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Beautiful Devon in the West Country has been voted England’s best county, scoring the highest marks in Country Life Magazine’s survey for green policy, landscape, wildlife, heritage, local food and pubs...

So those who own a property in Devon will be pleased to know that Devon is officially the best place to live in the country. I can’t say I’m all that surprised – I went to university down there and fell in love with the countryside.

Country Life Magazine assessed each county in a number of areas including the quality of its health services, schools, social fabric, sunshine hours, the number of village greens, the quality of light and tranquillity, and the number of residents.

England’s third largest county, Devon stands alone in offering unbelievable variety in its 2,589 square miles. It is also the only county to have two separate coastlines. As well as two National Parks and two World Heritage Sites, Devon can also lay claim to 3,500 miles of footpaths, 150 miles of the National Cycle Network, thousands of ancient monuments and listed buildings, sandy beaches and some of the most popular sailing and surfing waters in Britain.

Hugely popular with holidaymakers, many Brits venture to Devon each summer in search of that beach and outdoor adventure holiday.

Each county was assessed on quantifiable information gathered direct from a variety of authoritative sources, such as the CPRE, the Met Office, Defra and Natural England and some of the categories included Health, Flood Risk, Light Pollution, Local Food and Village Greens.

The Landscape category includes broadleaved forest and green-belt acreage, as well as national parks, and the Heritage category counts Landmark Trust buildings and historic houses mentioned in Simon Jenkins’ England’s Thousand Best Houses, as well as National Trust properties.

The survey also considered the rates of recycling and composting on a county-by-county basis in order to find the Greenest County.

Devon County Council Leader Brian Greenslade said, “We’re pleased and proud to receive such glowing recognition. This is confirmation of what everyone in Devon has known for a long time and it's why we’re so proud to fly our Devon flag.

“What is very welcome is that the rest of the country gets to hear what is so good about our beautiful county, and that is particularly important in the current economic climate.

“We’re delighted that Devon is getting the praise it rightfully deserves and that the County Council's efforts to make Devon even greener are recognised.

“We’re more than happy to share it with visitors to allow them to experience what we’re lucky enough to appreciate here every day,” he added.

Mark Hedges, Editor of Country Life, said, “Few counties can match the variety that Devon manages to pack inside its borders - scoring top for the beauty of its landscape, heritage, pubs and local food, with a huge range of farm shops, meat producers and local butchers.

“It is also the greenest county, with the highest rates for recycling and composting. Devon has always had a special place in many people's hearts as a favourite place for family holidays, to escape city life and to retire.

“Our survey shows that Devon really does deliver the dream,” he added.

Devon triumphed above Hampshire, which took second place and Kent, which took third.