Last update:

5th March 2007

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What is a tranquil area?

Tranquillity in the South West 2006

Tranquillity in the South West 1960 & 1990

New tranquillity map of England 2006

Earlier maps of tranquillity in England (1960 & 1990)

Tranquillity and tranquil areas

What's new on this page...

• New county level tranquillity maps available
• New tranquillity maps for England
• The South West has the 2nd highest local environmental quality in England

What is a tranquil area?

In 2006, the Campaign for Rural England (CPRE) published new tranquillity maps of England and the regions.

The tranquillity map was created following consultation with 1,300 countryside users and visitors across England on their perceptions of tranquillity. Views mostly revolved around three themes – landscape qualities, the impact of man-made noises and the presence or absence of lots of people. Factors contributing to feelings of tranquillity (such as sweeping views of open countryside) and factors detracting from those feelings (like busy roads and large man-made structures intruding into views) were also taken into account.

Then, working from these responses, computer-based techniques and geographical databases to show how likely every part of England is to make a visitor feel tranquil. England’s land mass was divided into squares measuring 500 metres by 500 metres, each given a tranquillity score and colour-coded.

Tranquillity in the South West

According to the new map, the South West is the 3rd most tranquil region in the country, behind the North East and Yorkshire & the Humber. Large areas of the region remain as some of the most unspoilt areas, including much of Devon and Cornwall, Exmoor, Dartmoor Bodmin and the region's Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Devon was awarded the highest tranquillity score in the South West, and was one of England's top 5 tranquil counties. Wiltshire was also highlighted in the country's top 10 most peaceful areas, followed by Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly, which came 12th. The more urban areas in the region, such as Bournemouth, Plymouth and Bristol were found to be the most affected by human impact and had some of the lowest scores recorded in the English regions.

Below are the average tranquillity scores for the county councils, unitary authorities and largest conurbations in the South West, in rank order. The figure given is the average across all of the 500 metre by 500 metre squares within each area. The scores range from positive numbers (where factors which make countryside visitors feel tranquil predominate) to negative (where factors which detract from feelings of tranquillity predominate).

CPRE (2006)

However the impact of growing urban areas and transport network are clearly visible. Larger urban areas such as Bristol, Plymouth, Taunton, Exeter and Bournemouth show up as areas where you are least likely to feel tranquil. Major roads such as the M5, A30, A38 and A361 are also shaded bright red, a clear sign of the impacts of traffic noise and development.

Tranquillity maps according to South West county

The CPRE have now released county level maps of tranquillity for all regions in England (March 2007).

It is difficult to compare with earlier tranquillity maps produced by the CPRE, due to changing methods. However, maps of the region's tranquil areas in the 1960s and 1990s, reveal the South West's shrinking quiet and unspoilt countryside.

The South West's environment is one of the region's greatest assets, fueling the economy as well as attracting visitors and investment. Our countryside, and in particular the tranquil areas that make our region so special, is at risk.

• The South West has one of the fastest growing populations
• The region has one of the highest growth in new dwellings
• Road transport continues to increase year on year
• Air traffic increased by 25% between 2003 and 2004
• Light pollution increased by almost one-fifth between 1993 and 2000 (CPRE, 2005)

The new tranquillity map of England

The new map reveals that the North East is England's most tranquil region, whilst London is by far the least. In order of mean score, England's regions ranked in terms of their tranquillity are:

1. North East - mean score 15.3
2. Yorkshire & the Humber - mean score 4.16
3. South West - mean score 1.28
4. North West - mean score -1.92
5. East of England - mean score -3.27
6. East Midlands - mean score -4.12
7. South East - mean score -9.12
8. West Midlands - mean score -9.66
9. London - mean score -76.7

In terms of counties, Northumberland was the most tranquil in the country whilst Slough was the least. England's top 5 and bottom 5 most tranquil counties can be found below:

CPRE (2006)

As can be seen in the map below, much of England is affected in some way by noise. Cities, towns and major roads show up as clear areas of the nation's least tranquil land.

The largest remaining areas of deep, unfragmented tranquil countryside in England are mostly in National Parks such as Dartmoor and Exmoor, the Yorkshire Dales, the North York Moors, the Lake District and Northumberland National Park. The Forest of Bowland and the North Pennines, two designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), also harbour very large areas of deep tranquil countryside, as do the nation's other AONBs.

According to the CPRE, the new map reveals that many areas of ‘ordinary’ countryside with no official designation remain rich in tranquillity, including some parts of the South East – the most built up and pressurised English region.

Tranquillity in England

click to enlarge

England's tranquil areas are extremely sensitive to change. The CPRE warns that unless new policies are introduced to protect these areas, there will be further massive shrinkage and fragmentation of tranquil areas through:

• New buildings and infrastructure – a greenfield area of 27 square miles, nearly the size of Leicester, vanishes under bricks, mortar, concrete and asphalt each year, in a country which is already among the world’s most heavily built up.
• Growing traffic and expanding roads. Government forecasts traffic levels will increase by 31% between 2000 and 2015 if current trends continue. Roads slice through tranquil places and their noise spreads far and wide.
• More flights, flight paths and runways. Take-offs and landings more than doubled over the past 20 years. The Government’s 2003 Aviation White Paper signalled a huge increase in air travel and airport development.
• Passenger numbers were forecast to almost treble over the next 30 years.
• Increased light pollution and spreading sky glow – as fast-growing use of outdoor lighting blots out views of the stars.

More about the threats to our tranquil areas is available from the CPRE.

Earlier maps of England's tranquil areas

Earlier maps looking at tranquil areas in England show comparisons between the early 1960s and early 1990s. Although less detailed than the new maps, the impact of increasing development is clearly visible. It is estimated that there was a 21% decrease in the total area of tranquil land between 1960 and 1990 and a 73% reduction in the average size of a tranquil site. It is thought that over half of England's land area was experiencing some sort of disturbance by the early 1990s.

Tranquillity in England - area, size and percentages: 1960 and 1990

Source: CPRE and Countryside Agency (1995)