How do you think North Yorkshire ranks among England’s counties? Well, it’s made the top 10.

The area in “God’s Own Country” has officially been crowned the third-best, according to new data revealed by The Telegraph.

It comes as the publisher compared England’s 48 contenders for a second time (the first in 2022) across a “vast range of criteria” from “natural wonders” to “history and culture”.

The Telegraph explained: “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.

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“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.

"Ipswich Town’s promotion to the Premier League hands a small boost to Suffolk.”

You can see the full report here.

Why is North Yorkshire the third-best county in England?

The Telegraph’s destination expert, Helen Pickles commented: “One of the charms of Yorkshire is its ability to surprise, effortlessly segueing from one landscape to another, and from bustling town to empty horizon.”

North Yorkshire’s criteria rankings, according to The Telegraph’s data:

  • Natural wonders - 3rd
  • Luxuries - 9th
  • Reader poll - 2nd
  • History and culture - 5th
  • Peace and quiet - 12th

Total score - 830

The Telegraph wrote: “A united Yorkshire would wipe the floor with the rest of England, scoring well in excess of 1,000 points.

“Luckily for the competition, this behemoth was quartered in 1974, becoming North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and Humberside (now East Riding).

“Nevertheless, its largest section still slips easily into our top three.”

Best Beaches in the UK

The publisher added: “When one imagines Yorkshire – God’s Own Country – it is North Yorkshire that they envisage, a land of windswept moors, rugged fells, photogenic sheep, drystone walls and endless pots of tea.

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“Here you’ll find two national parks (North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales) and four National Landscapes (Forest of Bowland, Howardian Hills, Nidderdale and North Pennines), amassing 100 points, two cathedrals (York and Ripon), for a further 40, the Studley Royal Park World Heritage Site (20 points), 166 museums and galleries (46 points), 15 National Trust listings (42 points), 23 English Heritage properties (45 points) and an RHS garden (20 points).

“Then there’s its 152kms of seaside (30 points), home to lovable resorts such as Filey, Scarborough and Whitby, and an ever-increasing number of luxury hotels, spas and Michelin-starred restaurants.

“In fact, the only area where North Yorkshire fell down was the weather: its annual 1,386 hours of sunshine was the fourth lowest – lower than Lancashire, even – and its 943mms of rainfall the ninth highest. Pack a brolly.”