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All United Kingdom

The Atlas Obscura Guide To United Kingdom

2,756 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in the United Kingdom

Updated May 25, 2023

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Countries & Constituents

Top Countries & Constituents
The United Kingdom
England
Fingal's Cave
Scotland
Bounce Below
Wales
Dark Hedges
Northern Ireland
Passages shipwreck on Jurby Beach.
The Isle Of Man
All Countries & Constituents
  1. England
  2. Gibraltar
  3. The Isle Of Man
  4. Northern Ireland
  5. Scotland
  6. Wales
  7. The United Kingdom
Attractions
Food & Drink
Trips
Map
Leaderboards
Stories

Unusual Attractions in United Kingdom

London, England

Highgate Cemetery

London's creepiest cemetery was once the site of dueling magicians and mobs of stake-carrying vampire hunters.
The central interior of Leadenhall Market

London, England

Leadenhall Market

This ornate Victorian marketplace was the setting for Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron in the Harry Potter films.

London, England

The Ruins of St. Dunstan-in-the-East

One of the few remaining casualties of the London Blitz, this destroyed church has become an enchanting public garden.
Gods Own Junkyard

London, England

God's Own Junkyard

A kaleidoscopic warehouse-maze of handmade neon signs.
Fingal's Cave

Isle of Staffa, Scotland

Fingal's Cave

This astonishingly geometric cave has inspired everyone from Jules Verne to Pink Floyd.
Twinings tea shop on the Strand.

London, England

Twinings Tea Shop

A 300-year-old tea shop that brought tea to the English people, not to mention the Queen herself.

London, England

The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, Fine Art & Natural History

This shop and gallery is a modern-day cabinet of curiosities, unassumingly positioned along an urban thoroughfare.
Fairy Pools.

Isle of Skye, Scotland

Fairy Pools

These fantastically named natural pools look like something out of a Scottish myth.
See All 2,756 Things To Do in United Kingdom

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in United Kingdom

Twinings tea shop on the Strand.

London, England

Twinings Tea Shop

A 300-year-old tea shop that brought tea to the English people, not to mention the Queen herself.
The bunker.

London, England

Growing Underground

The world's first underground farm is in a Word War II bomb shelter beneath the streets of London.
The Witchery

Edinburgh, Scotland

The Witchery

Near the former site of numerous witch burnings, this lavish Edinburgh mainstay pays homage to Scotland's brutal history.
The Lost Caves.

Nottingham, England

The Lost Caves

Hidden in a grotto 26 feet below Nottingham's oldest hotel, this stylish subterranean drinking den is notoriously hard to find.
See all 10 Places to Eat in United Kingdom
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Scotland : Highland Clans and the Trail of Tartan

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Atlas Obscura Itineraries

Hidden Edinburgh

Crowds clog Edinburgh's Royal Mile, the main artery between Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace. The road is dotted with stores selling Nessie trinkets and lined with bagpipers and street performers pulling off dazzling tricks. But look beyond the tartan tourist traps, and you’ll discover tucked-away gardens, remnants of the city’s medieval past, and much more.

View Itinerary
Look closely and wander widely: Parliament Square is full of charm.

Explore the United Kingdom

History & Culture 355
History 285
Art 189
Ruins 187
Military 170
Architectural Oddities 161
Sacred Spaces 154
Sculptures 147
Churches 146
Animals 142
Museums And Collections 141
Statues 139
Unique Restaurants & Bars 46
Places To Stay 35

The United Kingdom Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. Avatar image for Dr Alan P Newman
    Dr Alan P Newman
    266
  2. Avatar image for SEANETTA
    SEANETTA
    191
  3. Avatar image for katielou106
    katielou106
    103
  4. Avatar image for AdOYo
    AdOYo
    91
  5. Avatar image for Monsieur Mictlan
    Monsieur Mictlan
    86

Places Edited

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    SEANETTA
    684
  2. Avatar image for reley250
    reley250
    502
  3. Avatar image for Dr Alan P Newman
    Dr Alan P Newman
    294
  4. Avatar image for jooniur
    jooniur
    224
  5. Avatar image for linkogecko
    linkogecko
    196

Places Visited

  1. Avatar image for SEANETTA
    SEANETTA
    886
  2. A
    aland1958
    839
  3. Avatar image for jooniur
    jooniur
    834
  4. S
    Steve 55
    810
  5. Avatar image for Snowdrop68
    Snowdrop68
    632

Recent United Kingdom Activity

  • Avatar image for jennifersizeland

    jennifersizeland

    has been to The Dream

  • T

    tiinagertrude

    wants to go to Whitechapel Fatberg Manhole Cover

  • Avatar image for jennifersizeland

    jennifersizeland

    has been to Manchester Museum

  • Avatar image for jennifersizeland

    jennifersizeland

    has been to Southern Cemetery

  • Avatar image for jennifersizeland

    jennifersizeland

    has been to Plaza Theatre

Stories About the United Kingdom

A greater mouse-eared bat takes flight.

The Mysterious Return of Great Britain's Loneliest Bat

Missing for two years, an elderly greater mouse-eared bat has been the island's only known member of the species for decades.
by Patrick Barkham
May 23, 2022
The handball court in Nelson, South Wales, August 8, 1969. The three-walled court and home to Pêl-Law, the Welsh version of the game, has stood in the town since 1860.

Can Welsh Handball Bounce Back From the Brink of Extinction?

The ancient sport of Pêl-Law hangs on, barely, at the last court of its kind. A campaign to revive a related game may help bring it back.
by Ewan Morgan
July 22, 2021
Edward Jenner's letter to John Glover Loy.

Vaccination Could Easily Have Been Called 'Equination'

A recently sold letter from medical pioneer Edward Jenner provides some insight as to why.
by Matthew Taub
June 24, 2021
Sacred Stones's modern Soulton Long Barrow, in Shropshire.

Why Prehistoric Barrows Are Back in Funerary Fashion

The United Kingdom is experiencing a revival of interest in an ancient burial method.
by Matthew Taub
June 10, 2021
TK

Remembering the London Refuge for South Asian Nannies Far From Home

Abandoned by their employers after a months-long sea voyage, countless women found shelter here.
by Radhika Iyengar
May 25, 2021

Podcast: Lynmouth Flood Memorial Hall

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team
March 22, 2021
Malted milk biscuits are a popular tea companion.

So What Is a British Biscuit Really?

And why does it need to "snap"?
by Dan Nosowitz
March 19, 2021
Pantomime Dame Kenneth Alan Taylor and his dresser Dani Kidson fuss with finishing touches backstage at a panto performance of "Jack and The Beanstalk" at Nottingham Playhouse in 2013.

How the Pandemic Is Transforming Britain's Historic Holiday Plays

It's not quite curtains for the "panto" tradition.
by Jo Caird
December 22, 2020

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