There isn’t a Nationwide in Swindon with woods behind anymore, as far as I can find.
There absotively is, I was there the other week (Nationwide, not the woods, but they're still there too)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/EHAc2V8fTn9VWn3Y8
One day*, when I'm retired, just because I can I'm going to visit
* it'll take more than one day, obviously.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Summer_Olympics_and_Paralympics_gold_post_boxes
All of the giant chalk pictures?
There's a several big white horses, the fella with the throbber, a kiwi...
Cycling UK have a thing that's supposed to encourage you to ride to different places
https://www.cyclinguk.org/british-cycle-quest
you could try visiting all the millenium mileposts
https://www.sustrans.org.uk/national-cycle-network/millennium-mileposts/
Most remote pub in mainland Scotland? The Old Forge at Inverie. It's either a ferry from Mallaig or a 30km hike over the hills.
I was going to suggest remote pubs. I was due to be at the Old Forge last week, but I couldn't go. To represent Wales, there's the Ty Coch at Porthdinllaen. You can walk to it, but you can also kayak/paddleboard over and pull up on the beach right in front of the pub. The paddling can be as short or as long as you want because it's alongside another beach and should be pretty safe.
Highest pub in Ireland is the Top of Coom in Kerry.
How about the highest sea cliffs in Europe at Sliabh Liag in Donegal.
There's the River Lily in Knutsford, reputedly Britain's (and possibly Europe's) shortest named river.
Shortest river and deepest lake/loch/lough in the UK are handily adjacent at Morar.
How about the most boring grid square in the UK, SE8322? Its got nothing in it, the only 1km grid with no features on an OS map.
I just checked this out, as I'm sad and have don work in the area so was interested as to where exactly it was. It's pretty much blank on the 1:50,000 map apart from an electricity line in the SW corner, but on the 1:25,000 map it does have features, drains, fields and a farm track, so in reality it doesn't look any different on the ground to anything else round that part of the world....
There's the River Lily in Knutsford, reputedly Britain's (and possibly Europe's) shortest named river.
Not the Lud then?
M62 between Manchester and Leeds? Highest motorway in the UK.
A bit obvious perhaps, but it always raises a cheer in our car when we drive past the sign!
M62 between Manchester and Leeds? Highest motorway in the UK.
A bit obvious perhaps, but it always raises a cheer in our car when we drive past the sign!
My wifes uncle was telling her the other day that its basically built on hay bales or something and is starting to sink. we googled it and whilst we didn't find that exactly. Apparently the 7 mile stretch took 7 years to constructed at a cost of 1 million per year....
Highest waterfall, which is in Assynt - so you may want to add in some more "furthest north" stuff too.
I was up that way the other week and it may also be the windiest place in the mainland UK, if my Quinag ride was anything to go by.
There’s a bit of USA USA USA in the UK.
https://bbc.com/reel/video/p0ftrxhx/the-tiny-piece-of-the-us-hidden-in-england
Highest waterfall, which is in Assynt - so you may want to add in some more "furthest north" stuff too.
I was up that way the other week and it may also be the windiest place in the mainland UK, if my Quinag ride was anything to go by.
We're there this Saturday. Eas á Chual Aluinn is on the list...
Check out the Wailing Widow falls while you're nearby. (Though both might be a bit underwhelming given the recent weather)
How about the highest villages in England (Flash), Wales (Trefil, although Bwlchgwyn also claims it), Scotland (Wanlockhead) and Ireland (Meelin)?
https://www.go-below.co.uk/deep-sleep.asp
1375 feet below ground.
If we're talking place names I'd recommend Wetwang. Thickest place in the UK, Duns. Or most boring, Dull?
Bill Bryson lists a lot of great places names in one of his books, I'm guessing Notes From A Small Island.
Shortest border between counties? (Lincolnshire to Northamptonshire, 19 metres)
How about one of the best preserved forts of the American Revolution? (Fort Belan, guarding Menai Straits, west end, mainland)
Someone mentioned rude place names earlier.
