ABTA, (Association of British Travel Agents) is the leading association of travel agents and tour operators, providing expert advice and guidance. In a 2018 report on travel trends, factors such as budget and environmental considerations are influencing holiday habits and the UK is set to be the most popular destination for holidays – the staycation is here to stay for the third year. The Lake District was recently announced as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and these sites are a beacon for overseas and domestic tourists. We look at three unique properties that form part of the UK’s World Heritage list.

UNESCO | Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape

The substantial remains of copper and tin mining in Cornwall and West Devon is testament to the contribution these areas of the UK made to the Industrial Revolution, and the influence it had on the mining world at large.

The landscape was transformed in the 18th and 19th centuries and underground mines, engine houses, small-holdings and ports, together with ancillary industries, remain to be seen.

The landscape was added to the UK government’s tentative list for submission to the World Heritage list in 1999 and its bid was successfully announced in 2006. The site links mines from Land’s End in Cornwall, through Porthtowan and St Agnes to the Tamar Valley; the exporting port of Morwellham and the Devon Great Consols Mine demonstrate the nature and scale of operations, and the ancient town of Tavistock, the base for Devon’s own 19th-century gold rush, to the east.

On 20 April 2012 Heartlands, the £35m National Lottery funded regeneration project, and gateway to the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site, opened to the public, a culmination of 14 years in the planning.Cornwall

UNESCO | Frontiers of the Roman Empire

The Roman Limes represent the border of the Roman Empire at its greatest in the 2nd century AD. It stretched more than 5,000km and the 118-km Hadrian’s Wall is the UK’s best known fortification.

Built on the orders of the Emperor Hadrian around AD 122, it marks the northernmost limits of Roman Britannia. For nearly 300 years, it reached coast-to-coast across the north of the island. It was built by 15,000 mean in less than six years and engineers constructed a remarkable fortification. Barracks, ramparts, turrets and shrines still remain and excavations continue, which visitors can observe to watch ancient Roman Britain unveiled before their eyes.

UNESCO | Giants’ Causeway

Follow in the footsteps of giants at the Giants’ Causeway. There are several must-see sights here: The Grand Causeway is the largest of three rock outcrops and is a collection of around 40,000 interlocking basalt columns that are the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. The columns contributed to the causeway’s designation as Northern Ireland’s only World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986.

Take time to visit Port Noffer’s most famous feature, the Giant’s Boot, apparently lost by Finn McCool, mythical Irish hunter-warrior, as he fled from Scottish giant Benandonner. The boot is reported to be a size 93.5. The Wishing Chair is a natural throne formed from columns and visitors have word the basalt shiny and smooth. Portnaboe is home to Finn McCool’s camel, which was turned to stone and now lies along the bottom of the cliffs. The Camel is actually a basaltic dyke, formed from cooling lava which has pushed its way through other layers of rock.UNESCO

Write Review