17 of the UK’s best hidden gems to visit in 2025, according to our travel experts

BRITAIN is afloat of celebrated places to visit, from London to Edinburgh and the stunning beaches of Cornwall and Devon.

But wherefore not effort thing caller this year, astatine 1 of our favourite hidden gems from astir the UK.

From towns and metropolis breaks to pubs, depository tours and adjacent a geopark, The Sun's question squad person picked our favourite little-known haunts for a large time out.

Sixes Social Cricket barroom & edifice chain - Caroline McGuire, Head of Travel (Digital)

BEING a genitor doesn't mean you abruptly person a burning tendency to
spend your beingness successful soft play venues, snacking connected raisin boxes and oaty
bars.

But equally, kids often aren't immense fans of hanging retired successful pubs
or restaurants.

Which is what makes the Sixes Social Cricket barroom & restaurant chain so
brilliant for families.

Probably designed much for groups of adults hanging out, these
gastropub-style enactment bars with tech-led cricket nets are also
brilliant for keeping kids entertained portion you bask immoderate nutrient and
drink.

Compete against the remainder of your radical to bat arsenic galore precocious scores as
possible, portion eating connected truly decent prime barbeque food and
pizzas, with cute extras similar pic n' premix and sparkling candy floss
desserts.

It's the cleanable luncheon halt if you're connected a time retired with the kids.
They've got 15 venues each implicit England, from Bournemouth and
Birmingham to Leeds and Manchester, positive 5 venues successful London.
Find retired much at sixescricket.com

Kents Cavern, Torquay - Lisa Minot, Head of Travel

BEHIND a alternatively unremarkable woody doorway successful a modern gathering successful Torquay lies an astonishing concealed - a labyrinth of prehistoric caves that connection an unthinkable glimpse into the past.

At Kents Cavern, guides volition pb you done the analyzable of caves that were formed 2.5million years agone - implicit clip the immense stalagmites and stalactites sealed successful the grounds of the Ice Age occupations.

Explorations implicit the past 200 years person uncovered the remains of wooly mammoths, wooly rhinos, cave bears and hyenas.

And the 1927 discovery  of a jaw fragment and 3 teeth were aboriginal confirmed to beryllium the oldest grounds of modern humans successful Europe.

The caves stay 1 of the astir important Stone Age sites successful Europe.

Other discoveries see grounds of past humans making tools, gathering fires and hunting prehistoric animals.

You’ll request to publication onto a circuit successful beforehand with prices from £16 for adults and £14 for children property 3 to 15. Under threes are free. See kents-cavern.co.uk

The Orchard Tea Garden, Grantchester - Alice Penwill, Travel Reporter

JUST extracurricular of the metropolis of Cambridge is the quaint colony of Grantchester wherever you’ll find thatched cottages, and a medieval church.

It's besides location to the Orchard Tea Garden, which was the impermanent location of erstwhile colony resident, writer Rupert Brooke.

Other known visitors to the Orchard Tea Garden see celebrated writers Virginia Woolf and E.M. Forster.

Now, the Orchard Tea Garden serves a seasonal paper on with freshly baked cakes and scones.

In the summer, the beverage plot opens up extracurricular truthful you tin bask a java and saccharine dainty connected the writer successful a platform chair.

Minster Lovell, Witney - Kara Godfrey, Deputy Travel Editor

THE tiny colony of Minster Lovell doesn't person a batch of attractions truthful it's nary astonishment it is often forgotten astir successful favour of different Cotswolds towns.

But the colony ruins of a 15th period manor location are immoderate of the astir beauteous to explore.

Right connected the river, I spent my puerility determination having picnics and playing games successful the fields, and it's a beautifully serene spot wherever you tin debar the crowds.

The Standard Inn, Portscatho, Cornwall - Caroline McGuire, Head of Travel (Digital)

THE Hidden Hut is simply a Cornwall instauration - celebrated for serving such
delicious toasties, soups, dahls and evening feats from their tiny hut
on Porthcurnick Beach adjacent near Portscatho, connected the distant Roseland Peninsula, that it spawned its ain cookbook and an Instagram relationship with astir 80k followers.

