Which is Britain's most romantic street?

Anyone thinking of opening a hotel or a B&B in the UK might want to take a look at the results of this year"s Google Street View Awards.

The awards were devised by Google to find and celebrate Britain"s best streets under three categories - Most Romantic Street, Best Shopping Street, and Hippest Street.

A shortlist of 20 nominations was compiled by a Google panel of experts from the world of travel, shopping and lifestyle including Visit Britain, Lonely Planet, Mr & Mrs Smith Guides, celebrities and leading journalists, before being put to the national vote.

Over 20,000 people voted within a two-week period in May, and the winners were:

TOP 5 "MOST ROMANTIC":

1. Copse Hill Road, Lower Slaughter
2. Front Street, Bamburgh
3. The Royal Mile, Edinburgh
4. Mwnt, Y Ferwig
5. The A591,Grasmere, Lake District

TOP 5 "HIPPEST":

1. South Shore Road, Gateshead
2. Call Lane, Leeds
3. Whitecross Street, London
4. Seel Street, Liverpool
5. Henry Street, Belfast

TOP 5 "BEST SHOPPING":

1. Bondgate Within, Alnwick
2. Market place, Kingston
3. Low pavement, Nottingham
4. Lisburn Road, Belfast
5. The Promenade, Cheltenham

Google said the survey results also reveal that Brits are using Street View an average of twice a week to discover new hotels, shops, restaurants and businesses across the UK.

More than half of Brits polled (55%) use Street View to plan a visit to a UK tourist attraction and the surrounding area, stating that the look of a street will affect whether or not they choose to visit.

By Bev Fearis