Famous landmarks in United Kingdom

Main attractions

Landmarks and attractions of British overseas territories here are not described.

United Kingdom is one of the most important countries in world economy and culture. Throughout many centuries this island country has enjoyed relative political stability and wealth. As a result we can enjoy here countless amazing and well preserved values of art and history.

It is not easy to single out the most amazing features - but among the highlights of United Kingdom can be mentioned:

• Castles and fortifications - some of the most magnificent structures of this kind in the world. In medieval times islands experienced stiff warfare between many smaller states and clans, leading to construction of numerous fortresses. It happens that descendants of these medieval rulers live in castles!
• Palaces. Only royalty and bishops have true "palaces" according to the British tradition. Others have stately homes, country houses etc. But quite a few of these country houses in the United Kingdom belong to the most outstanding residences of the world. Often here have been preserved valuable collections of art - a British country house may contain Renaissance or Impressionist paintings, which would make any metropolitan museum proud.
• Church buildings. Britain is extremely rich with amazing, beautiful churches and it is not easy to select the best of them. The magnificent Gothic churches of United Kingdom often have very large windows adorned with amazing stained glass, the intricate stone vaulting and ribs represent an early application of British engineering talent.
• Urban planning traditions. United Kingdom can present a wide array of very well preserved urban planning monuments, starting from the best preserved Neolithic villages north from Alps and ending with amazing experimental towns from the 19th - early 20th century.
• Megaliths. United Kingdom is very rich with a wide variety of prehistoric stone structures. A term "megalith" here is applied to very diverse prehistoric structures, often involving mostly small stones, but some of British megaliths belong to the most impressive in the world.
• Museums. The unbelievable art, engineering and scientific collections in United Kingdom serve as the best testimony of the centuries long affluence and stability of United Kingdom.

Natural landmarks

Natural landmarks in United Kingdom are somewhat overshadowed by the magnificence of man made heritage. Nevertheless here are located numerous charming and amazing natural landmarks. Below are listed few selected ones:

Cliff formations

• Brimham Rocks - England, North Yorkshire. Incredible balancing rocks with some formations up to 30 m high. Especially amazing is Idol Rock – large mass of rock balancing on incredibly small foot.
• Giant’s Causeway - Northern Ireland, Antrim. Area of outstanding natural beauty, with some 40, 000 interlocking basalt columns. Tops of these columns form natural stepping stones leading into the sea.
• Seven Sisters - England, East Sussex. Series of chalk cliffs characteristic for this region of England. Their natural beauty is accented by ancient dry valleys, dissecting the cliffs.

Caves

• Dan yr Ogof - Wales, Powys. 17 km long cave system, one of major tourist attractions in Wales. Here have been found bones of 42 humans and many animals. Renowned due to beautiful cave formations.
• Easegill System - England, North Yorkshire. Longest cave system in Britain, with 76 km long passages. Beautiful cave formations.
• Fingal’s Cave - Scotland, Argyll and Bute. Highly unusual sea cave, formed by basalt columns and overlaid with arched roof. Powerful echo effect inside the cave. 85 m long, up to 23 m high.