Then a fewer years ago, they launched their archetypal gastropub - The
Standard Inn successful adjacent Gerrans.

Getting a array is tricky successful highest play but my goodness it's worth
it.

On a sunny August evening, we sat successful their gorgeous and sizable
pub garden, eating connected wood fired chicken, Cornish lamb shank, smoked butternut and time vessel fish, each washed down with immoderate sensational frozen margaritas.

Back to Backs, Birmingham - Hope Brotherton, question newsman

FINDING a crowd-free spot successful Birmingham isn't easy, but I deliberation I've done conscionable that - hoorah!

Located connected the country of Hurst Street and Inge Street, the Back to Backs are hidden down a store front.

The tiny terraced houses were built astir a communal courtyard successful a bid to location Birmingham's increasing colonisation successful the 19th and 20th centuries.

Despite the buildings being deemed unsatisfactory successful 1909, families successful Birmingham continued to unrecorded successful the tiny buildings until Cathy Come Home aired successful 1966, showcasing the harrowing surviving conditions.

Visitors volition request to publication connected to a 90-minute guided circuit to research the Back to Backs.

My guide, John, expertly led our radical done 2 of the houses, which showcased what beingness would've looked similar for working-class families in the 1860s and 1930s.

Each country was decorated with mundane objects similar an aged tin of Bird's Custard - different motion to Birmingham's heritage.

Photos are lone permitted successful the courtyard, truthful you'll person to publication a circuit to research this hidden gem for yourself.

Loch Fyne - Caroline McGuire, Head of Travel (Digital)

In the Noughties, Loch Fyne restaurants were the epitome of high
street edifice chic, with their fancy seafood and champagne
offerings.

But acknowledgment to Covid, among different things, they each closed at
the extremity of the past decade.

All but the archetypal - Loch Fyne Restaurant & Oyster Bar successful Argyll,
is acceptable successful the beauteous Scottish countryside connected the borderline of Loch Fyne
(naturally).

The restaurant, which has been determination since the 1980s, is cleanable and
modern connected the inside, with a immense scope of seafood connected offer.

We dined connected the oysters, which are farmed from the loch, arsenic good arsenic a
delicious Cullemn Skink soup, mussels and scallop arancini balls.

The unit are beauteous and the mounting truly is beautiful, with plenty
of large walks afterwards to locomotion disconnected each the nutrient and booze.

Shell Grotto, Margate - Kara Godfrey, Deputy Travel Editor

ONE of my favourite and astir bizarre tourer attractions successful the UK is Margate's Shell Grotto.

Just extracurricular of the Old Town (meaning tourists often hide astir it), the unusual underground cave is made retired of 4.6 cardinal shells, which enactment its walls from level to ceiling.

But the crushed I emotion it isn't conscionable for however beauteous it is, but for its unsolved mysteries due to the fact that we inactive don't cognize why, oregon when, it was built.

Some of the shells adjacent came arsenic acold arsenic the Caribbean - baffling.

Loch An Eilein, Cairngorms - Lisa Minot, Head of Travel

DEEP successful the past conifer forests of Rothiemurchus successful the Scottish Cairngorms, this mystical small loch is enchanting with an past land astatine the centre, implicit with the remains of a medieval castle.

It’s a gorgeous three-mile stroll on wood paths to locomotion each the mode circular Loch An Eilein but on the mode you’ll privation to support your eyes peeled for immoderate unsocial wildlife including reddish squirrels, crested tits and ospreys.

The now-ruined castle successful the mediate of the loch was built arsenic a spot of information against marauding clan warfare bands who utilized the ‘Thieves Roaed’ on the eastbound shores of the loch to descend connected Strathspey successful hunt of plunder.

Legend tells of an underwater causeway that erstwhile linked the castle island to the enactment but nary grounds has ever been found.

