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All the United Kingdom

The Atlas Obscura Guide To The United Kingdom

3,252 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in the United Kingdom

Updated June 17, 2025

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Countries & Constituents

The central interior of Leadenhall Market
England
Fingal’s Cave
Scotland
Bounce Below
Wales
Dark Hedges
Northern Ireland
Passages shipwreck on Jurby Beach.
The Isle Of Man
Tunnels inside the Rock of Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Attractions
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Unusual Attractions in United Kingdom

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

Highgate Cemetery

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

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.
Cecil Court.

London, England

Cecil Court

A charming 17th-century alley is lined with secondhand bookstores and antiquarian shops.
See All 3,252 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.

London, England

Café in the Crypt

This coffee shop lies hidden beneath a historic church.
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 114 Places to Eat in United Kingdom
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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Flavors of Scotland: Beyond the Haggis

Smoked seafood, single malt whisky, and warm hospitality.

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Atlas Obscura Itineraries

Gastro Obscura’s 10 Essential Stops on an Alternative London Pub Crawl

Think London, and it’s likely you’ll picture a cozy pub. The word is a 17th-century abbreviation of the term “public house,” a concept originally inspired by Roman-era taverns, but the pub as we know it today is one of the most quintessentially British and Irish cultural icons, with its own unique aesthetic and culture. Much has been written about the fact that pubs in the United Kingdom and Ireland are dying; a 2023 government report shared that, every day in England and Wales, two pubs close their doors. Even the pubs in a modern, ever-evolving city like London can feel like a glimpse into a disappearing past. Much has also been written about London’s oldest pubs, but we wanted to share a collection of pubs with links to contemporary music, British food, literature, interior design, architecture, and, of course, great beer, rather than just age.

View Itinerary
Bartenders pour up a particularly smooth pint of Guinness at The Guinea.

Explore the United Kingdom

A
3228
18
History & Culture 451
Architecture 430
History 328
Museums 247
Ruins 216
Art 210
Architectural Oddities 186
Sculptures 183
Churches 178
Statues 177
Military 176
Sacred Spaces 159
Unique Restaurants & Bars 46
Places To Stay 36

The United Kingdom Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. Dr Alan P Newman
    285
  2. SEANETTA
    248
  3. AdOYo
    160
  4. katielou106
    123
  5. Monsieur Mictlan
    86

Places Edited

  1. SEANETTA
    1,006
  2. rbenn250
    726
  3. jooniur
    500
  4. linkogecko
    323
  5. Dr Alan P Newman
    319

Places Visited

  1. grahamstewartwalker
    1,335
  2. jooniur
    1,289
  3. aland1958
    1,281
  4. SEANETTA
    1,226
  5. Steve 55
    1,199

Recent United Kingdom Activity

  • fireeyes13

    wants to go to Books for Cooks

    about 15 hours ago
  • fireeyes13

    wants to go to Altered Traffic Signs

    about 15 hours ago
  • ollie3400

    wants to go to Vale Street

    about 14 hours ago
  • frankclarkx

    has been to World War I Firing Walls

    about 14 hours ago
  • jess5lothian

    has been to The John Lauder Memorial

    about 14 hours ago

Stories About the United Kingdom

Tidal flats in Denmark’s Wadden Sea National Park show what the land on the edge of the North Sea looks like today.

Exploring the Lost Land Beneath the North Sea

New research reveals that Doggerland—a sunken swath of Europe connecting Britain to the mainland—was more than a simple thoroughfare. It was home.
by Tristan McConnell
December 9, 2024
A 1,000-year-old brain of an individual excavated from a 10th-century churchyard in Belguim is still soft and wet.

The Mystery of 4,400 Preserved Brains—And One Scientist’s Quest to Solve It

The former undertaker collects human brains, talks to them, and hopes they won’t haunt her.
by Olivia Young
March 28, 2024
The U.K.’s giant trees are growing as fast as their California counterparts.

Giant Sequoias Are Thriving in an Unexpected Place: the U.K.

There are now more of the world's biggest trees in Britain than California.
by Jennifer Billock
March 20, 2024

Imbolc, Groundhog Day, and Brigantia All Celebrate the Coming Spring

Whatever you call it, early February's cross-quarter day reconnects us with ancient astronomical timekeeping traditions.
by Rebecca Boyle
January 30, 2024
To ride these contraptions, riders need bravery, tights, and a vest.

The Quirky Victorian Invention That Inspired a Risky Race

Competitors battle it out from seven feet in the air.
by Indi Bains
October 24, 2023
The deathwatch beetle found in the United Kingdom, Xestobium rufovillosum, was once considered an omen of death.

The Truth Behind the Deathwatch Beetle's Creepy Tap-Tap-Tapping

In the United Kingdom, the insects were once considered omens of death—they're actually much more destructive.
by Roxanne Hoorn
October 11, 2023
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

Lists Featuring the United Kingdom

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

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