Our Top Nine this year shows off the beauty of our favourite county and highlights the special changing of the seasons we love to celebrate here – from the depths of the frosty winter and auburn, fiery autumn to the luscious, vibrant colour of the summer. We hope you enjoy looking at our most-liked photos this year as much as we love finding them… and a special shout out to our amazing photographers from Instagram, who capture the beauty of our county everyday!
It’s easy to see why this gorgeous shot was our most-liked photo of the year, as the road below the towering Digswell Viaduct leads into a perfect summer sunset. It’s everything we want from one of our #FridayFeeling shots– calming, positive and shows off the true beauty of our Hertfordshire countryside!
📸: @olaole2017
When June rolls around in the UK we’re waiting for our bright and beautiful poppy fields to appear across our rolling hills and they certainly were a favourite on Instagram this year. We're counting down the days until they're filling our rolling hills again...
📸: @a.c.h.images
We anticipate the vibrant purples of our Hitchin lavender every year as one of our summer staples, and who could blame us? One of the UK’s most well-known spots for lavender, a picturesque photo in amongst the sea of purple is a must-have on many Instagram feeds! Just thinking about that calming aroma could turn our frown upside down…
📸: @themanwhohikedtheworld
Did you know immersing yourself amongst nature regularly can boost your wellbeing and reduce anxiety? Luckily, Herts has so many Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty that it's so easy to get out for your all-important green time. You all seem to know the best spots to head to, as this shot from Ashridge Estate was our top #MidweekMystery of the year.
📸: @m_photocreations
This evocative shot makes us want to wrap up warm head out into the cold on a crisp, frozen morning in the countryside – we’ll be getting a lot of mornings like these in the coming months, and it’s wonderful to know that as much as we love our summer shots here, the winter can be just as magical in Herts...
📸: @ivi.gram
A snowy February in 2021 led us to a Herts winter wonderland, and there’s nowhere freshly fallen snow looks more appealing than on the magnificent St Albans Cathedral.
Provence, who? We loved how much this photo captured the vibrant colour that stuns you in the height of the Hitchin lavender season. With purple-headed flowers for as far the eye can see, this photo from Herts looks like another world – or certainly, another climate at least!
📸: @emma_closeup
Autumn in Herts is a treat for the senses with its bursts of hued reds and golden yellows – but when we look at this wonderful shot from Ashridge Estate, we hear the crunching leaves under our feet and feel the gentle breeze of a perfect October's day!
📸: @lensreflection
Come snow or sunshine, we’ll be in awe of St Albans Cathedral. To see it glowing in the autumnal light makes us so happy – we just wish we could sit on the bench and admire it for a while. If you haven’t been to this picturesque spot, you’ve got a new place to add to your 2022 bucket list…
📸: @m_photocreations
We're always looking for new shots of Herts to share on our social media, so make sure you tag us, @visithertsuk - and maybe next year, you'll be in our top nine of 2022...