All United Kingdom England

The Atlas Obscura Guide To England

2,126 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in England

Updated November 19, 2024

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Cities

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All Cities
  1. Aldbury
  2. Aldershot
  3. Alnwick
  4. Alton
  5. Ashbourne
  6. Baginton
  7. Bamburgh
  8. Barnard Castle
  9. Barnsley
  10. Barrow In Furness
  11. Basingstoke
  12. Bath
  13. Bath And North East Somerset
  14. Berwick Upon Tweed
  15. Beverley
  16. Bingley
  17. Birchington On Sea
  18. Birmingham
  19. Blackpool
  20. Borrowdale
  21. Bournemouth
  22. Bourton On The Water
  23. Bradford
  24. Bradford On Avon
  25. Brighton
  26. Bristol
  27. Buckinghamshire
  28. Bude
  29. Burnley
  30. Bury Saint Edmunds
  31. Buxton
  32. Cambridge
  33. Canterbury
  34. Carnforth
  35. Cerne Abbas
  36. Cheltenham
  37. Cheshire East
  38. Chester
  39. Chesterfield
  40. Cleethorpes
  41. Clitheroe
  42. Colchester
  43. Coleford
  44. Cornwall
  45. County Durham
  46. Coventry
  47. Cumbria
  48. Darlington
  49. Derby
  50. Derbyshire
  51. Devizes
  52. Devon
  53. Dorset
  54. Dover
  55. Dunwich
  56. Durham
  57. Eastbourne
  58. East Molesey
  59. East Riding Of Yorkshire
  60. East Sussex
  61. Ely
  62. Essex
  63. Exeter
  64. Eyam
  65. Farnham
  66. Finchingfield
  67. Folkestone
  68. Gateshead
  69. Glastonbury
  70. Gloucestershire
  71. Great Dunmow
  72. Great Yarmouth
  73. Grimsby
  74. Guildford
  75. Hale
  76. Halifax
  77. Hampshire
  78. Harrogate
  79. Hartlepool
  80. Hastings
  81. Hereford
  82. Herne Bay
  83. Hertfordshire
  84. Heysham
  85. Holy Island Of Lindisfarne
  86. Hove
  87. Hucknall
  88. Hull
  89. Hythe
  90. Ilkeston
  91. Ipswich
  92. Isle Of Wight
  93. Isles Of Scilly
  94. Ivinghoe
  95. Kendal
  96. Kent
  97. Keswick
  98. Kilpeck
  99. Knaresborough
  100. Lancashire
  101. Leeds
  102. Leek
  103. Leicester
  104. Lewes
  105. Lincoln
  106. Lincolnshire
  107. Liverpool
  108. London
  109. Lyme Regis
  110. Lympne
  111. Lyndhurst
  112. Lytham
  113. Macclesfield
  114. Maidstone
  115. Maldon
  116. Malmesbury
  117. Malton
  118. Manchester
  119. Manningtree
  120. Margate
  121. Matlock Bath
  122. Middlesbrough
  123. Milton Keynes
  124. Morecambe
  125. Newark On Trent
  126. Newcastle Upon Tyne
  127. Newquay
  128. Norfolk
  129. Northamptonshire
  130. Northumberland
  131. North Yorkshire
  132. Norwich
  133. Nottingham
  134. Nottinghamshire
  135. Odiham
  136. Oxford
  137. Oxfordshire
  138. Penrith
  139. Peterborough
  140. Peterlee
  141. Plymouth
  142. Portsmouth
  143. Preston
  144. Rawtenstall
  145. Reading
  146. Ripponden
  147. Robin Hood's Bay
  148. Rotherham
  149. Rothwell
  150. Ryde
  151. Rye
  152. Salford
  153. Salisbury
  154. Sandgate
  155. Sandown
  156. Scarborough
  157. Seaham
  158. Sheffield
  159. Shildon
  160. Shoreham By Sea
  161. Shrewsbury
  162. Shropshire
  163. Somerset
  164. Southampton
  165. Southend On Sea
  166. Southport
  167. Southwell
  168. Southwold
  169. South Yorkshire
  170. Staffordshire
  171. Stanton Lees
  172. Stockport
  173. Stoke Heath
  174. Suffolk
  175. Sunderland
  176. Surrey
  177. Swindon
  178. Tattershall
  179. Thetford
  180. Tintagel
  181. Todmorden
  182. Totnes
  183. Ulverston
  184. Waddesdon
  185. Wakefield
  186. Warrington
  187. Warwickshire
  188. Waterloo
  189. Wentworth
  190. West Sussex
  191. West Yorkshire
  192. Whitby
  193. Whitchurch
  194. Whitehaven
  195. Wilmington
  196. Wiltshire
  197. Wimborne Minster
  198. Winchester
  199. Windsor
  200. Woking
  201. Worcestershire
  202. Worthing
  203. Wortley
  204. York
  205. Yorkshire

