The Grandest Sights Of Britain's Countryside _ Treasure From The Air _ Real Royalty

Across the world, Britain is famed for its idyllic countryside. An incredibly diverse landscape of natural beauty, farmland and settlements. The richness of rural Britain also lies in its countless historic treasures, from castle ruins to lighthouses. And the need to safeguard Britain's countryside and heritage for future generations has given rise to one of the biggest conservation organisations in the world. The National Trust. From its humble beginnings over a century ago, the charity has grown to become Britain's second largest landowner in the United Kingdom. Covering lakes and mountains, coastline, ancient monuments and historic houses and gardens. While it's a massive and complex task to look after such a vast area of the country, the National Trust's mission has always been a simple one. To preserve Britain's most valued places forever, for everyone. And what better way to experience the visual delights of this national institution than float through the air like a bird. The birth of the National Trust is rooted in the extraordinary achievements of the 19th century social reformer, Octavia Hill. Her early influence can still be seen in many parts of Britain. Hampstead Heath, one of London's best-loved parks, would quite likely be a mass of urban development were it not for Octavia Hill's determination to preserve it for future generations. It was part of her vision to improve the appalling living conditions of the poor in Victorian Britain by making wide open spaces available to everyone. She described such places as open-air sitting rooms for city dwellers to have a place to breathe. In 1894, she was joined by two other renowned philanthropists of the time, Sir Robert Hunter and Canon Hardwick Rawnsley, to form the National Trust. Relying on charitable donations of both money and property, they set out to protect the nation's places of natural beauty and historic interest. And within a year, a plot of land on this picturesque hill overlooking Barmouth in Wales became the first property to be handed into the care of the National Trust. The donor was a rich widow by the name of Fanny Talbot, whose wish was for the public to forever enjoy this spectacular landscape. This generosity proved an inspiration for others to support the Trust. And after well over a century of fundraising and acquiring land and property, the Trust is now a national institution with 4 million members and 66,000 volunteers. Synonymous with the nation's history and heritage, the Trust also has close ties with the National Trust for Scotland, which was formed later in 1931. From the outset, the National Trust was guided by its promise to preserve Britain's landscape. And today, the Trust owns a staggering quarter of a million hectares of countryside, visited by tens of millions of people each year. It includes the Mendip Hills in Somerset, one of 49 designated areas of outstanding natural beauty in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. A popular spot for long-distance walkers, the limestone hills conceal the largest underground river system in Britain. Over time, the flowing water created a vast system of caves, many of which were discovered and explored as recently as the 20th century, with the advent of breathing apparatus. The biggest tourist attraction of the Mendip Hills is the spectacular Cheddar Gorge. At 130 metres deep and running for almost 5 kilometres, it's England's largest gorge. It began to form about 1 million years ago, during the last Ice Age, when water from melting glaciers formed a river. Over time, it started to carve into the limestone rock, creating the steep cliffs we see today. Further north is one of the most visited national parks in the world, the Peak District. In 1951, it became England's first national park, within which the Trust owns three vast estates. The enchanting Dovedale is a limestone valley situated on the South Peak Estate. Millions of years of erosion have created these distinctive rocky pinnacles that have lent themselves to whimsical names such as Lover's Leap, Lion's Head Rock and the Twelve Apostles. The River Dove, which runs through Dovedale, has been a famous trout fishing stream for centuries. It was the inspiration for Isaac Walton's book, The Complete Angler. Published in 1653, it's still considered the definitive masterpiece on the art and spirit of fishing. The most dramatic landscape of the Peak District lies in the National Trust's High Peak Estate. This is Kinder Scout, the highest part of the Peak District. It's a windswept gritstone plateau standing over 600 metres above sea level. One of the highlights is Kinder Downfall, where the Kinder River literally flows off the plateau from the peat-soaked bog that sits on the top. Even in dry weather, the soft peaty ground makes it a challenging hike and the thousands of walkers who visit each year are well advised to stick to the paths. The area has a deep historic association with walkers' rights since it was here that a mass trespass took place in 1932. Four hundred people confronted police in defiance of restricted rights to roam these moorlands. They eventually succeeded when, in 1949, legislation was passed to establish the National Parks. It also led to the creation of long-distance walking trails and one of the best-known and toughest is the Pennine Way. It starts here at the lush valley of Edale and continues for over 400 kilometres all the way up to the Scottish