Hidden Places

Sarah Baxter is an author and journalist. She was Associate Editor of Wanderlust magazine, the bible for independent-minded travellers, for more than ten years and has written extensively on walking and travel for a diverse range of other publications, including the Guardian, the Telegraph, and the Independent. Sarah has also contributed to more than a dozen Lonely Planet guidebooks.

Amy Grimes is an illustrator based in London. Drawing inspiration from nature and the natural world, Amy's work often features bright and bold illustrated motifs, floral icons and leafy landscapes. As well as working on commissioned illustrations, Amy also sells prints, textiles and stationery under the brand of Hello Grimes.

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.