
The UK's best hidden gem tourist attraction revealed
Looking to escape tourist traps in the UK this summer?
A new study has unearthed the country's best hidden gems for Brits and created a hotlist of underrated landmarks.
The research looked at the number of reviews, the tourist traffic per landmark and the cost of public transport to create the list.
So, where are the UK's best hidden gems?
According to the study, the Wasdale Emerald Pool in Cumbria is the country's best hidden gem.
Sometimes known as the 'Fairy Pool', the picturesque spot is formed by several small waterfalls and has a bright green colour.
Next on the list are the Birmingham Back to Backs. A museum operated by The National Trust, the Back to Backs are the city's last surviving back-to-back houses.
Built around a communal courtyard, the houses were occupied from around 1840 right through until the 1970s.
As they explore the historic houses, tourists will get a glimpse into what it was like to live there through the decades. The Back to Backs are only accessible via a guided tour so tourists will need to book their tickets in advance.
The third best hidden gem in the UK is Freshwater West Beach in Pembrokeshire in Wales.
Although the beach is quite popular with surfers, it's not nearly as well-known as other beaches in the area with just 234 reviews on Tripadvisor.
Tulleys Farm in Crawley just misses out on a spot on the podium, ranking as the UK's fourth-best hidden gem.
The family farm in West Sussex has a pumpkin picking patch, an annual Christmas Lights festival and escape rooms for visitors.
Little Moreton Hall in Cheshire rounds out the top five. A National Trust property, the Tudor Manor is known for its 'quirky character'.
The National Trust reveals: 'Seeing the tumbling architecture of Little Moreton Hall for the first time, engineers in 1990 could not believe their eyes.
'This timber-framed building, curled around with a scenic moat, has defied logic for over 500 years.'
Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes, the Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh and Samlesbury Hall in Lancashire are also among the country's top 10 hidden gems.
Corin Camenisch, marketing and growth leader at SumUp, which commissioned the research, says: 'We created this ranking to spotlight some of the UK's hidden gems, places that are often overlooked in favour of the usual tourist spots like the London Eye or Buckingham Palace.
'By highlighting these underrated hotspots, we're hoping to show people spots they might not know about and spread the benefits of local tourism.
'These hidden gems often rely on tourism to sustain their operations, and by shining a light on them, we're hoping to ensure that local businesses can benefit from a steady flow of visitors, which is crucial for their growth and long-term success.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BBC News
12 hours ago
- BBC News
Travellers ordered to leave Pulborough caravan site launch appeal
A family of travellers who turned a field in West Sussex into a caravan site have launched an appeal after being told they must Keet laid hardstanding and built waste tanks on land off Stall House Lane, near Pulborough, before installing caravans on 18 were called to intervene after clashes between the travellers and local residents, but no further action was District Council said it already has "a number" of existing traveller and gypsy sites, and that it had rejected retrospective planning from Mr Keets because of potential harm to the area and a nearby listed building. The land is jointly owned by Mr Keet, Tony Castle and William Hughes, and there are currently two static caravans and two touring caravans on moving onto the land, they sought retrospective planning permission for four static caravans and four touring the council has rejected the application "due to concerns that the extent of the development was harmful to the rural character of the countryside location and to the setting of an adjacent listed building".The authority then served an enforcement notice ordering the owners to remove the caravans and return the land to how it was before they moved in within six three landowners have appealed against the order, claiming the site is well screened and not visible from the road or other properties."You'd be chucking me and the kids on the side of the road in a caravan with a generator if I couldn't live here, same for my brother," said Mr Keet. Shortage of traveller sites Elizabeth Pleasant, from the planning inspectorate, heard from residents opposed to the development and council planning officers as well as the travellers, their agent and their Rudd, the barrister for the owners, said they had intentionally developed the land without permission, but said the law allows for retrospective applications and appeals."The impact from this development on the landscape is limited and can be reduced with planning conditions," he Rudd also said there was "significant need" for places for travellers to live.A review carried out for the council last year concluded that 80 pitches for travellers and gypsies should be provided over the next five years and 128 by Mr Castle said the council have "little interest" in finding sites for travellers and gypsies."We're trying to create homes for our community that the local authority is failing to do," he Hughes added: "It's down to us and it's hard to find a site that's not in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a flood zone or a protected area, and if we do find one, developers want it for housing and pay millions."The planning inspector will decide whether to uphold the appeal in about four weeks. The council accepted that there is a need for additional traveller sites, but said: "This application was refused due to concerns that the extent of the development was harmful to the rural character of the countryside location and to the setting an adjacent listed building, and therefore contrary to relevant planning policies.""The council reserves its position on any further planning enforcement action until after the planning inspector's decision is received on both appeals."


