Ignite your summer adventures and discover Stonehenge and Avebury alongside 57 other unique UNESCO sites in the UK and crown dependencies thanks to a newly illustrated map, now available to download for free from the UK National Commission for UNESCO.
From expansive mountain ranges and stunning coastlines to vibrant cities and rural landscapes – the UK’s UNESCO sites are destinations of world-class natural and cultural heritage. For the first time a map, designed by the creative cartographer Tom Woolley, brings together all of the Biosphere Reserves, Creative Cities, Global Geoparks and World Heritage Sites across the British Isles that are waiting to be discovered.
The new map, released online this week, includes 29 World Heritage Sites, 13 Creative Cities, 9 Global Geoparks and 7 Biosphere Reserves that cover 13% of the UK’s landmass. Most of the sites are free to enter and conveniently accessible by public transport offering the public new experiences to discover UNESCO sites in the UK and mark this summer with a visit to one of the world’s most special places.
Over the forthcoming months Stonehenge and Avebury will offer visitors a range of events and experiences for all interests.
During the summer holidays English Heritage is holding a Stonehenge Kids’ Dig for budding archaeologists to try their hand at unearthing the past. Exhibition Circles of Stone: Stonehenge and Prehistoric Japan tells the story of Japanese settlements and stone circles of the middle and late Jomon periods, roughly the same time when Stonehenge was built and used, open until 3 September.
At Avebury, the National Trust’s 300 years of William Stukeley exhibition celebrates the time the antiquarian spent time in Avebury producing fantastically detailed drawings of the stones and village, with several of his works reproduced to celebrate the anniversary. For families, Avebury’s Summer of Stukeley has drop-in drawing, museum trail, and activity booklet.
Visitors can also enjoy exhibitions and events at nearby museums The Salisbury Museum and Wiltshire Museum alongside viewing inspiring finds from the World Heritage Site.
About the map
James Bridge, Chief Executive and Secretary-General of the UK National Commission for UNESCO, said: “This new UNESCO in the UK map will inspire people for places to visit. It shows at a glance the breadth of amazing natural, cultural and built heritage designated by UNESCO as internationally significant in the UK. This great map highlights places to explore, on your doorstep and further afield, both the famous and those to discover for the first time.”
Stuart McLeod, Director of England – London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “We are delighted to support this project which, thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, will help to inspire more people to visit the fantastic UNESCO sites across the UK. Heritage has a huge role to play in bringing people together and any way that we can enable and inspire this to happen is hugely positive.”
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay, Minister for Arts & Heritage in the UK Government, said: “The UK is home to so many extraordinary cultural and natural heritage sites – from Stonehenge and the North Pennines to the Giant’s Causeway, Fforest Fawr and Wester Ross. I hope this beautiful new map will encourage even more people to get out this summer and explore the wide range of wonderful locations recognised by UNESCO in every corner of our country.”
The map was produced by the UK National Commission for UNESCO as part of its Local to Global project, made possible with the GREAT Campaign and The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery players. Local to Global aims to develop a resilient network for UNESCO Designated Sites in the UK.
The map can be downloaded from: https://unesco.org.uk/our-sites