Shires In Uk May 2026

Have you got a favorite Shire? Let me know in the comments below—I’ll fight anyone who says the Cotswolds are overrated.

Let’s saddle up and take a trot through the green lanes of the UK’s most beloved Shires. Historically, a ‘Shire’ is a division of land dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period. It was an area ruled by a ‘Shire Reeve’ (which, over time, became the word Sheriff ). Essentially, Shires are just ancient counties that end with the suffix “-shire,” like Yorkshire, Cheshire, or Devon (which, fun fact, is a former Shire but dropped the suffix). shires in uk

You’ve heard the phrase thrown around in movies and books— “the Shires” —often to describe a quaint, Tolkien-esque idyll. But what actually are they? And why should you trade your Tube map for an Ordnance Survey map to find them? Have you got a favorite Shire