An environmental study by BBC Wildlife magazine concluded that Cumbria provided the best scenery, natural habitats and unspoilt farmland in the country.
The study said Cumbria has 104 nature reserves featuring mountains, moorland, ancient woodlands, wildflower meadows, river valleys, lakes and a long and varied coastline.
"When it comes to variety, beauty and abundance of wildlife, Cumbria seems to be the county with everything - if you are a wildlife lover and you live in Cumbria, you should count yourself very lucky indeed," Fergus Collins, the co-researcher and features editor of BBC Wildlife, said. "It is hard to beat."
A wide variety of data was gathered and analysed according to region and specific counties during the study.
The decision in judging the winners for each country in the UK and the overall winner was weighted heavily in favour of percentage of land protected, variety of habitat and environmental factors such as congestion, pollution and water quality.
Where possible, the study also looked at the variety of species in each county.
Montgomeryshire was the study's top spot in Wales, primarily because of its enormous areas of protected land, which include the RSPB's Vyrnwy reserve.
The Highland region was the Scotland winner. One of the least polluted, least congested and most tranquil corners of Scotland, it is home to the largest areas under protection of any county.
The number one county in Northern Ireland was County Antrim. The wild Causeway coast, the lagoons and mudflats near Belfast and the unspoilt countryside, along with few people and fewer cars, mean it is one of the best places in Britain to get away from it all.
