What will I enjoy straight away, rather than after six months?
Hobbies that are rewarding from the first session
Some activities reward you immediately and some make you earn it. Both are legitimate, but if you have started and abandoned things before, the first kind is a much better bet. These all give a beginner something to enjoy in the first session, which is the single strongest predictor of whether a hobby survives its first month.
551 activities in the catalogue, 35 written up so far.
Archery
Shooting arrows at a target with a bow, under a club and governing-body structure that begins with a beginners’ course.
£300–£1,000 to start · indoors or out · moderate effort
Fanny Schertzer / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Bicycle maintenance
Servicing and rebuilding bicycles, from a puncture to a full wheel build — the rare craft that pays for itself.
£100–£300 to start · indoors · gentle
Birdwatching
Finding, identifying and recording wild birds — a hobby you can start from a kitchen window.
£25–£100 to start · outdoors · gentle
Angling
HobbySportFishing with rod and line — the parent of several very different sports that share a licence, a set of ethics and almost nothing else.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsGentle
Automotive detailing
CraftHobbyCleaning, correcting and protecting vehicle paint as a craft — where the order of operations matters far more than the products.
£100–£300 to startIndoors or outdoorsModerate effort
Balm and cosmetics making
CraftMaking balms, salves and creams at home — the one distinction that decides whether a product keeps, and where a private craft becomes a regulated one.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
Botanical spirit blending
CraftMaking gin and flavoured spirits by infusing a bought neutral base — lawful, cheap, and done in an afternoon.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
Bouldering
SportClimbing short, hard problems close to the ground, with mats instead of ropes — the lowest-friction way into climbing.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsVery demanding
Composting
HobbyTurning garden and kitchen waste into soil — the methods, what a heap is telling you, and why almost every problem is one of three things.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
Crochet
CraftMaking fabric from yarn with a single hook, one stitch at a time, from a £5 starter kit.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
Cycling
SportRiding a bicycle for transport, fitness or pleasure — the parent of a large family of quite different sports.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsDemanding
Disc golf
SportGolf played by throwing discs at chain baskets, on free public courses, usually in parkland or woodland.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
Dog training
HobbyTeaching a dog to live well with people — a genuine skill with a contested literature and a surprising amount of law attached.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsModerate effort
Embroidery
CraftDecorating fabric with needle and thread, from six basic stitches to centuries-old traditions.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
Fiction writing
HobbyCraftMaking up stories and writing them down — the cheapest serious craft there is, and one where finishing is a separate skill from writing.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsSedentary
Geocaching
HobbyUsing GPS coordinates to find containers hidden by other people, in places you would never otherwise stop.
Free or near-free to startOutdoorsModerate effort
Hiking
SportHobbyWalking longer distances over rougher ground — the cheapest way into the outdoors, and the one whose risks are most underestimated.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
Home brewing
HobbyCraftMaking beer, cider, wine or mead at home — a fermentation craft where cleanliness matters more than recipe.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsModerate effort
Indoor climbing
SportRoped climbing on an artificial wall — the route into the sport for almost everybody who now does it outdoors.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsDemanding
Indoor cycling
SportStructured training and virtual racing on a smart trainer — a season of its own rather than a wet-weather substitute.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsVery demanding
Journaling
HobbyCraftWriting regularly for yourself — as a record, a thinking tool, or a creative practice.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
Karate
SportA striking art of forms, partner drills and graded belts — taught in several distinct styles that disagree more than beginners expect.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsDemanding
Kayaking
SportPaddling a closed boat — four different sports sharing a paddle, and why sorting out which water you want comes before choosing a boat.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsDemanding
Microcontroller projects
HobbyBuilding small devices around Arduino, Pico and similar boards — the cheapest way to make something physical respond to the world.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
Mobility training
SportDeliberate work on active range of movement — distinct from stretching, and distinct from strength work, though it overlaps with both.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsModerate effort
Orienteering
SportHobbyNavigating between control points on a detailed map, at whatever speed suits you, against the clock.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsDemanding
Padel
SportA doubles racket sport played in a glass-walled court where the walls are part of the game.
£100–£300 to startIndoors or outdoorsDemanding
Pickleball
SportA paddle sport on a badminton-sized court with a perforated plastic ball and a non-volley zone.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsModerate effort
Pool
SportThe pub and club cue game — and the three different rulebooks everybody assumes are one.
Under £25 to startIndoorsGentle
Road cycling
SportRiding drop-bar bikes on tarmac, solo, in clubs or in races — the discipline where distance and pace become the point.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsVery demanding
Table tennis
SportBat and ball across a net on a table — the most accessible racket sport, and at club level a genuinely brutal one.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsModerate effort
Trail running
SportOff-road running on unpredictable ground — what actually changes from the road, how the sport divides by surface, and where the boundary with fell running sits.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsVery demanding
Whittling
CraftShaping wood with a single knife — the cheapest, oldest and most portable making craft there is.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
Wild swimming
SportHobbySwimming in rivers, lakes and sea — enormously rewarding, and the one hobby here that regularly kills people who get it wrong.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsDemanding
Yoga
SportHobbyA family of movement and breathing practices with a long history, now most commonly met as a class in a hall — and far more varied than that suggests.
Under £25 to startIndoorsModerate effort
Also matching, not yet written up
These meet the same criteria and are in the catalogue; we have not written them up in depth.
3x3 basketball
SportHalf-court basketball to a single hoop, with a shot clock, a twelve-minute game and Olympic status.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
78rpm record collecting
HobbyCollecting shellac discs and the equipment to play them, a separate world from vinyl in every respect.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Abstract strategy games
HobbyPerfect-information games with no theme — hex, hive, twixt and their relatives.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Acroyoga
HobbySportPartner acrobatics with a base, a flyer and a spotter, practised in jams rather than performed.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Acrylic painting
HobbyCraftFast-drying, forgiving paint that works on almost any surface.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Adventure caching
HobbyLocation-based puzzle trails completed on foot, a newer branch of geocaching.
Free or near-free to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Advertising tin collecting
HobbyCollecting printed tins, which are commercial art history in three dimensions.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Air hockey
HobbySportA fast table sport with a competitive circuit almost nobody outside it knows about.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Air quality monitoring
HobbyRunning a low-cost particulate sensor and contributing to open networks of local air data.