Unusual Attractions in England

See All 2,126 Things To Do in England

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in England

See all 80 Places to Eat in England
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Atlas Obscura Itineraries

Hidden Trafalgar Square

Wedged between Charing Cross and Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square is known for the throngs of people flocking to its famous attractions. Weave around the tourists on the National Gallery stairs and dodge the crowds clogging the street corners. Instead, duck down dreamy alleys and pop into unique, overlooked museums and shops. There, a secret side of this busy area waits to reveal itself.

View Itinerary

Explore England

Architecture 279
History 239
History & Culture 235
Museums 183
Art 133
Architectural Oddities 132
Churches 127
Sculptures 125

England Leaderboard

Recent England Activity

Stories About England

The annual pipe walk (shown in red) moves north from the ancient well, through neighborhoods and Victoria Park, before veering west to follow a 19th-century diversion.

This Annual Pipe Walk Maps a Medieval Tradition in Bristol

The St. Mary Redcliffe Pipe Walk honors a legal agreement dating back to the days of Richard the Lionheart.
by Frank Jacobs
The Oxfordshire Band of Hope and Temperance Union produced this map of Oxford's breweries and pubs in 1883.

The Victorian 'Drink Maps' Wielded by Anti-Booze Crusaders

Author Kris Butler reveals how Temperance advocates mapped bars to discourage their spread.
by Andrew Coletti
In this 1625 painting entitled 'The Merry Student,' Dutch artist Gerard van Honthorst shows a young man singing a lively ballad.

Shakespeare, Kings, and Commoners All Loved These Hit English Ballads

Move aside Taylor Swift. In the 17th century, these songs were the pop music anthems of their day.
by Indi Bains
For some 4,500 years, Stonehenge has attracted and fascinated humans—now it turns out the Altar Stone, at its center, is from Scotland.

Stonehenge Has a Scottish Heart

Long thought to be from Wales, the monument's Altar Stone is from northern Scotland, nearly 500 miles away.
by Roxanne Hoorn
Hogarth's "O the Roast Beef of Old England (The Gate of Calais)" captured his sentiments as a society member.

A Rare Look Inside Britain's 'Sublime Society of Beefsteaks'

The secret dining club has extolled patriotism, masculinity, and meat since 1735.
by Rachel Naismith
It's the oldest unintentionally preserved egg in history.

This 1,700 Year Old Egg Never Broke—And Now It’s Further Stunning Scientists

They still can’t fully crack the mystery.
by Colleen Kelly
The cartonnage dates to 800 BC.

The Victorian Ladies Who Smuggled a Mummy Case Out of Egypt

And did the unthinkable to the mummy inside.
by Indi Bains
Punxsutawney Phil has predicted a longer winter nearly every Groundhog Day.

A Primer on Both Groundhogs and Hedgehogs

Just in time for their moment in the sun (or not).
by April White

Lists Featuring England

Charles Goodwyn, Keeper of the Royal Philatelic Collection, with copies of world's first stamp
Lock & Co.
Plaque marking the Texan Embassy
The Lioness and the Lesser Kudu.

The 11 Best Places to Visit Near Buckingham Palace for Curious Travelers

11

Including The Royal Philatelic Collection, Lock & Co. , and The Embassy of the Republic of Texas

The "pet ham" is 119 years old.

Bog Butter, Ancient Beef, and Other Remarkably Old Foods on Display in Museums

Some of these foods are centuries past their expiration dates.

6

Including Ancient Bog Butter, Preserved Victorian Wedding Cake, and World’s Oldest Edible Ham

Madaba Mosaic Map
The gallery of maps, showing the ceiling
Great Polish Map of Scotland

13 Marvelous Maps That Go Way Beyond Paper

Charting the world's most intriguing out-of-the-box cartography.

13

Including Madaba Mosaic Map, Gallery of Maps - Galleria delle Carte Geografiche, and Mapparium Globe

Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem0115 947 3171
The Star Tavern
The Eagle is among the best-known pubs in Cambridge.
The recreated apartment.

The Best British Pubs to Get Drunk on History

A 14-stop bar tour through Great Britain's past.

14

Including Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, The Star Tavern, and The Eagle

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