border. Nestled in the far north-west of England is the Lake District, a land defined by these majestic mountains known locally as Fells. It's the largest National Park in England and Wales. This rugged landscape has an ancient history. It was mainly formed in the last Ice Age, about 15,000 years ago, as glaciers carved out U-shaped valleys, many of which filled with water. The Lake District was made a National Park in 1951, but the National Trust had started acquiring parts since the early 1900s and today owns a quarter of this mountainous region, which covers over 2,000 square kilometres. In the 18th century, Daniel Defoe, the writer of Robinson Crusoe, did a tour of the lakes and didn't much like what he saw. The country is some of the wildest, most barren and frightful that I have passed over in England or even Wales. The west side is bounded by a chain of almost impenetrable mountains. Today, opinion is very different, partly due to the man who lived here in Kendal. His name was Alfred Wainwright and he devoted his life to publishing his handwritten descriptions of walks on 214 fells. These were sold as small books which could fit in the pocket of a jacket and are widely used today. The lakes are now one of the premier tourist destinations in England and Lake Windermere is seen by many as the focal point. The largest natural lake in England, it's what's called a ribbon lake, thin and long. It stretches for 17 kilometres and reaches a depth of 65 metres. In fact, it's so big that it even has a small but noticeable tide. Halfway up the lake are the towns of Windermere and Bowness. And opposite, in the middle of the lake, is Bellisle and its beautiful temple-like house built in the 18th century for the Kirwan family. The island is now owned and cared for by the National Trust. There's a 16 kilometre an hour speed limit for boats which goes to add to the peaceful tranquility of this spot. Ullswater is the second largest of the lakes. It has a couple of kinks in it providing ever-changing views of this most beautiful of places. It's thought that the name may have come from the Norse god Al. It also inspired the renowned poem by Wordsworth, Daffodils, that famously begins with, I wandered lonely as a cloud. It's very popular for sailing and there are several water sports centres where craft can be hired. Among all the fells listed by Wainwright, there's only one under 300 metres in height. Castle Crag, set alongside the National Trust's stunning Borrowdale Valley. He described this hill as being unashamed of its lack of inches, referring to its impressive and rugged appearance. And from the shortest to the tallest. This is the highest mountain in England. Scarfell Pike at 978 metres. Its stature compelled Alfred Wainwright to describe it as every inch a mountain. Scarfell is quite often in cloud and can be an eerie and desolate place where walkers can easily lose their way. The only feature up here is the huge cairn at the very top. But on a glorious summer's day, it can be a busy place. The ultimate goal for hikers tackling England's biggest climb. The summit itself was donated to the National Trust in 1919 by Lord Leckenfield in memory of the men of the Lake District who fell in the First World War. Britain's heritage goes back thousands of years and the activities of the ancients have left an extraordinary legacy on the country's landscape. And with over 73,000 archaeological sites, the National Trust has the largest privately owned collection in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire is known for its rich prehistoric archaeology. Its greatest treasure are these solitary 4,000-year-old standing stones. The World Heritage Site of Stonehenge. To this day, no one really knows why Stonehenge was constructed and by whom. An enigma that draws around a million visitors each year. The monument had been in private hands right up until 1918 when a local landowner gifted Stonehenge to the nation. Destined to become a major attraction, concern grew among conservationists that the whole area would succumb to all the trappings of a holiday resort. And so in 1927, the National Trust led the way for a massive public appeal to save the landscape from development. The campaign was a success and while the monument itself belongs to the Crown, the National Trust now owns over eight square kilometres of the surrounding grass fields and farmland. The roads, on the other hand, are a different matter. But there's no denying the lonely setting of Stonehenge has been preserved for future generations to behold its mystery and wonder. And only 30 kilometres north is another World Heritage Site of immense importance. It starts here, a long avenue of standing stones forming a processional way to a huge earthwork. And the largest stone circle in Europe. The Avebury Ring, estimated to be over 4,500 years old. And like its neighbour Stonehenge, the riddle of who used it and how has never been solved. These stones, suggestive of pagan rites, worried the Catholic Church which felt they might encourage worship of primitive gods and so had them felled in the Middle Ages. One member of the demolition crew was crushed when one of these megaliths fell on him and his body, together with the tools of his barber-surgeon trade, was found some 600 years later. Most of the stones were re-erected in the 1930s before Avebury became part of the National Trust in 1943. Carved into these dramatic white chalk hills of Oxfordshire in southern England is a giant figure. The Uffington White