5 Quirky Things Every Visitor Should Do in the UK (You Won’t Find These In The Guidebooks!)

If you are visiting London or spending time in other parts of the UK, you will probably be visiting well-known attractions like castles, palaces, the Tower of London or maybe the London Eye.

As well as visiting famous landmarks, there are plenty of other smaller, cheaper things you can do too that will make for a far more interesting, truly British experience.

Some of the things that make the UK feel unique are the small everyday quirks. These are the little things locals barely notice but always make visitors smile, laugh, or sometimes scratch their heads.

If you find yourself visiting the UK, consider visiting a few of these places or trying a few of these things…

1. Food & Drink Oddities

This section covers the snacks and drinks that Brits see as normal, but outsiders may find charmingly strange.

• Try a Greggs Sausage Roll
  • This is the nation’s go-to bakery snack, that can be bought on many high streets.
  • There are over three thousand Greggs stores in the UK, offering affordable and delicious bakery items.
  • They also have a vegan version that I can highly recommend if you aren’t a meat-eater.
  • Greggs also sell a range of bread, cakes and grab-and-go hot food items.

• Ribena:
  • This blackcurrant squash is a beloved childhood drink of many.
  • You add a small amount to water, so you get many servings out of one bottle.
  • You can also buy it in a ready-diluted form for when you are out and about.
  • Until I started my YouTube Channel and website, I hadn’t realised that squash was so unique to the UK!
  • Ribena comes in a “Light” low-sugar and full sugar versions. The low sugar version has a light blue label, the original version is purple. Both are very good…

• Custard Creams:
  • This is a classic sandwich biscuit is cheap, tasty and perfect with a cup of tea.
  • It has two individual biscuits with a creamy layer in between.
  • My mum used to ration me to two of these when I got home from my school day – but it would be easy to eat a whole packet!
  • A packet of custard creams costs under a pound, and supermarket chains have their own versions, all of which have the distinctive Custard Cream pattern on them.

• Jaffa Cakes:
  • There is a constant debate, are these a cake or a biscuit?
  • Brits are fiercely divided on this subject.
  • Jaffa Cakes are a popular sweet treat consisting of a moist sponge cake base, a layer of tangy orange-flavoured jelly, and a thin, dark chocolate coating on the top. Delicious!
  • You can buy them in other flavours such as lemon and lime or strawberry – but traditionally they are orange flavoured and you can’t go far wrong with that.

Many people would argue that biscuits go soft when left out, and cakes go hard. By this reckoning, a Jaffa Cake is a cake, as it will go hard when stale! Not everyone will agree though…

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2. Famous Chain Pubs, Restaurants and Shops

Visitors often head to independent shops and restaurants, but Britain’s high street chains are cultural institutions in their own right.

• Nando’s:
  • This chicken restaurant specialising in peri-peri chicken has a cult following, and even celebrities love it.
  • I took Matt from Royal Caribbean blog to Nando’s and he loved it!
  • You can order via an App and the food will be served to your table.

• Wetherspoons:
  • Is an Infamous budget pub chain that sells cheap drinks and food.
    • You can get a cheaper deal by ordering a drink and a meal together.
  • Some people love them, some hate them. I am definitely in the “love it” camp.
  • You can order via an app or go to the bar.
    • They sell cheap pints of Pepsi Max, soft drinks, wines, tea and refillable coffee (unusual in the UK) as well as local beers and ales.
  • They have unique patterned carpets in each pub location.

• They take over interesting unused buildings in city centres – theatres, churches, police stations, banks, my local is an old Woolworths shop.
  • There is one Wetherspoons in Kent where you can have your drink in a repurposed old police cell!

I think that it is great that Wetherspoons restore and converts interesting old buildings such as theatres, churches and banks. It gives an often run-down or derelict gem of a building a new lease of life.