This is all you need. Stop fannying about with sensible suggestions for goodness sake!
You could track down and visit all the islands on Great Britain, that aren’t islands any more. Places like Ely, Axholme, Muchelney, Glasto… must be a few more too.
Gaping Gill, apart from the cave, also gets you the highest waterfall in England. If you want to go down on a winch, keep an eye on Bradford Pothole Club for May 2026, or Craven Pothole Club for August 2026, booking online somewhere about a month in advance. This year's winch meets were booked up very quickly, the Craven one sold out the whole week on the first day. Other than the winch, find a caver to take you down one of the other entrances to the system (abseil in, prussik out) and traverse (easy caving) into the main chamber.
Excellent thread OP and all contributors.
A bit of the USA in the UK, who knew!
Indeed, thank you all some good suggestions here. Now time to whack them on a google map and start visiting...
Smallest art gallery? Outside my mum and dad’s house in Settle.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Bz9JFshTep6isSna6?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy
Also on the Pennine Bridleway so some good riding in the area
Perhaps the only place with an exclamation mark in its name too? Westward Ho!
I've always wanted to go and see this innocuous hill to see why it got its name...
Two pubs and a featureless area? Yep, I'm game.
Johnnie Fox's is right beside the Gap, which is a great fun lift access bike park in Glencullen, just outside Dublin
You may know some of these places already Matt, but the 'Weird Walk' book has some good places to visit all over the UK.
My associates (I haven’t really got any friends) think I’m boring because I’m trying to visit all Britain’s accessible tidal islands.
No Boat Required by Peter Caton is a good starting point for research,
or for tiny islands with a bit of history that might need a boat to get to some of them you could try Tiny Islands by Dixie Wills.
I’m about half way through and at this rate still many years from completing them all
Also whilst in Cambridgeshire you gave visit Little Ouse and tick off the lowest trig point at -1m. I'd struggle to call it visually interesting though
Every geological era: oldest rocks in Scotland, Charnwood forest, Wales, Oban, South coast, Kent, East coast, glacial areas, post glacial drift.
Is the OP a caver? Did I miss something? Anyway, yes OFD is great.
Stay at the SWCC - best club hut I have ever stayed in.
I'm ex Cave and Mine Leader (Derbyshire), so caves are fair game...
Some of the grid squares on www.geograph.uk which don't have any photos yet,
@fasgadh - Oi! Don't encourage anyone else to go after them, I've still got designs on a few of those Firsts 😀 !
Aha, caving is in. So then, if you haven't already, a trip to Priddy in the Mendips for Swildon's Hole, longest cave in the Mendips, although some of the length is via sumps. I have only done trips through sump1 and thats fine and gives a decent length outing. Some of the others are much longer though.
Shortest scheduled ferry service from the mainland, Colintraive to Bute, advertised as 5mins but in reality it's 90secs, also most expensive journey for distance travelled, £3 for 300m.
It has to be cooperative now - far too many stubbornly hanging on after 20 years. Mind I do get a bit cheesed off when a bike friendly one falls.
Well if you’re off to Harris, you might as well go to the oldest rocks in Britain, in Barra apparently. Archaean jobbies apparently.
Oldest tree: Fortingall, Perthshire.
Failing that have you done all the sweary place names? Greater Muff, Llanflange, Cockandballsby, Nobford-on-Minge etc.. Some may only exist in my mind of course.
Soz mods.
Ooh, rude names I could get on board with.
Oldest tree, yep been there, done that.
Didn't know about Barra rocks, they're on the list.
Keep em coming folks, I plan on creating a Google map of places to go that we can just work out what's nearest on our travels. Like a geographic version of Pokémon go....
Bellenden Gardens is worth a visit. Its so much more than just a funny name. I reckon the planners were on a dare.