The Independent
17 hours ago
- The Independent
Mapped: Where three-day thunderstorm warning will impact UK this weekend
A three-day-long thunderstorm is set to sweep across the UK this weekend as temperatures are forecast to hit 30 degrees. Rising temperatures this week, brought on by a plume of humid air from Iberia, increases the risk of thunderstorms across the country. Yellow thunderstorm warnings are set to last from Thursday through to Saturday, with the Met Office warning of potential travel disruptions. On Thursday Wales and south-west England, including Devon, Somerset and parts of Cornwall, will be affected by a yellow weather warning until 7pm. Northern Ireland is also forecast to experience heavy rain until 9pm. The forecaster warned there was 'a good chance driving conditions will be affected by spray, standing water and/or hail, leading to longer journey times by car and bus', with delays to train services possible. Short-term power loss and other services are also likely. On Friday at 3pm until Saturday at 6am, London and the South East covering parts of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, as well as Surrey, Kent and East Sussex, have been given a yellow weather warning. Heavy rain and thunderstorms are also expected in parts of Wales and south-west England with a yellow warning between 6am and midnight on Friday. On Saturday, in addition to the thunderstorm warning in London and the South East, the forecaster issued a yellow warning until 6pm spreading from sout-west England and Wales all the way across the West Midlands, Yorkshire and south-west Scotland. Some western areas could see 20 to 40mm of rainfall over just a few hours, with intense downpours moving northeasterly with lightning on Thursday. Meanwhile, the second band of thunderstorms is set to move in again from the South West on Friday and will cause intense rainfall into the early hours of Saturday. Most of England, Wales and parts of Scotland could see 30 to 50mm of rain in a few hours. The forecaster revealed there will be a chance of delayed public transport and power cuts, while homes and businesses could flood quickly with damage to buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail and strong winds. But the spell of warm weather, which could see parts of England reach 30C, has also triggered a heat-health alert by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) between 9pm on Thursday and 8am on Sunday. Under UKHSA and the Met Office 's weather-health alerting system, a yellow alert means that there could be an increased use of health care services by vulnerable populations, leading to an increase in risk to health for individuals over the age of 65 and those with pre-existing health conditions, including respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, said that even moderate heat can result in serious health outcomes, especially for older adults, making it important for people to take precautions in the sun. 'The forecasted high temperatures are expected to be short-lived but could primarily impact those over the age of 65 or those with pre-existing health conditions,' he said. 'If you have friends, family or neighbours who are more vulnerable, it is important to check in on them and ensure they are aware of the forecasts and are following the necessary advice.'' Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Mike Silverstone added: 'As temperatures rise this week, it is possible heatwave thresholds could be reached in some parts of the UK, particularly the north-west Midlands, north-west England and north-east Wales, however it is very dependent on cloud cover later this week, so it is not a certainty. 'This warm spell will feel different to the fine weather we experienced in May as the humidity will be much higher, making it feel more uncomfortable. Additionally, while in May the nights were still fairly cool, overnight temperatures this week are forecast to remain fairly warm, which can disrupt people's sleep.'


Times
a day ago
- Times
The UK beaches loved by Caitlin Moran, Alan Titchmarsh and more
What makes a good beach? For some it must be wild and secluded; for others the priority is having a good chippy nearby. And for many of us, it's the memories associated with a place that matter more than anything. Memories of family outings to the seaside where you'd go paddling with your mum, buy huge ice creams and run for cover when the weather turned. As we gear up for our annual guide to the best UK beaches, David Baddiel, Val McDermid, Alan Titchmarsh and others choose the places that mean most to them. We were a big hippy family in a Volkswagen caravanette, driving the entire length of Cardigan Bay, trying to find 'our' beach. My father's stipulations were simple: he didn't want to see anyone else. It should be a beach with only us on it. He was not a very sociable man. When the tide goes out, Ynyslas is two miles wide and a mile to the sea: if there were any other people there, they were just tiny black dots on the horizon. We would turn up as the tide turned, then follow it out: every twenty minutes, there would be something new. Huge pools you could swim in; descending clouds of shrill oystercatchers. Shells and pebbles, and flat wet sand we could all draw tits and willies on with sticks. • 15 of the best hotels in Wales We would be out there all day — sunburning on a sand bar in the middle of Cardigan Bay. In the distance you could see Snowdonia (which we never went to) and Pembrokeshire (which we never went to). We never wanted to go anywhere else because we had found the best beach: nothing could ever be