• Poundland:
  • This is equivalent to Dollar Tree in the USA
  • You will be amazed at what you can find for sale inside. It’s great if you have forgotten something, but don’t want to spend a lot of money to replace it.
  • It’s good for things like:
    • Cheap drinks and snacks.
    • Reading Glasses.
    • Toiletries – toothpaste, deodorant, etc
    • Medicines, painkillers, plasters, and indigestion tablets.
    • cleaning items – cleaning wipes, washing powder, bin bags, etc
    • Seasonal Items – Christmas, Halloween, etc.

3. Everyday Experiences

These small cultural differences catch visitors off guard, but it’s fun to try something new.

Meal deals are very popular in the UK, and I hadn’t realised until recently that they are a very British thing.

If you are looking for a cheap lunch, head to any major supermarket, where you can get a main ( a sandwich, a wrap, or sometimes a salad of some type), a snack (often a chocolate bar, fruit, or crisps), and a drink for a low price.

Prices vary from around £3.75 in a value supermarket like Tesco, or if you are feeling fancy, try Waitrose or Marks and Spencer, which is slightly more expensive but gives you a more upmarket experience.

My Mum highly recommends a cheese and onion sandwich, but be aware that cheese in the UK tends to be stronger in flavour than the American equivalent – but it is delicious!

Tea with Milk Is the default, not a quirky option.

If you ask for a cup of tea, you may well get a pot of tea ( a tea bag in boiling water) along with a small jug of milk and sugar.

This is good because you can often get a couple of cups out of one small teapot.

At other times, you might get a larger teapot to share with others in your group. You can then use that quintessentially English phrase “Shall I be mother?”

(This basically means, shall I pour for everyone? You don’t have to be anyone’s mother….)

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4. Pub Culture

The pub is a British institution and the heart of many communities.

Typically, head to the bar to order drinks and food, and food will be brought to your table, or you might order on an app.

When with friends or colleagues, it is quite normal to take turns buying a “round” of drinks for everyone.

Tipping is not expected for individual drinks, although you may see a tip jar on the bar.

It’s perfectly acceptable to order non-alcoholic drinks like soda or ginger ale, and they often serve tea or coffee if you would prefer that.

Many pubs serve classic Sunday Roasts.

Having a roast dinner on a Sunday is a tradition that goes back centuries. In the past, families would get together for a meal after attending Sunday morning church services.

A roast dinner is a classic pub meal with meat, roast potatoes, roast vegetables – possibly Yorkshire pudding (traditionally served with roast beef) and gravy. A true cultural experience!

5. Transport Quirks

British transport can be both iconic and baffling. There are a few things you’ve just got to try.

• Top Deck of a Double-Decker Bus:
  • The views are the best, especially front row.
  • You can see over hedges and fences and see things you never would when travelling by car.
  • It’s a must for nosey people like me!
  • You can pay via a contactless payment card, or by cash – but the correct fare is appreciated, don’t give them a twenty-pound note!
• Oyster/Contactless in London:
  • A Oyster card is a smartcard. It’s a quick and easy way to pay for journeys on bus, Tube, tram, Docklands Light Railway, London Overground, the Elizabeth line, River Bus and most National Rail services in London.
  • Put money on your Visitor Oyster card and use it to pay as you go.
• Contactless payment cards
  • If you have a contactless debit/credit card, this is probably the easiest way to pay for public transport.
  • It makes things super easy, just “tap in and out” at the barriers.
  • There is a daily cap calculated over 24 hours for pay-as-you-go journeys. The maximum you will pay depends on the zones you travel within, but basically it means if you are jumping off and on the underground to see the London sights, you won’t run up a huge bill.
    • Just remember to use the same card to tap in and tap out, otherwise, it can cause problems and you might end up paying twice. I did this one recently!

Before You Go

Why combine your UK trip with a truly British cruising experience? Compare options here:

The Best UK Cruise Companies – Complete Comparison

You can cruise to some great destinations from the UK. Have a look at your options here:

6 Fantastic Destinations You Must Visit By Cruise Ship From The UK (No Flying!)