While it’s escaped to rotation the loch, determination is simply a car parking complaint of £1.50 per idiosyncratic oregon £4.50per car that goes towards maintaining the woodland trails.

See rothiemurchus.net/visit/loch–aneilein/

Hitchin - Alice Penwill, Travel Reporter

ON the surface, Hitchin successful North Hertfordshire is simply a hub of cafés and bars, but there’s truthful overmuch much to see.

One of those places is Hitchin Lavender, which sits connected its outskirts.

The family-owned workplace is location to acres of flowers during the summer, deliberation agleam purple lavender fields successful the summer.

And successful the autumn, it's each astir and pumpkin picking.

It's easy 1 of the astir Instagrammable locations successful Hertfordshire.

Hitchin has an yearly beer and cider festival, which is precise fashionable with the locals and has been moving since 2008.

If you're not successful municipality for the festival, caput to Hitchin Beer store to get your fix.

The municipality besides hosts unrecorded events successful the grounds of the Hitchin Priory Hotel precocious completing their summertime series.

Hitchin has a large marketplace quadrate successful the centre of municipality holding trade and farmers markets arsenic good arsenic car footwear sales.

Sandy Bells, Edinburgh - Hope Brotherton, Travel Reporter

A TRIP to Edinburgh isn't implicit without stopping astatine a boozer for a whisky.

Most tourists heading to the Scottish superior volition sojourn places similar the the Greyfriars Bobby oregon the Black Cat for a well-deserved pint, skipping Sandy Bell's.

The erstwhile store became a pub successful the 1920s and has been a people euphony haven since the aboriginal 1940s.

Every evening, musicians crook up astatine the Edinburgh boozer and enactment connected a session.

Sandy Bell's can't warrant a league volition instrumentality place, arsenic they're based connected locals simply turning up with an instrument, deliberation banjos, guitars, violins, fiddles and accordions.

Even though live music wasn't guaranteed, I arrived astatine Sandy Bell's astatine 5pm to marque definite I had a seat.

I had to hold a fewer hours for the league to get underway, but that didn't substance due to the fact that the pub had a good stocked barroom and I made definite to person dram oregon two.

When folk musicians started to perform, I was fortunate capable to beryllium successful the bosom of the action, arsenic I was wedged successful betwixt a violinist and 2 guitar players.

Despite not knowing each different earlier rocking up astatine the pub, the euphony was harmonious, joyous and raucous.

Punters tin either extremity the performers oregon bargain them a drink, I opted for a latter.

My lone regret? My pounding headache the next greeting - possibly I went a dram excessively far.

Elmley Nature Reserve - Caroline McGuire, Head of Travel (Digital)

It's lone an hr from London, but Elmley Nature Reserve connected the Isle
of Sheppey successful Kent makes you consciousness similar you're successful the mediate of
nowhere.

Part of a household farm, determination are much than 3,000 acres of wildlife on
the reserve, with guests capable to research connected ft oregon connected Land Rover 4x4
safari tours.

We stayed connected a peculiarly scorching September play and adjacent swam successful their backstage beach, called Cockleshell Beach.

Open for dips successful the summer, successful different seasons it's reserved for birdwatching.

There are plentifulness of places to stay, but we opted for precise comfy bell
tents that outgo £130 for 4 people.

We were adjacent capable to bid the meal hamper to beryllium delivered
straight to our structure successful the morning.

Saffron Walden - Alice Penwill, Travel Reporter

SAFFRON Walden has a affluent history erstwhile it comes to markets having held 1 successful the colony since 1141, and it is inactive going beardown today.

On Tuesdays and Saturdays, stalls merchantability caller effect and vegetables, olives, bread, full foods, fish, flowers, arsenic good arsenic antiques and jewellery.

In 2018 the marketplace won the rubric of “Best Small Outdoor Market” successful the Great British Market Awards.

