Visiting UNESCO Sites

Having checked the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites attributed to the United Kingdom, we found we had visited a number of them. Four were easy to visit as they are in the London area and we are London based. Others were a little further away..... 

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) was created in 2004. It aims to identiy cities noted for their creativity and cultural industries. We've started visiting these as well.

'Maritime Greenwich’  includes The National Maritime Museum, the Royal Observatory and the Queen’s House.

The heart of contemporary British Politics (The area around Westminster Abbey, Saint Margaret’s Church, the Palace of Westminster and Parliament Square) 

Tower of London

Royal Botanic Gardens 

Although we've been to a lot, there are a number of places we haven't visited. We did try to visit Bath once, but found we couldn't park so ended up visiting nearby Wells instead. Our trip to Hadrian's Wall was cancelled due to the pandemic. We've also seen Stonehenge and the Forth bridge from a distance, but have yet to visit them. The list includes some places we will never visit. Remote islands, especially those inaccessible and untouched by a human presence, are never going to happen.

And Bermuda? Why is that under UK sites?* Now there's an idea......

*Bermuda is a British island territory in the North Atlantic Ocean so it's UNESCO site is included as a UK site.

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network promotes cooperation among cities which have recognised creativity as a major factor in their urban development. The Network recognises these  creative fields - Literature, Film, Music, Design, Media, Gastronomy and Crafts and Folk Arts.

Edinburgh, Scotland (2004) - Edinburgh is the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature.

It is the birthplace and home to world-famous writers, poets and playwrights including Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes), Walter Scott (Waverley), and JK Rowling (Harry Potter). It has its own Poet Laureate, the Edinburgh Makar.

The Edinburgh International Book Festival is the world’s largest literary festival of its kind, lasting for two weeks each August.

Norwich, England (2012)

 The city’s literary heritage includes the first book to be published in English by a woman: Revelations of Divine Love written by Julian of Norwich in the fourteenth century which still resonates to this day.

Nottingham, England (2015)

Nottingham boasts a rich history of illustrious literary figures residing within its walls, such as Lord Byron, D.H. Lawrence, Stanley Middleton and Alan Sillitoe, to name but a few. We also went on the heritage trail - UK Cities of Literature part 1 and part 2

Manchester, England (2017)

Literature has been a force for change, innovation, openness and collaboration throughout the city's history. It is where Engels and Marx worked together at Chetham's Library and where Elizabeth Gaskell wrote her campaigning novels.

Exeter, England (2019)

As well as having a rich heritage linked with some of the country’s most famous writers, including Agatha Christie, Ted Hughes, Daphne du Maurier and Charles Causley, its 1,000-year-old Cathedral houses The Exeter Book, a 10th century anthology described as ‘the foundation volume of English Literature’. 

Bradford

Bristol

Belfast

Glasgow

Liverpool

York

Perth

Alas there are none in the UK!