England's best: Excellence tourist awards

It takes special kind of place to capture the imagination of the judges who give out the Enjoy England Awards for Excellence, and the 2009 gold winners are no exception. So if you're looking for the best this year when holidaying in the UK, the eighteen gold winners are a great place to start your search. See the gallery of our favourite winners

The best hotel, campsite and pub in England 2009

The Enjoy England gold award winners have something for everyone. Choose from a day out at a country house to a night a top hotel. View the gallery

Full details of all the winners are available on www.enjoyengland.com/excellence and they are:

- Bed and breakfast of the year Augill Castle, South Stainmore near Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria (www.stayinacastle.com; 01768 341937)
Sustainable tourism award of the year The Venus Company, Halwell, Totnes, Devon (www.venuscompany.co.uk; 01803 712648)

- Hotel of the year Gidleigh Park, Chagford, Devon (www.gidleigh.com; 01647 432367) - Caravan holiday park of the year Hidden Valley Park, West Down, near Ilfracombe, North Devon (www.hiddenvalleypark.com; 01271 813 837)

- Taste of England award The Pipe & Glass Inn, South Dalton, Beverley in East Yorkshire (www.pipeandglass.co.uk; 01430 810246)

Small visitor attraction of the year 78 Derngate: The Charles Rennie Mackintosh House and Galleries in Northampton (www.78derngate.org.uk; 01604 603407)

- Large visitor attraction of the year Harewood House in Harewood, Leeds (www.harewood.org; 0113 218 1010)

- Self-catering holiday of the year – was jointly awarded to Noelle’s Cottages in Middleton, Pickering, North Yorkshire (www.noellescottages.co.uk; 01751 472 283) and the Woodhouse Farm Cottages in Staplow, Ledbury, Herefordshire (www.thewoodhousefarm.co.uk; 01531 640030)

- Best tourism experience of the year is The London Walks (www.londonwalks.com; 020 7624 3978)

- Best business tourism of the year The Rheged Centre in Penrith, Cumbria (www.rheged.com; 01768 868000)

- Outstanding customer service of the year Robert Evans of the SS Great Britain Trust in Bristol (www.ssgreatbritain.org; 0117 926 0680)

- Tourist Information Centre of the Year (TIC) winner is The Chesterfield Tourist Information Centre in Rykneld Square, Chesterfield (www.visitchesterfield.info; 01246 345777)

- The Tourism Website of the Year winner is www.northumberlandbedandbreakfast.co.uk; the website for The Old School five-star bed and breakfast in Newton on the Moor, Northumberland (01665 575 767)

- The Access for All Tourism winner is The Hytte, a Norwegian inspired, traditional timber mountain lodge near Hexham in Bingfield near Hexham, Northumberland (www.thehytte.com; 0143 4672 321)

- The Journalist of the Year is Chris Haslam for his family holiday campervan series in The Sunday Times (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/system/topicRoot/Camper_van_man_s_tour_of_the_Br/)