From history and culture to stunning scenery and coastline, there’s no shortage of attractions across Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Although the headline attractions are popular for a reason, we all know there’s much to be uncovered in lesser visited places. And once you begin to look for them, there are so many, right across the country.
But how to sift through all the options and decide where to go? Here are just a few ideas to get started.
Scotland
Like: Edinburgh Castle
Try: Scone Palace
Perched above the Scottish capital, Edinburgh Castle has become one of the icons of Scotland – and one of its biggest draws, claiming the title of Scotland’s most-visited paid-for attraction. But if you love your history, you’ll find that other fascinating sites nearby also have links to events that shaped Scotland’s identity.
Scone Palace is just an hour’s drive from Edinburgh and, just like Edinburgh Castle it has strong connections with historic rulers. It was the crowning place of Macbeth (the real life King behind Shakespeare’s play), King Robert the Bruce and King Charles II. Before that, the grounds were a meeting place for the ruling Picts, the late medieval settlers in Scotland, who met there to decide the fate of the country.
Inside, the palace is a luxurious stately home, with plenty of art and architectural features. Outside, the grounds boast a beautiful garden and maze and some parts still bear evidence of the medieval town of Scone that once stood there, as well as the abbey that once housed the Stone of Destiny, now removed to Edinburgh Castle.
North-east England
Like: Beamish – The Living Museum of the North
Try: Killhope lead mining museum
More than 650,000 visitors head to Beamish open air museum for a taste of 19th and 20th-century life, making it the north east’s most popular museum. But it’s not the only place that brings the past to life in County Durham.
The award-winning Killhope in Bishop Auckland, just an hour away, gives a glimpse into the lives of lead mining families in the north Pennines during Victorian times. Then, the work meant grim drudgery and danger; today it’s an underground adventure in one of England’s most beautiful pieces of countryside, winning the Guardian’s first ever Family Friendly Museum award in 2004.
Search for minerals among the silt, as 19th-century washer boys once did, or pull on a hard hat and wellies to venture down into the dark of what was once one of the richest lead mines in England. The 10-metre diameter Killhope waterwheel still turns decades after the last miners tramped down into the depths during the first world war.
Back on the surface, red squirrels live in the woodlands or head to the museum, which has personal items such as letters alongside the miner’s tools and spar boxes they crafted.
Northern Ireland
Like: Giant’s Causeway
Try: Glenariff
The 40,000 basalt columns making up the striking Giant’s Causeway may be hard to beat, but the Unesco World Heritage site certainly isn’t the only scenic draw along this dramatic coastline.
The cliffs on the Causeway Coast still show the different layers created by ancient lava flows 60 million years ago, worn and weathered to the surface once more.
And carved out of these rugged cliffs by massive glaciers during the last Ice Age are a string of nine green valleys, known as the Glens of Antrim, stretching all the way to Larne, County Antrim. While any one has its own attractions, there’s a good reason that one in particular, Glenariff, is known as the Queen of the Glens.
In this U-shaped valley, the glen meets the sea with cliffs rising above the trees, while the three-mile Waterfall Walkway passes a sheer gorge and cascading falls of Glenariff Forest Park. Even the walking route names are enticing: the Rainbow Trail traces the banks of the Glenariff river past woodland flowers, while the Viewpoint Trail takes you to the edge of the glen, looking down to the coast and out to the Mull of Kintyre.
Wales
Like: Barafundle Bay
Try: Church Doors Cove
Pembrokeshire’s endless beaches are endlessly tempting: some for surfers, some for families, some for the glorious stretches of golden sand. But it’s Barafundle Bay that claims the title of the county’s best, named one of the best beaches in both Britain and the world for its clear waters and pine-fringed dunes – enticing plenty of beach lovers as a result.
Fortunately, it’s not the only stunning cove on this coast. Less than 10 miles away lies Church Doors Cove, near Manorbier, another beach that’s accessible at low tide only. And the trip down to the sand is almost as good as arriving. From the coastal path, take the steep stone steps down and you’ll see the two high arched caves cut out of the sandstone cliffs by the waves looking just like the church doors that gave the beach its name. At low tide, you can even find your way to next door Skrinkle Haven, through a narrow cave and past a rock pool.
Southern England
Like: Salcombe
Try: Noss Mayo
Pastel-coloured houses, yachts in the harbour, picturesque sandy beaches – Salcombe looks exactly like a postcard of the English seaside come to life.
But further west, the quiet town of Noss Mayo is a must see. 20 miles away from Salcombe, on the bank of the Yealm estuary, it is one of Devon’s most unspoiled villages. Dating back to the 12th century, when it picked up its unusual name from the Norman lord of the manor, it became the haunt of smugglers as well as fishermen.
Today, the quiet spot is all whitewashed cottages and hilly alleys overlooking the boats on the blue water in its little harbour. Linked by ferry to Newton Ferrers across the estuary, the South West Coastal path runs around its three sides with bluebell woods nearby, historic sea defences on the cliff paths above and rare birds nesting below.
But it’s not just wildlife and peace that is tempting. Artists have been drawn here for centuries by the light and the views, foodies by the award-winning Ship Inn pub on the waterfront, and families by the crabbing at low tide in the estuary.
Go to www.homeofamazing.com for further holiday inspiration
