Britain and Ireland Photos -- National Geographic

Celtic Cross
Photograph by Jim Richardson, National Geographic
A Celtic cross stands against the evening sky on the Hebridean island of Iona. The monastery at Iona has long been a draw for pilgrims, past and present.
—Photograph and caption from the National Geographic book Britain and Ireland: A Visual Tour of the Enchanted Isles
Hunters and Hounds
Photograph by Christopher Furlong, Getty Images
The English countryside holds many pleasures. Horse and hounds were once a more common sight than they are now. Since the Hunting Act of 2004, fox hunting with dogs has been banned in England and Wales. The issue continues to be an extremely divisive one among the British public.
—Photograph and caption from the National Geographic book Britain and Ireland: A Visual Tour of the Enchanted Isles
London Taxi
Photograph by Annie Griffiths, National Geographic
The image of Westminster Abbey reflects in the windshield of a London taxi. Experts on the capital’s road network, cabbies must all pass the Knowledge of London Examination System, commonly known as “the Knowledge.”
—Photograph and caption from the National Geographic book Britain and Ireland: A Visual Tour of the Enchanted Isles
The Giant's Causeway
Photograph by Jim Richardson, National Geographic
Surf crashes against the Giant’s Causeway on the north Antrim coast. A tourist draw since Victorian times, the Causeway is one of the top attractions of Northern Ireland.
—Photograph and caption from the National Geographic book Britain and Ireland: A Visual Tour of the Enchanted Isles
Windsor Castle
Photograph by James L. Stanfield, National Geographic
For nearly a millennium, visitors have been traveling to Windsor Castle, which is the largest inhabited castle in the world. Although parts of it are usually open to the public, the castle may be closed for state visits and other occasions.
—Photograph and caption from the National Geographic book Britain and Ireland: A Visual Tour of the Enchanted Isles
Old Man of Storr
Photograph by Adam Burton, Photolibrary
The weather is never “far away” in the Scottish Highlands. Storm clouds gather over the Old Man of Storr, a basalt rock formation on the Isle of Skye. Sightseers can reach the spectacular landscape after a mile-long walk along a well-constructed path.
—Photograph and caption from the National Geographic book Britain and Ireland: A Visual Tour of the Enchanted Isles
Westminster Memorial Service
Photograph by Richard Pohle, WPA/Getty Images
A memorial service takes place in Westminster Abbey on November 11, 2009, for the war dead from World War I. Each year on that day at 11 a.m.—the hour the armistice was signed—the nation collectively pauses for two minutes of silence.
—Photograph and caption from the National Geographic book Britain and Ireland: A Visual Tour of the Enchanted Isles
Portmeirion
Photograph by Matthew Williams-Ellis, Shutterstock
Portmeirion is a picturesque Italianate resort town on the Welsh coast. It is run as a private resort, open to day-visitors as well as those who choose to stay in its hotels or self-catering cottages.
—Photograph and caption from the National Geographic book Britain and Ireland: A Visual Tour of the Enchanted Isles
Stonehenge
Photograph by Jason Hawkes, National Geographic
The great stone circle of Stonehenge stands as it has done for millennia on Salisbury Plain. Its exact purpose remains a mystery.
—Photograph and caption from the National Geographic book Britain and Ireland: A Visual Tour of the Enchanted Isles
Oxford Pub
Photograph by Mark Harris, Getty Images
Book at the ready, an Oxford man lights up his pipe in one of the city’s pubs. Among the most famous of Oxford watering holes is the Eagle and Child, where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien often met.
—Photograph and caption from the National Geographic book Britain and Ireland: A Visual Tour of the Enchanted Isles
Saint Govan’s Chapel
Photograph by Jim Richardson, National Geographic
Saint Govan’s Chapel hugs the coast of southern Pembrokeshire. The tiny, 13th-century chapel can only be accessed by climbing down 52 steps from the cliff top.
—Photograph and caption from the National Geographic book Britain and Ireland: A Visual Tour of the Enchanted Isles