The world is full of curiosities. And quite a few of them are to be found in the United Kingdom. A new book from Jonglez Publishing – Atlas of Geographical Curiosities: Britain by Vitali Vitaliev – seeks to bring together some of the curious, bizarre and lesser-known sights of these eccentric islands.
Contents
British Oddities
Vitali Vitaliev is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society of Great Britain, and the author of an earlier Atlas of Geographical Curiosities (which I reviewed in 2022). There he had the whole world as his canvas, but in this new book he narrows his focus down to Britain, saying that “…whereas Britain’s human eccentrics are widely known and admired throughout the world, their geographical counterparts are much more obscure”.
Of course the precise definition of Britain is an oddity in itself. The author stretches it as far as possible, to bring in Northern Ireland and the islands around Great Britain, as well as the UK’s 14 overseas territories (including the “world’s most remote human settlement”).
Curiosities Galore
There is a lot to choose from, and this book features different kinds of curiosities – geographical, political and physical. You’ll find Britain’s only desert… and its forgotten rain forests. There is England’s smallest city, with the oldest residential street in Europe. And elsewhere the narrowest street in the world.
Islands feature prominently. Like the Scottish island that has its own language and adheres to the old Julian calendar. Or the Isle of Man, which may be small but has a remarkable number of oddities. Much further away – more than 2,000 km from the nearest settlement – is the remote island of Tristan da Cunha (population 266).
The Known And The Unknown
Atlas of Geographical Curiosities: Britain is a mixture of the known and the unknown. Some of the sights – such as the Giant’s Causeway and Loch Ness – are more familiar, but even here the author manages to tease out some little-known facts and legends. Others are quite obscure: for instance I previously had no idea about the drystone dyke marking the border between England and Scotland.
Then there are the political oddities. Bits of the United States and Canada on British soil, and a hotel room that was once part of the former Yugoslavia. Conversely, there is an area of Cyprus that is technically UK territory. (True story: I was once driving through Cyprus when Google Maps indicated we would soon be entering the UK, a fact seemingly confirmed when it started to rain the minute we crossed the “border”…)
An Invitation To Explore For Yourself
Each entry is accompanied by a map and several lavish full-colour photographs. There is information about the site (or sites), and snippets of background detail, with occasional references to similar places elsewhere. The author also poses tantalising questions like “what is the right method to define the geographical centre of Britain?” (unsurprisingly there are several claimants to the title).
This book is a reminder of the almost infinite variety to be found in these islands. An invitation to go out and explore for yourself.
Atlas of Geographical Curiosities: Britain, Vitali Vitaliev, Jonglez Publishing, 2025, 9782361959104
