OK, let’s just cut to the quick here, shall we? The British…there’s a quirky side to our national identity. Perhaps it’s the legacy of a repressed Victorian attitude – bubbling beneath the sensible, work-person-like veneer of the man or woman in the street lies a fascination with the peculiar, a lean towards the eccentric.
The promise of a twist of the bizarre, a touch of kitsch, a smidgen of irony helps us to get out of bed in the morning, keeps a wry smile twitching playfully on our lips and generally makes for a break in the ordinary and the everyday.
It's not difficult to see, then, how these unusual UK tourist attractions hook the interest of thousands of visitors each year...
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Looking for the top places to visit in the UK?
If watching (or engaging in!) the finger jousting world championships, admiring the world’s top bog snorkelers in action or enjoying a ring-side seat at the world gravy wrestling bouts sound like the kind of sport you’d like to follow, then planning a trip to Llanwrtyd Wells in mid Wales to watch (or take part it! Go on, go on, go on!) the World Alternative Games, due to be held again in August 2016, will provide light-hearted frivolity to last you a year.
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Perhaps you're feeling a bit jaded with regular sporting accolades? Finding it hard to get excited about long distance running, pole vault and horse-jumping? How about a bit of a change, then? Wife-carrying? Husband-dragging? Riding a bike as slowly as possible? Snail racing? Scissor-paper-stone championships?
Name a whacky pastime or practice and it will probably be represented in the opening ceremony of the World Alternative Games.
Stay at Riverside Caravan and Camping Park, Powys, a four acre site offering family fun, great dog walks, a picnic barbeque area and kids’ play space.
The pretty river running alongside the site offers fishing, a chance to paddle (pack your wetsuits, kids!) and a great place for dogs to let off steam (if you can bear that wet dog smell afterwards in the confines of your tent or motorhome, that is!)
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Riverside Caravan and Camping Park, Powys
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Bubble Car Museum
This is a Motor Museum with a difference!
Another great British quirk has been our love of the motorcar and, if this toots your horn then set a course towards the Bubble Car Museum in Lincolnshire, where fabulous examples of these often adorable looking fuel-efficient vehicles are amassed in surprising numbers.
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Indulge in the nostalgia of the authentic displays and retro presentation of both the cars and their period ‘sets’. If you harbour a fondness for Bond, you’ll love the vintage scooters and cars so iconic of the films.
Stay at Clover Farm Certified Site (Bubble Car Museum), the museum's campsite, a laid back camping ground welcoming tents, motorhomes and caravans at very reasonable prices.
The site also has a rally field for hire, with the offer of organising an onsite barbeque at a reasonable cost: we feel a party coming on!
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Clover Farm Certified Site (Bubble Car Museum)
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Cuddle a Cairngorm Reindeer
If you have ever wondered where Santa’s reindeer relax and recharge after their exertions over the Christmas period a trip to meet the Cairngorm Reindeer Herd will answer all your questions.
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Set in the stunning beauty of the Cairngorm mountains, this centre is home to approx 150 free-ranging reindeer, so finding them isn’t always a certainty.
However, when they can be located you will be guided to their furry sides where they can be stroked and hand-fed. You won’t forget the velveteen softness of their noses as they nuzzle food from your palm – magic!
Stay at very well appointed Shore Caravan Site and custom-build your own pitch type from the great number of facilities and options available to campers and tourers.
If you’re new to touring you might like the site’s escort to your pitch, with assistance given for siting your caravan; the site staff will even park your caravan for you, if you wish!
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Grantown On Spey Caravan Park
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Deeply atmospheric
Steeped in the long history and fascinating traditions of the North Cornwall coast, lies one of Cornwall’s premier museum attractions: the Museum of Witchcraft.
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This small, unorthodox museum has been located for more than 50 years in the tiny, picturesque village of Boscastle and provides visitors with revealing insights into the history of witchcraft. It might seem like a pocket-sized affair but is famously tardis-like in its effect, rammed as it is to the rafters with witchy artefacts and regalia. Be prepared for the weird, the bizarre and some degree of controversy in the exhibits on show which some of the more impressionable members of your party may find a little disturbing…
Stay at Trewethett Farm Caravan Club Site, accepting both members and non-members, with fantastic views and direct, if a little challenging, access to Bissoney Cove, a sandy beach below the cliff-top site. If you like your coastal walking, the site is ideally situated for access to the South West path, leading to Boscastle and Tintagel.
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Trewethett Farm Caravan Club Site, North Cornwall
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If you're planning on indulging your quirky side at one of these unusual tourist attractions in the UK, why not use the 'Things to Do' tab on each site's listing to look at the 1000+ pubs, shops, restaurants and other attractions in the vicinity to help you plan your stay.
Don't forget to upload your great pictures to a Campsite Chatter Pinboard - you can do it remotely or on your return!
By Bekah Mardall, Campsite Chatter.
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