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Of the seven wonders of the ancient world, only one still stands today (the Great Pyramid of Giza). Such is the fleeting nature of life. While many modern wonders have also been put forward—including Christ the Redeemer, the Great Wall of China, and the Colosseum. But what would you say are the 7 wonders of the UK?
From Stonehenge to Big Ben, the Cotswolds to the Angel of the North, there are a few obvious names, but Condé Nast Traveller has tried to break the mould with its list of “the finest seven wonders this island offers.” Instead, it’s gone for the “beguiling, charming corners that Britain chooses not to shout about.”
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Top of that list is Scotland’s Flow Country, a recently added UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Europe’s largest blanket bog. Just a two-hour drive from Inverness (which you can now get to by sleeper train from Birmingham), the breathtaking vast expanse is like nothing else on this planet.
Elsewhere, discover the Menai Bridge, suspended between Anglesey and mainland Wales, a 19th-century engineering marvel; the intimate coastline of the Rame Peninsula in Cornwall; and Haworth in West Yorkshire, aka the star of the new adaptation of Wuthering Heights.
How does Birmingham fit into the 7 Wonders of the UK? 
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Birmingham might be “better known for canals and concrete,” but it’s the world-renowned Jewellery Quarter that’s been called the Second City’s crown jewel by Condé Nast Traveller—an area that’s responsible for 40% of all jewellery made in the UK.
Here you can unleash your “inner craftsman at the Quarterworkshop, where you can make your own jewellery and even your own wedding rings under expert guidance.” Because, as Condé Nast Traveller states, the Jewellery Quarter isn’t just about heritage, but “how craftsmanship can survive and thrive into the present day.”
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It also recommends the Pen Museum to visitors, but we’d also say to check out both the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter and the Coffin Works for more history. Check out 1000 Trades, The Button Factory or The Rolling Mill for food and drink, while you’ll find hundreds of shops for luxury shopping (anything from jewellery to chocolate).
The 7 Wonders of the UK:
- The Flow Country, Scotland
- Menai Bridge, Wales
- Forest of Bowland, Lancashire
- Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter
- Haworth, West Yorkshire
- Rame Peninsula, Cornwall
- Lavenham, Suffolk
To learn more about the 7 Wonders of the UK, head here.