A beauty spot on Skye has been selected as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the UK.
Loch Coruisk & the Cuillin mountains have been shortlisted by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), in partnership with Merrell, as one of country’s most idyllic natural landmarks.
Loch Coruisk, meaning ‘Cauldron of Waters’ in Scottish Gaelic, is an in-land, freshwater loch situated in the heart of the Black Cuillins rocky mountains.
The band of water is connected to the sea at the southern end by the Scavaig River which discharges into Loch Scavaig.
The list has been released as a latest survey found less than half of Scottish adults have heard of the Skye landmark.
Seven Natural Wonders of the UK
The shortlisted entries include:
- Wastwater, Lake District
- Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
- Dovedale, Peak District
- The Needles, Isle of Wight
- Jurassic Coast, Dorset
- Loch Coruisk and the Cuillins
- Pistyll Rhaeadr, Wales
Exploring the wonders of the UK
Mary-Ann Ochota, TV Presenter and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) hopes this list will inspire people to explore the natural wonders of their local area.
She said: “One of the few positives to come out of the pandemic is the opportunity many of us have had to explore the natural wonders on our doorsteps. And hopefully this summer will offer even more chances to explore new places in the UK.
“This list will have a couple of sites that might be familiar, but there’s also likely to be some hidden gems that you might never have heard of.
“These seven locations are really extraordinary – I think most of us would be amazed to learn that they’re right here in our own country.”
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Lack of knowledge of UK beauty spots
The list has been released as a new survey revealed 90% of people had never heard of the Seven Wonder landmarks
The survey, commissioned by Merrell, also found two thirds of 2,000 polled admitted to never having heard of the Isle of Skye’s dramatic Loch Coruisk and the Cuillin mountains.
Following a visit to Dunvegan Castle, Sir Walter Scott visited Loch Coruisk in 1814, describing it as ‘that dread lake’ in his poem ‘The Lord of the Isles’.
The dramatic and isolated beauty of the loch has also inspired many artists over the centuries, including William Daniell (1769-1837) and J. M. W. Turner (1775-1851).
Results from the survey also suggests the pandemic has made the public more open to UK travel with 44% stating they were more open to exploring unfamiliar places in the UK, more than they were before the pandemic.
Simon Sweeney, UK Marketing Manager at Merrell said, “The Natural Wonders have been devised to inspire native exploration and celebrate nature’s greatest gifts in the UK. A longing for travel, discovery and new experiences has been suppressed by the pandemic, and with restrictions on international getaways set to continue this year, the Seven Wonders serves as inspiration for those embarking on a UK adventure and builds on Merrell’s mission to get more people outdoors.”