The great British high street is on life support. Online retail has had a detrimental effect for years, turning some high streets into ghost towns and forcing others to reinvent themselves around services – think coffee shops and beauty salons – rather than shopping. Your typical 21st-century parade now consists of a Starbucks, a Greggs, a Specsavers, and a sorry assortment of bookmakers, phone repair shops and pound stores.
But there are beacons of light piercing the gloom: thriving high streets in handsome towns that retain a healthy selection of quirky and independent businesses, giving shoppers a fine reason to escape the tyranny of Amazon. Here are 20 of the country’s finest, chosen by our UK destination experts.
1. Shrewsbury, Shropshire
With its meandering streets and blush-sandstone castle wrapped in a loop of the Severn, Shropshire’s compact county town is ideal for wandering and window shopping.
The covered market was voted the country’s best in 2024. But it’s hard to beat Wyle Cop, a curving, climbing high street lined with 39 listed buildings, ranging from medieval half-timbered to Victorian ornate. Henry Tudor stopped in one of them (now the Henry Tudor Inn), before the Battle of Bosworth in 1485; Charles Darwin (Shrewsbury’s most famous son) liked to drink in its coaching inns. Today, Wyle Cop is said to be the longest run of independent shops in the country.
Wyle Cop is Shrewsbury’s climbing high street lined with 39 listed buildings – Nikreates/Alamy
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Fashion stores Oberon and Ella Cru are great for one-off finds, while Turtle Doves uses textile waste to make gorgeous new creations. Foodies should forage in Appleyards Deli, where hams dangle from the rafters and counters are crammed with cheese. Cooking Kneads will supply any pots, pans or plates required to feed extra Christmas guests.
For gifts, Snoop is stocked with cheery, colourful things – happy socks, star-spangled throws. It also hosts creative workshops after hours, allowing local makers to showcase their skills: upcoming events include sip-and-paint classes and charm-necklace making – a good way to get out for some creative stimulation during the darker months. For artistic inspiration, visit Soden art gallery’s winter exhibition.
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At the foot of Wyle Cop, the 16th-century Lion & Pheasant has a two AA Rosette restaurant. Tanners – past winner of the ‘Best National Wine Shop’ – hosts tastings in store, and runs a tapas bar next door.
Sarah Baxter
2. Norwich, Norfolk
The term “retail therapy” was never so apt. Because Norwich’s Royal Arcade is a pretty near-perfect prescription for those who love to shop, but are allergic to the garish American-Mall-ification of the experience elsewhere.
Opened in 1899, it sits at the very centre of “the fine city”, yet is a haven from it. The Art Nouveau tiles that cover its walls were designed by WJ Neatby, who also dreamed up those in Harrods Food Hall. Decorative columns and stained-glass windows frame rows of identical, bowed mahogany shop fronts. Inside, independent boutiques tempt.
Norwich’s Royal Arcade opened in 1899 and retains its Art Nouveau feel – Andrew Michael/Getty
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Foodies will find plenty over which to salivate at Macarons & More – an award-winning patisserie – while women are catered for at Juni & Co, which sells its own vegan, organic and super-covetable cosmetics. The Gyre and Gimble Gin Academy hosts workshops in which you can make your own tipple under the tutelage of an expert distiller.
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Named after the Norfolk word for “munch”, two-storey food hall Yalm opened in 2023 to showcase the region’s best independent cooks. Accordingly, upstairs hosts – among others – Eric’s Pizza (from up on the North Norfolk coast), and taco bar Baha (from the brains behind firm Norwich favourite Oishii Street Kitchen). Downstairs, there’s a fondue and wine bar, plus a coffee and cocktail joint.
Hattie Garlick
There are plenty of eye-catching streets in Norwich – Getty
3. Belper, Derbyshire
Belper is doing something right. This former powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution has successfully reinvented itself for the 21st century: it’s the only place in the country to have won the Great British High Street’s High Street of the Year award twice and is lauded for its community engagement and proactive association of independent businesses.
“I love Belper,” says local chef Leo Hill. “I’ve watched it fight through recessions, win awards, help businesses grow and also band together to pull all of its people through the pandemic. The sense of community makes it stand out from most other towns.”
