Two Worcestershire villages have been named among Britain’s greatest villages in a new list by The Telegraph.

Introducing the list, the publisher said: “TV fame provides a rapid route to staycation stardom, but it isn’t a necessity.

“A combination of good looks, convenience for day trippers and a few influential endorsements can be enough to turn what was once a peaceful village into an overtourism battleground inundated with selfie stick-wielding tourists from April till October.

“For the Cotswolds, think Castle Combe and Bourton-on-the-Water; for Cornwall, there’s Polperro and Mousehole – all now exist largely to serve tourists, not residents.

@worcesternews Worcestershire’s waterfall - shh it’s our secret 😉 #ukhiddengems #waterfall #worcestershire #ombersley #exploringnature #worcester ♬ In The Forest (Acoustic Indie No Copyright) - Instrumental - Lesfm & Olexy

“Fortunately, there are still plenty of beautiful but uncrowded British villages that do retain their authentic character, where medieval pubs and churches remain the beating heart of the community, and where welcoming shopkeepers stock treats from local producers. Here are 30 of the best, chosen by experts from across the country.”

Ombersley and Broadway both feature in the list of Britain’s greatest villages and you can see the full list via The Telegraph’s website.

What did The Telegraph say about Ombersley and Broadway?

Ombersley is ranked in 14th place while Broadway closely follows in 15th place.

Speaking about Ombersley, The Telegraph said: “Absolutely nobody goes to Ombersley. It’s a backwater – literally, the River Severn meanders nearby – in the pastoral no-man’s land between the Cotswolds, the Malverns and the Shropshire Hills.

@visitthecotswolds There's no better time to visit Broadway than now! 😍⁠ ⁠ Have you been to Broadway?⁠ ⁠ 📍Broadway, Worcestershire⁠ ⁠ 🎞️ dr_difilippo (IG) 📌 Save for your travels ⁠ ⁠ ➡️ Follow us for everything Cotswolds⁠ ⁠ Come and see the Cotswolds this year and visit our website for help: www.visitthecotswolds.uk⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ #visitthecotswolds⁣⁣ #broadway #cotswolds #cotswoldslife #autumn #fall #discovercotswolds #worcestershire #thecotswolds #englishvillage #villagelife #thisprettyengland #englandtrip #englishcountryside #britishcountryside #escapetothecountry #scenicbritain #loveengland #visituk #uktravelblogger #visitbritain #visitengland #england🇬🇧 #lovegreatbritain #beautifulbritain #cottagecore #cottagecoreaesthetic #adventure #cottages #beautifulengland ♬ original sound - visitthecotswolds

“But while it may not be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, this pocket of Worcestershire is certainly pretty, and Ombersley is its best-looking village. It’s a drowsy enclave of black-and-white, wattle-and-daub buildings, listed and listing, including various ancient inns (medieval King’s Arms is an old-school boozer; Georgian coaching inn Crown and Sandys has local ales on tap) and Tudor cottages and houses – which, this being Worcestershire, remain very much lived-in.

“A handsome Gothic Revival redbrick, Checketts country deli is a relative newcomer to the village – it opened in 1902 – where you can buy quality produce from the surrounding farms and orchards. A stroll down the lane brings you to Holt Fleet on the River Severn, and a pub of the same name serving drinks on the lawn overlooking the water.”

Broadway is described as “hardly a secret” and a place where the art legacy is continuing through the galleries on the high street.

The Telegraph said: “William Morris 'discovered' it in the 1880s, and brought an arty crowd for holidays in the country; the Broadway Group included Rossetti, Burne-Jones, Henry James, Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain, Elgar, and John Singer Sargent – who painted his Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose in the gardens of 14th-century Abbots Grange, now a splendid boutique B&B.

Recommended reading:

“They loved Broadway’s sleepy feel, combined with its embarrassment of mellow-yellow manor houses and coaching inns – medieval, Tudor, Georgian – built when the village was a prosperous staging post, until the 19th-century advent of rail bypassed the village – inadvertently preserving it in time, like amber.

“Around its village green, handsome honeystone rubs shoulders with black-and-white wonkiness, all liberally embellished with mullioned windows, clipped yew and wisteria bowers in an orgy of quintessential Cotswold quaintness.

“Now Broadway is a staging post once more, for walkers on the Cotswold Way, while the art legacy continues in the many galleries which line the high street.”