Horse. It's said to go back 3,000 years, making it the oldest dated chalk figure in the country. But as with so many of these ancient monuments, its original purpose has been lost in the mists of time. The highly stylised lines have been recognised as a horse since the Middle Ages, though some legends tell us it may represent the dragon At 110 metres in length, it can only be fully seen from high up in the air, suggesting it may well have been a symbol of worship to pagan gods. And alongside the relics from pre-history are the remains of the first great civilisation to have settled in Britain 2,000 years ago, the Romans. And here in the north-east of England is what's considered to be the most important monument built by the Romans in Britain. Hadrian's Wall. Protected by the National Trust since 1930 and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. Spanning the entire width of northern England, this formidable stone barrier ran for 120 kilometres and at points was up to 6 metres high. Its job was to keep out the troublesome Scots. At the height of the Roman occupation, about 12,000 troops were needed to guard the wall. They were housed in large forts and one of the best preserved, which was built on a steep rocky outcrop, is Housesteads. It was home to hundreds of men, many of whom had come from warm Mediterranean lands and now found themselves in this cold, damp and distant outpost. With so much rain, there was always plenty of water which they were able to store. They even had flushing toilets, a luxury not to be found on these islands again until the 1800s. But the real height of Roman luxury was to be enjoyed by the privileged few. These are the ruins of Chedworth Villa, acquired by the National Trust in 1924. It's one of the largest Roman villas of its kind, as well as a fine example of Britain's first great architectural age. The size of Chedworth Villa would have meant that it belonged to a rich and powerful Romano-British family. The house once had two floors and the inventory reads like a modern property spec. There were bathrooms with hot and cold running water. The main rooms had central heating from hot air circulated under raised floors. There was even a sauna. Nothing like this had ever been seen by the Britons who mostly lived in thatched round houses. They must have thought that places like Chedworth had come from another world. This is Dunstaber Castle, a romantic ruin looking out over the beautiful Northumberland coastline. The National Trust started acquiring castles as early as 1900 and today it owns no less than 40. Nothing captures the imagination like the castles of Britain and their appeal is timeless. Steeped in history, stories and legends, their forbidding walls and towers are a lasting testament to a brutal and violent age. One of the most evocative of castle life, as it may have been, is Bodium near the south coast of England. This 14th century moated fortress was built to defend southern Britain in the event of a French invasion, though it also served as a grand residence. The moat is considered an ornamental rather than a defensive feature and was intended to make the castle appear larger and more imposing. Bodium has been described by archaeologists as being one of the best examples of landscaping to emphasise a castle. By the mid-17th century, the castle, like so many others, was just a picturesque ruin. But in 1916, Bodium was bought by Lord Curzon, who then restored it and gave it to the National Trust in 1925. There can be few castles with a more dramatic location than the medieval structure on St Michael's Mount, the rocky Cornish island accessible by foot at low tide. Originally a monastery, the structure was rebuilt as a fortress in the 1500s. Prayer and pilgrimage was followed by 250 years of battles and bloodshed until it was finally converted into a magnificent home for the St Aubyn family in the 17th century. The National Trust was handed the castle in 1954 and it's now open to the public. However, part of the castle remains, after 300 years, the family home of the St Aubyns, under a 999-year lease. Corfe Castle in Dorset lies in ruins not through age and decay, but because it was demolished in 1645 by the victorious Parliamentarian forces during the English Civil War. Until its surrender, Corfe had been ably defended by Lady Mary Banks, whose husband was absent fighting for the King. Betrayed by one of her own soldiers, the castle was finally taken and destroyed. Deep holes packed with gunpowder brought the towers and ramparts crashing down. That done, it was later returned to the Banks family. The castle remained with them for over 300 years until it was finally handed to the National Trust in 1982. Corfe Castle's demolition symbolically marked the end of the age of the great strongholds. But castle design was to re-emerge centuries later as a fashion among rich and powerful Victorian industrialists. Penrhyn Castle in North Wales was built by the Pennant family, whose slate quarry in a nearby valley had earned them a vast fortune. Built in the style of a Norman fortress with its square towers, this grand manor house was not only a clear statement of wealth, but it even suggested self-proclaimed nobility. It's one of many such castles built in the 1800s and Penrhyn is one of the most admired. In 1951, the castle and its 160 square kilometres of land was handed to the government in exchange for death taxes. Today, it's cared for by the National Trust and is open to the public. Of the 25,000 buildings the