With a well-deserved reputation for eccentricity, Great Britain is an island full of quirky spots. If you’re interested in the weird, wonderful and inventive, check out these extraordinary places perfect for a stange-cation.

 

This mysterious estate in Cornwall lay forgotten for 30 years after most of its gardeners fought and died in World War I. After being rediscovered by chance in the 1990s, groundbreaking restoration began to return the gardens to their former glory. Today, the Lost Gardens stand as a moving homage to the men who worked there before the war. One of the most romantic and nostalgic spots in Great Britain, some 200 acres promise paradise for wildlife and garden lovers.

One of the most eccentric museums in London, this house was left to the nation by architect Sir John Soane in 1837, with a stipulation that nothing should be changed. On display are an eclectic gathering of beautiful, instructional and often simply peculiar artefacts in a warren of rooms. The building itself is full of architectural surprises and illusions such as cunningly placed mirrors that play tricks with the light and space.

Prepare to be bathed in eye-watering neon when you step into God's Own Junkyard, a London warehouse brimming with street signs, disco balls and kitsch memorabilia. Chris Bracey, the late owner of this psychedelic store, created props for Hollywood directors like Stanley Kubrick, Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan. Head to this quirky gem to hunt for former film props to brighten up your home or simply sip a brew at the in-house coffee shop.

Painted a bright red, this fisherman’s cottage is said to be the smallest house in Britain. The house is located on the quayside of Conwy, one of the best-preserved mediaeval fortified towns in Britain. Visitors can view the 19th-century interior for a small fee and gain an insight into what it was like to live in this tiny dwelling before 1900.

Nowhere is a more curious and whimsical place to visit than Portmeirion in Wales, where the eccentric architect Clough William-Ellis fulfilled a childhood dream and built his own private village. About 50 colourful buildings surround a central piazza, ranging in style from Italian to Gothic. Visitors can choose to stay at the luxurious hotel, in village rooms or in self-catering cottages.

Stuart Ogilvie was also prompted to build his own village – Thorpeness – in Suffolk which features pretty mock Tudor houses and the fairy-tale House in the Clouds, a converted water tower. The vast and picturesque boating lake is dotted with islands, all of which were named by Peter Pan author, J.M Barrie. Visitors can drift between fantastical settings such as the pirate’s lair and Wendy’s house.

Britain's original smart home, Cragside was the Victorian country home of Lord Armstrong. Largely completed by 1880, it caused a stir for its mix of old and new. Architect Richard Norman Shaw designed Cragside as a vast Tudor edifice. Meanwhile, the inventive engineering that had made Armstrong a leading industrialist resulted in Cragside being the world’s first house with hydroelectric power.

Near to the town of Knaresborough in North Yorkshire lies Mother Shipton’s Cave and the Petrifying Well, reputedly England’s oldest tourist attraction. It was first opened in 1630 as the birthplace of Ursula Sontheil, a famous local prophetess who is said to have foretold the fates of several rulers, as well as the Great Fire of London in 1666. Here you can see everyday objects like teddy bears and kettle strung up in the cave turning to stone.

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