£100–£300 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Air-dry clay modelling
CraftModelling with clay that hardens in the air, so no kiln is needed at all.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Aircraft spotting
HobbyRecording aircraft by registration and type, with a fieldcraft and a literature of its own.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Amateur dramatics
HobbyActing, staging and producing plays with a local company.
Under £25 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Amigurumi
CraftCrocheting small stuffed creatures worked in tight continuous spirals.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Ant keeping
HobbyKeeping ant colonies in formicaria and watching a superorganism develop over years.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Antique bottle collecting
HobbyCollecting glass and stoneware bottles by maker, closure and colour, often dug rather than bought.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Antique tool collecting
HobbyCollecting pre-industrial and early machine-age hand tools, usually to use rather than display.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Appliqué
CraftApplying shaped fabric onto a ground cloth by hand or machine, the counterpart to piecing.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Archive transcription
HobbyTranscribing handwritten records for archives and research projects, from home, at your own pace.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Archive volunteering
HobbyCataloguing, repackaging and indexing records in a local record office.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Arm wrestling
SportA table sport of hand control and specific tendon strength, with a real club and league structure.
Under £25 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Atlatl throwing
SportThrowing darts with a spear-thrower, a prehistoric weapon with a modern following.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Autoharp
HobbyA chorded zither where bars damp everything but the wanted notes, playable within an hour.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Autosolo & autotests
SportTimed low-speed precision driving around cones, in an ordinary road car.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Axe throwing
SportThrowing hatchets at a wooden target, usually in a supervised venue.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Bachata
HobbyA Dominican partner dance built on a four-step with a hip lift, and the usual second dance after salsa.
Under £25 to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Backgammon
HobbyA race game of dice and doubling, where equity matters more than luck.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Badminton
SportThe fastest racket sport, played indoors with a shuttlecock.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Bag making
CraftSewing bags in cloth or leather, where interfacing, hardware and structure carry the design.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Baking
HobbyCraftCakes, biscuits and pastry, where accuracy matters more than improvisation.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Banknote collecting
HobbyCollecting paper money for its design, printing, history and security features.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Bantam keeping
HobbyKeeping the small breeds, which suit gardens too small for large fowl.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Bar billiards
HobbyA timed pub table game with holes and skittles, played in leagues across southern England.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Bass guitar
HobbyThe instrument bands are always short of, and the fastest way into one.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Beach cleaning
HobbyOrganised and solo litter picking on the coast, with recording that feeds research.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Beach tennis
SportVolley-only racket sport played over a high net on sand.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Beachcombing
HobbyWalking the tideline for sea glass, shells, driftwood and whatever else lands.
Free or near-free to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Beadwork
CraftStitching tiny beads into patterned fabric, jewellery and ornaments.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Beatboxing
HobbyPercussion made entirely with the mouth, needing no equipment and no space at all.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Befriending volunteering
HobbyRegular visiting or telephone companionship arranged through a charity, matched and supervised.
Free or near-free to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Bell boating
SportPaddling twin-hulled stable craft, used as an accessible introduction to team paddling.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Belly dance
HobbyMiddle Eastern solo dance built on isolations of hip, ribcage and shoulder rather than travel.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
BioBlitz recording
HobbyIntensive recording of every species found in one place in one day.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Bitters and infusions
CraftHobbyMacerating botanicals in spirit to make cocktail bitters and aperitifs, a slow patient hobby.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Blackwork embroidery
CraftCounted geometric embroidery in a single colour, from Tudor dress.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Blokarting
SportSailing a small three-wheeled land yacht on beaches and airfields.
Over £1,000 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Board game collecting
HobbyCollecting published games as objects — editions, printings and out-of-print runs rather than plays.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Boccia
SportA precision target ball sport designed for athletes with high support needs, played to Paralympic level.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Bodhrán
HobbyThe Irish frame drum, played with a tipper and central to session music.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Bodyboarding
SportRiding waves lying on a short foam board, with fins.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Bodysurfing
SportRiding waves on the body with swim fins and at most a handplane, the cheapest surfing there is.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Bokashi composting
HobbyFermenting food waste in a sealed bucket with inoculated bran before burying it.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Book clubs
HobbyReading the same book as other people and then arguing about it.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Bookplate collecting
HobbyCollecting ex libris bookplates as small printed artworks with a traceable ownership history.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Boro mending
CraftJapanese layered patch-and-stitch repair, valued for the record of its repairs.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Boxing training
SportBag, pad and footwork training without sparring — the fitness half of the sport.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Breathwork
HobbyStructured breathing practices taught in classes and used alongside cold exposure.
Under £25 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Breweriana collecting
HobbyCollecting brewery advertising, pump clips, bottles and beer mats, often around one defunct brewery.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Broomball
SportA team game on ice played in shoes rather than skates, with brooms and a ball.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Bullet journalling
HobbyA structured notebook system for tasks, logs and plans, kept by hand.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Bus and coach enthusiasm
HobbyRecording, photographing and preserving buses, with a substantial preservation movement behind it.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Butter and yoghurt making
CraftCulturing and churning dairy at home — the simplest end of dairy craft.
Under £25 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Butterfly watching
HobbyFinding, identifying and recording butterflies through a short, intense season.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Button collecting
HobbyCollecting buttons for material, manufacture and design history.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Cajón
HobbyA box drum sat on and played with the hands, the standard percussion for acoustic and flamenco settings.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Camping
HobbySleeping outdoors under canvas at a site, with or without a car.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Canasta
HobbyA rummy-family card game for partnerships, with melds, wild cards and a long social club tradition.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Candle making
CraftMelting, scenting and pouring wax into moulds and containers.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Canicross
SportRunning attached to your dog by a bungee line and harness.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Canoeing
SportPaddling an open canoe with a single blade, solo or tandem.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Card making
CraftMaking greetings cards by hand with stamps, dies and layered paper.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Cargo cycling
HobbyUsing a cargo bike for loads, children and shopping, as a hobby and a car replacement.
Over £1,000 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Carrom
HobbySportA flicking board game of South Asian origin, played on a powdered board with pockets at the corners.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Cartonnage
CraftMaking fabric-covered card boxes and cases, cut and assembled to a drawn plan.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Cassette collecting
HobbyCollecting tapes and the machines that play them, revived by a small but real scene.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Ceilidh dancing
HobbyCalled social dancing needing no partner and no prior knowledge. Turn up and be told.
