Top 10 Strangest UK Tourist Attractions

As arguably one of the UK’s most famous and recognisable attractions, this gravity-defying structure has been a monumental mystery for a very long time. With each stone weighing 25 tons, there seems no logical way to stand them on end or pile them on top of each other without the aid of modern machinery. But someone, somehow, between 2000 and 3000 BC figured out how to do it. And the original monument was actually muchlarger than it is now - what we see today is just what’s left of it. It’s a truly baffling place.

Part of The Forest of Dean, Puzzlewood looks like something straight out of a fantasy film. In fact, it really is thought to be one of J. R. R. Tolkien’s main inspirations for Middle Earth. With its tall trees, sprawling branches and moss-covered rocks, it’s hard to believe Puzzlewood is real at all, let alone a completely naturally occurring space. In its past, it has even been home to some hidden treasure – with a hoard of Roman coins found stored in jars in a rock. The whole place is mysterious, magical and (at times) appropriately puzzling.

You’ll find this colourful little village in North Wales. Designed with Mediterranean trends in mind, it looks like it’s been lifted straight out of an exotic island but dropped just a stone’s throw from Snowdonia. Portmeirion’s one-of-a-kind look also means that this place has been used as a TV and film backdrop several times over, most notably in the ‘60s show, “The Prisoner”. Given that the village boasts a castle that currently doubles up as a hotel too, it’s a popular destination – so it pays to book ahead!

An unusually common trend across London, more and more bar owners are choosing to build their boozers inside disused public toilets. It all sounds a little bit disgusting at first, but the punters aren’t complaining – and these drinking holes offer a pleasant surprise. They’re small, cosy and pretty luxurious despite their location. As for the beginnings of this peculiar trend – no one’s quite sure. But the set-up strangely works. These places are unique; they’re making use of otherwise abandoned space; and there’s beer and wine for everyone!

Once used to take in all of Leicester’s sewage and pump it elsewhere, today it operates as a museum of science and technology. The straight-forwardly-named Abbey Pumping Station even has leading exhibits linked to its own unique, if filthy, history. So, if you’re interested in learning more about toilets, gutters and all things sewage, then this might be the place for you! That’s not all you’ll see though, with plenty to look at besides, including the original engines that ran the station - which are still intact to this day and restored to working order.

The UK is home to some amazing (but pretty absurd) theme parks. Not many beat this for weirdness, though. With four locations across the country, isn’t it time you paid a visit to Diggerland? And yes, it is exactly what it sounds like. A glorious land of diggers – with themed rides, working diggers that you can actually control and plenty of other JCB-themed activities. According to its patrons, there aren’t many things more satisfying than scooping up rubble from one place, and dumping it somewhere else.

This tiny home in Wales is a real-life record holder, as the smallest house in Great Britain. With a grand total of 6ft by 10ft in floor space, it’s almost impossible to actually live in – but it’s a favourite stop off for anyone passing through. Spare a thought for the last tenant though, who lived there in the year 1900 – but was 6ft 3 inches tall. The house has since been unlived in for more than a century, standing as a tourist attraction only. Cheap to enter, quick to look around and adorably small. What’s not to love?

On approach, this Scottish attraction doesn’t look like much; seeming quite a standard hill. But it’s what’s hidden underground that makes Maeshowe interesting. Beneath the surface it’s a Neolithic place of rest, dating back more than 5,000 years. A series of complex passages, chambers and quite baffling architecture, like Stonehenge the strangeness here lies in how it was even built in the first place – all those years ago. And, it isn’t even the only tomb of its kind. There are several like it across the Orkney archipelago, although Maeshowe is the biggest and most impressive.

Another naturally-formed attraction, and another that defies all expectation! Fingal’s Cave boasts a near-perfect hexagonal pattern built into various structures that seem as though they must surely have been hand-carved. But, in truth, the entire place was formed by lava. First discovered in 1772, it also holds a mythical link to the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland, as there’s a legend that the two were once connected by a bridge. The similarities between both places have since been put down to them having formed from the same ancient lava flow.

They finished building this place way back in 1880, when it had been originally designed for national security – as a means of preventing a feared invasion from France. But today, this fort off the coast of Portsmouth is a luxury hotel. It can only be reached by boat, and only at certain times depending on the tide... But once you’re checked in, it’s got everything you’d need. Each room has a sea view (naturally), there’s a first-rate restaurant, and plenty of spaces to relax and unwind.