Sitting handsomely in the Derwent Valley, Belper is only 11 minutes by train from Derby. Combine shopping here with a bracing walk – perhaps to the nearby, and excellent, Holly Bush Inn.
Belper is lauded for its independent businesses – Stephen Haunts /Alamy
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Belper has several indie stores – Belle la Vie stocks contemporary Danish brands alongside up-and-coming British designers, while Nordicana is hygge in retail form, with a cosy-cool array of Scandi blankets, linens and knick-knacks. Primsisters is something of a magic kingdom, full of sparkly delights: think glittery toadstools, giant gingerbread houses and circus-giraffe baubles.
For an eclectic rummage, visit Derwentside Shopping Mill, where 40-plus retailers sell everything from old vinyl to vintage clobber.
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For homemade cakes and the best all-day breakfasts, head to Nourish.
Sarah Baxter
4. Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
Bury St Edmunds is a fantasy Suffolk market town of Georgian squares, wonky medieval walls and prettily lit shop fronts that entice you like well-wrapped gifts. As Christmas creeps up, neo-Gothic St Edmundsbury Cathedral lifts moods not only with glimpses of its kaleidoscope-like, fan-vaulted ceiling, but with festive events like concerts by candlelight. Over at the Theatre Royal, Britain’s last-surviving Regency playhouse, a performance or panto comes with a shot of nostalgia.
Post-shop, bundle up for a crisp walk through the Abbey Gardens, hugging the banks of the River Lark. Here among the herb and water gardens, you’ll find the enigmatic ruins of a once-splendid Benedictine abbey and impressively intact medieval ruins like the Great Gate and gargoyle-encrusted Norman Tower. Pilgrims once trudged here to visit Anglo-Saxon king Edmund the Martyr’s shrine.
Bury St Edmunds is a fantasy Suffolk market town – Ian Dagnall/Alamy
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There’s still plenty of indie spirit in Bury – explore the backstreets and you’ll find gifts that go way beyond bog-standard stocking fillers. On St John’s Street, pop into Pocket Watch and Petticoats for vintage clothing and old-fashioned service to match, and Vinyl Hunter for one-off records.
Closer to the cathedral, find moody Suffolk landscapes to grace a mantlepiece in the Hunter Gallery on Angel Hill, and a tasteful array of gifts at The Parsley Pot on Abbeygate Street. For food and drink, head to Hatter Street for artisan cheeses at The Cheese Hole, or sip an espresso while choosing the perfect bottle of wine at Vino Gusto. Bury’s twice weekly market (held on Wednesday and Saturday) is a feast of seasonal local produce – fruit and veg, fish and meat, pickles, chutneys, honey, you name it.
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Don’t rush off. Drop your bags at The Angel, an ivy-swaddled boutique stunner that swirls in history and romance, especially if you opt for one of the Signature rooms with a free-standing copper bathtub. Dickens sojourned in this former coaching inn, immortalising it in The Pickwick Papers. Go for a Christmassy afternoon tea, with faves like turkey and cranberry sandwiches and buttermilk scones.
Otherwise, snag a table at slickly intimate Lark for hyper-local food with a Mediterranean twist in a former bus shelter. Or book well ahead for Michelin-starred, gorgeously rustic Pea Porridge for inventive Moorish-inspired cooking that you’ll be raving about long after the tinsel comes down.
A pint, you say? Squeeze into The Nutshell, a cheery, picture-plastered Victorian boozer that is Britain’s smallest pub according to Guinness (check out the mummified cat).
Kerry Walker
5. Edinburgh, Scotland
Catnip to Instagrammers but also unexpectedly good for independent shops, the elegant yet whimsical double-decker curve of colourful Victoria Street (historically known as the West Bow) picturesquely connects the Grassmarket and the Royal Mile.
It was designed by architect Thomas Hamilton in Flemish Revival style, although India Buildings on the south side of the street (now a swanky Virgin Hotel with a great cocktail bar) is pure Scottish Baronial. The upper terrace is still home to the Quaker Meeting House and curiously, a shop selling Masonic regalia.
Widely considered J.K. Rowling’s inspiration for Diagon Alley, it is thought that the home of Thomas Weir (the “Wizard of West Bow” executed for witchcraft in 1670) was here, although a more benign wizarding link might be to the much-mourned Cresser’s brush shop. Virtually unchanged from its 1873 opening to closing in 2004, it sold every incarnation of brush imaginable, including made-to-order brooms.
