While it’s well worth it to visit some of the United Kingdom’s most popular attractions, like the Tower of London and Edinburgh Castle, there are many hidden gems in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to consider for your itinerary too.
Dolbadarn Castle - Llanberis, Wales
What Is It? While many visitors to Wales visit the Anglo-Norman castles, doing so only gives you have the story of its turbulent history, as there are multiple fortifications that predate those, built by native Welsh princes. Dolbadarn is among the finest in the region.
Why Do It? Set upon a rocky crag overlooking Llyn Padarn, it once guarded a pass in the Snowdonia mountains, as was strategically vital.
Good to Know: While it’s in ruins today, it’s still visually stunning and one of the greatest treasures in North Wales.
Elegug Stacks - Castlemartin, Wales
What Is It? These pillars of rock that sharply rise from the sea were once a part of the mainland, but over time, raging waters wore the rock away, leaving the stacks separated from the mainland. Made up of carboniferous limestone, they’re important nesting sites for kittiwakes and guillemots, in fact, Elegug, a poetic sounding Welsh word, means guillemot.
Why Do It? A magical destination in Wales, you can visit the Elegug Stacks and St. Govan’s chapel all at once by walking a three-mile stretch of the Pembrokeshire Path National Trail.
Good to Know: Begin with a slight detour west to stop at the Green Bridge a Wales, a wide rock arch that rises out of the sea, and continue along in a southeasterly direction to enjoy the awe-inspiring coastal scenery and the Elegug Stacks.
Glenariff Forest Park - County Antrim, Northern Ireland
What Is It? Northern Ireland’s Nine Glens of Antrim are often overlooked for popular sights like Giant’s Causeway, but filled with cascading waterfalls, forest trails, tranquil lakes and lush rolling hills, they’re a wonderful hidden gem that shouldn’t be missed.
Why Do It? While each of the Glens offers its own unique charms, set in the heart of the Glens, Glenariff Forest Park is considered by many to be the crown jewel.
Good to Know: Discover its unique waterfall walkway that offers exceptional scenery and a perfect backdrop for photographers.
Rathlin Island, Northern Ireland
What Is It? Located off the northeast coast of County Antrim in Northern Ireland, Rathlin Island was one of the first inhabited islands in the area.
Why Do It? Today, it has a population of under 150, along with resident puffins and seals that can be seen from April through July. Visitors can learn about Rathlin’s interesting history at the Boathouse Visitor Centre and view artifacts from shipwrecks that occurred off its coast.
Good to Know: Other highlights include the chance to explore a working lighthouse, an Iron Age fort, Robert the Bruce’s castle, and more.
The New Forest - Hampshire, England
What Is It? This National Park in Hampshire in England’s southeast was originally created as a hunting forest by William the Conqueror in 1079.
Why Do It? Today, it’s a popular place for outdoor activities and sighting New Forest ponies, with about 3,000 of them wandering throughout the forest. The animals are free to roam where they will, as they have for centuries, but they’re actually owned by commoners with rights of pasture in the park – this unique pony traces its lineage back nearly a thousand years.
Good to Know: Rent a bicycle explore the region on two wheels, or get out and hike the extensive network of footpaths, rides and forest roads.
Puzzlewood - Forest of Dean, Coleford, England
What Is It? Puzzlewood is a favorite with Forest of Dean visitors, as it looks just like you’d envision a fairy-tale, with its little wooden bridges, twisted yews and mossy rocks.
Why Do It? This tranquil, moss-carpeted woodland is the very spot where JRR Tolkien is said to have found the inspiration for the forests of Middle Earth, and in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” it served as the Forest Moon of Endor inhabited by Ewoks. Its magical landscape has also been used in TV series like “Merlin” and “Dr. Who.”
Good to Know: As the park has become such a popular destination, the local tourism board created a Film and TV trail, making it easy for visitors to find the key filming locations.
Eilean Donan Castle - Kyle of Lochalsh, Scotland
What Is It? One of the world’s most magnificent castles, Eilean Donan isn’t much of a secret, but few foreign tourists are in the know, more often visiting Edinburgh Castle or the ruins at Loch Ness.
Why Do It? This castle, set between three of the great Lochs in Scotland, is really one of the most impressive in the Scottish Highlands. Built in the mid-13th century as a fortified castle for Alexander II to fend off Viking attacks, since then, it’s been built and rebuilt as the feudal history of the country unfolded through the centuries.
Good to Know: Connected to the mainland by a footbridge and surrounded by forested mountains, Eilean is open to the public, and nearly every corner of it can be explored.
Fingal's Cave - Isle of Iona, The Hebrides, Scotland
What Is It? Located on the uninhabited Isle of Staff, this magnificent sea cave became known as Fingal’s Cave after the hero of an epic poem by 18th-century Scots poet-historian James Macpherson.
Why Do It? Composer Felix Mendelssohn was so inspired by the eerie sounds it produces because of the echoes of waves that crash inside its arched roof, he wrote an overture titled “The Hebrides, Op. 26.” Take a boat tour to see for yourself this one-of-a-kind sea cave that was formed completely in hexagonally jointed basalt.
Good to Know: The remarkable symmetry of the 227-foot cavern, and its fractured columns that form a crude walkway just above high water level, allow visitors to explore its depths.
Fairy Glen - Isle of Skye, Scotland
What Is It? The Isle of Skye, connected by a bridge to the mainland near Eilean Donan Castle, boasts some of the United Kingdom’s most alluring landscapes, including the Fairy Glen and its pools that sit at the foot of the Black Cuillins near Glenbrittle.
Why Do It? Bring a picnic and sit along its banks, imagining the fairies that could easily live here in the lush emerald glen and twisted trees that surround the pools, and if you’re adventurous enough, you may even want to take a dip in the cool, refreshing waters.
Good to Know: These fantasy-like crystal clear azure pools have, not surprisingly, have been the shooting location for a number of popular films in recent decades, including 2007’s “Stardust.”
