Latest news with #hiddenGems
The Sun
19 hours ago
- General
- The Sun
Five top hidden gem attractions in the UK according to experts from Venetian palaces to hidden gold mines
THE National Trusts boasts many hidden gems across the UK - including the UK's only Roman Gold Mine and a house with 'playful and mysterious' curiosities. With so many sites in it's collection, National Trust properties offer the perfect day-out this summer. 6 And now, the charity has revealed some of it's top hidden gems. Dolaucothi, Carmarthenshire in Wales Dolaucothi, located in Carmarthenshire in Wales, is the UK's only known Roman Gold Mine. Head of visitor programming, Tom Freshwater, said: "Hidden in these wooded hillsides is evidence of Roman gold mining, dating back over 2,000 years. "On pre-booked guided tours, expert guides will unveil the secrets of Roman mining and take you underground into the mine itself, ending with the chance to try the gold panning experience." Mining continued at Dolaucothi into the 20th century, ending in 1938. Dolaucothi is open Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and visitors will need to prebook underground tours. The tours start from the 1930s mine yard where visitors will see buildings and mining machinery dating from that time. Orford Ness, Suffolk Orford Ness, Suffolk is one of the most dynamic landforms on the UK coastline and the largest vegetated shingle spit in Europe. "A large proportion of the world's rare coastal vegetated shingle is found here, which together with the marshland provides important habitats for a range of bird species, mammals and invertebrates," said Tom. In 1915 the arrival of the Royal Flying Corps ushered in a 70-year period of secret military experimentation, mostly working on aerial warfare. Kids Country House Between 1935 and 1937, the first experimental work on radar was conducted on the Ness and from 1953, tests on Britain's atomic bombs. "The best thing about this place is the strangeness of the landscape: the juxtaposition of wild remoteness and fascinating but disturbing history," Tom added. Visitors can only get to Orford Ness via the National Trust ferry Octavia. There is no access on foot or by vehicle via Slaughden. There is a charge for ferry to Orford Ness and tickets, to the site, are limited and must be booked in advance. Smallhythe, Kent Originally built in the early 16th-century, Smallhythe used to be a thriving shipbuilding port. 6 It was later purchased by the Victorian actress Ellen Terry in 1899 and ten decades later transformed by her daughter into a museum which now displays a theatrical collection reflecting Ellen's career and life. Also at the destination is a 17th century thatched Barn Theatre, which hosts a programme of productions throughout the year. Tom said: "[There is an] outdoor theatre programme and last chance to see the Beetlewing dress on display in the Dressing Lady Macbeth exhibition - Dressing Lady Macbeth." In the garden, visitors can find a traditional rose garden, orchard, nuttery and ponds. The garden also boasts a 55-metre-long rose pergola, with 52 roses of nine varieties, that flower from May to July. There is a Tea Room, too, that serves drinks, cakes and snacks. Kingston Lacy, Dorset The Bankes family bought Corfe Castle in 1635 but after it was destroyed in the English Civil War, Sir Ralph Bankes decided to relocate 20 miles north and build this handsome mansion house. 6 Between 1835 and 1841 the building was transformed by William Bankes, who employed Charles Barry, architect of the Houses of Parliament, to create something similar to a Venetian palace. The building boasts paintings by Velázquez, Titian and Rubens. "It also includes the largest private display of Egyptian relics in the UK, including the nine-metre Philae obelisk in the grounds," Tom revealed. "The Spanish Room has walls of gilded leather, too" In 1841, to avoid prosecution for a homosexual act, William John Bankes fled England and lived the rest of his life in exile. Tom concluded: "He may well have returned in disguise before his death in 1855 to see the home he loved one final time." Snowshill Manor & Garden, Gloucestershire A personal favourite of Tom's is Snowshill Manor & Garden, Gloucestershire, even though picking on top spot "is so hard to choose". 6 Tom shared: "A truly unique place is Snowshill Manor - once visited, never forgotten. "I particularly love the hidden panels and mechanisms that are built into the house which makes it playful and mysterious." Outside, Snowshill is a charming 16th-century manor house built of Cotswold stone and set above a picturesque valley. Inside is a collection of mind-boggling variety gathered from around the world by Charles Paget Wade. Javanese and Balinese theatre masks adorn walls, while Penny-farthing bicycles hang from the rafters. Wade – architect, artist-craftsman, collector, poet and (crucially) heir to a fortune – bought the manor in 1919. He built his collection while living in fairly spartan style in a small cottage in the garden. 6 By the time he died in 1951, he had collected over 22,000 hand-made objects, including tiny toys, Samurai armour, musical instruments and fine clocks. "It's an eccentric collection, but one unified by Wade's love," Tom concluded. There is an 'Arts and Crafts' garden, which is an extension of the house and features a number of outdoor rooms full of doorways, hidden vistas and curiosities. In addition, there is Wolf's Cove - a model harbour based on a typical Cornish fishing village which Wade designed and built himself. The destination also has a café with indoor and outdoor seating, a shop that sells souvenirs and homeware and a second-hand bookshop. The National Trust also recently revealed its top family-friendly attractions for May half term with fairytale castles and 'book jungles'. Plus, The National Trust's best free attractions to visit this summer – from sky gardens to 'city oasis' parks. 6
