The UK’s most scenic staircases ranked in time for the August bank holiday

The UK’s Most Popular Scenic Staircases Ranked

• From the Whitby Steps to Dorset’s Durdle Door Steps, new data reveals the world’s top 10 scenic staircases in the UK
• Research also reveals top 10 scenic staircases overall, the top 10 capital city based staircases and the top 10 historical staircases
• Study uses Instagram hashtags, search volume and tourist numbers to rank each hotspot
• ABTA research predicts a surging trend for unusual and memorable ‘bucket list’ destinations 

New research has revealed the UK’s top 10 favourite staircases, with Dorset’s Durdle Door Steps taking first position in the ranking, followed by London’s Great Fire Monument and the Whitby Steps.

The analysis, compiled by bespoke furniture specialist Neville Johnson, used a variety of metrics such as volume of Instagram hashtags, annual Google searches, number of steps and number of visitors per year, to reveal the most popular and iconic staircases across the globe.

The findings come following ABTA predictions of the growing trend for ‘bucket list’ trips this year – with millions of tourists looking to indulge their post-pandemic wanderlust and experience some of the planet’s most unusual and adventurous holiday hotspots.

According to the results, the top 10 staircases in the UK are as follows:

Coming in first for the UK is the Durdle Door Steps in Dorset, this beautiful site has 278,776 hashtags and a search volume of 2,840, bringing in 200,000 visitors each year. This set of stairs also rank seventh overall on the Top 10 Staircases in the world.

The Great Fire Monument in London comes second, the monument built as a reminder of the Great Fire of 1666 has a total of 20,799 hashtags and a search volume of 2,270. It features a spiral staircase with 311 steps, providing a panoramic view of London for its 230,000 visitors per year. 

Roberta Jarvis at Neville Johnson commented: “When travelling, visiting a staircase may not feature at the top of your bucket list. But staircases offer a multitude of soaring vantage points and incredible glimpses into the past, not to mention that some are amongst the planet’s most celebrated architectural marvels. Far more than just taking you from A to B. So, if you thought staircases were nothing to write home about, we hope this research has changed your mind!”