Under £25 to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Chainmaille
CraftLinking thousands of metal rings into armour, jewellery and sculpture.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Charity shop volunteering
HobbySorting, pricing and selling donated stock, which teaches more about objects than any course.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Chicken keeping
HobbyKeeping hens in a garden for eggs, and everything that comes with them.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Chilli growing
HobbyGrowing chilli varieties from seed under cover, with a strong collector and swap culture.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Choral singing
HobbySinging in a choir, in parts, to a conductor.
Under £25 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Church crawling
HobbyVisiting and recording parish churches for their architecture, fittings and monuments.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Church recording
HobbySystematically recording church fittings, monuments and glass for national archives.
Under £25 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Cider making
HobbyCraftPressing and fermenting apples, usually with far more fruit than expected.
£100–£300 to startIndoors or outdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Cigarette card collecting
HobbyCollecting the illustrated card sets issued with tobacco from the 1880s to the 1940s.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Circuit bending
CraftRewiring toys and cheap electronics to make instruments nobody designed.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Citizen river monitoring
HobbyTesting and recording water quality on a local river to a shared protocol.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Citizen science
HobbyContributing structured observations to real research projects.
Free or near-free to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Clay pipe collecting
HobbyCollecting the fragments of clay tobacco pipes, datable to within a few decades.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Coarse fishing
HobbySportFishing for non-game freshwater species on lakes, canals and rivers.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Coast path walking
HobbySportWalking long coastal routes in stages, with tide, cliff and weather planning that inland routes lack.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Coastal rowing
SportRowing stable open boats on the sea, in crews, often in community clubs.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Coasteering
SportTraversing a rocky coastline by climbing, swimming and jumping into the sea.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Cocktail making
HobbyCraftMixing drinks properly — balance, dilution, ice and technique.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Coil building
CraftBuilding pots from rolled ropes of clay, which scales to sizes a wheel cannot reach.
Under £25 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Coin collecting
HobbyCollecting coins by period, mint, metal or error, and learning to grade them.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Collage
HobbyCraftBuilding images from cut and torn paper, photographs and found material.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Collagraph
CraftPrinting from a plate built up with glued materials, which prints texture as much as line.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Combat archery
SportTeam archery with foam-tipped arrows, run as a venue-booked group activity.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Comic book collecting
HobbyCollecting comics by run, key issue, variant or grade.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Commonplace books
HobbyKeeping a book of gathered quotations, notes and observations over years.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Community archaeology
HobbyExcavating and recording with a local group under professional supervision.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Community choir
HobbyNon-auditioned group singing, which is the lowest-barrier social hobby that exists.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Community gardening
HobbyGrowing on shared land with other people, where the organising is half the activity.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Community orchards
HobbyPlanting, pruning and harvesting a shared orchard, usually with a wassail and a cider press attached.
Free or near-free to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Competitive jigsaw
HobbySpeed jigsaw assembly, now with national and world championships.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Concert band
HobbyWind band playing — the woodwind and brass equivalent of the amateur orchestra, and usually more welcoming.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Conservation volunteering
HobbyPractical habitat work with a local group — scrub clearance, coppicing, surveys.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Container gardening
HobbyGrowing in pots on a balcony, yard or doorstep, with no ground at all.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Contemporary a cappella
HobbyArranged unaccompanied group singing of popular repertoire, with vocal percussion and close harmony.
Under £25 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Contra dance
HobbyLong-set American folk dancing, called as you go, so no experience is needed to join a line.
Under £25 to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Corkscrew collecting
HobbyCollecting patent corkscrews, a field of several thousand recorded mechanisms and its own societies.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Cornhole
HobbySportPitching bean bags at a raised board with a hole, a American lawn game with a serious league scene.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Costume jewellery collecting
HobbyCollecting non-precious jewellery by maker and period, where signatures and construction date a piece.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Country wine making
CraftHobbyMaking wine from hedgerow fruit, flowers and vegetables rather than from grapes.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Country wines and cordials
CraftMaking elderflower, sloe and hedgerow drinks from what is in season.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
County topping
SportHobbyReaching the highest point of every county, which takes you to hills nobody else visits.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Cribbage
HobbyA counting card game played on a pegged board, fast once the counting sticks.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Crokinole
HobbyA dexterity board game of flicked discs on a circular board, with a competitive circuit.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Croquet
SportDriving balls through hoops on a lawn, with far more tactics than its reputation suggests.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Cross country running
SportWinter league racing over mud and grass, the oldest and cheapest competitive running in Britain.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Cross stitch
CraftCounted embroidery worked in X-shaped stitches on evenweave fabric from a charted design.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Crossbow target shooting
SportTarget shooting with a crossbow at a club, under its own governing rules.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Crosswords
HobbySolving word grids, from quick puzzles to full cryptics.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Crown green bowls
SportBowls on an uneven green, a distinctly northern English code.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Crystal growing
HobbyGrowing crystals from solution, which is chemistry that produces something to keep.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Curling
SportSliding stones down ice towards a target, sweeping to steer them.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Cyanotype
CraftMaking blue prints from sunlight and two cheap chemicals, no camera needed.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Darts
SportThree darts, a board, and more arithmetic than anyone expects.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Deck-building games
HobbyBoard games where constructing your engine during play is the game.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Decorative concrete casting
CraftCasting planters, tops and garden objects in concrete and GRC.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Decorative paint finishes
CraftBroken-colour techniques — dragging, stippling, colourwashing — used to age or enrich a surface.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Decorative ropework
CraftTraditional knot work — mats, bell ropes, Turk’s heads — a sailor’s craft that survives ashore.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Decoupage
CraftLayering cut paper onto objects and varnishing until the joins disappear.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Diabolo
HobbyA Chinese yo-yo spun and thrown on a string between two handsticks, with a deep trick tree.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Die-cast model collecting
HobbyCollecting die-cast vehicles by maker, scale and variation.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Djembe and hand drumming
HobbyWest African hand drums played in circles and community groups, learned by ear and by imitation.
£100–£300 to startIndoors or outdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
DJing
HobbySelecting and mixing records or files for a room, on decks or controller.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Dodgeball
SportThrowing, dodging and catching foam balls, played seriously in leagues.