National Trust owns, more than 5,000 are houses and cottages. Many of these were acquired as part of larger estates and often included villages which had historically provided homes for estate workers. One such village in the care of the National Trust since 1944 is Laycock in Wiltshire. Today, it has around 350 tenants. Mentioned in the 11th century doomsday book, Laycock has remained virtually unchanged since the 1700s, making it a film director's dream for period and fantasy dramas, including Pride and Prejudice and Harry Potter. From a much later period is the Style Estate. Founded in 1784 for the workers at Quarry Bank Mill, it's one of Britain's greatest industrial heritage sites, showing how a complete industrial community lived. The estate and mill were donated to the National Trust in 1939, but the mill continued commercial production until 1959. The National Trust's 200-odd parks and gardens span centuries of history and are some of its most visited sites. This is Croom Landscape Park in Worcestershire. It was the first complete landscape to be built by the famous designer Lancelot Brown in 1751, and it made his reputation. He was better known as Capability Brown for his want of saying about a new commission, there was great capability of improvement. The park at Croom established a new style of garden design, one that looked entirely natural, but in fact was man-made, including the magnificent lake. This approach became so popular that it was universally adopted for decades to come. But the grounds, thought by many to be Capability Brown's finest achievement, is at Petworth Park in West Sussex. The great landscape designer was hired in 1751 and he left hardly a square metre of the gardens untouched. The extensive formal gardens surrounding the house were swept away and replaced with a lake and carefully sited trees and hills. If the result looks impressively natural, the amount of work involved in creating this effect is astounding. Capability Brown's records show that around 70,000 tonnes of soil and clay were shifted to create the perfect vista, especially from Petworth House itself. Petworth was donated to the National Trust in 1947 and today this 283 hectare park is home to the largest herd of fallow deer in England. For the 18th century owners of country houses and estates, landscaping became the height of fashion and this can be seen on an epic scale at Starhead in Wiltshire. And though Capability Brown wasn't involved in its creation, his influence is unmistakable. The artificial lake was formed by damming a river. Rare and exotic trees were brought here from around the world, including a giant redwood from California. Starhead was built by an eminent banker to show off his wealth and taste to his cultured friends. The path around the lake is even themed to tell the story of a mythological Trojan hero's descent into the underworld. Classical temples are scattered around the thousand hectare grounds, creating, as the diarist Hugh Walpole put it, one of the most picturesque scenes in the world. For visitors today, the highlight of Starhead is the climb up to the top of King Alfred's Tower to enjoy spectacular views over three counties. One formal garden that did survive the onslaught of landscaping was Powys Castle Garden in Mid Wales. Nestled against the medieval fortress's steep rocky ridge, it's one of the few remaining Baroque gardens in Britain. Laid out in Italian and French styles, it retains its original lead statues and orangery. The terraces themselves were quite likely carved out of the rock as far back as the 1670s. A great deal of work to restore and improve the gardens was undertaken from 1911 by Violet, the wife of the 4th Earl of Powys, before being handed over to the National Trust in 1952. From a later movement in garden design is Hidcote in Gloucestershire. It's one of the best known and most influential of the arts and crafts gardens from the early 1900s. One of the first of its kind in Europe, Hidcote was conceived as a series of linked rooms. Each has its own theme and character, separated by yew, holly and beech hedges. However, this very English garden was in fact created by an American owner, Lawrence Johnston. An avid plant collector, he went on numerous plant hunting expeditions around the world to secure rare and exotic species for this widely admired and imitated garden. Today, Hidcote's additional attraction is its three hectare maze. Each year a new pattern is cut into a maze crop, hence its name, the Maze Maze. With around 5km of paths, it's one of the biggest mazes in Britain. Another garden whose owners had a deep passion for horticulture is at Bodnant in North Wales. Begun in 1875, four successive generations of the Aberconway family created this garden from seeds and cuttings collected from expeditions in China, North America, Europe and Japan. The upper part around the house consists of the splendid Italian-style terraces and lawns laid out in the early 1900s. The lower part is formed by a river valley and contains the wild garden. In 1949, the National Trust took on the onerous task of caring for these, one of the most important gardens in Britain. The house, however, remains with the Aberconway family, who still live here. One of the most unusual gardens in the ownership of the National Trust lies on the picturesque shores of Strangford Loch in Northern Ireland, Mount Stuart. What we see today is the inspiration of Edith Vane Tempest-Stuart, Marchioness of Londonderry, who was dismayed by the plain lawns