Sussex villages named among 30 'greatest' in Britain by national newspaper

Alfriston, Ditchling and Bosham were included in The Telegraph’s list of the best ‘unspoilt’ villages across the country.

Oliver Smith, Deputy Head of Travel, said the publication’s experts searched for the villages which were ‘beautiful but uncrowded’ and retained ‘their authentic character’.

Here’s what the article had to say about our stunning local villages:

Alfriston, East Sussex

‘Even Disney couldn’t create Alfriston’, according to The Telegraph.

“For a start they’d get the scones all wrong,” the article said.

“Brim-full of historic charm this Sussex village has a green, or ‘Tye’, in the shadow of a splendid church, a generous sprinkling of listed buildings exhibiting knapped flint walls, a trio of ye olde pubs, a lowland river, a village square, a chalk figure standing watch on nearby downland and a claim to fame in Alfriston Clergy House, which was the first building to be saved by the National Trust.

"This thatched-roofed beauty has a cottage garden and a meddler tree in the rear orchard.”

The article names Badgers Tea House and ‘refreshingly un-twee’ Singing Kettle (which has ‘the best scones in East Sussex, according to the article) as must-visit tea spots.

“It’s not just the village, but what’s on the doorstep,” the article continued.

"Friston Forest, the Cuckmere Valley, Beachy Head, Drusillas Park and the undulating vineyards of Rathfinny Wine Estate make Alfriston worthy of a long weekend.”

Ditchling, East Sussex

“Ditchling, at the foot of Ditchling Beacon, is the unofficial cradle of the South Downs National Park,” The Telegraph said.

“It was here, in 2009, that then secretary of state the Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP signed the order creating the UK’s newest National Park.

"The village has over 40 listed buildings, among them Wings Place, also known as Anne of Cleves House, a divorce-settlement manor bestowed by Henry VIII. An arty heritage is celebrated at Ditchling Museum of Art and Craft, which shines a light on the stone carvers, carpenters, printers and weavers that made their home here, including sculptor and type designer Eric Gill and weaver Ethel Mairet.

"Pruden & Smith offers tours of its workshop and displays the original tools and work bench of silversmith Dunstan Pruden. There are 15 studios, gardens and galleries on May’s Artist Open Houses trail.”

The story recommends heading up to Ditchling Beacon for 360-degree views across the low Weald to the sea, and finishing with a tour and drop of Sussex sparkling at Ditchling’s Court Garden or Black Dog Hill vineyards.

Bosham, West Sussex

The Telegraph writes that ‘the loveliness of Bosham cannot be overstated’.

"Approach the old heart along Shore Road – which gets covered at high tide, only adding to the charm of the place – and you may just expire from sheer overload of beauty,” the article said.

"Between a quay pleasingly strewn with little wooden boats and a Grade I-listed church, Bosham village green is perfectly orientated for sunset, when locals and regulars gather to picnic, pop corks, play badminton, drag sailing dinghies up the ramp from the water – the whole blissful bucolic scene painted rosy by the sinking sun.

“Find a seat in one of the pub gardens in summer, and life doesn’t get much better.

"Sailing is very much Bosham’s raison d’etre. It is situated at the end of an inlet in Chichester Harbour, a peaceful natural estuary encompassing islands, inlets, and backwaters where samphire grows wild and birds nest in their thousands.”

Read the full list here.