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10 Places to See in the UK Before You Die

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic (by 13 people)   Your rating: 1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic

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Mel has lived in the UK all her life and is a complete Britphile. Her favourite places in the UK include Derbyshire, Cornwall and London.

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Your Guide to the Top 10 Places to See in the UK

 

The UK may be small, but it's full of a variety of amazing places stretching right from John O'Groats to Lands End.

Here are some of the most iconic sights that our small island has to offer. Please feel free to add your own suggestions to the bottom of the lens.

Introduce Yourself Poll 

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This Sceptred Isle on Flickr 

Stonehenge 

Top Place to see in the UK

Stonehenge is a prehistoric stone circle and is believed to have been constructed around 3100BC. No one knows exactly what purpose it served, but it is thought to have been a centre of pagan worship.

The site is managed by English Heritage. The stone circle cannot be accessed during normal opening hours, although they do hold regular Stone Circle Access visits in the early morning and late evening.

Stonehenge Links 

Useful Stonehenge Links

Stonehenge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about 8 miles (13 km) north of Salisbury. ...
Stonehenge.co.uk - Your guide to Stonehenge, the World's Favourite ...
Your guide to Stonehenge, shops, other ancient sites and stone circles in Britain, with practical information to make your visit easier.

Tower Bridge 

Tower Bridge is one of London's most recognisable landmarks and possible one of the most famous bridges in the world.

Spanning the Thames, just next to the Tower of London, it was built in 1894 after 50 architects and designers entered a competition to design a new bridge for London.

Visitors can view London from the high-level walkways and access the Victorian Engine Rooms. You can also access the bridge lift schedule which shows times and dates when the bridge will rise for large vessels.

Tower Bridge in Action! 

Tower Bridge Opens

Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge

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Tower Bridge Official Information 

Tower Bridge Weblink

Tower Bridge
Visitor information including opening times, admission prices and history.

Chatsworth House 

One of the best country houses in the UK

The UK is dotted with a huge amount of exceptional country houses and castles, but one of the most beautiful is Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, home of the Duke & Duchess of Devonshire since 1549.

As well as housing one of Europe's finest private art collections, the stately home also has a magical 101 acre garden, a farmyard and adventure playground.

Chatsworth by the 11th Duchess of Devonshire 

The best books by the Duchess of Devonshire

Duchess of Devonshire's Chatsworth Cookbook

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Chatsworth: The House

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The Garden at Chatsworth

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Lake Windermere 

The biggest lake in England

Lake Windermere, in Cumbria is 2 miles long, one mile wide and 220 feet deep. It is the largest natural lake in England and is part of the Lake District National Park.

Although popular with tourists, the west shoreline is almost completely owned by the National Trust, which makes it a haven for wildlife.

This stunning landscape is also known for it's connection with Beatrix Potter and Arthur Ransome.

Books inspired by Lake Windermere and the Lake District 

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The Tale of Peter Rabbit (The World of Beatrix Potter)

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The World of Peter Rabbit (The Original Peter Rabbit, Books 1-23, Presentation Box)

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Swallows and Amazons (Godine Storyteller)

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Swallowdale (Godine Storyteller)

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Portmeirion 

Portmeirion - possibly the most eccentric village in the UK?

Portmeirion is a fanciful Italianate village situated on the North Wales Coast. Designed and constructed by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975, the village includes a hotel, holiday cottages, a teashop and restaurant.

Now it is perhaps known as the location for 60's cult TV series The Prisoner and the home of Portmeirion Pottery.

A Brief Tour of Portmeirion 

Portmeirion walkabout on YouTube

The Village (Portmeirion, Wales)

Overview of Portmeirion, Wales, by the Antiques Roadshow. This was the setting for the Village in Patrick McGoohan's "The Prisoner".

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Portmeirion Information Centre 

Official Portmeirion Site

Portmeirion - Welcome to the official Portmeirion Village website
Everything you need to know about Portmeirion, including information about staying in the hotel or holiday cottages in the village.

The Giant's Causeway 

The Giant's Causeway is a World Heritage Site in Northern Ireland.

The area is made up from about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns which were created after a volcanic eruption.

The name comes from the legend of Finn MacCool. The story goes that mythical Irish giant Finn built the causeway to get to Scotland and battle with a rival giant called Benandonner.

Links about the Giant's Causeway 

Giant's Causeway Official Guide
Official information including history, walks, and maps.
The Great and Mighty Finn MacCool
Page dedicated to the legends of Finn MacCool.

Edinburgh 

Dominated by Edinburgh Castle, the city is a hotbed of cultural pursuits.

It's full of galleries and museums and hosts the biggest collection of arts festivals in the UK throughout July and August.

Edinburgh is also home to one of the largest New Year's celebrations in the world, the famous Hogmanay.