which once surrounded the house. In the 1920s, she set out to transform the estate, sparing no expense, and the result was one of the finest gardens in Europe. Taking advice from the foremost horticulturalists of the day, she assembled an unrivaled collection of rare and exotic plants that still thrive in this mild microclimate. The extravagant gardens are mainly Mediterranean in style, but the best-known is distinctly Irish, the Shamrock Garden, with its toperies and red hand, an ancient Gaelic symbol for this province of Ulster. The Marchioness nurtured her green fairyland, as she called it, right up until the 1950s, when she gave it to the Trust for future generations to enjoy. Her beloved gardens are also her final resting place, here in the family burial grounds beside the artificial lake. Today, Mount Stuart is one of the most visited gardens in Northern Ireland and has been nominated as a World Heritage Site. And gardens still come to the Trust to be protected. In 1990, they took over the stunning grounds around Stowe School. This is one of the most important landscape gardens in Europe and full of classical temples and other architectural follies. From the grand and ostentatious to the humble and understated, the National Trust cares for a diverse range of houses. These treasures tell the remarkable story of domestic architecture through the ages, from medieval times up to the 19th century. Badsley Clinton in Warwickshire is one of the earliest of the Trust's houses. It was built sometime in the 1200s, when rich and powerful families began moving away from cold, dank castles. The preference was for a new style of fortified manor house with a moat and gatehouse to discourage attackers. Like many early houses, Badsley Clinton has been rebuilt and modified at various times over the centuries. But at Item Moat in Kent, we see a manor house whose importance lies in the fact that it's changed very little since it was built in the 1320s. And today it stands as a superb example of how such houses might have looked in the Middle Ages. It was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1985 by an American businessman who had bought it about 30 years earlier. The house is now a Grade I listed building and parts of it are a scheduled ancient monument. Another country house that survived over five centuries is Great Chalfield Manor in Wiltshire. It appears much as it did in the 1470s when it was commissioned for the wealthy clothier Thomas Tropnell. The Arts and Crafts Garden was introduced in the early 1900s and has since been restored by the National Trust to complement the restful and unpretentious quality of the house. This is Lower Brockhampton Hall, part of a farmed estate in Herefordshire. Built in the 14th century by a successful wool producer, it's a house that epitomises the classic vision of an old English country house. Complete with black and white half-timbered walls and quirky angles. The house is now only partially surrounded by a moat and is entered via a charming timber-framed gatehouse built around the 1530s. But perhaps the most glorious timber-framed Tudor house is in Cheshire, Little Moreton Hall. As the fortunes of the Moreton family grew, so too did the size of the house and the final flourish was the amazing gatehouse and the third-storey gallery. It looks as though it's about to topple over but has stood for well over 400 years. Later in the 16th century, Tudor England saw a new level of sophistication in house design influenced by the Italian Renaissance. And this can be seen in the symmetrical layout of Melford Hall in Suffolk. Each half of the house is a mirror image of the other. This symmetrical style reflected the wish of the Tudor family for order and harmony in their own lives as well as for the design of their house. Brick-making was also back, last seen with the Romans hundreds of years earlier. The bricks would be made on site and the works closed down after the house was finished. The relative peace during Elizabeth I's reign also meant that no fortification was needed on the house. But there are still small towers and turrets that seem a reminder of an earlier age of castles. By the small village of Woolsthorpe-by-Culsterworth in Lincolnshire is a 17th century farmhouse whose reputation has been forever enhanced by one man. Woolsthorpe Manor is certainly a fine building. But the National Trust may not have taken such an interest in it had it not been the childhood home of Sir Isaac Newton, one of the greatest scientists who ever lived. He was born in Woolsthorpe in 1642 and later spent time living and working here in the late 1660s when his usual workplace, Cambridge University, was closed as a precaution against the plague. It's said that the apple tree in the garden today is a descendant of the original under which Newton is supposed to have slept when an apple dropped on his head inspiring his groundbreaking theory of gravity. The Trust now owns houses from all architectural periods. This is Uppark House on the South Downs built at the end of the 17th century in a Dutch style much favoured by the great English architect Sir Christopher Wren. Here in the English county of Suffolk is one of the most unusual Georgian houses in the country, Ickworth. This is a property with eccentricities to match the family who lived here for so long. Built in 1795, Ickworth became the legacy of Frederick Harvey, 4th Earl of Bristol. The curved wings are 180 metres wide but they're utterly dominated by the 30 metre high rotunda. This