Staycations are Back – Where Will You Go?
The Spring Bank Holiday weekend is near and no doubt front of mind for many UK residents in search of somewhere new to explore. The UK is a nation that has been changed forever following over a year of restrictions, with 61% agreeing that they will no longer take leaving their local area for granted. It’s no surprise that with restrictions gradually easing in the UK that staycations are on the horizon, over half (57%) of Brits are gearing up to leave their hometown and visit their favourite UK spots this summer.
With the next bank holiday weekend only weeks away, Samsung has revealed 21 epic UK destinations that the nation can’t wait to rediscover, with the Lake District topping travel to-go lists for Brits, followed by Devon and the Cotswolds. But it’s not just about getting out in the fresh air and seeing something new, one in five under 34s admit that taking photos again is what they are looking forward to most – so the brand has enlisted the help of local photographers to capture the hidden gems at each of these locations on the newly launched Samsung Galaxy S21 5G Series, to inspire and guarantee the influx of double-taps on your social feeds.
Top five hidden gems from the 21 list include:
1. Derwent Water in the Lake District
2. Ilfracombe in Devon
3. Lower Slaughter in the Cotswolds
4. Winnats Pass in the Peak District
5. Limestone Pavement in Yorkshire
We know the UK hasn’t always been the destination to get your international friends envious about, with a surprising 1 in 5 surveyed claiming to never have been on a staycation previously. But this year that’s about to change – with 42% in agreement they have a new zest for life in the UK and can’t wait to get back out again and explore locally.
International travel might be on the hold, but there are also some untapped local beauty spots around the UK that might temporarily make you feel like you’re abroad this May, without the need to pack your passport. With the white sands of Bournemouth, the turquoise waters of Cornwall and the extreme heights of the Peak District all within reach, there are views guaranteed to make even the red listed holiday spots envious.
Personally, when I can’t wait to get back to the New Forest, only two hours from me, or Isles of Scilly where my husband was born, Cumbria – The Lake District is always in my heart, all are wonderful.
“This last year has seen a variety of different restrictions in place, advising us to stay home and stay local more than ever before. Let’s face it, there’s no surprise that whether it’s with families, households or in a group of 6, we are excited to get back out there and explore again when it’s safe to do so.” said Sharon Hegarty, Marketing Director, Samsung Electronics UK & Ireland.
“Whilst international travel seems a while away, by working with local photographers this project shows just how beautiful the UK really is – identifying those hidden gems worth visiting with the promise of feed-worthy material, that you can still enjoy at a safe distance to others. With the advanced pro-grade camera, Dual Tele Zoom and Ultra-wide lens in the Galaxy S21 5G you’re guaranteed to never miss a thing, allowing you to capture landscape shots that rival even the most tropical of destinations.”
Now we’ve identified the most aesthetically pleasing corners of the UK, photographers around the country have curated their top tips on capturing the most epic shots of the hidden UK hotspots, informed by their photography series:
Local photography tips
- Plan your shoot – check the weather forecast, tide times, sunrise and sunset times before you go to make sure you are in position at the optimal time
- Lighting conditions play a big factor in photography, usually dawn and dusk is the best time to take landscapes – but always make sure your device has lowlight capabilities
- Switch it up with your angles and lenses – changing your viewpoint to ground level, finding something safe to stand on or using an Ultra-wide lens on the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G can instantly give you a different perspective on the world
- Mix it up with compositional techniques – frame a picture with an archway, find converging lines that draw you into an image or use the rule of thirds to position your subject
- Shooting handheld at night can be quite hit and miss, but the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G is great for minimizing shaky hands with its Zoom Lock feature, and its Bright Night sensor and night mode are perfect for shooting landscape photography at night
The nation’s top 21 locations and accompanying hidden gems, for visiting again when restrictions lift:
- Derwent Water, The Lake District – Cumbria
- Ilfracombe – Devon
- Lower Slaughter, The Cotswolds – Gloucestershire
- Winnats Pass, The Peak District – Derbyshire
- The Limestone Pavement, Malham – Yorkshire
- The Mermaid and Stag Rocks at Freshwater Bay – Isle Of White
- Gold Hill, Shaftesbury – Dorset
- West Cliff Beach, Whitby – Yorkshire
- Glaslyn Lake from the miner’s track – Snowdonia
- St Ives Harbour Beach – Cornwall
- Alexandra Park, Bath – Somerset
- Lyndhurst, New Forest – Hampshire
- Blackpool Tower – Lancashire
- Porthcressa Beach – Isles of Scilly
- Studland Beach, Bournemouth – Dorset
- Stack Rocks, St Govin’s – Pembrokeshire
- Sycamore Gap, Hadrian’s Wall – Northumberland
- Towan Beach, Newquay – Cornwall
- Keld, Swaledale – Yorkshire
- Royal Pavillion, Brighton – East Sussex
- Llangorse Lake, Brecon Beacons – Brecknockshire
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Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter, creator of the world’s most popular mobile photography and art website— TheAppWhisperer.com— TheAppWhisperer platform has been a pivotal cyberspace for mobile artists of all abilities to learn about, to explore, to celebrate and to share mobile artworks. Joanne’s compassion, inclusivity, and humility are hallmarks in all that she does, and is particularly evident in the platform she has built. In her words, “We all have the potential to remove ourselves from the centre of any circle and to expand a sphere of compassion outward; to include everyone interested in mobile art, ensuring every artist is within reach”, she has said. Promotion of mobile artists and the art form as a primary medium in today’s art world, has become her life’s focus. She has presented lectures bolstering mobile artists and their art from as far away as the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea to closer to her home in the UK at Focus on Imaging. Her experience as a jurist for mobile art competitions includes: Portugal, Canada, US, S Korea, UK and Italy. And her travels pioneering the breadth of mobile art includes key events in: Frankfurt, Naples, Amalfi Coast, Paris, Brazil, London. Pioneering the world’s first mobile art online gallery - TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com has extended her reach even further, shipping from London, UK to clients in the US, Europe and The Far East to a global group of collectors looking for exclusive art to hang in their homes and offices. The online gallery specialises in prints for discerning collectors of unique, previously unseen signed limited edition art. Her journey towards becoming The App Whisperer, includes (but is not limited to) working for a paparazzi photo agency for several years and as a deputy editor for a photo print magazine. Her own freelance photographic journalistic work is also widely acclaimed. She has been published extensively both within the UK and the US in national and international titles. These include The Times, The Sunday Times, The Guardian, Popular Photography & Imaging, dpreview, NikonPro, Which? and more recently with the BBC as a Contributor, Columnist at Vogue Italia and Contributing Editor at LensCulture. Her professional photography has also been widely exhibited throughout Europe, including Italy, Portugal and the UK. She is currently writing several books, all related to mobile art and is always open to requests for new commissions for either writing or photography projects or a combination of both. Please contact her at: [email protected]