Victoria Street is catnip to Instagrammers – Getty
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Harry Potter fantasy-themed shops will keep any youngster happy, leaving adults free to explore I J Mellis Cheesemonger, then the Whisky Shop next door.
Continue to Walker-Slater’s two shops selling luxurious country clothing, both off-the-peg and bespoke. For trendier tartan, there’s Islander for tweed handbags, gloves and footwear.
Passing the sword-maker on the left, cross the Grassmarket at the bottom for mouth-watering Hawico Cashmere, Fabhatrix Hats, Armstrong’s vintage clothing and Mr Wood’s Fossil Shop.
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Sunny day? Head to the terrace at Scott’s Kitchen. Or try its sibling restaurant Howie’s, just below; both serve good food all day and into the evening.
Linda Macdonald
6. Stamford, Lincolnshire
Sir Walter Scott was certainly a fan: he called Stamford “the finest stone town in England”. More latterly, others have agreed and in 1967 this cluster of medieval and Georgian architecture became the first designated conservation area in the country.
It’s a great hub for shopping: the high street is pedestrianised and many of the town’s 600-odd listed buildings house independent speciality food stores, cafes, antique shops, clothing boutiques. The Lincolnshire limestone looks especially lovely in low winter sunshine or shimmering with fairy lights.
Burghley House sits on the outskirts. The Elizabethan house, which you may recognise from playing Windsor Castle in The Crown, is closed for winter but its Orangery serves festive afternoon teas.
Stamford, “the finest stone town in England” – Getty
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Nook is the place for furniture, accessories and gifts, with a good seasonal selection – the festive hand warmers look especially appealing – while long-standing indie clothes shop Energy is great for thoughtfully-curated fashion.
For an elevated Christmas cheese board, head for Rennet & Rind. Run by Mark Hulme and Perry James Wakeman – the UK’s first-ever ‘Affineur of the Year’ (that’s someone who knows a lot about cheese) – the store champions the best of British. The Christmas Edition Mystery Cheese Box will bring a festive surprise.
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The George is an institution; its speciality is roast sirloin of British beef, carved at your table from the silver trolley. For cocktails and modern fine dining, head to the Slanted Door.
Sarah Baxter
7. Chester, Cheshire
Chester was voted the world’s best-looking city after a study examined the golden ratio of its architecture. It’s certainly a beauty. A walk along its four, half-timbered main streets is like a promenade through 2,000 years of history from the Romans to the modern day. Tudor buildings, Georgian townhouses and statement Victorian centrepieces complete a history-spanning backdrop to mooching, gift hunting and hot-chocolate supping.
Compact, bustling and packed with independent shops, Chester is big on festive atmosphere as well as rich with heritage. Look out for the Christmas market on Town Hall Square until December 22 and Beauty and the Beast at the Storyhouse arts centre from December 10. Or book a themed walking tour to explore lesser-known attractions, such as the café-bars of medieval Godstall Lane or the haunted pubs of Lower Bridge Street.
Chester features Roman archaeological sites, Tudor buildings and ornate Victorian detailing – Alberto Manuel Urosa Toledano/Getty
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Chester’s unique, split-level shopping arcades, The Rows, date from the Middle Ages but are today home to interesting independent traders. Try Harriet & Dee on Watergate Row North for cards, gifts and toys, or fashion boutique Nichols & Co on Bridge Street Row for jewellery, candles and vintage pieces.
Outside the Rows, local indies include The Cheese Wedge and Amblongus Books for antiquarian treasures. There’s also a scattering of pop-up art galleries for souvenir images of the city.
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The food court in New Chester Market offers all-day variety; otherwise, Pars Kahve has tasty Turkish treats on Watergate Row and the Brewery Tap has craft ales and hearty pub food to round off your visit.
David Atkinson
8. Totnes, Devon
Totnes has become a bit of a cliché through its reputation for independent shopping, green thinking and “alternative” lifestyles. Its self-proclaimed status as a “Transition Town” – keen to wean itself off fossil fuels – is more a mental state than a political force, but Totnesians are proud defenders of the right to look and behave differently.