Under £25 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Dollhouse miniatures
CraftHobbyMaking tiny furniture, food and fittings at 1:12 and smaller.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Domino toppling
HobbyBuilding and filming large chain-reaction constructions, a patience and engineering hobby with a big online scene.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Dominoes
HobbyTile games from simple blocking to fives-and-threes scoring.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Dorset button making
CraftMaking thread-wound buttons over rings, a revived Dorset cottage industry.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Dragon boat racing
SportTwenty paddlers in one boat, to a drum, over short sprints.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Dragonfly recording
HobbyIdentifying and submitting records of dragonflies and damselflies, an approachable insect group to start on.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Draughts
HobbyA short-rules capture game with far more depth than its reputation.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Drums
HobbyPlaying a kit — the instrument with the loudest practice problem.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
English country dance
HobbyFigured set dancing from Playford onwards, walked to live music and called from the front.
Under £25 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
English paper piecing
CraftHand piecing patchwork over paper templates, which makes accurate hexagons possible on a lap.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Ephemera collecting
HobbyCollecting printed matter never meant to survive — tickets, handbills, packaging, timetables.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Escape rooms
HobbySolving a themed room of puzzles against a clock, in a small team.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Esperanto
HobbyLearning a constructed international language with a real speaker community.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Etymology
HobbyTracing word histories and sound changes, using dictionaries and corpora as primary tools.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Eurogames
HobbyStrategy board games built around resource management and low luck rather than direct conflict.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Family photo archiving
HobbyScanning, dating and cataloguing inherited photographs so they survive and stay identifiable.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Fan fiction writing
HobbyCraftWriting fiction in somebody else’s world, with an enormous online culture.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Fancy rat keeping
HobbyKeeping and sometimes exhibiting fancy rats, which are kept for temperament as much as looks.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Felting
CraftMatting wool fibres into fabric by needle or by water and friction. Almost no equipment.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Fermentation
HobbyCraftKimchi, sauerkraut, kefir and kombucha — preserving with live cultures.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Fermenting
CraftMaking kraut, kimchi, kefir and kombucha with controlled microbial cultures.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Film poster collecting
HobbyCollecting original release posters, and learning to spot reprints.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Fistball
SportA net sport where the ball may bounce once and is struck with fist or forearm only.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Five-a-side football
SportShort-sided football on a small pitch, usually one booked hour a week.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Flag football
SportAmerican football with belts and flags instead of tackling.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Flag study
HobbyStudying and collecting flags, their design rules and their history.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Floorball
SportIndoor stick hockey with light sticks and a perforated ball, huge in the Nordics and cheap to start.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Flower arranging
CraftHobbyComposing cut flowers, with a competitive club circuit most people never notice.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Flyball
SportRelay racing for dog teams over hurdles to a ball box.
£100–£300 to startIndoors or outdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Football
SportEleven a side, the most played team sport in the world.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Footgolf
SportGolf played by kicking a football into oversized holes, on courses that already exist.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Forest bathing
HobbySpending unhurried, attentive time among trees, deliberately and slowly.
Free or near-free to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Fossil hunting
HobbySearching coast and quarry for fossils, and learning what you have found.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Fountain pen collecting
HobbyCollecting, restoring and using fountain pens, nibs and inks.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Free-form dance
HobbyUnchoreographed movement practice in a facilitated group, with no steps to learn.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
French
HobbyLearning French, the language with the deepest supply of British classes, exchanges and material.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Gamelan
HobbyIndonesian percussion orchestra played as a group, usually on an instrument set owned by the group.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Gardening
HobbyMaking and keeping a garden — the parent of a very large family of hobbies.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Genealogy
HobbyResearching your own family history from records, and proving each link.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Geocache hiding
HobbyDesigning, placing and maintaining caches rather than only finding them.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Geoguessing
HobbyIdentifying where a street-level photograph was taken from vegetation, kerbs, bollards and sun angle.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
German
HobbyLearning German, where the case system is the early wall and the compounding is the late pleasure.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Gig rowing
SportRacing six-oared wooden pilot gigs off the south-west coast, a revived Cornish tradition.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Glima
SportIcelandic folk wrestling fought upright on a fixed belt grip, with throws rather than groundwork.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Goalball
SportA Paralympic team sport played blindfolded with a bell ball, where everybody plays blind.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Gold panning
HobbyPanning rivers for placer gold, legal only with permission and in specific places.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Gorge walking
SportAscending a river gorge on foot, scrambling and swimming, usually with a guided group.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Gouache painting
HobbyCraftOpaque water-based paint prized for flat colour, illustration and travel sketching.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Gravel cycling
SportRiding unsurfaced lanes and tracks on a drop-bar bike built for them.
Over £1,000 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Green lane and byway walking
HobbyWalking the unsurfaced rights of way that predate the road network, with map and access knowledge.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Grip sport
SportCompetitive gripping — grippers, pinch, thick bar and holds — with standardised implements and records.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Guerrilla gardening
HobbyPlanting neglected public ground without formal permission, which is where its whole debate sits.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Guitar pedal building
CraftHobbyBuilding effects pedals from kits and stripboard, the most common route into practical electronics.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Gyotaku
CraftJapanese fish printing, taking impressions directly from the specimen.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Haiku writing
HobbyWriting to the short Japanese forms, with a seasonal reference and a cut rather than a syllable count.
