The little UK market town so pretty it could be in the Cotswolds but it's 80 miles away

The are a favourite among travellers seeking gorgeous surroundings and a relaxed atmosphere. They're popular with and celebrities alike, with rolling hills and unspoilt landscapes that make them a prime destination year-round. But one Lincolnshire town has emerged as a rival to the famous region, even though it lies more than 80 miles away.

Stamford has "long been lauded as a lovely stone town", according to the Visit Lincolnshire website. Scottish novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott called the "the finest sight on the road between Edinburgh and London", while historian WG Hoskins said if there were "a more beautiful town in the whole of England, I have yet to see it". It is a favourite of television and film producers for its stony facades, which were featured in the 2005 Pride and Prejudice film, The Da Vinci Code and The Crown.

During its weekly Friday market, shoppers crowd the streets, keen to sample the local vegetables, meats, pies, bread and fresh fish on offer.

Lined with alleyways and courtyards, there are a mix of small businesses, fine jewellers and designer premises, while a quieter retreat is available along the banks of the River Welland, which meanders through Stamford.

With a history stretching back hundreds of years, Stamford was recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086 as "Stanford", meaning "stony ford", and developed along the Roman road from London to York.

Featuring over 600 listed buildings, Stamford also has a collection of medieval churches as well as stone and slate quarries which provide the stone slate found on the roofs of many of its buildings.

On the edge of the town lies Burghley House, an Elizabethan mansion built by William Cecil, who served as First Minister under Queen Elizabeth I.

Cecil controlled Crown finances and was a key agent of the Queen before his death, after while he was buried in St Martin's Church in the town where his residence was located.

This Stamford mansion still features its original Tudor kitchen, 18 state rooms and many major works of art.

Tolethorpe Hall, another grand site in Stamford, plays host to the Rutland Open Air Theatre, where the resident Stamford Shakespeare Company perform an annual season of plays across June, July and August.

The performances attract more than 34,000 from the UK and around the world every year to Tolethorpe's grounds, which were landscaped to their present form in 1867.

If you've exhausted the offerings in the Cotswolds, Stamford is certainly a strong alternative.