The high street has more Tudor buildings than many cities, and it’s worth pausing on the hike up its steep incline to take in the facades, architectural features and window displays.
St Mary’s Church is imposing and has a wonderful rood screen. There are some lovely walks nearby, including to the Dartington Estate and all along the Dart River; Vire Island is a nice place to sit back and relax when your shopping’s done.
Handsome houses in Totnes – Kokako/Getty
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Drift record store at the top of town stocks a small but carefully curated selection of indie, ambient, classic rock and electronica vinyls. Me and East on the Rotherfold (the old market square for cattle-trading) opposite Drift is tiny but has some quirky gifts and décor items.
There are dozens of independent shops along the one main street – including bookshops, design items, art galleries, instrument shops – so do some browsing before getting down to business.
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Gather is very Totnes, sourcing produce locally and foraging for some items in the surrounding countryside. The £90 tasting menu features “hedgerow beignets” and seaweed-based sauce; wine pairing is £55. The Bull Inn is a great gastropub with rooms, and the Curator down on the Plains (at the bottom of the high street) is the place to go for flat whites and gluten-free cakes.
Chris Moss
9. Crickhowell, Wales
Deep in the Brecon Beacons, where hedgerows sweep up the hills and proper peaks are but a muddy boot stomp away, this cute-as-a-button town won Best High Street of the Year in 2018.
Locals have staunchly resisted the tidal wave of chains and here the great British high street lives on, with a butcher, baker and a sprinkling of independent shops from delis to art galleries and bookshops.
A vision of pastel-painted Georgian loveliness, Crickhowell feels especially festive in the blue of dusk, when there’s a nip in the air and the lights are aglow in its houses and pubs.
The dramatic surroundings of the Brecon Beacons add to the appeal of Crickhowell – Michael Roberts/Getty
Pleasingly old-school, it has changed little since Tolkien hung out here on his holidays (word has it the village inspired Crickhollow in The Hobbit). And it is fantasy stuff, especially if you ramble up to flat-topped, 451m Crug Hywel, where its Iron Age hillfort and views reaching for miles across the Black Mountains provide a perk on even the drizzliest of days.
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Crickhowell is tiny, but you’ll nevertheless stop every few metres to nose around its shops. Dip into Oriel Cric Gallery for one-of-a-kind Welsh paintings, prints, jewellery, ceramics, glass and sculpture, and Book-ish, the indie bookshop dream, with a cracking café out the back.
The Black Mountains Smokery spices up stockings with home-smoked and hill-sourced treats, from oak-smoked salmon to fancy pâtés, all-Welsh wines, craft beers, charcuterie, honeys, preserves and cheeses (pick up a smoky Pwll or Blaenafon Dragon’s Breath cheddar).
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You can’t miss The Bear, a glorious 600-year-old coaching inn with roaring fires and low beams. Go for a pint and well-done pub classics prepared with locally sourced produce, or nab a table at The Vine Tree on the banks of the River Usk for a warmly rustic atmosphere and a menu that includes hand-dived scallops with togarashi and dry-aged sirloin with Oxford sauce.
Kerry Walker
10. St Ives, Cornwall
The shops may have new names, but the look and feel of Fore Street has changed surprisingly little over the last century. Pretty slate-hung shops line the winding cobbled street and serve both locals and tourists. This is a proper mixed-purpose main street with a Post Office, the excellent St Ives Bakery, a bottle shop, a bookseller and leather goods and clothes shops to suit all ages and budgets. Most are independently owned and the many galleries reflect Penwith’s artistic heritage.
Pretty slate-hung shops overlook St Ives’ famed beach – Tinyevilhog/Getty
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Tarquin’s Gin School at number 14 lets you make and label your own flavoured gin in a mini copper still and sells its delicious botanical range. The New Craftsman at number 24 is the best of the town’s art galleries.
This is the place to come for stylish outdoor clothing. Cornish eco-brand Finisterre has a store at number 10 and The Common Wanderer sells top-class gear from Australia and Japan, at number 30. And at number 34, Atlantic Shore has been selling affordable fishermen’s wool jumpers and sheepskin slippers since the 1980s.
