Flamborough Head and Malham are considered some of the UK’s top ‘hidden gems’, according to new research by Sykes Holiday Cottages.
A survey of 2,000 UK adults ranked the two Yorkshire destinations as lesser-known spots that Brits have most enjoyed visiting.
Malham ranked in sixth place overall, behind Lundy Island, Iona in the Inner Hebrides, and The Fairy Pools waterfall on the Isle of Skye.
The beautiful coast and cliffs along Flamborough Head also made the top 10.
Graham Donoghue, chief executive of Sykes Holiday Cottages, who commissioned the survey, said: “There are so many of these locations within easy reach that many people have perhaps not even heard of, never mind visiting.
“Two Yorkshire destinations ranked within the top 10 hidden gems but there are plenty of other beautiful locations and natural wonders across the county that don’t get the recognition they deserve either.
“Hopefully this research has enlightened people of these places and will provide some inspiration for their next staycation.”
The study found 40 per cent of Brits ‘go out of their way’ to visit the less popular locations and nearly nine in 10 (89 per cent) ‘take pride’ in doing so.
Half of those polled enjoy telling people about their newly discovered places but a third would rather keep it to themselves to ensure the locations remain less popular.
People trust the recommendations of others as 62 per cent would visit somewhere they’ve never heard of before if they were recommended it by a friend.
A guide to the UK’s top hidden gem locations can be found here: https://www.sykescottages.co.uk/blog/guide-to-the-top-10-uk-hidden-gems/
Top 20 ‘hidden gems’ in the UK:
- Iona island, Inner Hebrides
- The Fairy Pools, Isle of Skye, Scotland
- Lundy Island, Devon
- Stone Age sites, Rousay island, Orkney Islands
- Cotswold Canals, the Cotswolds
- Malham, Yorkshire Dales
- Ilfracombe, Devon
- Talisker Bay, Isle of Skye, Scotland
- Flamborough Head, Yorkshire
- Hawes, Yorkshire Dales
- Mullion, Cornwall
- Blackgang Beach, Isle of Wight
- Skipton Castle, North Yorkshire
- The Devil’s Pulpit, Stirlingshire, Scotland
- Bodnant Gardens, near Colwyn Bay, Conwy, North Wales
- Ladybower Reservoir, Peak District
- The Bays, Harris, Outer Hebrides
- Heights of Abraham, Derbyshire
- South West Coastal 300, Dumfries & Galloway and south Ayrshire
- Castle Combe, Wiltshire
