Bedfordshire has taken a hit, being labelled as the worst county in England following a new ranking of all the counties in the country.
The Telegraph released a list ranking the country’s 48 counties, judging them in 41 areas, including the number of Michelin-star restaurants. Bedfordshire was at the bottom of the list.
While some may wonder whether categories such as the number of golf courses should really determine a county’s quality, there are criteria that touch upon most interests.
The ranking also measures a county against its number of National Parks and top-rate villages as well as its crime rate and, of course, how many Great British Pub Awards winners it has.
In response to Bedfordshire’s poor ranking, the news outlet reported: “It has no World Heritage Sites, National Parks, coastline, Michelin-starred restaurants, first-rate hotels, world-class sport, RHS gardens, Dark Sky Reserves, National Trails or cathedrals.”
Bedfordshire gained 247 points because of one RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) reserve, The Chiltern Hills, 24 museums and galleries, and several National Trust and English Heritage properties.
Devon, also England’s best place to live, earned 981 points—nearly four times more than Bedfordshire.
This isn’t the first time Bedfordshire’s reputation has suffered. In 2023, the county’s commuter town, Luton, was also named the “worst place to live” in the UK by the satirical website iLiveHere. The website claimed that “everyone is unhappy about something” in the “unsafe town.”
However, this year, it managed to skip the top worst place to live list and found its way into the top five most zen places in the UK. According to research by Supplement Place, the town has a zen rating of 6.9 out of 10.
The Telegraph’s list was a revision of the original analysis they carried out in 2022. Its ranking criteria were divided into four subcategories: peace and quiet, natural wonders, history and culture, and luxuries.
Greater London managed to top the list for history and culture, and luxuries, while Devon came top for natural wonders and Cornwall for peace and quiet.
England counties – full ranking
1. Devon
2. Cumbria
3. North Yorkshire
4. Cornwall
5. Somerset
6. Kent
7. Norfolk
8. Hampshire
9. Dorset
10. Greater London
11. Northumberland
12. Gloucestershire
13. Wiltshire
14. East Sussex
15. Suffolk
16. West Sussex
17. Surrey
18. Oxfordshire
19. Shropshire
20. Essex
21. Lancashire
22. Berkshire
23. Worcestershire
24. Lincolnshire
25. Derbyshire
26. Cheshire
27. West Yorkshire
28. Herefordshire
29. Staffordshire
30. Nottinghamshire
31. Cambridgeshire
32. South Yorkshire
33. Rutland
34. Isle of Wight
35. Buckinghamshire
36. West Midlands
37. Greater Manchester
38. Tyne and Wear
39. Durham
40. Leicestershire
41. Warwickshire
42. Hertfordshire
43. Northamptonshire
44. East Riding
45. Merseyside
46. City of London
47. Bristol
48. Bedfordshire