The northern English county named the 'second most beautiful' after Cornwall

Move over, -there's a northern powerhouse dazzling with raw beauty, historic charm, and more cozy tearooms than you can shake a scone at. According to a league table from Sykes Holiday Cottages, has been officially crowned England's second most picturesque county, and for good reason. From wild moorland and dramatic coastlines to honey-hued villages and ancient abbeys, Yorkshire doesn't just serve scenery-it slathers it on like thick clotted cream.

First up, the Yorkshire Dales. Think rolling green hills, drystone walls, and the kind of peaceful silence only broken by the bleat of a distant sheep. Walkers, cyclists and Sunday strollers alike make pilgrimages here to places like Malham Cove, Gordale Scar and Aysgarth Falls -a triple-tiered waterfall so scenic it starred in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

Over in the North York Moors, purple heather carpets the land in late summer like a painter's dream, while the Cleveland Way delivers cliff-top drama from Saltburn to Filey. Want coastal charm? Whitby -with its Gothic abbey ruins and literary links to Dracula -is an atmospheric must, as is the colourful, cobbled Robin Hood's Bay.

City lovers aren't left out. York is a living postcard of medieval magic: climb the steps of Clifford's Tower, gaze up at the stained-glass glory of York Minster, then lose yourself in the Shambles featuring crooked timber-framed shops and with an atmosphere straight out of Diagon Alley.

Foodies, too, are spoiled for choice. Graze your way through a Dales farmers' market, tuck into a pub pie in Hawes, which also has the best fish and chip shop in the country, or sip Yorkshire tea beside a roaring fire in Ilkley.

Whether you're into windswept adventures or slow village rambles, Yorkshire blends epic beauty with northern warmth. And now, with this Sykes Cottages recognition under its belt, it's official: this is God's Own Country, and it's never looked better.