Free or near-free to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Hand lettering
HobbyCraftDrawing letters as artwork rather than writing them — signs, cards and posters.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Hand papermaking
CraftMaking sheets by hand from pulp, including from recycled and plant fibre.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Hand tool restoration
CraftHobbyBringing old planes, chisels and saws back into use, which is cheaper than buying new.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Hand-building
CraftMaking pottery with pinch, coil and slab techniques, no wheel required.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Handbuilt pottery
CraftMaking pots by pinch, coil and slab without a wheel, which is most of ceramic history.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Handpan
HobbyA tuned steel percussion instrument played with the hands, forgiving to start and hard to master.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Hardbat table tennis
SportTable tennis with pimpled rubber and no sponge, producing longer rallies and a different game entirely.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Harmonica
HobbyA pocket instrument that plays a whole key with almost no theory needed.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Hedgehog surveying
HobbyRecording hedgehog presence with footprint tunnels and night walks for a national scheme.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Hedgerow surveying
HobbyDating and recording hedges, which are readable historical documents.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Herb growing and use
HobbyGrowing and preparing herbs for cooking, tea and household use.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Heritage railway volunteering
HobbyRestoring and running preserved railways as a volunteer.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Hnefatafl
HobbyThe Norse tafl family — asymmetric board games with a besieged king and unequal sides.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Hoop dance
HobbyDancing with one or more hoops on and off the body, on and off beat.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Horse brass collecting
HobbyCollecting decorative harness brasses, a rural craft tradition in miniature.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Hot sauce making
CraftHobbyGrowing, fermenting and blending chillies into sauces, with a large amateur trading culture.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
House history research
HobbyTracing who built and lived in a particular building, using deeds, census and map evidence.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Houseplants
HobbyKeeping indoor plants alive, and then keeping a great many of them alive.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Ice dyeing
CraftMelting ice through dry dye powder onto cloth, so the dye separates into its component colours.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Ice fishing
HobbySportFishing through an augered hole in lake ice, usually from a shelter, and entirely dependent on ice thickness.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Improv comedy
HobbyMaking scenes up on stage with a group, to learned formats and rules.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Incense making
CraftBlending and forming incense from resins, woods and binders.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Indoor bowls
SportBowls played year-round on an indoor carpet rink.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Indoor skydiving
SportBodyflight in a vertical wind tunnel, which is a real discipline rather than only a taster for the sky.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Industrial heritage visiting
HobbyVisiting and recording preserved mills, pumping stations and工 works, usually through volunteer sites.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Inkle weaving
CraftWeaving narrow bands on a small frame loom, portable and quick to learn.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Iris folding
CraftBuilding a spiral of folded paper strips behind an aperture, worked from a numbered pattern.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Irish bouzouki
HobbyA flat-backed long-necked accompaniment instrument invented for Irish sessions in the 1960s.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Isopod keeping
HobbyKeeping and breeding woodlice for colour morphs and as vivarium clean-up crews.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Italian
HobbyLearning Italian, often taken up for music, food or a place rather than for work.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Jaw harp
HobbyA framed lamellophone held against the teeth, shaped entirely by the player’s mouth cavity.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Jazz dance
HobbyThe theatre dance vocabulary behind musicals — isolations, turns and travelling combinations.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Jewellery making
CraftMaking wearable pieces from wire, beads, resin, clay or metal.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Jigsaw puzzles
HobbyAssembling picture puzzles, from 500 pieces to competitive speed puzzling.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Juggling
HobbyThrowing and catching in patterns — balls, clubs, rings and beyond.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Kalimba
HobbyA tined thumb piano, tuned to one scale, and one of the very few instruments with no wrong notes.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Kantha stitching
CraftRunning-stitch quilting from Bengal, made from layered worn cloth.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Karting
SportRacing small open karts on short circuits, the usual entry to motorsport.
£100–£300 to startIndoors or outdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Kendama
HobbyCatching a ball on the cups and spike of a Japanese skill toy, with a graded trick ladder.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Kickboxing
SportStriking with hands and feet, widely taught as a fitness class as well as a sport.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Kirigami
CraftPaper art that cuts as well as folds, including architectural pop-ups cut from a single sheet.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Kitchenalia collecting
HobbyCollecting domestic kitchen equipment — jelly moulds, scales, enamelware — as a history of how people cooked.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Kite flying
HobbyFlying single-line, stunt or power kites — quietly, or not quietly at all.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Kite making
CraftHobbyBuilding kites from spar, sail and line, where small changes in bridle transform how one flies.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Kizomba
HobbyAn Angolan close-embrace partner dance, walked rather than stepped, with a strong European scene.
Under £25 to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Knife sharpening
CraftPutting and keeping an edge on tools and knives, which underlies half the crafts here.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Kombucha brewing
HobbyFermenting sweetened tea with a culture, and the gateway most people take into fermenting.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Korfball
SportA mixed-gender court sport with a high basket and no dribbling.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Krav maga
SportA self-defence system taught as scenario drills rather than as a graded competitive sport.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Kubb
HobbyA Swedish lawn game of throwing batons at wooden blocks, with a world championship.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Kumihimo
CraftJapanese braiding of silk or cord on a disc or stand into round and flat braids.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Language exchange
HobbyLearning a language by regular conversation with a speaker learning yours.
Free or near-free to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Language learning
HobbyLearning to use another language, deliberately and over years.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Lawn bowls
SportRolling biased bowls towards a jack on a flat or crown green.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Legacy board games
HobbyCampaign board games that are permanently altered as you play, over a fixed number of sessions.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
LEGO building
HobbyBuilding sets and original models, and collecting the parts to do it.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Letter writing
HobbyCorresponding by post, often with strangers, at length.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Letterboxing
HobbyFinding hidden boxes from written clues and stamping a personal logbook.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Letterlocking
CraftHobbyFolding and securing letters as they were before envelopes, a small historical craft with a research base.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Light pollution monitoring
HobbyMeasuring night sky brightness by meter or naked-eye star count and submitting it to national surveys.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Lighthouse visiting
HobbyVisiting and recording lighthouses, which is a coastal walking hobby with a list attached.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Lindy hop
HobbyThe original swing partner dance, danced to live big band tempo with an eight-count base.
Under £25 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Line dancing
HobbyChoreographed group dancing in rows, no partner required.
Under £25 to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Lino printing
CraftCutting a design into linoleum and printing it by hand or press.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Linocut printing
CraftCutting a design into lino, inking it and pressing prints by hand.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Litter picking
HobbyOrganised or solo clean-ups, free to start and with an unexpectedly strong community.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Live streaming
HobbyBroadcasting yourself playing, making or talking, live to an audience.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Local history
HobbyResearching one place in depth — its buildings, people and records.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Locksport
HobbyLearning lock mechanisms by picking them, as a puzzle discipline with a strict ethic.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Long-distance walking
SportHobbyWalking a named trail over days or weeks, carrying or forwarding your kit.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Lucet braiding
CraftMaking square cord on a two-pronged fork, a medieval technique that fits in a pocket.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Luggage label collecting
HobbyCollecting hotel and shipping line labels from the age of long-distance travel.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Lunar observing
HobbyObserving and sketching the Moon, the one target light pollution cannot spoil.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Macramé
CraftKnotting cord into hangings, bags and plant holders without needles or hooks.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Magic
HobbyLearning and performing close-up or stage conjuring.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Mancala
HobbyA family of seed-sowing board games played across Africa and Asia for centuries.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Mantis keeping
HobbyKeeping praying mantids, which need live food and careful humidity.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Marble collecting
HobbyCollecting glass and clay marbles by maker and pattern, from handmade German canes to machine-made runs.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Marbles
HobbySportCompetitive ring marbles, played in Britain to a fixed ring size and an unbroken championship.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Masters athletics
SportAge-banded track and field from thirty-five upwards, with its own records and championships.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Matchbox label collecting
HobbyCollecting matchbox and matchbook labels, a large international field with almost no barrier to entry.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Mead making
HobbyCraftFermenting honey into mead, the simplest ferment to start and the slowest to finish.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Mechanical keyboards
HobbyCraftBuilding and modifying keyboards — switches, keycaps, dampening and sometimes hand-wired firmware.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Megagames
HobbyLarge multi-team games run for a day with dozens of players and a control team.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Men’s Sheds
HobbyA community workshop where the making and the company matter equally.