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For fresh Cornish seafood, Ardor is the place to go: owner-chef Dorian Janmaat hails from Andalucia and serves authentic tapas. If you prefer a steak or a burger, visit The Firehouse; head upstairs for a window table and a grandstand view of the harbour. For coffee, cake and ciabatta sandwiches, drop in at The Yellow Canary.
Gill Charlton
11. Clitheroe, Lancashire
Clitheroe is one of central Lancashire’s oldest towns. Established in the 12th century as a Norman stronghold and sited on a Roman road, it hasn’t suffered quite the same cycles of boom and bust as nearby industrial centres. The castle ruins sit atop a hill inside the main park, affording awe-inspiring views over Bowland and Pendle Hill.
The high street runs from the edge of the park, up and then down, and is full of shops and cafés, historic inns and hair salons – all well used by locals and popular with Lancastrians from outside the Ribble Valley and folk from West Yorkshire. Small but busy enough to sustain independent retail, Clitheroe is a lovely place to explore for itself and a great base for walking and cycling holidays.
Clitheroe high street runs from the edge of the park, then up and down the hill – Mark Waugh/Alamy
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Clitheroe Market, as old as the town, operates Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and is good for fruit, veg, pies and samosas. Booths supermarket, the “Waitrose of the North”, is just opposite. Outdoor clothing specialist Varey’s has a great selection of hats, winter wear, wellies and “town and country” fashions.
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Cocktail bar Shawbridge has great drinks and Italian nibbles. Holmes Mill is a good example of how to repurpose former industrial buildings, with a smart dining and deli area, good wines and a pub housing old machinery. Jungle does good coffee and cakes, and 1847 in Booth’s is good for pastries and lattes.
Chris Moss
12. Petworth, West Sussex
Petworth is picture-perfect. With its well-preserved Tudor and Georgian houses arranged along winding, chain-free streets, the market town oozes olde-worlde atmosphere. No surprise that Bridgerton crews have filmed here.
JMW Turner was also keen (he painted in Petworth a lot in the 1820s), and art is still a big deal. The town’s Newlands House Gallery hosts first-class exhibitions, currently focusing on Jane Bown. Meanwhile, Petworth House boasts one of the National Trust’s largest art collections.
There are many great independents to browse too, from the Petworth Bookshop to Guilt Lingerie.
Petworth, with its well-preserved Georgian houses, has been used as a Bridgerton filming location – Nickos/Getty
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Petworth is the only town outside London to have more than 30 arts and antiques dealers within a one-mile radius. Start at Petworth Antiques Market, where many gather under one roof, purveying vintage lace, gentleman’s paraphernalia and more.
Augustus Brandt also sells antiques, plus modern pieces and homewares, while award-winning deli, shop and bakery the Hungry Guest stocks a cornucopia of artisanal treats.
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For high-end dining, majoring on quality local produce, head for the E Street Bar & Grill. The Angel is a historic coaching inn with cosy rooms, open fireplaces and good West Sussex menu, focused on local produce.
Sarah Baxter
13. York, North Yorkshire
With its narrow, age-worn streets and the powerful presence of the Minster in all its Gothic glory, there are few finer places for a day of shopping than York.
Stonegate, with its hotch-potch of buildings – thick-walled medieval, half-timbered Tudor, red-brick Georgian and a dizzying array of window styles jutting out at first-floor level – lies directly above the Via Praetoria, the main route in Roman-age York. It continues to be a prime address, leading to the Minster that seems to fill the sky at the eastern end.
The malevolent red devil face above number 33 indicated the building was once a printers – “printers devils” carried the hot metal type – while the street-spanning timber beam emblazoned with “Ye Olde Starre Inn” is an 18th-century bullish piece of advertising that still directs customers to the hostelry tucked down a snickleway (narrow lane).
For picturesque shopping, York is hard to top – TJ Blackwell/Getty
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Start at Käthe Wohlfahrt, a year-round Christmas shop that has everything imaginable, from snow globes and nativity scene figures to gingerbread earrings and snowman pillows. Moon has offered Yorkshire-woven wool products, including tailored jackets and trousers, for more than 180 years. Or visit Hebden Tea Company for a wide range of brews that should satisfy the fussiest of palates.
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Los Moros, stepping distance from Stonegate down Coffee Yard snickleway, serves up colourful North African dishes such as beef cheek tanjia and chicken tajines.
Helen Pickles
14. Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire
Chipping Campden is a Cotswolds showstopper of golden stone and gracious houses. Its high street is almost implausibly exquisite, a parade of dreamily handsome properties built by well-to-do wool merchants between the 14th and 17th centuries.
At its centre is a 400-year-old market hall with arched open sides and a floor marked with the patina of time and trade (“Chipping” derives from the Old English word for market). The town became one of the richest places in the country, but it has another major story, too: in the early 1900s it became the headquarters of the Guild of Handicraft in the Arts & Crafts movement – and it continues to have a gently (and palpably) arty heartbeat today.
Campden, as it’s known by locals, is on a network of minor roads going nowhere much, so it’s rarely engulfed by tourist coachloads. A steady trickle of savvy visitors comes for the wonderful mix the town offers – of beauty, history and enticing little stores.
Chipping Campden high street offers a parade of dreamily handsome properties – Andy Roland/Getty
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Robert Welch offers such fabulously displayed dining and kitchenware that it looks like an art gallery, or stroll around the corner to the Old Silk Mill for actual art at The Gallery at the Guild cooperative. For a treat, Fillet & Bone deli has all the flavours of the Cotswolds, from honey to fudge, ale and Cotswold Distillery Gin.
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Neat little Café Huxleys is ideal for lunches of salads and toasties. Much-loved locally, Michael’s Mediterranean offers great charm along with dishes such as vegetable moussaka and beef stifado.
For historic atmosphere and an exotic touch head to the Noel Arms, dating from the 14th century and said to have been a refuge for the future Charles II on the run in the Civil War. Here you can tuck into hearty pub classics or an aromatic curry created by head chef Indunil Upatissa.
Harriet O’Brien
15. Aberystwyth, Wales
The weather can be wicked and the storms wild, but Aberystwyth has its own moody magic in winter, with booming surf adding drama to a day of shopping.
When you’re done browsing its boutiques, delis, galleries and craft shops, you’ll find some of the hottest places in Wales to eat and drink, not to mention two-Michelin-starred Ynyshir, with Gareth Ward at the helm, just a 30-minute drive up the road.
Climb the hill for a post-shop culture shot. The National Library of Wales harbours millions of rare and precious tomes and manuscripts, the medieval Nanteos Cup (a Holy Grail contender) and a terrific gift shop. Next door, the Aberystwyth Arts Centre has Christmas crafts and performances. Back in town, walk to the Victorian pier to catch a smouldering sunset and starling murmurations arcing and swaying in the sky. Some 50,000 of these migratory birds roost here in winter.
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Kick off a festive shop at dinky, retro Italian deli Agnelli’s, where Mario (from Milan) will sell you the finest salumi, Sardinian pecorino and Sicilian sweets. Nearby, Coastal Antiques is a rambling attic of gifts, while Ystwyth Books brims to the rafters with second-hand titles.
Swing over to Bottle and Barrel for local beers and gins, or Red Vintage for upcycled arts and crafts in colours and patterns that pop (its lampshades are incredible).
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Ultracomida’s sunny vibe, small plates menu and carefully curated vinos and vermouths instantly transport you to a Madrid backstreet. Here tapas come with a Welsh twist, such as baked octopus served with olive oil, paprika and Halen Môn sea salt. Or swing by cosy Medina to assemble your own Middle Eastern feast, with the likes of cod baked with tahini yoghurt and a pistachio frangipane tart.
Kerry Walker
16. Melrose, Scotland
Sitting between the River Tweed and the Eildon Hills, Melrose has a mighty 12th-century ruined abbey and the high street of your nostalgic imagination. There are few chains here. Instead, it has butchers, bakers and candlestick-makers (well, Natural Crafts sells candle-making kits, along with other art supplies).
It also has a greengrocer, a fishmonger and traditional sweet shop, well-stocked with handmade festive chocolates and Scottish tablet.
Sir Walter Scott loved this area too, so much so that he built his home just west of town. Combine Melrose with a visit to see Scott’s Abbotsford.
The ruins of Melrose Abbey – Ed Freeman/Getty
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Abbey Fine Wines stocks 100-plus whiskies, plus boutique wines, local craft beers and Borders gins; tastings are held in its cafe bar.
