Here in Britain, we’re very proud of our history. Wherever you go, from Land’s End to John O’Groats, you can hardly set foot out of the front door without coming across a historical attraction, notable site or museum. And whether you’re from here or you’re a visitor to our green and pleasant land, you’ll no doubt have already made it your business to visit some of our finest sights and attractions: Buckingham Palace, Hadrian’s Wall, Stonehenge … the list goes on. But there are plenty of beautiful, lesser-known places in Britain that can give some of the world’s most famous wonders and attractions a run for their money.
British Wonders vs. Wonders of the World
We like to think we’re up there with the Grand Canyons, Golden Gate Bridges, Eiffel Towers and other wonders of the world (natural and otherwise). Sure, our British wonders might not have the scale of Mount Everest or the Pyramids of Giza, and the weather might always be a little on the drizzly side apart from three days in July, but one thing’s for certain: you can always be sure of a cup of tea.
Seriously, we REALLY love tea. Also beer. But mainly tea.
The Seven (Eight!) Wonders of the UK
To prove that we can hold our own against the big guns, we took a (highly objective and unbiased) look at some of our very British and perfectly adequate versions of the world’s most famous buildings and natural wonders. We went one better than the Seven Wonders of the World – we’ve brought you the Eight Wonders of the UK!
We compared our wonders with their international counterparts in terms of size, cost and visitor numbers, and we also answered the most important question of all: how much does a cup of tea cost at each location?
We think the results speak for themselves: Burj Khalifa? Too much bling! The Shard is just as pointy but much more restrained. Mount Everest? A mere whippersnapper compared to Scotland’s Ben Nevis! Grand Canyon? Too big for its boots. Try Cheddar Gorge instead.
Natural Wonders of the UK and the World
With some of the most stunning scenery on the planet (again, highly objective and unbiased) Britain is home to a mix of both natural and man-made wonders, and we’ve reflected that in our list, featuring natural tourist attractions in the UK (and world-wide too) as well as man-made ones. There’s also one that looks as though it’s natural but actually isn’t!
We’ve also included a mix of both ancient and modern in our list of Wonders. From Ben Nevis, which is roughly 350 million years old, to the Shard, which at five years old is the youngest addition to our list, we cover a whole lot of history.
Tour the Very British (and World) Wonders
So, without further ado, let’s join Henry as he takes a world tour and finds that when it comes to the wonders of the world, Britain beats the rest of the world hands down – and then apologises profusely.
Tea anyone?
