Wander off the beaten track to uncover the world’s most secret destinations through insightful text and beautiful hand-drawn illustrations: discover an ancient gateway to the Mayan underworld, a mysterious underwater monument sunken off the Ryukyu Islands in Japan or a prehistoric village covered for centuries by a huge sand dune in the Orkney Islands. In Inspired Traveller's Guides: Hidden Places travel journalist Sarah Baxter’s evocative words instantly transport you to 25 of the world’s most obscured places. From remote locations that visitors must trek and wade just to catch a glimpse of, to forgotten cities only recently revealed and places purposefully hidden as sanctuaries from persecution, each destination has a very human story at its heart. Featured locations: Tyneham, Dorset, England Skara Brae, Orkney, Scotland Menlo Castle, Galway, Ireland Ladby Ship, Kerteminde, Denmark Our Dear Lord in the Attic, Amsterdam, Netherlands Montsegur, France Kaisertal, Austria Black Forest, Germany Rok Runestone, Ödeshög, Sweden Villa of Tiberius, Sperlonga, Italy Bulnes, Cabrales, Spain Lalibela, Ethiopia Great Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Turpan Oasis, Turpan, China Phnom Kulen, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia Yonaguni, Yaeyama Islands, Japan Mount Borradaile, Arnhem Land, Australia Curio Bay, Southland, New Zealand Spirit Island, Alberta, Canada The Green Mill, Chicago, USA Havasu Canyon, Arizona, USA Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims, New York, USA Actun Tunichil, Belize Choquequirao, Peru El Mirador, El Petén, Guatemala Savour a moment to delight in the serenity and seclusion of the secret escapes collected in this beautifully illustrated guide, full of surprise, wonder and sights otherwise unseen. Each book in the Inspired Traveller's Guides series offers readers a fascinating, informative and charmingly illustrated guide to must-visit destinations round the globe. Also from this series, explore intriguing: Artistic Places (March 2021), Spiritual Places, Literary Places and Mystical Places.

Table of Contents:
Tyneham, Dorset, England – village evacuated in 1943, during the Second World War, and abandoned ever since. Skara Brae, Orkney, Scotland – prehistoric village covered by a large sand dune, and only revealed in 1850. Menlo Castle, Galway, Ireland – a ruined castle, shrouded in folklore and mystery. Ladby Ship, Kerteminde, Denmark – the only Viking ship in the world still situated in the burial mound where it was placed 1000 years ago.  Our Dear Lord in the Attic, Amsterdam, Netherlands – a clandestine Catholic church, hidden in the attic of a four-century-old canal house in Amsterdam. Montsegur, France – ruined castles where Cathars held out against persecution. Kaisertal, Austria – home to a tiny community, this is the last inhabited valley in Austria to get a road link. Black Forest, Germany – a lake only accessible by foot in the myth-laden Black Forest. Rök Runestone, Ödeshög, Sweden – an encrypted Norse monolith that lay hidden in a church wall for over a millennium. Villa of Tiberus, Sperlonga, Italy – The Roman Emperor's lost summer home along the Italian seashore. Bulnes, Cabrales, Spain – village in the Picos de Europa mountain range, only accessible by hike or tram. Lalibela, Ethiopia – underground, rock-hewn churches that stand as a remarkable testament to one of the oldest Christian traditions in the world. Great Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe – the greatest sub-Saharan site that colonialists wanted to keep hidden.  Turpan Oasis, Turpan, China – a manmade oasis in the desert for Silk Road travellers. Phnom Kulen, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia – a hidden Khmer temple and ruins, only recently rediscovered. Yonaguni, Yaeyama Islands, Japan – mysterious submerged ruins estimated to be around 8,000 years old. Mount Borradaile, Arnhem Land, Australia – Aboriginal-owned land, full of rock art sites, thought to have been first inhabited by humans over 45,000 years ago. CurioBay, Southland, New Zealand – 160-million-year-old fossil forest, revealed at low tide. Spirit Island, Alberta, Canada – a tucked away lake-isle, only accessible by boat. The Green Mill, Chicago, United States – a prohibition-era jazz bar in Chicago, frequented by Al Capone, with tunnels allegedly underneath. Havasu Canyon, Arizona, United States – a Native American village hidden in Grand Canyon, accessible on foot or mule. PlymouthChurch of the Pilgrims, New York, United States – a church used by the Underground Railroad, a network by which slaves escaped to freedom. Actun Tunichil Muknal, Belize – an Inca city undiscovered by the Spanish, like a lesser-known Machu Picchu. Choquequirao, Peru – a jungle-shrouded cave, purported to be a gateway to the Mayan underworld.  El Mirador, El Petén, Guatemala – a remote Mayan city still hidden in the jungle.