Under £25 to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Metal clay
CraftModelling with clay that fires to solid silver, bypassing most traditional metalwork.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Meteor observing
HobbyCounting and recording meteors, which needs no equipment and produces usable data.
Free or near-free to startOutdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Milestone recording
HobbyFinding, recording and conserving road milestones and mileposts, most of them unlisted and unrecorded.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Miniature book collecting
HobbyCollecting books under three inches tall, a category defined by its binding rather than its subject.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Model car collecting
HobbyCollecting production die-cast and resin models by marque, scale or maker rather than building them.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Model rocketry
HobbyBuilding and launching solid-motor rockets, and recovering them safely.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Modern board gaming
HobbyPlaying designer board games — the hobby, the collection and the group.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Modern jive
HobbyA simplified partner dance with no footwork requirement, designed to be danceable on a first night.
Under £25 to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Mölkky
HobbySportThrowing a wooden pin to knock numbered skittles for an exact score, from Finland.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Monoprinting
CraftPrinting one-off images from an unetched plate, the most immediate and forgiving printmaking route.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Monumental inscription recording
HobbySystematically recording gravestone inscriptions and plans before weathering removes them.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Morris dancing
HobbyEnglish traditional dance performed in sides, with live music and a season.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Mosaic
CraftSetting cut tile, glass or stone into patterned surfaces and pictures.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Moth gardening
HobbyPlanting deliberately for moths and night-flying insects, and recording what arrives.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Mountain dulcimer
HobbyA diatonic fretted lap instrument, arguably the easiest stringed instrument in the world to start.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Museum volunteering
HobbyFront of house, collections care or interpretation in a local museum.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Naked-eye stargazing
HobbyLearning the sky without equipment — constellations, planets and the year’s motion.
Free or near-free to startOutdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Nature journalling
HobbyCraftDrawing and writing observations in the field, sitting between sketching and recording.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Needle felting
CraftStabbing loose wool with a barbed needle until it sculpts into a solid shape.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Net making
CraftKnotting netting by hand with needle and gauge, for fishing, sport, fruit cages and rigging.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Netball
SportSeven a side, no dribbling, positions that limit where you may go.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Nine men’s morris
HobbyA medieval mill game found scratched into cathedral cloisters across Europe.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
No-dig gardening
HobbyGrowing vegetables on undisturbed soil under compost mulch, a method with a large following.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Nordic walking
SportWalking with poles that recruit the upper body, taught as a technique.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
One-wall handball
SportStriking a small ball against a single wall with a gloved hand, from an urban street tradition.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
OpenStreetMap surveying
HobbySurveying and editing the open map of the world, from a phone or from a GPS trace.
Free or near-free to startIndoors or outdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Origami
HobbyCraftFolding a single sheet of paper into a form, with no cuts and no glue.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Othello
HobbyA minute to learn and a lifetime to master, on an eight-by-eight board of flipping discs.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Outdoor gym training
SportTraining on free public outdoor gym equipment, which is a genuinely different problem from indoor kit.
Free or near-free to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Paper flower making
CraftShaping crepe and tissue into botanically accurate flowers, cut from templates and coloured by hand.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Papercraft
CraftCutting, scoring and assembling paper into models, cards and sculpture.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Papier-mâché
CraftBuilding forms from paper and paste over a mould or armature, the cheapest sculptural material there is.
Under £25 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Parkrun
SportA free, timed, weekly 5k in a local park — the usual on-ramp into running.
Free or near-free to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Pasta making
HobbyCraftMaking fresh pasta by hand or machine, and the shapes that go with each sauce.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Pastel drawing
HobbyCraftDrawing with soft or oil pastels, blended directly with the fingers.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Patchwork
CraftPiecing small fabric shapes into a larger design, by hand or machine.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
PC building
HobbySpecifying, assembling and tuning your own computer.
Over £1,000 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Peak bagging
HobbySportWorking through a defined list of summits — Munros, Wainwrights, county tops.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Pen turning
CraftTurning pen bodies onto manufactured kits, the standard first project on any lathe.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Perfume bottle collecting
HobbyCollecting scent bottles for their glass, atomisers and labels, from cut crystal to commercial flacons.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Pétanque
SportThrowing steel boules at a small wooden jack on rough gravel.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Phenology recording
HobbyRecording first leaf, first flight and first song each year, feeding national datasets.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Photography
HobbyCraftMaking photographs deliberately — the parent of every specialism below it.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Pilates
SportControlled core and postural training, on a mat or reformer.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Pin badge collecting
HobbyCollecting enamel badges by theme — clubs, events, places or brands.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Pinball
HobbyCompetitive play on electromechanical and solid-state machines, with leagues and rankings.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Pinch pots
CraftForming vessels entirely by hand from a ball of clay — the oldest pottery method there is.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Pinhole photography
CraftHobbyCameras with no lens at all, often made from a tin, with exposures measured in minutes.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Pixel art
HobbyCraftDrawing at deliberately low resolution, where every pixel is a decision.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Plant pressing and herbaria
HobbyCraftPressing, mounting and labelling plants to a standard that keeps them useful for a century.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Plaster casting
CraftCasting in plaster from moulds, for sculpture, architectural detail and restoration.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Platform tennis
SportA cold-weather racket game on a heated raised court with screens the ball may be played off.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Play-by-mail gaming
HobbyLong-form games conducted by post or email over months, with turns rather than sessions.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Play-by-post gaming
HobbyRoleplaying or wargaming asynchronously in writing, over months, with no scheduled session.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Podcasting
HobbyCraftPlanning, recording, editing and publishing an audio show.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Poetry
HobbyCraftReading and writing poems, in form or free, and reading them aloud.
