UK Travel Posters: Scotland, the Lakes, Cornwall and London
Updated 2 November 2026
A UK travel poster is an illustrated print of a place in Britain, drawn in the bold, flat style of the old railway and Underground adverts: Skye's rock pinnacles, a Lake District fell above still water, a Cornish harbour or red buses on Westminster Bridge. It is the simplest way to put a favourite corner of the country on your wall.
Britain has been selling its own scenery on posters for over a century. Here is how that started, the real places behind four of our UK travel posters, and how to choose and group them.
In short
- The Great Western Railway launched the Cornish Riviera Express on 1 July 1904 and sold Cornwall with posters comparing it with Italy.
- By 1908 Frank Pick ran London Underground publicity; he commissioned artists such as Edward McKnight Kauffer and Paul Nash.
- The Lake District became a national park on 9 May 1951 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017.
- Skye is the largest of the major Inner Hebrides islands, linked to the mainland by a bridge since 1995.
- Our UK travel posters come in A5 to A0 plus inch sizes, printed in 1–3 working days and delivered free worldwide.
Where did UK travel posters come from?
Long before cheap flights, Britain's railway companies had a simple pitch: why go abroad? The Great Western Railway launched its Cornish Riviera Express on 1 July 1904 and, the same year, published The Cornish Riviera, the first book the company ever produced. Postcards, maps and posters followed. One campaign ran under the slogan "See your own country first", setting maps of Cornwall and Italy side by side to show their similar shapes and comparing the two climates.
In London, the Underground went its own way. By 1908 Frank Pick had become its publicity officer, and instead of one house style he commissioned designs from artists working in many different styles, from Edward McKnight Kauffer to Paul Nash and Graham Sutherland. Pick also gave the network its lettering: Edward Johnston's typeface was first used in 1916.
One unforgettable view and lettering you can read from across a platform: that formula still shapes UK travel posters. Ours are new illustrations made in that spirit, not reprints of old adverts.
Which UK travel posters capture Scotland and the Lake District?
Isle of Skye, Scottish Highlands. Skye is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides. Its peninsulas fan out from the jagged Cuillin mountains, and on the Trotternish peninsula in the north stands the rock pillar known as the Old Man of Storr. The Skye Bridge has linked the island to the mainland since 1995. Our poster gathers the island's drama into one view: dark rock pinnacles above slopes of purple heather, a white lighthouse on the cliffs, a castle on a little island reached by a stone bridge, a waterfall and a few grazing sheep.
Lake District National Park. The Lake District was designated a national park on 9 May 1951. It covers 2,362 square kilometres (912 square miles), the largest of the national parks in England and Wales, and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017. It holds England's highest mountain, Scafell Pike (978 metres), and England's largest natural lake, Windermere, about 11 miles (18 km) long. Our poster is a quieter scene: a fell rising out of morning mist, stone cottages and dry-stone walls with sheep, and a rowing boat tied up among the reeds while a heron keeps watch.
Which UK travel posters bring Cornwall and London home?
Cornwall, the Celtic Kingdom. The subtitle is more than a flourish. Cornwall is one of the Celtic nations, with its own language and its own flag, St Piran's. On the cliff at the right of our poster sits another Cornish emblem: a black chough with a red bill. The chough appears on the Cornish coat of arms, and in 2001 a small group of wild choughs returned to Cornwall by themselves after an absence of 50 years. Around it are white cottages stepping down to a stone harbour, painted rowing boats and lobster pots on the sand, a puffin, seals in the shallows and a ruined castle on the far headland at sunset.
Cornwall fans should also see St Ives, which has drawn artists since J. M. W. Turner arrived in 1811; Tate St Ives opened there in 1993.
London, United Kingdom. Our London poster looks along Westminster Bridge to the Houses of Parliament, with red double-decker buses crossing and boats on the Thames. The clock tower at the end is officially the Elizabeth Tower, renamed in 2012 for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee; Big Ben is strictly the nickname of its Great Bell. The tower, designed by Augustus Pugin and Sir Charles Barry, was completed in 1859. The bridge itself opened on 24 May 1862; it has seven cast-iron arches and is painted green, the colour of the leather seats in the House of Commons. For the same view after sunset, read why Big Ben at night is one of London's best views.
The collection also covers Edinburgh, Glencoe and Inverness; Snowdonia, Conwy and Rhossili Bay in Wales; the Giant's Causeway and Belfast; and English favourites such as Bath, York and the Cotswolds.
Which UK travel poster suits your room?
| Poster | What you see | Main colours | A good fit for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isle of Skye | Rock pinnacles, lighthouse, castle, heather and sheep | Heather purple, sea green, gold | Walkers and Highland road-trippers |
| Lake District | Misty fell, lake, stone cottages, rowing boat | Sage, slate blue, dawn pink | A bedroom or reading corner |
| Cornwall | Harbour, boats, chough, puffin and seals | Atlantic blue, sand, sunset pink | Kitchens, bathrooms and beach lovers |
| London | Westminster Bridge, red buses, Elizabeth Tower | Sky blue, stone gold, bus red | Hallways, home offices and homesick Londoners |
All four share a cream border and bold capital lettering, so they sit happily together. If one is where you grew up, met or spent every summer, that is your answer.
How should you size and group UK travel posters?
- A single view. Above a sofa or bed, A2 or 18x24 inches gives one place room to breathe; A1 and larger can carry a wall alone.
- A coast and a mountain. Cornwall and Skye make a natural pair: one all harbour and sea, the other all rock and heather.
- A row along the hall. Four posters at A3 or 12x16 inches, hung in the order you travelled, read like a road trip.
Every design comes in A sizes from A5 to A0 and a range of inch sizes, or as a digital file. Our guide to UK poster sizes has the exact measurements.
Tip: hang them like a map
Arrange four posters in a square as they sit on the map: Skye top left, the Lake District top right, Cornwall bottom left and London bottom right. If a frame option is shown on the product page, you can order each one framed in black, white, light wood or dark wood.
Each poster is printed to order on high-quality paper in 1–3 working days, then delivered free worldwide: 2–4 working days in the UK or 2–5 elsewhere. See Delivery Info for details; prints that aren't personalised can be returned within 60 days (Returns).
Bring a corner of the UK home
See the Isle of Skye poster, the Lake District National Park print, the Cornwall Celtic Kingdom poster and the London travel poster, or browse every UK travel poster in our Europe travel posters collection. Free worldwide delivery on every order.
More reading: vintage travel posters: history, style and how to hang them and seaside town posters for a holiday feeling at home.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Lake District the biggest national park in England?
Yes. At 2,362 square kilometres it is the largest national park in England and Wales, and since 2017 it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Is Big Ben the bell or the tower?
Strictly, Big Ben is the nickname of the Great Bell. The tower was renamed the Elizabeth Tower in 2012, though most people still call the whole thing Big Ben.
What size travel poster should I buy?
It depends on the wall. A3 or 12x16 inches suits a shelf, desk or narrow hallway; A2 or 18x24 inches sits well over a sofa or bed; A1 and the larger inch sizes are for a wall with nothing else on it.
How long does delivery take?
Every poster is printed in 1–3 working days. Free delivery then takes 2–4 working days in the UK and 2–5 working days to the rest of the world.
Sources (checked 2 November 2026): our Delivery Info and Returns pages; Wikipedia: Cornish Riviera Express, Frank Pick, Isle of Skye, Lake District National Park, Scafell Pike, Windermere, Cornwall, Red-billed chough, St Ives, Cornwall, Big Ben, Westminster Bridge; and the product pages linked above.