Loch Ness’ Urquhart Castle has claimed top spot in a national poll to find the ‘Seven Wonders of Britain’. The remote wonder beat off more familiar sights including Windsor Castle and was a staggering 41% above seventh place Houses of Parliament.
The poll, by RAC, was conducted following research that revealed just four out of ten people are proud of the sights on our nation’s doorstep. In fact, twice as many Brits have visited the Eiffel Tower than have been to Stonehenge with New York’s Statue of Liberty and Rome’s Coliseum also beating it in popularity, suggesting we appreciate overseas attractions more than our own.
But with the credit crunch and weak pound forcing three quarters (77%) of Brits to take more breaks in the UK this year, RAC set out to discover the ‘Seven Wonders of Britain’ and create a guide to help motorists find the best of our country’s heritage.
Motorists revealed that they expect a wonder to combine ‘historical importance’ with ‘entertainment’, while having a ‘wow factor’ but still ‘easily accessible by road’. From a shortlist of 14 places fitting this criteria and developed by national tourism agency VisitBritain, the following were voted as RAC’s ‘Seven Wonders of Britain’:
1. Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle
2. Whitby Abbey
3. Hadrian’s Wall
4. Stonehenge
5. Hardknott Pass
6. Angel of the North
7. The Houses of Parliament
For a full guide to the shortlist and RAC’s newly unveiled ‘Seven Wonders of Britain’ visit: www.rac.co.uk