Edinburgh - Hogmanay 2006 

Edinburgh New Year Fireworks 2006

Fireworks

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Tresco Abbey Gardens 

The Sub-Tropical Tresco Abbey Gardens, found in the Scilly Isles, are regarded by botanists as one of the most interesting and varied botanical experiments in the world.

Many of the plants would not stand a chance on the Cornish mainland, less than 30 miles away. Yet even in Winter more than 300 plants will be in flower. The garden is home to species from 80 countries, ranging from Brazil to New Zealand and Burma to South Africa.

Luxury Accommodation in Tresco 

Tresco Accommodation
Choose from luxury hotel, inn and holiday cottage accommodation on Tresco or Bryher in the Isles of Scilly.
Isles of Scilly Helicopter
Fly to the Isles of Scilly via helicopter. The journey from Penzance takes only 20 minutes.

York Minster 

Almost every British city has a stunning cathedral (bar 18), but York Minster is one of the most impressive.

It is the largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe and is situated in York in Northern England. The present building was begun in about 1230 and completed in 1472

Official York Website 

Visit York
Everything in York from events, attractions, activities and transport information around York
York Hotels - Tripadvisor
A link to the highest rated hotels in York. There are lots of reasonable places to stay that also have great reviews.

The Eden Project 

The Eden Project is one of the most exciting modern projects in the UK. The complex in Cornwall houses 100,000 plants in two giant transparent domes, each recreating different global climate conditions.

Situated in an abandoned clay pit, it is a testament to creative and scientific ingenuity.

Buy Books on Cornwall from Amazon 

Click to purchase books on Cornwall

Botanical Illustration Course: With the Eden Project

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The Rough Guide to Devon and Cornwall 2 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

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HIDDEN PLACES OF CORNWALL: A beautifully illustrated guide taking you on a relaxed but informative tour of Cornwall (Regional Hidden Places)

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Top Places to See in the UK 11-20 

Move the places around to re-order the top UK Places

The UK is such an amazing island that it's difficult to single out a mere 10. Here is a list of places that nearly made it. Please feel free to re-order or add!

Loch Ness

4 points

Bath

2 points

Glenfinnan

Beautiful scenery as you see Loch Shiel to the sou more...2 points

Dunnottar Castle

2 points

Cerne Abbas Giant

1 point

Snowdonia

1 point

Orkney Islands, Scotland

World Heritage Site with stone circles and Neolith more...1 point

Oxford

0 points

Brighton Pavillion

0 points

Leeds Castle

0 points

Houses of Parliament

0 points

Sutton Hoo

0 points

Whitby

0 points

Cambridge

Prettier than Oxford in my opinion.0 points

Warwick Castle

Highly attractive medieval caste.0 points

0 points

Essential UK Kitbag 

You'll need a good guidebook, an adaptor, a reliable camera and a taste for English tea in preparation for your trip to the UK so here are some of the best:

Eyewitness Travel Planner: British Isles

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Great Britain (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE)

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UK PLUG ADAPTER VP 20 - CONVERTS GROUNDED USA, EURO AND AUSTRALIAN PLUG TO GROUNDED UK

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Canon PowerShot A550 7.1MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom

Release Date: 02/16/2007

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PG Tips Black Tea, Pyramid Tea Bags, 80-Count Boxes (Pack of 4)

Release Date: 03/09/2006

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More Detailed Lenses 

Check out these lenses for more information

Please share your favourite places in the UK by adding a note below: 

FiveSenses

I voted for Orkney - since it is quite unlike anywhere else in the UK, is full of nature reserves, World Heritage Sites and Scotland seems under represented in the list. Loch Ness is a poor candidate. I say Snowdonia and Orkney for the Top 10.

Posted March 10, 2008

Kotomi

Last year we visited Portmerion. It was fantastic visit ! Good old England ! Great lens !!

Posted March 06, 2008

LeslieBrenner

Phew, I've visited a few places you describe, such as Portmeirion and Stonehenge. Loved Great Britain: drove a car from Gatwick to Brighton, up through Wiltshire to Chester, and then over to Lake Bala, northern Wales, then down through southern Wales, the Cotswolds and Oxford back to Gatwick. Loved it!

Posted February 28, 2008

FengShuiStyle

Hello Mel,
Being 50% British, I have to say "well done!" ;-) Personally, I really enjoyed Bath. I love that you are selling Peter Rabbit, and you have excellent taste in cameras as well. Thanks for popping by my Feng Shui site,

Cheers,
-Jennifer

http://www.squidoo.com/fengshuistaging/

Posted October 08, 2007

ebizsalez

very good information about places visitors can see in the UK. THANKS for sharing the info.

from fellow lens: bigsaveontravel

Posted October 06, 2007

 
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Mel has lived in the UK all her life and is a complete Britphile. Her favourite places in the UK include Derbyshire, Cornwall and London.

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