The Atlas Obscura Guide To United Kingdom

2,757 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in the United Kingdom

Updated May 30, 2023

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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.

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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.

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Scotland : Highland Clans and the Trail of Tartan

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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.

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

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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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

December 22, 2020

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