Lakes aren’t necessarily the first thing to come to mind when thinking about Britain. Unless you’re a nature lover, other things come to mind first (the hustle of London, pretty county pubs etc).

However, with many scenic national parks there isn’t a lack of lakes that could be among some of the most beautiful ones in the world.

Here are what we believe are the 20 best…

(I hope you won’t mind us breaking our usual rule restricting ourselves to places in England; we couldn’t resist including some fantastic Scottish Lochs and even a fine Welsh lake).

Lake Windermere


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Lake Windermere is one of the most popular lakes in the Lake District in Cumbria.

Kielder Water


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Kielder Water in Northumberland is the largest artificial lake in the UK and is surrounded by Kielder Forest.

Buttermere Lake


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Buttermere Lake in the Lake District is surrounded by mountains and footpaths, making this a popular destination for nature lovers.

Derwentwater


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The 3 mile long and 1 mile wide lake in the English Lake District is one of the central lakes in this national park.

Ullswater


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Ullswater is the second largest lake in the Lake District.

Blenheim Palace Lake


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Blenheim Palace is a country house in Woodstock, Oxfordshire. The lake was created in the late 18th century.

Coniston Water


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Coniston Water is the third largest lake in the Lake District.

Loch Lomond


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Loch Lomond is the largest stretch of water in the UK.

Lake Vyrnwy


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Built in 1880 to supply Liverpool with fresh water.

Loch Duich


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Located in the West Highlands, Loch Duich is a sea loch that is well known as Eilean Donan castle is located on its shores.

Thirlmere


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Thirlmere is a manmade reservoir in the Lake District.

Loch Shiel


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Loch Shiel can be seen in the Harry Potter films as the Black Lake near Hogwarts.

Llyn Y Fan Fach


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Llyn y Fan Fach is located approximately 1,660 feet above the sea level in Brecon Beacons National Park.

Llyn Tegid


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Llyn Tegid, also known as Bala Lake, is a lake in Gwynedd, Wales.

Loch Maree


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Loch Maree is the fourth largest freshwater loch in Scotland.

Loch Awe


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It is the third largest freshwater loch in Scotland and it is renowned for its trout fishing.

Ennerdale Water


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Ennerdale Water is a glacial lake in the Lake District.

Ladybower Reservoir


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Ladybower Reservoir is located in the Peak District in Derbyshire.

Howden Reservoir


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The western part of the reservoir is Derbyshire, but the eastern part in South Yorkshire.

Westwater


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Westwater is the deepest lake in England.