This magnificent castle has been crowned the UK’s greatest UNESCO site

UNESCO World Heritage Sites are places that have been recognised by the UN as being of particularly great cultural or natural significance. Places like the Grand Canyon, Great Barrier Reef, Taj Mahal or Great Wall of China. Here in the UK we have 35 sites that hold that badge of honour. They include a bog, an aqueduct, a remote archipelago, an observatory and the entire city of Bath.

If you’re interested in seeing what’s really so great about the UK’s World Heritage Sites but not sure where to start, BBC’s Countryfile can lend you a hand. The online magazine has just picked its top 10 UK World Heritage Sites for a ‘perfect day out’.

In first place was the mighty Durham Castle. The medieval fortress was built in to cement Norman rule following the Saxon rebellion against William the Conqueror, in a series of military campaigns known as the Harrying of the North, in 1069-1070. 

The castle has been continuously occupied since the eleventh century and today is home to students of the University of Durham. But the public can still visit the landmark and explore its history via a guided tour. As you wander its halls, you may recognise sections from blockbuster films like Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone or Avengers: Endgame. 

Countryfile named Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland the next best World Heritage Site in the UK. The 60 million year-old site is made up of 40,000 perfectly formed hexagonal basalt columns that are thought to have been created by volcanic activity. Those columns resemble giant stepping stones and gave rise to the Irish myth of Fionn mac Cumhaill, who built the causeway in order to cross over to Scotland to fight his rival Benandonner. 

Third place on the list went to Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire, which became a World Heritage Site in 1986 for the pivotal role it played in the Industrial Revolution (it’s been described as the ‘Silicon Valley of its day’). Essential materials like iron ore, coal and limestone were mined there and the world's first cast-iron bridge was constructed there in 1779, which solved a critical transportation problem. These days, visitors can experience what life was like at that time at Ironbridge’s immersive Blists Hill Victorian Town. 

The top 10 must-visit UK World Heritage Sites, according to Countryfile

1. Durham Castle, County Durham
2. Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
3. Ironbridge Gorge, Shropshire
4. New Lanark, Scotland
5. Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
6. St Kilda, Scotland
7. Saltaire, West Yorkshire
8. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London
9. Forth Bridge, Scotland
10. Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire

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