If there’s one thing that we’re not shy of celebrating here at Sykes Cottages, it’s the beautiful landscape that surrounds many of our cottages. Both here in Britain and over the water in Ireland, visitors and inhabitants of these isles are spoilt for choice when it comes to landscapes and geological wonders to look at.
Today, inspired by our recent post of 29 Surreal Places In America You Need To Visit Before You Die, we thought that we’d take a look at some of our favourite places around the UK and Ireland that have an air of the surreal.
Cameras at the ready, because a visit to any of these beauties might make you snap happy!
Whoever illustrated the world ran out of ink at Beachy Head. These chalk cliffs are the tallest in all of Britain and attract thousands of clearly-not-afraid-of-heights tourists every year.
The polygonal rocks at Giant’s Causeway may look like bad 8-bit graphics but they were actually the result of an ancient volcanic eruption.
These 25 acres of lavender fields are only a handful of miles from Central London. I bet it smells so purple there.
HBO fans may recognize this 200-year-old beech tree tunnel from the first episode in season two of Game Of Thrones. Nature fans may recognize it from nature.
Abandoned fishing boats and shacks litter this shingle-beach-turned-nature-preserve. My palms are sweating just thinking of the Instagram opportunities.
This unusual rock formation tops a nearly 20-mile ancient landslide and would be the perfect secret lair for a Bond villain, in my humble opinion.
This modern sculpture is over 60 feet tall and can be seen for miles in every direction. [A bad Taylor Swift parody “Welcome To The North” plays in the distance].
Scientists are still puzzled as to the origins of this prehistoric monument, but I think we all know whodunit.
Moss covers nearly every surface of the Llyn Dinas section of Snowdonia giving it the appearance of thick green velvet that I wouldn’t mind taking a nap on.
This wall was once used as a defense fortification in Roman Britain so it’s really, really old (122 A.D.) and therefore really, really cool (122% cool).
If ever there were a place dinosaurs might be hiding it’s Scotland’s most recognizable mountain, the Buachaille. Hey, Scotland, free idea: play pterodactyl sounds at the top of the mountain, everyone will love it.
A ribbon of roadway cuts through this gorge making for views at the top that are, dare I say, gorgeous.
The ruins of this 15th century castle sit atop a natural peninsula that juts out over the North Sea, but it’s probably still less drafty than my apartment.
The angular columns that make up Fingal’s Cave create unique, melodious acoustics when waves crash inside. Imagine if Gollum hid the ring here? His “Rock and Pool” song would have been a smash hit.
There once was a tall, skinny chalk cliff in line with this formation that gave the group its name, but it collapsed in the late 1700s, which is like the geological equivalent of when your friend yells something embarrassing and ducks before everyone turns to look who said it.
“How do you enter the Durdle Door? Just wave a lot” is a really bad joke I thought of just now. But seriously, this stunning natural limestone arch is a reminder that water does what is wants when it wants.
Deep in the Isle of Skye is a collection of crystal clear pools connected by miniature waterfalls that are the perfect size for a dip, if you don’t mind freezing your fairies off.
This impressive, stratified sea stack was once part of the mainland but corrosive waves separated the two around 1393. Now the sea stack and the mainland just glare at each other, like a divorced couple who still share a house.
Many describe the multitude of bluebells in Micheldever Forest as a “purple carpet,” which would be accurate if carpets were so beautiful they made grown adults weep.
As if this keyhole waterfall isn’t magical enough, it’s been nicknamed “Merlin’s Well.”
This waterfall is so high that on windy days the water doesn’t even touch the ground. If that’s not the coolest thing you’ve heard all day, x out of this post immediately and get back to your fancy yacht party, your celebrity guests need refills on their martinis.