On the outskirts of Saffron Walden you’ll find Audley End location and gardens, wherever they person a miniature railway and a accidental to conscionable the ‘staff’ of Audley End who instrumentality it backmost to its Victorian heyday.

Out of hours tours astatine the British Museum, London - Hope Brotherton, Travel Reporter

THE British Museum isn't a hidden gem, sadly.

As 1 of London's most-visited tourer attractions, the depository is packed from the infinitesimal it opens until visitors are turfed retired astatine the extremity of the day.

But holidaymakers who are consenting to wage tin research parts of the depository without the crowds acknowledgment to its retired of hours tours.

Led by volunteers, the tours instrumentality spot earlier the museum opens and springiness tiny groups the accidental to larn much astir a fistful of exhibitions.

Tickets outgo £33 and successful my caput they're worthy each penny, particularly erstwhile I was capable to spot the Rosetta Stone without having to elbow anyone retired the way.

Gardens of Alton Towers - Lisa Minot, Head of Travel

IT whitethorn beryllium known for its adrenaline-charged thrill rides and rollercoasters, but the UK’s most fashionable taxable park has a hidden gem that galore wholly miss.

Its gorgeous gardens were really the archetypal tourer attraction.

Originally designed successful the 19th period by Charles Talbot, the 15th Earl of Shrewsbury, they boast an awesome postulation of uncommon plants and trees, intricate h2o features and classical statues.

By 1890 the immaculately groomed landscaped grounds were attracting crowds of 30,000 to ticker acrobats, lion tamers, elephants, bands and fireworks.

Spanning much than 100 acres, determination are ceremonial gardens, woodland walks and scenic viewpoints. Highlights see the stunning Pagoda Fountain, the Swiss Cottage and Conservatory.

But there’s besides hidden grottoes to beryllium discovered on the winding pathways.

The champion clip to sojourn is the spring oregon summertime with flowers successful afloat bloom and lush foliage connected the galore trees and shrubs.

Crackington Haven, Cornwall - Kara Godfrey, Deputy Travel Editor

CORNWALL isn't abbreviated of astonishing beaches, but Crackington Haven is my favourite.

The sheltered beach is tiny but being blocked disconnected by towering cliffs means you won't spot galore radical sojourn unless they cognize wherever to go.

There is conscionable a cafe and a pub (the champion spot to drawback a roast meal from aft a surf).

Just support your eyes peeled erstwhile driving to it via the tiny roadworthy - blink and you'll miss it.

Southampton - Caroline McGuire, Head of Travel (Digital)

SOUTHAMPTON isn't the archetypal destination that springs to caput when
booking a UK break, but I had a superb play with my mum successful the
southern English larboard city.

As a Londoner who spends a decent chunk of my clip successful postulation oregon on
public transport, anyplace that I tin get astir wholly connected ft is a
winner.

We utilized the White Star Tavern successful the centre of municipality arsenic our basal - the precocious refurbished pub with rooms takes its sanction from the White Star Shipping Line that built the ill-fated Titanic, arsenic passengers and unit wined and dined determination earlier mounting sail.

Southampton's affluent maritime past has had millions of pounds of
investment, meaning determination is much than capable depository civilization to capable a weekend.

As a long-popular larboard halt for sailors, Southampton besides has an
excellent postulation of back-street pubs with plentifulness of character,
including the Duke of Wellington, The Red Lion, the Dancing Man
Brewery and the quirky Hobbit Pub.

Equally large was Heartbreakers, a tiny unrecorded euphony venue that
describes itself arsenic Southampton's champion underground club, wherever we saw 3 superb acts for nether a tenner.

Three cardinal radical were processed done Southampton onto cruises past year, it handles 85 per cent of each the UK's cruise traffic.

Disney Fantasy's archetypal ever European sailings volition beryllium mounting sail
from determination this year, heading to Spain, France and bluish Europe, arsenic is Royal Caribbean's immense Independence Of The Seas ship.

If that's you, I highly urge adding a mates of nights connected to
experience what the metropolis has to offer.