secret Britain

Britain's oldest fair still operates under the same royal charter granted in 1267, and the main event now involves several hundred people trying to pull the ugliest face in the world. Egremont Crab Fair has...

Lincolnshire lost villages line a stretch of coast between Mablethorpe and Skegness that most visitors never hear about. The North Sea has spent seven centuries quietly erasing the towns, churches and hamlets that once...

Eight days of music, dance, and sea air on the East Devon coast, from July 31 to August 7. Every August, a quiet Regency town on the East Devon coast turns into something Britain has...

Berkshire sits along one of the most walked rivers in England. The Thames Path travels its length, yet visitors often stick to familiar short stretches, visit well-known locks, and leave without seeing the river’s...

A county that changed British history more than once—yet is barely remembered. Leicestershire, in the heart of England, appears tranquil, its landscape dotted with green fields and market towns. Yet beneath its surface lies a...

The dales get crowds. The rivers get ignored. Most visitors walk up hills or park at waterfalls. They take the usual routes to Malham Cove, past Aysgarth, or along Bolton Abbey's riverside. These are good...

Ancient summer festivals continue across England, from Derbyshire's flower garlands to Gloucestershire's cheese-rolling. Discover these centuries-old customs before summer ends. Many associate English summer with large festivals and muddy fields, overlooking a parallel calendar of...

Before churches, before Christianity, before any written record of this land, the springs were already being used. Somerset has more named holy wells than most English counties. Many have been buried, piped, forgotten, or built...