Feeling nippy? Eribé knitwear is based in Melrose – its showroom is in a fine Georgian townhouse, near the main square. Pop in to browse hand-crafted Scottish-made woollens, including limited editions and one-offs – the ultimate Christmas jumper.
The Country Kitchen Deli stocks lots of goodies that are perfect for party nibbles – pick up macarons, dipping oils and chocolate and cranberry fudge; it also sells a wide range of world cheeses (Scottish blue, Spanish goat, Norwegian brown), all best with a loaf of slow-fermented sourdough from Twelve Triangles bakehouse next door.
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Provender creates delicious dishes from local, seasonal and sustainable ingredients. Or walk over the river to the Hoebridge in Gattonside, one of the smartest restaurants in the Borders.
Sarah Baxter
17. Lavenham, Suffolk
With its high street parade of wonky, half-timbered, pastel-painted Tudor houses (300 of them listed), the medieval Suffolk wool town of Lavenham is ridiculously lovely at any time of year. And if it feels like a film set, it is – the timber-framed Guildhall starred in the 2010 film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and the town’s pretty lanes were the backdrop for the BBC drama Lovejoy.
Lavenham’s good looks attract independent minds, with a sprinkling of shops and boutiques doing a brisk trade in everything from antiques to pottery, vintage teddy bears to bespoke jewellery. And during winter, when the town twinkles with lights, the town is a ready-made Christmas card. When you tire of shopping, spare a moment to visit the magnificent St Peter and St Paul, a church of cathedral-like proportions in Late Perpendicular Gothic style.
Lavenham is a parade of wonky, half-timbered, pastel-painted Tudor houses – Andrew Michael/Getty
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On the fourth Sunday of the month, Lavenham Farmers Market, held at the village hall, is one of Britain’s very best. Buy your Suffolk pork, Longhorn beef, venison, and homemade cakes, preserves, chutneys, honeys and cheeses here.
The Lion House Gallery has a thoughtful selection of local paintings, ceramics, prints, jewellery and sculpture, or try Posy for cards, decorations, homeware, candles and one-of-a-kind gifts.
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The most unmissable is tremendously festive The Swan, creaking with history and medieval beams, and with fireplaces and Christmas trees aglow. Dinner in its minstrels’ gallery is a season-spun feast of British flavours with a whisper of French finesse, with wintry mains like venison with carrot purée and chanterelle mushrooms.
Or if you just fancy tapas or a sharing platter with a nice glass of red, head to The Greyhound, a snug modern-rustic pub in a Grade II-listed building. Opposite the Guildhall, Lavenham Blue does a proper old-fashioned afternoon tea.
Kerry Walker
18. Conwy, Wales
Most visitors to Conwy are heading to its 13th-century castle, built as a symbol of military power by Edward I. The compact yet bustling high street is, however, just a short walk from the castle’s imposing towers and is contained within the medieval town walls, both with World Heritage status.
The main street is busy with high-summer day-trippers but retains a sense of Welsh hiraeth with lots of independent retailers, such as book and gift shop Hinton’s, and great places to sample the award-winning local flavours. Having cruised the high street, cross over Castle Street and walk down to the quayside for a selfie outside the smallest house in Wales, an old fisherman’s cottage, and a blast of sea air. It’s a short drive through the scenic Conwy Valley to Bodnant Gardens, an all-seasons haven of nature and wildlife.
Conwy’s high street is just a short walk from the town’s famous castle – Mariusz Kluzniak/Getty
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Dylan’s is a fabulous deli with an adjoining restaurant, part of a Welsh foodie group, while bottle shop Vinomondo has a selection of Welsh beers, wines and spirits to sample. Just off Lancaster Square at the top of High Street, Baravelli’s is an artisan chocolatier, formerly featured on TV’s Extreme Chocolatiers.
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The Erskine Arms is a cosy pub for real ales and good-quality food with a Welsh twist. For afternoon tea, Upstairs at Anna’s is stylish tearoom on the upper floor of a heritage building, while the Conwy Bakery across the road has take-away treats, including traditional Welshcakes and bara brith (a fruit bread) for a souvenir taste of Wales.
