Natural Wonders of Britain

High Force - spectacular waterfall in County Durham

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High Force - spectacular waterfall in County Durham

One of the most spectacular waterfalls in England, located at Forest-in-Teesdale, County Durham.

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The Northern Lights - you don't need to go abroad to see them!

The Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, are famous as a natural light display in the Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high latitudes towards the arctic. But they are not unknown to be visible from the UK particularly in the far north of Scotland, and the remoter islands. They've even been seen from the Lake District, Wales and Exmoor.

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Loch Morar - deep and mysterious Highland waters

The deepest freshwater lake in Britain is Loch Morar in the Western Highlands of Scotland, at 1017 feet deep. Not to be outdone by Loch Ness, this body of water is also supposed to be the home of a mysterious monster.

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Mealt Falls - tumbling into the sea

There is something very "fantasy world" about waterfalls that fall straight off the edge of the world. But they do exist, and Britain's most charismatic example is Mealt Falls on the Isle of Skye, Scotland.

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The Severn Bore - an astounding natural spectacle

The Severn bore is a rare tidal phenomeon that provides a remarkable regular demonstration of natural water power along a 21-mile stretch of the river from Awre near Stroud to Maisemore Weir, just beyond Gloucester. It occurs when the leading edge of the incoming tide forms a wave that travels against the direction of the River's current.

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Britain's highest waterfall

Eas a Chual Aluinn Waterfall, Britain's highest waterfall, is said to be over three times higher than Niagara Falls when in full flow. So why is it not better known?

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The Corryvreckan Whirlpool - Scotland's maelstrom

Strong Atlantic currents and unusual underwater topography conspire to produce the third largest whirlpool in the world in Scotland. It is the result of a particularly intense tidal race in the Corryvreckan channel between the islands of Jura and Scarba, off the west coast of mainland Scotland.

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Old Man of Hoy - a Scottish challenge for climbers

The Old Man of Hoy is an impressive tall sea stack rock formation on Hoy, part of the Orkney Islands off the north coast of Scotland. At 137 metres high, it is one of the tallest stacks in the United Kingdom, and is formed from Old Red Sandstone. It is regarded as an iconic challenge for climbers.

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Temperate rainforests - a rare British habitat at risk

Also known as Atlantic or Celtic rainforest, the special temperate rainforest habitat is extremely rare. It exists in a number of specific locations on the west coast of Britain, and is regarded as more threatened than tropical rainforests. The lush conditions it provides are perfect for scarce plants, lichens and fungi, as well as a number of unusual animals.

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Sherwood Forest - legendary ancient haunt of Robin Hood

Sherwood Forest is a royal forest in Nottinghamshire, most famous for its historic association with the legend of Robin Hood. It surrounds the village of Edinstowe, and is a National Nature Reserve which encompasses 1, 046 acres.

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Fingal's Cave - a volcanic geological inspiration

Fingal's Cave is a sea cave on the uninhabited island of Staffa, in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. It is known for its dramatic shape and natural acoustics. It is formed entirely from hexagonal basalt columns, similar in structure to the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland.

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Osea Island - an offshore Essex retreat

The coast of Essex is not often recognised as being the longest of any British county. At over 350 miles on account of its many inlets and river estuaries, it also includes a number of remote and unusual islands and places only reachable at low tide. One such is Osea Island and its causeway across the River Blackwater estuary.

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The foxglove - pretty but poisonous, unless you're a medic!

The foxglove is a very familiar wild flower that can also look at home in an old-style cultivated cottage garden environment. It is much-loved by bees and has been selectively bred into many colours by gardeners. It is also both poisonous and life-saving - a source of drugs used for heart conditions.

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Petrified forest at Pett - the remains of an ancient landscape on the shore in Sussex

A sunken forest that can be seen in the sand at low tide on the Sussex coast is thought to be at least 6,000 years old - and a relic of a time when sea levels were about 100ft lower than today.

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The bluebell - the nation's favourite wildflower

Renowned for the carpeting effect they create in woodlands and fields, bluebells are an iconic British wildflower. They grow in profusion and epitomise one of the most hopeful times of the year - mid-April to late-May. They were voted Britain’s favourite flower in a Plantlife poll in 2002.

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Winter bird visitors head for the wetlands

As autumn is arriving, it can feel like the natural world is pausing in preparation for winter. The fair-weather birds that have come to Britain for the summer have all set off south, leaving the native species relatively silent as they hunker down. But there are newcomers on the way - particularly geese, ducks and similar species heading for suitable lakes, reservoirs and estuaries.

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The Giant's Causeway - Northern Ireland's volcanic curiosity

The Giant's Causeway is the name given to the unusual formation of about 40,000 interlocking hexagonal basalt columns - the result of an ancient volcanicfissure eruption - in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is a significant tourist attraction, and also features in Northern Irish mythology.

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Wistman's Wood

This mystical stunted oak wood in Dartmoor in Devon is a Nature Reserve, important for its fragile mosses and lichens.

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Bass Rock, southern Scotland - an avian fortress

Bass Rock is an island in the outer part of the Firth of Forth off the east side Scotland, three miles north-east of North Berwick. It has become a paradise for seabirds and is thought to have the largest colony of gannets in the world.

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The Great Stone of Fourstones

The Great Stone of Fourstones is a massive rock in a lonely landscape on the border of Yorkshire and Lancashire. It has stairs carved into it by an unknown hand, so one can climb up, admire the view and wonder where the other three stones are...

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Starling murmurations - wonder of winter

In the winter months, Britain offers many locations to witness the spectacle of starling murmurations, where flocks of these birds create mesmerising patterns in the evening sky.

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