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Forget tourist fads. Let's better preserve, promote Hong Kong heritage
I have been trying to discover Hong Kong's 'hidden gems', as seen through the eyes of a budget traveller. Out of curiosity, I downloaded and explored mobile apps such as Meituan and RedNote (also known as Xiaohongshu ), to see what a local might be missing out on. Some of the recommended spots seem debatable, including the alleyways between Tai Wai's village houses that have been dubbed 'Little Kyoto', an ordinary street sign on the corner of New Praya in Kennedy Town and the Hong Kong Cemetery in Happy Valley . Some of the new hotspots are rediscovered backdrops for Hong Kong film scenes while others don't appear to offer much substance, as far as I can discern. Regardless of their credibility, however, these faddish 'landmarks' are a validation of the government's vision that 'tourism is everywhere' in Hong Kong. The government is also launching initiatives such as the 'Hong Kong industrial brand tourism' project to highlight iconic local brands and offer factory tours. One cannot help but wonder, however, if Hong Kong is so lacking in architectural and cultural heritage that travellers have to make up their own and the government has to seek help from local brands. In particular, what are we looking for when we seek heritage? Recommendations and definitions from the Heritage Discovery Centre and the Antiquities and Monuments Office aside, I would say anything handed down from the past, a practice or tradition, whether for a country, a city, or a family, counts as heritage. Indeed, what qualifies as heritage can be highly subjective. More importantly, we preserve and revisit our heritage because of a sense of purpose, honour, pride and value.
Zawya
5 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
6 ‘hidden' tourist destinations in Nigeria
Nigeria is blessed with a number of tourist destinations but while a good number of these destinations have become popular sites for tourists, others have remained hidden or experienced less visits from tourists in and outside the country. Contents1. Gashaka Gumti National Park2. Ado Awaye Lake3. The Mambilla Plateau4. Awhum Waterfall Cave 5. Kajuru Castle6. Ogbaukwu Cave and Waterfall From Ogbunike caves to Ado Awaye lake and Kajuru castle, these and many more are little-known tourist destinations in Nigeria that are explored in this article. 1. Gashaka Gumti National Park Gashaka Gumti National Park is top of the list of hidden tourist destinations in Nigeria. Established in 1991, it is the largest national park in Nigeria, and is located at the international boundary of Cameroon in the North Eastern region of Taraba and Adamawa states. It houses an incredible array of wildlife, from elephants to chimpanzees to leopards. The landscapes are equally impressive, with formidable mountains and lush rainforests. 2. Ado Awaye Lake The Ado-Awaye suspended Lake, located in the Iyake Mountains of Ado-Awaye in the Oke Ogun area of Oyo State, is another hidden tourist destination in Nigeria. Also known as the Iyake Lake, it is one of the only two suspended Lakes in the world; with the other being the Hanging Lake located at Glenwood Canyon in the State of Colorado, United States. Ado-Awaye is home to a beautiful Lake and eccentric mountains. 3. The Mambilla Plateau The Mambilla Plateau in Taraba State, Nigeria is another not so popular tourist destination in Nigeria. It is Nigeria's northern continuation of the Bamenda Highlands of Cameroon. The Mambilla Plateau is the highest in Nigeria with an average elevation of about 1,600 metres above sea level and is home to Nigeria and West Africa's only highland tea plantations. 4. Awhum Waterfall Cave The Awhum waterfall is located in the beautiful scenic community at Amu-Ugwu village of Awhum town in Udi Local Government Area, Enugu State, Nigeria. The cave, which is formed as a result of a massive outcrop of granite rock, is a sight to behold. Water cascades down from the top to form a stream at its base with white sand along its shores. The cave itself stands at 30 meters (98 feet) high. The water flowing down the waterfall remains warm throughout the seasons. Awhum's waterfall is also believed to have healing powers and the ability to ward off evil spirits 5. Kajuru Castle Kajuru castle is a unique and hidden tourist destination in Nigeria. It is a luxury villa, built between the years 1981 and 1989, at Kajuru (Ajure) village in southern Kaduna State, Nigeria. It was said to have been built by a German expatriate in Nigeria, living in Kaduna at the time. 6. Ogbaukwu Cave and Waterfall Ogbaukwu Cave and Waterfall is a hidden tourist attraction in Owerre-Ezukala town in Anambra State, Nigeria. The cave is a natural site of limestone formation. It has a never-ending waterfall cascading beautifully into a river near its major entrance. It is considered the largest cave in West Africa, with unique and roomy compartments that collectively can accommodate an entire village. Others include Obudu cattle ranch, Idanre hills, and Ogbunike cave.