unique house was built by a couple of English architects but inspired by the designs of the Italian Mario Asprucci. The Earl had spent much time travelling in Europe and wished his new home to be a suitable place to show off some of his collected treasures including paintings by Velazquez and Titian. Sadly, Frederick Harvey only lived until 1803 with a house still unfinished. But his dream did live on and today the house is owned and administered by the National Trust. From the 19th century is Tinsfield in Somerset. This striking house, complete with its own chapel, was acquired by the National Trust in 2002 after a fundraising campaign to prevent private ownership and ensure it was open to the public. Tinsfield is one of the many fantasy houses created in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. The vast fortunes that were being made led to an explosion in building and also a confusion of styles where past ideas were dusted off and reinterpreted by Victorian architects. The medieval look of Tinsfield, known as Gothic Revival, was one of a number of styles reinvented in a flamboyant manner. And in the Buckinghamshire countryside it's possible to see a Victorian recreation of a 16th century French chateau. This is Waddesdon Manor, built in a Neo-Renaissance style for the Rothschild family. It's built on top of a hill and a railway line was constructed to get building material up from the nearest road. No expense was spared. The last member of the Rothschild family to live at Waddesdon was James de Rothschild. Since 1957, the house and its contents have been cared for by the National Trust. Today, Waddesdon Manor is one of the Trust's most popular paid entry houses with almost 400,000 visitors each year. And finally, we end this aerial spectacle over the dramatic shores that shape the British Isles. The National Trust cares for an amazing 10% of the coastline of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. That's over a thousand kilometres. Sadly, many of these beautiful beaches, rocks and cliffs that are so bound with Britain's history and heritage are at risk of erosion. Since 1965, the Trust has pursued an unrelenting campaign to raise funds to buy endangered coastline and protect it forever. And today, much of the proceeds are focused on daily maintenance and management of at-risk coastal sites. Blakeney Point in Norfolk was the first stretch of coastline to be acquired by the Trust as far back as 1912. It's a six-kilometre spit of shingle that has slowly built up over centuries. And its effect is to shelter one of the great unspoiled habitats of Britain. The Blakeney National Nature Reserve, covering some 1,200 hectares of broad sandy beaches, mudflats and salt marshes. Much of the coast has been designated an area of outstanding natural beauty. It's the breeding ground for large colonies of seabirds and a great place for spotting common and grey seals. Along the south coast of England is a 150-kilometre stretch known as the Jurassic Coast. It's the only place where 185 million years of the Earth's history are revealed in the cliff faces, making it one of the most important Earth science sites in the world. The Jurassic Coast was awarded World Heritage status in 2001, ranking it alongside other natural wonders such as the Great Barrier Reef and the Grand Canyon. Layers of rock that make up the cliffs contain countless fossils belonging to long-extinct species of plants and animals, from tropical sea creatures such as ammonites to swamp-dwelling dinosaurs. Ahead is Golden Cap, the tallest cliff on the south coast of England. It's almost 200 metres high and gets its name from the sandstone colour of the rock. From the top, walkers can enjoy spectacular views of the Jurassic Coast. Without doubt, this is the most iconic natural stretch of coastline in England. These dazzling white cliffs are the so-called Seven Sisters, for the seven cliff peaks. They've been in the care of the National Trust since 1931. The chalk was formed up to 100 million years ago, when, like its neighbour the Jurassic Coast, it was submerged in a tropical sea. It was gradually pushed up, and rising sea levels cut into the chalk, forming the English Channel and creating this stunning range of undulating cliffs. And on the northeast corner of Northern Ireland is a natural monument whose wonder has been drawing visitors for centuries. The Giant's Causeway. These dark stone steps were formed 60 million years ago, when molten lava from a volcanic eruption cooled and fractured into these 40,000-odd columns of basalt rock. But here, in the land of myth and legend, most people find an alternative version of events, altogether more entertaining. Legend has it that the Giant's Causeway once extended all the way to Scotland, but was torn up by a panicked giant as he fled from a fight. Such stories have always added extra charm to this magical place. And recognising the uniqueness of the area, the National Trust took over the site in 1961. And it has ever since done what it does best, to put people in touch with nature and the heritage of Northern Ireland, Wales and England. Each year, the National Trust's wide open spaces are visited over 100 million times, and its houses, gardens and castles almost 50 million times. It's a great testament to the inspiration of its three founding members over 100 years ago. They believed in the human need for beauty, for places to escape to and reconnect with nature and history, to bring everlasting delight forever and for everyone.