David Atkinson
19. Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire
Textile township turned right-on rural redoubt – formerly for hippies, these days more for hipsters – Hebden Bridge is a lovely place to spend a day or two. Surrounded by moorland, close to a river and a canal, beneath pretty Heptonstall, and well-placed for walks on the Pennine Way and its branches, it’s also on the railway line between Manchester and Halifax.
Stone terraces climb up its steep sides, and the road-free centre is often busy with pub-goers and daytrippers. Around 25 years ago, retail meant a scented candle, joss sticks, crystals and clogs. Today, the West Yorkshire village packs a lot of places to eat, drink, shop and browse into a relatively compact area at the bottom of the steep cleft in which it sits.
Hebden Bridge is surrounded by moorlands and is in close proximity to walks around the Pennine Way – Chris Ogden/Getty
Shop here
Antiques and bric-a-brac are big business in mooch-friendly Hebden Bridge. Period furniture, vintage clothing and smaller items can be rummaged for at Valley Antiques, Terrier Antiques, Hebden Bridge Antiques Centre – in the former police station – and the Overgate Hospice charity shop. Toy shop Totally Awesome stocks everything fun, from skateboards and board games to juggling kit and kites.
Goo Cheese – an outpost of Todmorden’s much-loved Crumbly Cheese – has cheeses from all over but is great if you’re after options from West and North Yorkshire.
The perfect pitstop
Opened by the Hebden Bridge-based Vocation Brewery, the Vocation & Co beer hall has brews on tap, with a kitchen that serves burgers made with 40-day dry-aged Swaledale beef, plus vegan options.
Chris Moss
20. Winchester, Hampshire
With its knockout medieval cathedral and genteel High Street with Regency bow-fronted shop windows, Winchester is an instant heart-stealer. The city’s historic nooks and crannies look ripe for a bodice-ripping period drama, so it’s little surprise that Jane Austen lived, wrote and was buried here in 1817.
During advent, the entire city seems sprinkled with fairy dust, with lights and trees aglow. Right at the heart is Winchester Cathedral, an 11th-century stunner in warm stone, with a magnificent Perpendicular Gothic nave and a vaulted Norman crypt that floods when it rains, hiding Anthony Gormley’s statue of a contemplative man, Sound II. The cathedral gets its festive groove on with events from chamber choir concerts to lantern parades, carol workshops and one of the country’s loveliest Christmas markets.
More history? Check out the iconic Round Table of Arthurian legend in the hammer-beamed, stained glass-lit medieval Great Hall.
Combine a shop with a bracing winter walk. The city snuggles up to the pretty chalk hills of the South Downs National Park. A soul-stirring 11-mile stomp leads to Beacon Hill, where far-reaching views of the Solent and the Isle of Wight on clear days.
Winchester is an instant heart-stealer – Cavan Images/Getty
Shop here
Kick off with a spin of the Christmas market (until December 22) in the atmospheric cathedral close. Here log cabins do a brisk trade in mulled wine and crafts from hand-carved toys and decorations to wreaths, beeswax candles, pottery and alpaca woollies. Year-round the cathedral has a cracking second-hand book stall, The Deanery.
There’s a tight cluster of independent shops in the cobbled lanes of Kingsgate Village, between the cathedral and the college, among them Kingsgate Books & Prints (for antique maps and engravings), Cornflower (for quality one-off gifts and toys) and of P&G Wells, where Jane Austen once shopped for tomes.
If you’re after gourmet stocking fillers, check out Basil Leaf on St George’s Street for artisanal cheese, charcuterie and wine, and Chococo on the High Street for divine Christmas truffles.
The perfect pitstop
All wonky beams, cosy corners and medieval vibes, the 600-year-old, Grade II-listed Chesil Rectory is the must-score table. It’s run by a group of passionate foodie friends and it shows in festive, farm-to-fork menus. For brunch, coffee and cake, cocktails and wintry lunch specials like beef bourguignon, stop by the foliage-draped Winchester Orangery on The Square.
Want to stay the night? Of course you do. A whisper away from the cathedral, the Wykeham Arms has a dash of historic flair and luxe rooms and suites – some with rolltop baths for a post-shop bubble.
Kerry Walker
This article was first published in December 2022 and has been revised and updated.
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