Hampshire has been ranked among the top 10 counties in England, according to a new analysis from The Telegraph.

The newspaper first set out a list of the 48 counties back in 2022 but has now updated its scoring system with an increased range of criteria.

They considered a range of 41 criteria, divided into four subcategories:

  • Natural Wonders (number of Blue Flag beaches, number of National Parks etc...)
  • History and Culture (number of museums and galleries, number of Church of England cathedrals etc...)
  • Luxuries (number of Michelin stars, number of Michelin keys etc...)
  • Peace and Quiet (population density, crime rate etc...)

Discussing their reasons for updating the list, the publication shared: "Surely the picture remains the same, you might think. And it’s true that across many indicators – such as height of loftiest peak, and number of cathedrals – scores need not be adjusted.

"But elsewhere, plenty has changed. Beaches have won or lost their Blue Flag status, restaurants their Michelin stars, and new Dark Sky reserves have been inaugurated.

"The downsizing of HS2 means more ‘Peace and Quiet’ points for several counties."

Each county was given a score according to its performance according to each individual criterion.

The full breakdown of England's counties can be found on The Telegraph website here.

How did Hampshire score?

Hampshire ranked in eighth place overall, which was actually a drop of one place from when The Telegraph did its initial table in 2022.

The county ranked 9th for Natural Wonders (243 points), 7th for History and Culture (177 points), 10th for Luxuries (110 points) and 30th for Peace and Quiet (99 points), giving it an overall points tally of 679.

Discussing a breakdown of the scoring, The Telegraph wrote: "Hampshire has never quite made it onto Britain’s tourism hot list – which is a surprise when one examines the stats that propelled it into our top 10.

"It has two national parks (the New Forest and the South Downs) and three National Landscapes (Chichester Harbour, Cranborne Chase and the West Wiltshire Downs, and the North Wessex Downs), worth a total of 90 points.

@ourhampshire How many of these New Forest spots have you visited? 🌳 One of the most beautiful areas in England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 in our lovely Hampshire 💚 1. Hordle cliff at Milford on Sea 2. Bucklers Hard in Beaulieu 3. Blackwater arboretum 4. Lymington 5. Brockenhurst 6. Beaulieu River 7. Lyndhurst 👇 Share with a friend and tag who you’d visit with! #ourhampshire #hampshireblogger #hampshirestaycation #hampshireuk #hampshirelife #ukstaycation #uktravelblogger #uktraveller #travelfamily #familytravel #ukplacestovisit #greatbritain #discoverengland #visitengland #youmustsee #passionpassport #visithampshire #traveluk #uktravel #uniladadventure ♬ Greenlight (feat. Flo Rida & LunchMoney Lewis) - Pitbull

"Thanks largely to the New Forest, it comes third for woodland as a percentage of its total area (behind only Surrey and West Sussex), raising its score by 46.

"It has two cathedrals (Winchester and Portsmouth), worth 40 points. It is one of only three counties (alongside North Yorkshire and Cornwall) with not one but two International Dark Sky Reserves, adding 40 points.

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"There’s culture too, with 105 museums and galleries, 15 English Heritage properties, and both First Class Cricket and Premier League football (step forward, Southampton – for now)."

Its holiday highlight was perhaps unsurprisingly picked as the New Forest due to its "miles of paths and tracks through leafy glades and pretty villages".

Meanwhile, the county's 'ultimate hotel' was given to the Lime Wood Hotel in Lyndhurst.