Free or near-free to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Poi spinning
HobbySwinging weighted tethers in patterns, from Māori origins into a large modern flow-arts scene.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Polymer clay
CraftModelling with an oven-hardening plastic clay — jewellery, miniatures and canes.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Pond dipping
HobbySampling freshwater invertebrates with a net and a tray. Free, and endlessly repeatable.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Pop tennis
SportSolid paddles on a shortened tennis court, with the net and scoring largely unchanged.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Postcard collecting
HobbyCollecting old postcards for their images, their messages, or their places.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Powerlifting
SportSquat, bench and deadlift, contested on total weight moved.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Preserving
HobbyCraftJam, chutney, pickles and bottling — putting a glut into jars.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Programme collecting
HobbyCollecting match, theatre and concert programmes, which are often the only record an event leaves.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Punch needle
CraftPunching loops of yarn through backing fabric to build a soft textured surface.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Pyrography
CraftBurning images and lettering into wood or leather with a heated point.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Qigong
HobbyCoordinated movement, breathing and attention, practised in short daily sets.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Quail keeping
HobbyKeeping quail for eggs in a small space, considerably easier than chickens for a suburban garden.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Quilling
CraftRolling and shaping narrow paper strips into filigree designs, needing almost nothing to start.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Quizzing
HobbyCompetitive general knowledge, from the pub league to national championships.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Quoits
HobbySportThrowing rings at a pin, in several regional forms with their own leagues and dimensions.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Racketball
SportPlayed on a squash court with a shorter racket and a bouncier ball.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Racquetball
SportFast indoor court game with a hollow rubber ball and no tin, played off every wall.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Radio-controlled car racing
HobbySportBuilding, tuning and racing radio-controlled cars on and off road.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Raft building
HobbySportBuilding a floating craft from barrels, poles and lashings, then finding out whether it works.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Rag rug making
CraftHooking or prodding fabric strips through hessian, a thrift craft with a strong revival.
Under £25 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Railway enthusiasm
HobbyRecording, photographing and following the railway network, of which number-taking is only the oldest part.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Rainwater harvesting
HobbyCollecting and storing roof runoff for garden or household use.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Recorder
HobbyA serious early-music instrument with a whole consort tradition, badly served by its school reputation.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Repair café volunteering
HobbyFixing other people’s broken things at a community repair session.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Reuse and freecycling
HobbyRehoming usable goods through local giving networks, as an organised habit rather than a clearout.
Free or near-free to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Rigid heddle weaving
CraftWeaving cloth on a simple frame loom, the practical way into weaving without a floor loom.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Ring making
CraftSizing, forming and finishing rings — the usual first project in silver jewellery.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Rock & mineral collecting
HobbyCollecting and identifying minerals and crystals, often self-found.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Rockpooling
HobbyFinding and identifying the animals that live in shore pools at low tide.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Rope making
CraftLaying rope from yarn on a ropewalk or hand machine, which is how twist becomes strength.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Rounders
SportThe British bat-and-ball game most people last played at school.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Roundnet
SportFour players around a small trampoline net, spiking a ball off it.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Rucking
SportWalking distance with a weighted pack, borrowed from military training.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Rug hooking
CraftPulling loops of wool strip through hessian to make hard-wearing rugs.
Under £25 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Rummikub and tile rummy
HobbyRummy played with numbered tiles, where rearranging the table is the whole game.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Salsa dancing
HobbySocial Latin partner dancing, learned in classes and danced at socials.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Sand sculpture
CraftHobbyCarving compacted sand, from beach work to competitive festival sculpture.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Sashiko
CraftJapanese running-stitch embroidery, originally for reinforcing and mending workwear.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Sauna and cold plunge
HobbyAlternating heat and cold immersion, increasingly organised around coastal saunas.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Sauna culture
HobbyRegular sauna practice with cold contrast, as a social ritual rather than a gym facility.
£100–£300 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Scrabble
HobbyWord placement for score, with a competitive scene built on word lists.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Scrapbooking
CraftHobbyArranging photographs and mementoes into designed, annotated albums.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Sea glass collecting
HobbyBeachcombing for tumbled glass, with a grading culture and a strong identification literature.
Free or near-free to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Seaweed pressing
HobbyCraftCollecting and mounting seaweeds, a Victorian pursuit with real botanical value.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Seed collecting
HobbyCollecting and exchanging heritage seed varieties, which is conservation as much as gardening.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Seed swapping
HobbyTrading saved seed through local swaps and libraries, which keeps rare varieties in circulation.
Free or near-free to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Sgraffito
CraftScratching through coloured slip to the clay beneath, a drawing technique on pots.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Shanty singing
HobbyGroup singing of work songs and maritime folk, usually unaccompanied and in a pub.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Share certificate collecting
HobbyCollecting historic share and bond certificates for their engraving and the companies behind them.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Sheet music collecting
HobbyCollecting printed music for its covers, its history and its performance record.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Shell collecting
HobbyIdentifying and cataloguing marine shells, an old natural-history discipline.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Shibori
CraftJapanese resist dyeing — binding, folding and stitching cloth before it meets the dye.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Ship spotting
HobbyLogging and photographing shipping, using coastal vantage points and vessel tracking.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Shore surveying
HobbyRecording intertidal species to a national scheme, which turns a beach walk into science.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Short tennis
SportTennis on a reduced court with soft balls, used as a junior route in and as an adult social game.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Shortwave listening
HobbyListening for distant broadcast and utility stations, logging what you hear and collecting confirmations.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Shove ha’penny
HobbyA pub board game of sliding coins into scoring beds, still played in leagues in parts of England.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Shuffleboard
HobbySliding weights down a long table, revived in bars and requiring almost no fitness.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Sign language
HobbyLearning a signed language as a language, with its own grammar and community.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Sim racing
HobbySportRacing in simulators on a wheel and pedals, competitively or for practice.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Singing
HobbyLearning to use your own voice properly, alone or in a group.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Sitting volleyball
SportVolleyball played seated on a smaller court with a lower net, at club and Paralympic level.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Skirmish wargaming
HobbySmall-scale miniature games with a handful of figures each.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Skittles
HobbyRegional pin-bowling games played in pub alleys, with rules that change by county.
