West Voe Beach, Shetlands secret holiday destinations travel

The 'secret' English holiday destinations that look like they are abroad

Due to changing travel restrictions, not all of us will have been able to get abroad for a holiday this year.

But, there is no need to feel disheartened! There are plenty of hidden gems around the UK that will leave you feeling like you have stepped into another country!

Interested in this, SaveOnEnergy.com/uk wanted to discover the most ‘secret’ destinations around the UK that feel like they are abroad. After matching each UK destination with a similar looking foreign destination, the team investigated Instagram hashtags, recording the number of posts under each hashtag. As a result of this the analysts were able to rank the UK destinations with the lowest number of hashtags to the most, thus creating a list of ‘secret’ destinations.

The top 5 ‘secret’ destinations in England:

Rank	Destination	Country	Similar destination	Instagram hashtags
1	Cautley Spout, Cumbria	England	Thorsmork, Iceland	1,320
2	Gaping Gill, North Yorkshire	England	Son Doong, Vietnam	1,448
3	Rathfinny, Sussex	England	Napa Valley, California	1,508
4	Liverpool Chinatown	England	Shanghai, China	2,052
5	Chapel Down Winery, Kent	England	Bordeaux, France	2,079

The top 10 ‘secret’ destinations in the UK:

Rank	Destination	Country	Similar destination	Instagram hashtags
1	Observatory Gully, Ben Nevis	Scotland	Mont Blanc, the Alps, France	19
2	West Voe Beach, Shetlands	Scotland	Yyteri Beach, Finland	66
3	Langamull Beach, Isle of Mull	Scotland	Crane Beach, US	164
4	Elegug Stacks, Pembrokeshire	Wales	Nusa Penida, Bali	446
5	Cautley Spout, Cumbria	England	Thorsmork, Iceland	1,320
6	Gaping Gill, North Yorkshire	England	Son Doong, Vietnam	1,448
7	Rathfinny, Sussex	England	Napa Valley, California	1,508
8	Liverpool Chinatown	England	Shanghai, China	2,052
9	Chapel Down winery, Kent	England	Bordeaux, France	2,079
10	Leighton House Museum	England	Istanbul, Turkey	2,289

SaveOnEnergy.com/uk can reveal that the most secret UK destination that feels like it’s abroad is Observatory Gully, Ben Nevis with only 19 Instagram tags. Scotland’s Ben Nevis, the UK’s highest mountain, could easily be mistaken for the French Alps and is incredibly popular with skiers, climbers, and snowboarders.

Coming just behind in second is West Voe Beach, Shetlands with 66 Instagram tags. Another destination located in Scotland, the white sandy beach and steep dunes could easily be mistaken for Yyteri beach in Finland.

Coming third is Langamull Beach, Isle of Mull in Scotland with 164 Instagram tags. The stunning beach is home to shimmering white sand and clear blue waters, no wonder it often gets mixed up with Crane Beach in the US.

Elegug Stacks, Pembrokeshire comes fourth with a grand total of 446 Instagram tags. The majestic rocks can be found in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park in Wales and has similarities to Nusa Penida in Bali.

Completing the top five with 1,320 Instagram tags is Cautley Spout, Cumbria. Located in the Howgill Fells on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales national park, this is England’s highest waterfall which boasts stunning views and magnificent walks which resemble Thorsmork in Iceland.