Five Great British landscapes that inspired famous artists

Times

30-04-2025

I like to credit my mum for sparking my interest in all things artistic. When we were children, she was forever making and painting things with my brother and I, or taking us on country walks to pick up conkers, toadstools, leaves and nature's other treasures to sketch back at home. But there are far more talented artists who've found inspiration in the Great British countryside.
Notable artists have long reached for their easels to reinterpret Britain's beauty in two-dimensional form, from David Hockney's pop-art-colour paintings of the Yorkshire Wolds to LS Lowry's landscapes capturing scenes around Berwick-upon-Tweed. Perhaps the most painted corner of Britain — and one that I've wandered frequently — is Suffolk's Stour Valley, which gave rise to two of our most prolific landscape artists: Gainsborough and Constable. Later this year there is a landmark exhibition dedicated to Constable — and his contemporary, JMW Turner — at London's Tate Britain to mark the 250th anniversary of their births (£24; tate.org.uk). Follow in their brushstrokes to see these varied real-life scenes that were memorably captured on canvas.
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Don't be surprised to feel a sense of déja vu at Flatford Mill (nationaltrust.org.uk). If the cottage standing above its reflection looks familiar, that's because the scene has barely changed in over 200 years since John Constable painted it for The Hay Wain, his most famous creation. Similarly lovely landscapes across Dedham Vale, which straddles the River Stour, are captured in many a Constable painting, which gave rise to its nickname Constable Country. More contemporary attractions include vineyard visits to sip Essex-made wines (tasting tours from £30; dedhamvalevineyard.com) and shoulder-dropping spa stays at Talbooth House & Spa.Details B&B doubles from £209 (milsomhotels.com)
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You might associate JMW Turner with Margate and its Turner Contemporary gallery (free; turnercontemporary.org), but the English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist took his early inspiration from the landscapes of Scotland, Yorkshire, the Lake District and in particular north Wales. Conwy Castle — looming above the River Conwy — became a favourite subject that Turner re-created in numerous paintings and sketches such as Conwy Castle. Admire it, as Turner did, from the riverbank, then tour its fit-for-a-king rooms and medieval battlements (from £11.80; cadw.gov.wales) before warming up nearby at the Castle Hotel, a 29-room, 19th-century coaching inn with a terrace for when the sun shines and roaring fires in the winter months.
Details B&B doubles from £144 (castlewales.co.uk)
Eric Slater may not be a household name, but the scenery that inspired him is internationally famous. Where the South Downs meet the sea, Seaford Head's chalky hills plunge into the Channel — and the coastguard cottages on its eastern edge, with the Seven Sisters cliffs beyond, are East Sussex's signature sight. Slater faithfully captured local scenes as Japanese-style woodcut prints. Read the book Slater's Sussex and walk the two-hour, circular Slater Trail to see the locations that inspired him (ericslater.co.uk); stay at Saltmarsh Farmhouse, a brilliant B&B within a walk of those cliff-side cottages. Hire bikes to explore Friston Forest and the flint-built village of Alfriston (from £18; cuckmerecycle.co).Details B&B doubles from £165 (saltmarshfarmhouse.co.uk)
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The Glasgow Boys were a group of Scottish artists known for painting their subjects in situ, rather than working from sketches in a studio. Among them was James Guthrie, whose atmospheric landscapes are as notable as his better-known portraits (including one of Winston Churchill). The urban harbour he painted in 1893 for Oban is almost unchanged today. If you can tear yourself away from the spa and log-fire-warmed lounges the Oban Bay Hotel, which sits at the harbour's far end, you can take day trips by ferry to the nearby Isle of Mull; or walk to see two local landmarks: Dunollie Castle's romantic ruins and hilltop McCaig's Tower.
Details B&B doubles from £150 (crerarhotels.com)
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Joanne Short takes more of a contemporary approach to landscape art. Coastal spots in her home county of Cornwall become colourful works such as Sunny Seaside Flowers, St Ives (prints of which can be bought locally at John Dyer Gallery; johndyergallery.com).This same seafront scene is home in real life to Tate St Ives (£13; tate.org.uk), whose holdings span modern and contemporary collections as well as the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden (£9). Find more treasures nearby at Leach Pottery's museum and shop (free; leachpottery.com), or even throw your own creations in a two-hour introductory workshop (£60pp). Bed down at the six-room Trevose Harbour House, whose best rooms have sea views.
Details B&B doubles from £245 (trevosehouse.co.uk)
Have we missed any? Share your suggestions in the comments