30 April 2024

Stonehenge named as the most Instagrammed landmark in the UK

New findings from comparethemarket.com have revealed that Stonehenge is the most Instagrammed landmark in the UK outside of London.

The insurance company compiled the list of the top 20 most Instagrammed landmarks outside of London after search interest in ‘landmarks to visit’ peaked in the UK at the beginning of May.

They say that when deciding where to take our next vacation we consider a variety of important factors: cost, cultural experience, convenience, weather, etc. However, since the rise of social media, there’s a new criterion on the list: Instagrammability.

According to the findings, the top 20 most Instagrammed landmarks outside London are as follows:

NameLocationHashtagNo. of posts**
StonehengeWiltshire, England#stonehenge831,860
GlencoeScottish Highlands, Scotland#glencoe501,182
Loch NessScottish Highlands, Scotland#lochness460,017
Land’s EndCornwall, England#landsend417,563
Lake District National ParkCumbria, England#lakedistrictnationalpark406,953
Jurassic CoastDorset, England#jurassiccoast403,138
Brighton PierEast Sussex#brightonpier343,217
Giant’s CausewayNorthern Ireland#giantscauseway318,917
Durdle DoorDorset#durdledoor273,268
The Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)The Cotswolds, England#thecotswolds270,912
Snowdonia National ParkGwynedd, Wales#snowdonianationalpark264,718
Ben NevisScottish Highlands, Scotland#bennevis233,424
Eden ProjectCornwall, England#edenproject218,686
York MinsterYork, England#yorkminster188,709
Blenheim PalaceWoodstock, England#blenheimpalace179,084
PortmeirionGwynedd, Wales#portmeirion176,892
Sherwood ForestNottinghamshire, England#sherwoodforest163,684
The Roman BathsBath, England#romanbaths149,112
Blackpool TowerBlackpool, England#blackpooltower134,013
St Michael’s MountCornwall, England#stmichaelsmount131,382

Stonehenge takes the top spot with over 800,000 Instagram posts. The world-famous ancient stone circle is around 5,000 years old and part of British history.

Visitors to the prehistoric site can not only expect an impressive photo opportunity but can learn about the archaeology and history of the world heritage site the site too.

Scottish landmarks take second and third place, with awe-inspiring views at Glencoe (501,182) and the mysterious waters of Loch Ness (460,017).

Also in the top 20 is the natural limestone arch of Durdle Door (273,268) in the neighbouring county of Dorset.

comparethemarket.com determined the UK’s most popular landmarks via desk research from PicturesofEngland.com, Destguides.com, tiredmummyoftwo.co.uk and dayoutinengland.com. 

Based on the list of 54 UK landmarks outside London, they then analysed the relevant hashtags across social media and chose the top 20 based on the UK landmarks with the highest number of hashtags (UK royal landmarks were omitted from the analysis).

Photography by English-Heritage, Andre-Pattenden.

Written by
Beth Doherty
View all articles
Written by Beth Doherty