The ‘Weirdest’ Tourist Attractions in the UK

30 Jan | BY Betway Insider | MIN READ TIME |

Our new research reveals which UK attractions are the strangest according to tourist reviews.

The UK is home to countless tourist attractions, from historic landmarks to modern marvels, and beyond the usual hotspots lie some quirky, curious, and downright bizarre sights. But which of these unconventional attractions deserves the title of the UK’s ‘weirdest’?

To find out, the team at Betway Casino has analysed reviews from 40 of the UK’s most unconventional attractions, ranking them by how often visitors described them with words relating to ‘weirdness’.

What are the UK’s top 10 ‘weirdest’ tourist attractions?

If quirky and unusual sights spark your curiosity, keep reading to discover which of the UK’s wonderfully weird attractions made it into our ranking.

The top 10 ‘weirdest’ tourist attractions in the UK

Rank	Attraction	Location	Number of reviews	% of reviews with keywords relating to weirdness
1	The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities	Hackney, London	371	76.82%
2	Morbitorium	Caerphilly, South Wales	129	64.34%
3	The Under the Pier Show	Southwold, Suffolk	240	60.83%
4	A La Ronde	Exmouth, Devon	1,018	59.72%
5	British Lawnmower Museum	Southport, Merseyside	168	38.10%
6	Dennis Severs’ House	Spitalfields, London	823	36.82%
7	God’s Own Junkyard	Walthamstow, London	252	30.56%
8	Forbidden Corner	Middleham, North Yorkshire	3,586	28.08%
9	Portmeirion	Penrhyndeudraeth, North Wales	5,567	26.10%
10	The Singing Ringing Tree	Burnley, Lancashire	510	26.08%

1. The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities

The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities takes the crown as the UK’s ‘weirdest’ attraction. Housed in a former call centre in Hackney, the collection has been curated by Viktor Wynd and showcases a varied mix of art, curiosities, and peculiar treasures from around the world.

With 76.52% of reviews featuring keywords relating to weirdness, this tiny museum is packed with bizarre and fascinating oddities, from shrunken heads to occult paintings and objects. This attraction offers a truly eclectic experience, taking visitors on a one-of-a-kind journey into the macabre and whimsical.

2. Morbitorium

Morbitorium ranks in second place. Tucked away in a 19th-century canal-side cottage in Pontywaun, near Caerphilly, this curiosities shop and museum is somewhat of a hidden gem. While it has a smaller number of reviews, over 64% feature keywords related to weirdness.

Visitors can wander through its rooms and encounter everything from witchcraft artefacts to uncanny antiques. A must-visit for anyone interested in the wacky and wonderful, the Morbitorium delivers a uniquely eerie and unforgettable experience.

3. The Under the Pier Show

In third place is The Under the Pier Show. Showcasing a collection of nearly twenty interactive machines created by inventor Tim Hunchkin, this attraction on Southwold pier offers an experience unlike any other seaside arcade.

From ‘Rent-a-Dog’, where visitors can walk a mechanical dog on a treadmill, or exploring the seabed aboard submarine simulator ‘The Bathyscape’, visitors are spoilt for choice thanks to the show’s eccentric offerings. In fact, 60.83% of reviews highlight the ‘weirdness’ of The Under the Pier Show, describing it most frequently as being ‘unusual’, ‘unique’ and ‘quirky’.

4. A La Ronde

A La Ronde secures fourth place overall. Built in 1796 by cousins Jane and Mary Parminter, this sixteen-sided cottage was designed as a rural retreat in Exmouth, Devon. Now owned by the National Trust, it’s filled with mementoes from their European Grand Tour.

Inside, visitors can explore the vast collection of souvenirs and the Shell Gallery, where more than 25,000 shells are arranged in intricate patterns and designs across the walls. Nearly 60% of reviews highlight A La Ronde’s ‘weirdness’, with visitors describing it as ‘quirky’ 244 times, alongside frequent mentions of it being ‘unusual’ and ‘unique’.

5. British Lawnmower Museum

The British Lawnmower Museum rounds out the top five. Located in Southport, this multi-award-winning attraction is dedicated to the history of lawnmowers, including those once owned by famous faces such as Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Brian May and Paul O’Grady.

Despite fewer reviews, 38.1% mention its ‘weirdness’, with visitors drawn to its eccentric displays, nostalgic charm, and uniquely British quirks. If you’re looking to discover the everyday objects of the rich and famous, this museum is the perfect opportunity.

6. Dennis Severs’ House

Following in sixth place is Dennis Severs’ House. Created in 1979, this attraction lets visitors step into a home frozen in time, telling the story of an imaginary Huguenot family who had lived there since 1724.

Each room is filled with period objects and staged scenes designed to transport visitors to 18th-century London, where nearly 37% of reviews highlight its weirdly unique and eerie nature.

7. God’s Own Junkyard

God’s Own Junkyard ranks in seventh place. Tucked away in a salvage yard in Walthamstow is one of the largest collections of neon signs in Europe, where visitors can spend hours exploring the artwork on offer.

Packed with everything from film props and retro signs to disco balls and statues, it’s an attack on the senses in the best way with over 30% of reviews referring to its quirkiness.

8. Forbidden Corner

Coming in eighth place is The Forbidden Corner, which calls itself ‘the strangest place in the world’. Designed to disorient and delight, this four-acre labyrinth of tunnels, secret doors and strange sculptures is tucked away in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.

Almost 30% of reviews describe it as ‘weird’, ‘quirky’, and ‘unique’, and it’s easy to see why. The Forbidden Corner’s peculiarities are hard to miss, offering visitors an experience where getting lost is part of the fun.

9. Portmeirion

Portmeirion claims ninth place. Perched on a cliffside in Snowdownia, this whimsical tourist village looks and feels like it’s been plucked straight from the Italian Riviera, with colourful buildings and stunning coastal views.

One of Wales’ most popular tourist destinations, reviews highlight Portmeirion’s distinct character, with 26.1% including keywords relating to weirdness, and visitors highlighting the village’s surreal charm.

10. The Singing Ringing Tree

The Singing Ringing Tree completes the ranking of the UK’s top 10 weirdest attractions. This musical sculpture overlooks Burnley, made from galvanised steel pipes that harness the wind to produce an eerie tune.

Its surreal design and unsettling sounds continue to captivate visitors, with 26.08% of reviews mentioning its ‘weirdness’. Strange, mesmerising and unique, the Singing Ringing Tree is an experience like no other.

Sharing a flair for the unusual, unexpected, and unorthodox, each attraction on this list showcases a blend of imagination, character and bizarre appeal, proving that the UK is full of places that defy the ordinary, and are well worth exploring.

Methodology and sources

To find out which are the UK’s ‘weirdest’ attractions, we created a seedlist of 40 places sourced from various travel articles that mention unique and odd attractions in the UK.

We then searched TripAdvisor reviews for each location using the 12 keywords associated with weirdness, then calculated the percentage of reviews that mentioned these keywords to identify the ‘weirdest’. The keywords used included: