Not your run of the mill tourist attractions
NOT your run-of-the-mill UK tourist attractions! |
OK, we will just say it, shall we? Get it out into the open right at the start of the blog? Us British, there is an outlandish side to our national identity, a touch of the unorthodox about our sense of humour. In many of us, beneath our veneer of polite reservation lies a preoccupation with the bizarre, a lean towards the peculiar. You have only got to consider our national sense of humour, often tinged with a dark twist, a penchant for the strange and an irrepressible delight in things that are out of kilter with mundanity to appreciate why more unconventional visitor attractions across the UK seem to be doing rather well.
So, without further ado, here are some of the more outlandish places to while away the time,with a great touring site nearby listed, in case you want to indulge yourself in a little trip.
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Peek out from a Forbidden Corner!Everyone is raving about this place and no wonder - it really is rather odd! When you learn that The Forbidden Corner in North Yorkshire was once a gentleman's folly, set within pretty landscaped gardens, don't for a second imagine that a visit here is going to be peaceful, relaxing or contemplative!
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With giant statues, with more than a wink towards the grotesque, peering at you over hedges and mazes to turn your mind inside out, this is a horticulturalist's answer to a playful hall of mirrors.
Kids - and we're including the larger variety of kids in this description - love it, although the more impressionable might find some of the darker corners of this other-worldly labyrinth unsettling!
Stay at Studfold Caravan and Camping Park set in iconic Yorkshire Dales countryside. It’s a family-friendly site with an award-winning Adventure Nature Trail for both big and little kids. The facilities are well-planned and maintained and there are a number of local pubs within walking distance.
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Stay at Studfold Caravan and Camping Park, North Yorkshire. |
Shell mysteryUs Brits, we love a debate almost as much as we love a mystery and so a visit to The Shell Grotto in Margate where both have raged since the discovery of this spectacularly bizarre grotto in 1835 will ensure that you too are drawn in to the enigma of these shell-clad caves and tunnels lying beneath Margate.
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Is the site a pagan temple? The meeting place of a secret cult? A rich man’s lunacy? A devotional space?
Throw yourself into the beautiful riddle made by nearly 5 million shells.
Stay at nearby Manston Court Caravan and Camping Park set in well maintained grounds with level pitches and good facilities.
Kids will enjoy the adventure playground and the plentiful space to play and many of the adults staying on this site tend to enjoy the 5 minute walk to the local pub, the Jolly Farmer for some reason!
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Manston Court Caravan and Camping Park, Kent |
Gnome way!Prompting all manner of dreadful jokes about the National Elf Service and No place like gnome, a visit to the Gnome Reserve and Wild Flower Garden in North Devon will provide insights into just one of the ways that Devon is a little bit odd (and it's kind of OK for me to say that, because I've lived here since babyhood...)
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Be prepared to wear a furry gnome hat on entry (yes adults, we mean you too) and then let yourself go in this woodland wonderland of gnomes and fairies.
Kitsch and ironic for adults (unless you believe in gnomes, of course, and apologies to those who do) and fun for little kids to explore, The Gnome Reserve provides quirk-on-a-stick.
Stay at nearby Steart Farm Touring Park, situated between Bideford and Clovelly within the Heritage Coastline Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This spacious site is great for exploring the coast, with the coastal path only 1 mile from the site and, bordered as it is by National Trust Land there is plenty of natural landscape to explore and enjoy directly from the site.
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Stay at Steart Farm Touring Park, North Devon |
Mass crab-fishing!Between 15-17th May 2015, you’ll find some fishy behaviour taking place at Cromer and at Sheringham on the North Norfolk Coast when the annual Crab and Lobster Festival snaps into life. Visit this region of Norfolk during this time and you will find yourself surrounded by crustacean-inspired activity.
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Make lobster pots by hand, create your own crab puppet, watch speed crab-dressing competitions and (the event that reveals the quirky nature of favourite British pastimes) the World Pier Crabbing Championships, where hundreds of competitors drop their lines from the Victorian Pier on Cromer sea front in a bid for a coveted trophy.
Stay at Manor Farm Caravan and Camping Site situated on the beautiful North Norfolk Coast. With breath-taking views of both the coast and woodland, this quiet family-run site has great facilities and plenty of them. Manor Farm is a small working farm for sheep and cows and there are plenty of farm tracks to wander with your family, including the four-legged members.
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Manor Farm Caravan and Camping Site, Norfolk |
Tempted? Weird and wonderful, spooky or just down-right daft, make a visit to one of these UK tourist attractions with a difference the centrepiece of your camping trip, to fully appreciate the thriving underbelly of the British spirit!
Use our 'Things to do' tab on each site's individual listing to find out about the other local attractions, pubs, restaurants and shops in the vicinity of each campsite: an ideal planning tool!
By Bekah Mardall, Campsite Chatter. |
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