Arts & Culture
North East attractions named in Lonely Planet must-visit travel list
August 14, 2019
A number of attractions in the North East have been listed in Lonely Planet’s new Ultimate United Kingdom Travelist, with Hadrian’s Wall coming top in the region and fifth in the country.
The list — compiled by travel specialists Lonely Planet — ranks 500 of the top sites considered must-visit experiences across Britain, Northern Ireland, and the Channel Islands.
Hadrian’s Wall, which is already a UNESCO World Heritage site and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year across its 150-mile length, has been judged as the region’s top attraction.
Lonely Planet describes the Wall’s “mighty Roman legacy” as making an “unforgettable impression.
The only attractions that are ranked above Hadrian’s Wall are the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the British Museum, Giant’s Causeway, and the Roman Baths in Bath.
Here are Lonely Planet’s top 20 UK must-sees and dos:
1. Edinburgh Fringe Festival
2. British Museum, London
3. Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
4. Roman Baths, Bath
5. Hadrian’s Wall
6. Sunday pub roast
7. Tate Modern, London
8. Stonehenge, Wiltshire
9. Windemere, Cumbria
10. Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Wales
11. Punting in Cambridge
12. Glastonbury Festival
13. St. Paul’s Cathedral
14. The Scilly Isles
15. Stratford-upon-Avon, Midlands
16. Borough Market, London
17. Glencoe, Scotland
18. Yorkshire Dales National Park
19. Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh
20. South Bank, London
Beyond the top 20, a total of 16 locations and experiences in the North East made the list, ranging from the 1,000-year old Durham Cathedral at 21 to Hartlepool’s HMS Trincomalee, the UK’s oldest afloat warship, at number 475.
Other entries from the North East are:
· Durham Cathedral (21)
· Lindisfarne (55)
· Farne Islands (86)
· Dunstanburgh Castle (117)
· Alnwick Castle (131)
· Newcastle’s Victoria Tunnel (167)
· Baltic Art Gallery (188)
· Beamish Open-Air Museum (235)
· The Angel of the North (244)
· Bamburgh Castle (260)
· Stargazing in Northumberland National Park (262)
· Escomb’s Saxon church (264)
· Hexham abbey (419)
· Cragside (441)
· HMS Trincomalee, Hartlepool (475)
Tom Hall, vice president of experience at Lonely Planet said: “Our Ultimate United Kingdom Travelist brings together the UK’s most compelling sights and experiences, ranging from world-class museums and giant cathedrals to rollicking festivals, inky lochs and tiny pubs.
“We’re thrilled to name Hadrian’s Wall one of the UK’s very best sights – it’s a phenomenal feat of engineering, and the sections that remain are a true testament to Roman ambition and tenacity.”