New list of ‘50 Most Beautiful Places in the UK’ ranks Giant’s Causeway ONLY at 17 and Dark Hedges at 49 - find out what ranks higher

Global travel site Big 7 Travel has released the official 2020 list for post-lockdown travel within the UK.

Despite being renowned around the world for the its tourist attractions, there are no local entrants within the top 10 of sites that visitors find “aesthetically pleasing”.

The Giant’s Causeway ranks highest for Northern Ireland at 17, followed by the ‘Coastal Causeway Route’ at 22.

Just one place lower is Tollymore Forest Park, while one of north Antrim’s less well-known beauty sites, Kinbane Castle, ranks at 25.

The city of Belfast is ranked at 47.

In its description of Belfast the list states: “The Northern Ireland capital has been on the rise of places to visit in recent years. Thanks to its rich history, vibrant local culture and insane food and drink scene, there’s lots to love here.

“What makes it so beautiful in addition to the local charm is the city’s Botanic Gardens. This elaborate garden dates back to the early 1800s and has more victorian charm than you can imagine.”

The final Northern Ireland entrant in the Top 50 is the The Dark Hedges in County Antrim, made famous by their appearance in the HBO series Game of Thrones.

Beating all the NI entrants to the Number 1 slot on the list is the Isle of Skye in Scotland.

The list was compiled from sample survey results of a 1.5million social audience, data from Pinterest and taking into account the most viewed ‘Instagrammable’ location articles on www.bigseventravel.com.

The full list is available at https://bigseventravel.com/2020/11/most-beautiful-places-uk/

THE TOP 10

10th. Colonsay – Scotland

9th. Three Cliffs Bay – Wales

8th. Brighton – England

7th. The Cotswolds – England

6th. Edinburgh – Scotland

5th. The Lake District – England

4th. Cambridge – England

3rd. Bath – England

2nd. Cairngorms National Park – Scotland

1st. Isle of Skye – Scotland