'The Strangest Place In The World' Is A Collection Of Tunnels And Mazes In The English Countryside

If you love the weird and wonderful, Yorkshire, England, should be your next vacation destination. About 16 miles away from the breathtaking vistas of the Yorkshire Dales lies Forbidden Corner, which calls itself "the strangest place in the world." In the vein of Austin, Texas' Museum of the Weird, Forbidden Corner is a labyrinth full of tunnels, mazes, and hidden secrets to delight and even give you a little scare. In the late 1970s, the owner of the Tupgill Estate began to upgrade the grounds with more trees and a viewing tower, along with walls and a grotto. It was originally planned as a folly or a non-functional architectural feature, but it was later opened to the public in 1994 and continually added to. These days, there is plenty to do at the Forbidden Corner, with surprises awaiting both children and adults. 

This strange and whimsical place features a stone tower with gargoyles and a castle entrance that looks like you're walking into a giant mouth, ready to eat you up. In every nook and through every tunnel awaits something unique, like a pub run by and for mice, hidden faces in the walls, a giant in the woods, and even a glass pyramid. (It's nothing like the secret entrance in front of the Louvre Museum, but instead, clumps of magical-looking green glass that appear to be melted into a pyramidal shape.) You can get a glimpse of what you're going to see in a post from Instagram user @yorkshirefi_ below.

As you walk through the grounds, you'll find statues of bears playing cards among the trees. There are water features and a Roman-style temple complete with statues of guards at the door. Each turn you take, or door you open holds different mysteries. You'll have to look carefully to spot hidden areas and even a few scantily-clad statues. There is a lovely herb garden by houses with thatched roofs and a fountain full of dancing frogs. When you go, maybe don't dress in your very best as you may be doing some crawling or getting splashed by the water features.

One visitor on TripAdvisor, who titled their review "If Monty Python did theme parks," said, "It is a very unique experience. It is effectively a collection of mazes, sculptures and underground tunnels in the middle of some beautiful Yorkshire countryside, all ready to be explored." In addition, you can download The Forbidden Corner Quest app to accompany your visit, as it includes wizard avatars, a family treasure hunt, an augmented reality feature, and animated dragons and butterflies.

However, you need to know a few things before you go. Though this park is full of delights for all ages, some of those delights might be a little scary for your tiniest ones, like the spooky devil statue in a stone fountain, the crypt, and the mausoleum. It isn't a very accessible place for strollers or if you have mobility issues, as there are many stairs and small tunnels. You must make reservations (which you can do here) before you go, as you cannot buy tickets at the door. You may also want to budget for the adorable gift shop and snack areas on the grounds.