs,...

Photo: ANDREW ROLAND / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

There is history, with the Broadway Tower, standing 65 feet high, and the second-highest point in the Cotswolds from where, on a good day, you can see 16 English counties; and design interest, with the Gordon Russell Design Museum, celebrating the 20th-century furniture maker.

8. Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales

Colorful fishermen’s houses line the tiny old harbor basin

Photo: VISIT PEMBROKESHIRE

The Welsh contender for prettiest harbor town that could easily star in a Hallmark Christmas movie must be Tenby.

With a pier crossing a picturesque beach, and there are islands and peninsulas that make for great photographs.

9. Kirkcudbright

Kirkcudbrightshire, Dumfries And Galloway, Scotland

Photo: SNAPTPHOTOGRAPHY

Around Christmas the loveliest and charming place to be is by the tiny bathing huts, each and everyone decorated with Christmas lights and a wreath-making for a magical setting.

Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey

Expert Contributor

A travel writer and guidebook author for the last 20 years, Ulrike's work has been seen in National Geographic, BBC, The Independent, Australian Women's Weekly, The Telegraph, The Australian, AFAR, Fodor's, Brides, France Today, Four Seasons magazine, CNN Travel, numerous inflight magazines, and many others.