Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire and the Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh took first place in a which? Overview of the best historical sights in Britain.
In the survey Which? Members were asked to rate over 6,700 experiences across nine criteria, including overall value for money, helpfulness of staff and lack of crowds. Both Fountains Abbey and the Royal Yacht Britannia achieve an impressive 88 percent overall score, beating well-known attractions such as Stonehenge, Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London to the top spot.
This year, for the second time after 2020, the Royal Yacht Britannia tops the UK list of historic landmarks.
The Royal Yacht Britannia was built by which? as Britain’s premier historic attraction for the second time. It follows on from first place with Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire this year
The Royal Yacht Britannia served the Royal Family for more than 44 years, sailing over a million nautical miles and visiting 135 countries in her lifetime. Now permanently docked on the Firth of Forth in Leith, visitors can explore the State Apartments, the Crew Quarters and even the Engine Room accompanied by a free audio guide, a facility described by one of the interviewees, which? disclosed
The senior Fountains Abbey is managed by the National Trust and is one of the most extensive Cistercian abbey ruins in Europe
The Royal Yacht Britannia achieves a near-clean five-star rating, dropping just one notch to a respectable four-star for food and drink and staff helpfulness.
The ship served the Royal Family for more than 44 years, sailing over a million nautical miles and visiting 135 countries over the course of its lifetime.
Now permanently docked on the Firth of Forth in Leith, visitors can explore the State Apartments, the Crew Quarters and even the Engine Room accompanied by a free audio guide, a facility described by one of the interviewees, which? disclosed.
In the survey Which? Members were asked to rate over 6,700 experiences across nine criteria, including overall value for money, helpfulness of staff and lack of crowds
Fountains Abbey is managed by the National Trust and is one of the largest Cistercian abbey ruins in Europe. It was a thriving monastic community for 400 years until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539, explains Which?.
Those who rated the attraction praised the “tranquil atmosphere” and “slow walks” offered on over 2,000 acres, says which? matched to reality.
In second place in the Consumer Champion’s survey of 2,944 people are Culzean Castle and Country Park in Scotland, managed by the National Trust for Scotland, and the Roman Baths and Pump Room in Bath, both scoring 87 per cent.
Coming second in the Consumer Champion’s survey are Culzean Castle and Country Park in Scotland (above), managed by the National Trust for Scotland, and the Roman Baths and Pump Room in Bath
The? says: “Perched on the rugged cliffs of Ayrshire, the magnificent Culzean Castle was built in 18 Icehouses. With so much on offer, it unsurprisingly gets a full five stars for the facilities, plus another five for how well the description matches the reality of the experience on offer. One respondent raved that the castle was “not to be missed”, while others praised the “amazing views and walks”.
The Roman Baths, on the other hand, have been praised for providing an opportunity to explore the “fascinating” and “well-preserved” ruins at the heart of the honey-colored city, says which?. The attraction receives an impressive five stars for its engagement and entertainment value, with multiple respondents saying “Which?” that they appreciated the high quality video exhibits on offer.
Durham Cathedral is the top rated free attraction with a customer rating of 86 percent. It ranks third in the overall table, tied with Stirling Castle. While Durham Cathedral earns a full five stars in five of the nine categories, including lack of crowds and value for money, it only gets two stars for facilities.
The Roman Baths in the city of Bath (above) receive an impressive five stars for their engagement and entertainment value, with several respondents voting ‘Which? that they appreciated the high quality video exhibits on offer
At the other end of the table is Shakespeare’s birthplace, the playwright’s childhood home in Stratford-upon-Avon, with a score of 63 percent. While respondents praised the building’s cultural significance, says which?, it only received two out of five stars for value and facilities, and never rated more than three stars in any category.
Despite scoring five and four stars in multiple categories, the Titanic Belfast attraction has an overall score of just 65 per cent, ranking second to bottom. The? explained to MailOnline Travel that this is because the overall score is a weighted average of recommendation and satisfaction scores (50/50), independent of star ratings.
Guy Hobbs, editor of which? Travel, says: “Two very different but equally impressive historic attractions lead our poll this year, and it’s easy to see why. Both Fountains Abbey and the Royal Yacht Britannia make a unique day trip, with visitors telling us they enjoyed the opportunity to immerse themselves in a piece of history on the day.
“Whether you’re looking to get back to nature or to explore the hidden history of our remarkable cities, Which? has a lot to offer to inspire you.”
At the bottom of the table is Shakespeare’s birthplace (above), the playwright’s childhood home in Stratford-upon-Avon, with a score of 63 percent. While respondents praised the building’s cultural significance, says which?, it only received two out of five stars for value and facilities, and never rated more than three stars in any category
