Some great Aurora action on the Isle of Lewis
© Colin Cameron
Exploration

10 natural phenomena you won’t believe exist

Prepare to be wowed by the magical British Isles...
Written by Susanne Masters
6 min readPublished on
Still untamed, Britain has its share of natural phenomena to inspire wonder in the wild world around us. Be prepared to be amazed...

1. Petrifying Well, England

Selling point: Water that turns objects to stone
Yorkshire's Petrifying Well has been a tourist destination since 1630 when guided tours around the site started. In the early days it was believed if you touched the water you too would be turned to stone. Shoes, bicycles and teddy bears are amongst the eclectic mixture of items that have been left to become stone. A high mineral content in the water means that a teddy bear can be petrified in three to five months.
See it: Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, England. Open March to October.

2. Corryvreckan whirlpool, Scotland

Selling point: The world’s third largest whirlpool
At slack tide the third largest whirlpool in the world slumbers between the islands of Jura and Scarba off the west coast of Scotland. Tide changes and a 200m high pinnacle of rock under the surface of the water causes the phenomena. Corryvreckan is named ‘Cailleach’, the Hag in Gaelic, after the sea goddess whose breath was believed to cause the whirlpool.
Take a boat trip with a local sailor who knows Corryvreckan and how to avoid being pulled down by it, or watch it from Jura’s northern tip.

3. Optical illusion, Scotland

Selling point: Distort your senses
Electric Brae is one of those places where you can appear to defy gravity, where cars, motorbikes and bicycles roll uphill. While the road slopes downwards the configuration of the surrounding land makes it look like the road is sloping upwards. Try cycling up and down Electric Brae – your legs will feel the effort of going uphill while your eyes think it is freewheeling time.

4. Severn Bore, England

1 min

Red Bull Outrow 2015

Red Bull Outrow 2015

Selling point: Ride a wave – on a river
When tides are high around Spring a huge wave sweeps up the River Severn, it can even reach heights of 10ft. This is because high tides in the Severn Estuary mean that a large volume of water is suddenly squeezed into a narrow river causing a wave – and great fun for anyone with a surfboard! However, before trying it, first check safety guidance for surfers, canoeists and small craft on the Severn Bore. You can always watch from the riverbank too.

5. Devil’s Chimney, Ireland

Selling point: A gravity defying waterfall
Devil’s Chimney is an apt name for a waterfall that goes against gravity and flows upwards. The waterfall is only revealed in wet weather as during dry weather it does not flow, and when the west wind blows the Devil’s Chimney really springs into action. Most of the water is blown up and back over the cliff, with hardly any left to fall to the bottom. At 150m high when water is flowing it is Ireland’s highest waterfall.
See it: Take the N16 about 7km north from Sligo, turn left at the sign for Glencar waterfall. There is car park is at the end of Glencar Lough. County Sligo, Ireland.

6. Bioluminescence, Ireland

Selling point: Glowing water
Summer’s warmth brings illumination to Lough Hyne. When night falls if you move a paddle or your body through the water you can see it glow blue. This bioluminescence occurs when chemical reactions within a living organism produce light, in this case in response to water being disturbed. Most of the bioluminescent glow in Lough Hyne comes from one-celled aquatic algae called dinoflagellates, who are busy converting light energy from the sun into chemical energy. Because Lough Hyne is sheltered, small and easily warmed by sunlight it is a particularly good place to see bioluminescence in the UK. The best time to see it is July and August when the water is warmest. Paddle in a canoe or swim to disturb the water and see it glow.

7. Cairngorm Mountains, Scotland

Selling point: Snow tunnels and caves
Hidden underneath the snow on mountains you'll find ephemeral caves and tunnels that grow big enough to walk underneath. They are a feature formed when winter is snowy and summer is cold. While air temperatures stay cool, particularly when night temperatures are still freezing, tunnels and caves are formed through the snow and can persist through the summer.
Experience this phenomena when low summer temperatures keep snow lingering on the slopes of mountains in the Cairngorms. Look in snow caves and tunnels but be cautious on entering them as the edges are the least stable part of these structures. Check the British Mountaineering Council for advice.

8. Singing sands, Scotland

Selling point: Singing sands
Walk across the musical sand on Islay and it sings. Singing sands remain one of the mysteries of the world with assorted explanations but no consensus on why it happens. Singing sands are a rare and delicate phenomenon. It is thought that dust and pollution can stop them from singing.
Some sand is made to sing by wind, some sand sings when it is walked on. Sand saturated with water does not sing, but small amounts of water raise the pitch of the sound singing sands make. To hear the sand sing on Islay’s Singing Sands beach scuff or shuffle your feet across the sand. Park at Kilnaughton graveyard and follow the track to Singing sands beach.

9. Murmurations, Somerset

Selling point: Watch birds blackout the sky
As dusk falls swirling shapes writhe across the sky composed of thousands of birds flying in synchrony. These are starling murmurations. As if the sight was not wonder enough, when they swoop overhead you can hear the sound of thousands of birds’ wings beating. For small birds like starlings there is safety in flying en masse as it reduces the odds of being singled out by predatory birds. It's also thought it might be a way for them to keep warm at night. The best time to see it is November through to February, although peak performance is in November and early December.

10. Northern Lights, Scotland

Some great Aurora action on the Isle of Lewis

Some great Aurora action on the Isle of Lewis

© Colin Cameron

Selling point: Watch the Northern Lights without travelling too far
Winter night skies alight with flickers and sheets of moving colour, mostly green but pink, blue, orange and purple can also be seen in the spectacle of the Northern Lights. Head up to northern Scotland and get as close as possible to the North Pole. The best time to catch them is between mid-October to mid-March, in particular around the spring and autumn equinoxes. Avoid full moons and hope for a clear unclouded sky.
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