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Travel + Leisure
7 days ago
- General
- Travel + Leisure
I've Lived in Japan for 20 Years—Here Are 10 Hidden Gems You Won't Find in Guidebooks
Numbers of international tourists to Japan continue to smash records year after year, with sites on the so-called Golden Route of Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Hiroshima becoming increasingly congested. Luckily, Japan has so much more to see off that very well-trodden path. I've lived in Japan for two decades—here are 10 of the country's hidden gems to consider for your next trip to the "Land of the Rising Sun." A wild horse spotted on Nishinoshima, one of the Oki chose this little cluster of islands off the coast of Shimane Prefecture as a Geopark for its dramatic scenery; think steep seaside bluffs topped by verdant fields with free-roaming horses, craggy ocean grottos where bioluminescent plankton shimmer like azure sparks, and sacred cedars that have seen the passage of a thousand years. Only a few thousand people live in the scattered fishing villages, but you'll find they're happy to welcome you to the local izakaya pub to share some freshly harvested rock oysters and turban shells with a bottle of junmai from hometown Oki Sake Brewery. Sunset over Kurashiki. This town in southern Japan was a key rice distribution center in the Edo Period (1603-1867) thanks to a network of transport canals. In the Bikan Historical District, the storehouses, arching stone bridges, and willow-lined canals of that time have been so lovingly preserved, you'll feel like you've stepped into a Kurosawa movie. A scenic boat ride with a happi-clad punter is a must, as is the Ohara Museum of Art. Sicilian osteria Rentechi or Kumo, a Japanese restaurant immersed in folk art, are great lunch options. Most visitors come on a day trip from nearby Okayama, but I recommend staying the night at Kurashiki Ryokan to see the historical district at its twilight best. Yumoto Onsen in Nagato City. A rural hot spring town is a quintessential Japanese locale, and Nagata Yumoto is one of my favorites, thanks to a passionate and collaborative community that keeps investing in their home. Its 600-year-old Onto hot spring got a new design-forward bathhouse in 2020, and the Otozure River burbling through the heart of town is lined with well-maintained paths and piers, making it a perfect place to stroll. Stop in at OTO for a coffee in the region's rustic Hagi pottery or Kawarasoba Yanagiya for kawara soba , a traditional Yamaguchi dish of tea-infused noodles and beef fried on a ceramic roofing tile. Overnight, try riverside Otani Sanso, a ryokan whose youthful fifth-generation owner leads the local revitalization efforts. Japanese ceramic tea bowl from Mashiko, Tochigi prefecture. Paul Atkinson/Adobe Stock Mashiko has been a pottery center since the 19th century, and today, it's home to some 250 kilns producing hand-thrown ceramics and about 50 galleries. That makes for some serious shopping opportunities. Traditional Mashiko ware is a mingei style that gets a weighty thickness from the local iron-rich clay and is typically finished with white engobe glazing and simple brush-painted designs. However, in the mid-1900s, influential potter Shoji Hamada attracted a new generation of Japanese and foreign students to his Mashiko workshop, where he encouraged them to pursue diverse means of individual expression, expanding the range of Mashiko styles. If you visit during the twice-yearly Mashiko Pottery Fair, you can see it all on display and score some steep bargains as shops spill out onto the streets to clear inventory. The cave stalactites of Valley of Gangala in Okinawa. This region is on the southern coast of Okinawa's main island, about a half-hour drive from Naha. Compared to the prefecture's famous beach locales, it's less touristy because its attractions spring from a more traditional spiritualism than sun worshiping. On one end is the Valley of Gangala, a series of ancient limestone caves with Paleolithic archeological sites and massive banyan trees said to host sacred spirits. On the other end is the UNSECO-recognized island Sefu-Utaki, where priestesses of the indigenous religion were once inducted. Both are powerful spots of natural beauty and deep