more beautiful than a day spent on this empty, bird-filled beach. If the wind got up, it would send vast lines of dry sand snaking across the beach — it would flay your legs like sandpaper. We would all sit down in a huddle, like penguins, until it stopped. We liked how savage it could sometimes be. We were all under 12 years old. It made us feel like global explorers, even though we were less than a mile from pasties in the Spar. • 16 of the best beaches in Wales The locals said you could sometimes see whales migrating. We would stand on the top of the sand dunes, looking out, trying to spot them. Once, we thought we had seen a school of hundreds — until our father explained that those shapes were just the reflections of rain clouds. I think we all still privately think we did see whales. It felt like they were whales. Just us, and the whales, and the sand. I am half-Welsh, and every summer when I was a child our family went to Swansea. But the beach I want to recommend is not the one we always went to, Swansea Bay (where in my memory the tide went out so far that getting to the sea was like walking back to England) but one we never visited: Three Cliffs Bay in the Gower peninsula. Of all the beaches in the UK, it is the one that most feels like nature was really thinking about it. The towering limestone cliffs surround the sand like a stage set, their three-ness creating a sense that the rushing waves of the sea are breaking the fourth wall in God's own theatre. I went there with friends in my twenties and couldn't believe the beauty. And also that my parents were so deeply unbothered with beauty that they could never be f***ed to drive 30 minutes out of Swansea to see it. David Baddiel's My Family: The Memoir is out now in paperback • Revealed: 100 Best Places to Stay in the UK for 2025 I first visited Achmelvich, on Scotland's west coast north of Lochinver, 52 years ago, in the summer before university. It's had a special place in my heart ever since. It's a glorious crescent of white sand and it's almost always empty. That it's nearly always lashing with rain in that part of the Highlands has never put me off — in fact I think it adds to the experience. When it's pouring with rain the beach has a raw beauty and when the sun does make a rare appearance it makes it look like the Med. I feel like a traitor for telling you this, but just around the corner from Camber Sands is Greatstone in Kent, and it is magnificent. It has the same long, golden dunes of Camber, but almost zero people whatsoever. Whenever you turn up you might find a clutch of dog walkers, maybe some horse riders, but that's about it. I discovered Greatstone during lockdown — I ended up taking my children there most mornings — and so it still feels a bit like my little secret. So go by all means, just don't tell anyone. Essex has some lovely beaches, around Point Clear past St Osyth, and we're very fond of parts of north Norfolk, Hope Cove in south Devon and the areas near Lynton and Lynmouth in the north of the county. But we had a beach hut at Thorpe Bay, Southend. Pebbles, crabs, cold water and a treacherous tide that came in quick and encircled those who walked out too far. But we could play cricket on the green behind and my nan would cook a full roast dinner on a Calor gas stove because she was crackers. I've always thought beaches are about the people, not the sand. Forget sunsets, Aldeburgh on the east coast is all about sunrise. The beach is empty then, but for doughty year-round swimmers, a horizontal line of grey shingle with often-matching sky and sea. I love seeing the fishermen's boats returning to sell their catch in wooden huts, and walking south to the Martello tower where you're sandwiched between river and sea. Aldeburgh beach is hard on the feet, the water is icy even in June. It's an acquired taste, pleasingly austere. • 15 of the most beautiful places in England Just below the Minack Theatre at Porthcurno in Cornwall is the most glorious arc of creamy white sand that leads down to an azure sea. Dolphins leap through the waves and high above is the theatre, nestled among the rocks. It really is a little bit of paradise. Porthcurno Beach is the one for me. • Best beaches in Cornwall King Edward's Bay is a rather lovely beach, just below Tynemouth. The sand is golden, the water usually as calm as it is deep blue. But a great beach is transformed into a legendary one by Riley's Fish Shack, which sits above it and serves some of the best seafood in the country. And on a beautiful summer's day, when the sun gleams off the water, and you're tucking into grilled local lobster, langoustines and a Craster kipper wrap, there's nowhere I'd rather be on earth. • Tom Parker Bowles: 'Our villa chef was a secret press informer' Drive past the ponies, heather and gorse of Exmoor and you finally come to the hidden beaches of north Devon, perfect, as Agatha Christie discovered, for surfing, rock pooling, sandcastles and sandy sandwiches. My favourite is Saunton Sands, three and a half miles and two and a half million square metres of gold sand, used to practise for the D-Day landings. In winter you can gallop on horses through its waves and walk the dogs. In the summer, there's an ice-cream shop, an ace café and well stocked beach huts to rent for £30 a day. The nearest village is miles away and its dunes and cliffs are protected by the Unesco North Devon biosphere reserve. The Times and Sunday Times UK Beach guide will reveal the 50 best beaches around the country. It will be available online on July 7 and in print on July 13 Let us know your favourite beach in the comments below