Great and unusual days out

Has anyone else read Bollocks to Alton Towers? Fabulous book about all the weird and peculiar places you can visit in the UK that haven't (shudders) been taken over by corporations and sullen staff in baseball caps.

So here's some of Sootyj's feel free to add!

1 Kelvedon Hatch. It was the main bunker for the government in case of atomic war up until the 80s. Wander around 3 floors of undergroun cold war gloom and see the PM's bed in case of armageddon.

2 Brighton Tea Cosy. An insanely camp tea room done up like a 1950s uber kitsch dreamscape. With a list of appalling sins that'll get you kicked out including; being under 12, talking loudly, insulting the queen, not standing for the national anthem and dunking biscuits.

3 Black Gang Chine. As seen on Blue Peter in 1974 a defiantly rubbish British them park; go on the rides there's 2 and they're rather small, wander round the maze that's only about 3 foot tall, go in the crazy house! It's got a man making his own breakfast! (where's his wife?) In rubbishness it some how is defiantly and eternally British.

There's loads more, but remember small, unique and preferably pointless.

'Hey kids! We're not going to Alton Towers...we're going somewhere even more exciting...we're going to see a kitsch tea room!'

'Yay Dad! You're the bestest!'

No offence sooty, but I'd rather sit at home drinking petrol and repeatedly punching myself in the nuts, then have to visit your top 3 alternatives.

The Pitt Rivers museum in Oxford. It's free and has lots of shrunken heads that kids love.

Silchester. The remains of a Roman town outside Reading. It was a bustling Roman location and now just fields but the outline of the 'city' wall is still there, as well as remains of the amphitheatre.

There's a little 'zoo' just outside Reading too, but I can't remember the name. It's tiny, but there's a few animals to look at but the best bit is the 'museum' type exhibition which is mostly shop dummies in period fancy dress shop cotumes posed near such antique delights as old school desks, tractors and farmhouse chairs.

Well no insult being as I believe that's what you do most evenings.
I should know I'm the guy in the bushes outside your house do something interesing damn it!

I've always wanted to goto Forbidden Corner but as a none driver who lives down south I've never been able to coordinate a trip

Quote: sootyj @ June 20 2009, 12:40 PM BST

3 Black Gang Chine. As seen on Blue Peter in 1974 a defiantly rubbish British them park; go on the rides there's 2 and they're rather small, wander round the maze that's only about 3 foot tall, go in the crazy house! It's got a man making his own breakfast! (where's his wife?) In rubbishness it some how is defiantly and eternally British.

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I went there when I was younger and it was a lot of fun.

I like bunkers and war museums. I'd also like to walk into that tearoom, dunk a biscuit and then attempt to belch a foul-mouthed insult to the royal family.

This is the only Black Gang I'm familiar with:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Gang

Quote: sootyj @ June 20 2009, 12:51 PM BST

I should know I'm the guy in the bushes outside your house do something interesing damn it!

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So you're the guy who likes to watch me wank? Thanks for the words of encouragement by the way. I'm like the little train who could.

The Butterfly and Otter sanctuary!

http://ottersandbutterflies.co.uk/

Quote: DaButt @ June 20 2009, 12:53 PM BST

I like bunkers and war museums. I'd also like to walk into that tearoom, dunk a biscuit and then attempt to belch a foul-mouthed insult to the royal family.

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I've always wanted to do the atomic tourism tours of the US and the Ukraine. I mean you can poke around some of the old Minute Man Silos and that huge bunker which would have held the entire US Senate (including a debating chamber). The UK one are kinda depressing.

Are government would have spent it's last days eating beans and shitting in buckets.

As for that tearoom it's that kinda attitude that lead to the Iraq war and the 1776 conflict.

Quote: Renegade Carpark @ June 20 2009, 12:55 PM BST

So you're the guy who likes to watch me wank? Thanks for the words of encouragement by the way. I'm like the little train who could.

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Bless you it's so considerate how you always open the curtains and put the lights on.

Quote: Nil Putters @ June 20 2009, 12:52 PM BST

I went there when I was younger and it was a lot of fun.

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You must be of the same generation as me. Because this was the days before proper theme parks when we were more easily pleased.

Did you do the hattrick? Robin Island aerial swing and the Needles cliff elevator?

Quote: RubyMae - Glamourous Snowdrop at Large @ June 20 2009, 12:55 PM BST

The Butterfly and Otter sanctuary!

http://ottersandbutterflies.co.uk/

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Do the otters and the butterflies get on?

Still good to see Tarka survived the end of that film.

Quote: sootyj @ June 20 2009, 1:01 PM BST

I've always wanted to do the atomic tourism tours of the US and the Ukraine. I mean you can poke around some of the old Minute Man Silos and that huge bunker which would have held the entire US Senate (including a debating chamber).

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These are on my list of places to visit someday:

http://www.titanmissilemuseum.org/ http://www.greenbrier.com/site/bunker.aspx

As a kid, my parents went through a vacation phase and we went to all these wacky places. It's funny, because I live in upstate New York and we have access to lots of entertainment. I'm 2 hours away from Niagara Falls, 3 hours from the Adirondacks, a 5 hour drive to NYC. We've got lots going on. So why were we going to the stone dinosaur museum, where the dinosaurs are still painted with polka dots? Or to view a house made entirely out of popsicle sticks? My favourite though was a museum dedicated to the history of dentistry. Wee.

Yeh Greenbriers is the one I was thinking of it's like under a hotel and stuff, proper James Bond stuff.

They also had a whole collection of riot gear for keeping badly behaved politicians under control.

Are there any nuclear submarine museums? That'd be fascinating.

Blackgang Chine is fab in an unbelievably shit sort of way. The Isle of Wight is naff central for tourist attractions, but the highlight is Osborne House - see what a tasteless chav Queen Victoria really was.

Matlock Baths is also worth checking as former spa trying to hang onto its resort status with a series of genteel but low rent tourist attractions

Silchester is great, but I love ruins.

If you want to give the kids a day out , take them some where like Conkers, where they can have fun getting in exercise in the open air, rather than queueing for rides.

I spent a morning in a police cell does that count?

Quote: sootyj @ June 20 2009, 1:08 PM BST

Are there any nuclear submarine museums? That'd be fascinating.

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http://www.ussnautilus.org/

I'd like to drive around the country and check out every one of these "attractions."

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/