cultural significance, but for a less solemn outing, the little islet of Ojima sits neatly between the two. It's the reputed birthplace of Okinawan-style tempura and full of beachfront mom-and-pop shops like Oshiro Tempura Shop serving their seaweed fritters hot from the fryer. View of Wakamatsu in the Goto Islands of Japan. This island chain off the coast of Kyushu has exquisite white-sand beaches with none of the Okinawan crowds, plus picturesque fishing villages and hikes with panoramic sea views. It's also where many of Japan's "Hidden Christians" fled during the two-century ban on their religion. Visiting the chapels on the island, you'll learn how Japanese converts concealed themselves in remote enclaves to escape execution and practiced their faith in secret, repurposing Buddhist iconography and natural imagery to hide their devotion in plain sight. Visiting today provides fascinating insights into a lesser-known facet of Japanese history and the nature of faith. Plus, the local variety of udon is delicious. A museum in Tono, Japan. rollingmaster/Adobe Stock Even in Japan, if people know about Tono, a valley settlement tucked into Iwate's Kitakami Mountains, it's usually just as the location of a quirky folklore museum. However, the big temperature swings in its microclimate make it an ideal place to grow hops, and it claims a sixth of all domestic production. This hops heaven has an active craft beer scene, thanks to microbreweries Tono Brewing and Zumona, and the rolling fields make for excellent biking, with sudsy rewards waiting at the lively Tono Brewing taproom or jazz bar Brew Note Tono. Or you can bike to Michi no Eki Tono Kaze no Oka, a market for local products, and enjoy a bottle from their outdoor viewing deck, which overlooks the valley and a steam locomotive track. Viewpoint of Ago Bay in Ise Shima National Park. The island-dotted Ise-Shima National Park is not only picturesque; its sheltered inlets were the cradle of pearl cultivation. Its remote villages are still engaged in that practice, and you'll see the floating farms scattered around the bay, with their dangling ropes of oysters keeping the waters crystal clear. Amanemu is the most famous luxury accommodation in the area, but if you can snag a reservation, I recommend Cova Kakuda, a waterfront resort of just four villas built in a renovated pearl processing station. Its all-inclusive model is focused on sustainability, with food grown at an onsite farm and fresh-caught seafood sourced through deep ties with local fishing families. Blooming cherry trees a riverside promenade in a beautiful spring in Akita Prefecture. It might be cheating to list a whole prefecture, but the best destination to visit in under-appreciated Akita really depends on the season. In spring, you'll want to see the weeping cherry trees blossom over preserved samurai homes in Kakunodate. In summer, you've got the towering lantern procession of the Kanto Festival in Akita City. In fall, the blue hot springs and bright red maples of Nyuto Onsenkyo make for a picturesque scene. And then, thanks to its abundant snowfall, the prefecture hosts an absolute riot of unique winter festivals, including a fire-throwing festival in Kakunodate, a festival of snow huts in Yokote, and the wild Namahage Sedo Festival in Oga, during which people dress up as horrific demons to scare children into good behavior in the coming year. Five Storied Pagoda at Dewa Sanzan Shrine in Tsuruoka. This town on the Sea of Japan is home to the Kamo Aquarium, a facility that specializes in jellyfish. That might not sound that exciting, but in low lighting, the massive illuminated tanks of pulsating jellies feel like a mesmerizing alien art exhibit. Watching the slow, unthinking undulations of technicolor bells trailing multi-meter-long tentacles like slo-mo ribbon dancers is strangely soothing. Of course, Yamagata is a long way to go just to peep some jellyfish, so combine a visit with the misty temples of nearby Dewa Sanzan, three mountains sacred to the ascetics of the esoteric Shugendo religion.
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Paddy And Nigel's Tourist Trap: Trailer, certificate and where to watch
Paddy Raff is challenged by his posh alter-ego Nigel to show off Northern Ireland's hidden gems 2025