Under £25 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Sledging
HobbyThe only winter sport most British people ever do, and the one nobody explains.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Slide guitar
HobbyPlaying with a bottleneck or tube against the strings, usually in open tunings.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Slide rule collecting
HobbyCollecting slide rules and mechanical calculators, and learning to use them, which is half the point.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Slingshot shooting
SportTarget shooting with catapults, a precise and very cheap discipline.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Slot car racing
HobbyRacing electric cars on a grooved track, with club leagues, tuning and scratch-built chassis.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Sneaker collecting
HobbyCollecting trainers for their design, releases and resale market.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Snorkelling
HobbySportWatching underwater life from the surface with mask, snorkel and fins.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Snowshoeing
SportWalking over deep snow on frames that keep you on the surface.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Soapbox racing
HobbySportBuilding and racing unpowered gravity carts, where scrutineering and brakes matter more than speed.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Soapstone carving
CraftCarving soft stone with hand tools, the usual entry point to carving stone at all.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Soft drink brewing
CraftMaking ginger beer, cordials and naturally carbonated sodas at home.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Soft tennis
SportTennis with a soft rubber ball and light rackets, played competitively across East Asia.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Soft toy making
CraftSewing stuffed animals and dolls from patterns or your own designs.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Softball
SportBaseball’s more accessible cousin, widely played in mixed social leagues.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Software-defined radio
HobbyListening across the radio spectrum with a cheap USB receiver and software rather than tuned hardware.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Solo board gaming
HobbyBoard games designed to be played alone against a system, a fast-growing corner of the hobby.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Somatic movement
HobbySlow attention-led movement practices that retrain habitual patterns rather than build strength.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Spanish
HobbyLearning Spanish, phonetically regular at the start and spoken across two continents.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Speed badminton
SportBadminton without a net, played outdoors with a heavier shuttle that ignores wind.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Sports memorabilia
HobbyCollecting programmes, shirts and ephemera around a club or a sport.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Square dancing
HobbyCalled dancing in sets of four couples, with a graded international programme of calls.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Stagecraft
CraftHobbyThe backstage crafts of amateur theatre — set building, lighting, sound and stage management.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Stair climbing
SportTower running as a sport, with a race circuit and no need for good weather.
Under £25 to startIndoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Stamp carving
CraftCutting your own stamps from rubber blocks, the fastest way into relief printing.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Stamp collecting
HobbyCollecting and studying postage stamps, postal history and the marks they carry.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Stand-up paddleboarding
SportStanding on a wide board and paddling flat water, or small surf.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Steel pan
HobbyPlaying tuned steel drums, usually in a band, with a repertoire from calypso to classical.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Stencilling
CraftCutting and applying stencils to walls, furniture and cloth, in registered layers where needed.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Sticker album collecting
HobbyCompleting printed sticker albums by swapping duplicates, an entire economy built on scarcity.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Stoolball
SportA bat-and-ball game older than cricket, still played competitively in southern England.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Street dance
HobbySportThe social club styles — hip hop, house, popping and locking — taught in classes and danced in cyphers.
Under £25 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
String figures
HobbyMaking figures from a loop of string, with a recorded international repertoire.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Stunt scootering
SportPark and street riding on a stunt scooter, a discipline in its own right rather than a children’s version of BMX.
£100–£300 to startIndoors or outdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Succulents & cacti
HobbyCollecting and propagating drought-adapted plants, indoors or under glass.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Sudoku & logic puzzles
HobbySolving number-placement and logic grids by deduction alone.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Suminagashi
CraftJapanese floating-ink marbling, older and quieter than the European method.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Sungka
HobbyThe Philippine sowing game, played on a sixteen-hole board with simultaneous opening moves.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Swimming
SportPool swimming for fitness, technique or competition.
Under £25 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Swing dancing
HobbyLindy hop, balboa and charleston, danced to live and recorded jazz.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Systema
SportA Russian martial practice built on breathing, relaxation and structure rather than fixed technique.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Table football
HobbySportCompetitive foosball, which has a governing body, a ranking system and a serious technique.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Table shuffleboard
HobbySportSliding weighted pucks down a long waxed table to score in the far zones.
Over £1,000 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Tablet weaving
CraftWeaving patterned bands by turning a pack of cards, a technique older than the loom.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Taekwondo
SportKorean striking art built around fast, high kicking.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Tai chi
SportHobbyA slow martial form practised for balance, health and continuity of movement.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Taiko drumming
HobbySportJapanese ensemble drumming, physically demanding and as much choreography as music.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Target archery
SportThe Olympic form: fixed distances, round faces, scored ends.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoors or outdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Tchoukball
SportA non-contact indoor team sport where the ball is rebounded off angled frames at either end.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Tea appreciation
HobbyLearning tea by type, origin and brewing, and tasting deliberately.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Tea blending
CraftHobbyBlending leaf teas and botanicals to a repeatable recipe, which is a tasting skill first.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Teddy bear collecting
HobbyCollecting bears by maker and period, where eyes, seams and stuffing identify an age.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Telephone collecting
HobbyCollecting and reconnecting historic telephones, which mostly still work on a modern line with an adapter.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Ten-pin bowling
SportRolling a heavy ball at ten pins, socially or in a serious league.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Terrain building
CraftMaking the hills, ruins and roads that miniatures are played over.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Terrarium building
HobbyCraftBuilding closed or open glass gardens that mostly look after themselves.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Textile block printing
CraftPrinting repeat patterns onto cloth with carved blocks.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Therapeutic horticulture groups
HobbyStructured group gardening run for wellbeing, usually through a charity or social prescribing route.
Free or near-free to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Thimble collecting
HobbyCollecting thimbles, a compact field with real craft history behind it.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Tidal pool swimming
SportHobbySwimming in sea pools and tidal lidos, sheltered from open water risk.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Tiddlywinks
HobbyA genuinely tactical adult game of squidging counters into a pot, with national associations and a rulebook.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Tie-dyeing
CraftBinding cloth before dyeing so the ties resist colour, with a folded geometry behind the apparent chaos.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Time banking
HobbyExchanging skills by the hour within a local network, where everyone’s hour is worth the same.
Free or near-free to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Timetable collecting
HobbyCollecting transport timetables, a precise record of how places connected.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Tin whistle
HobbyThe cheapest real instrument there is, and the standard route into Irish traditional music.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Touch rugby
SportRugby without contact — mixed, fast, and the usual way adults start.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
TouchTennis
SportA codified short-court tennis format with foam balls, its own ranking system and adult tournaments.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Toy soldier collecting
HobbyCollecting lead and plastic figures by maker and set, a field with its own auction houses.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Track days
SportDriving your own car on a circuit, uncompetitively but at speed.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Trading card collecting
HobbyCollecting and grading trading cards, from sports to modern card games.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Traditional broom making
CraftBinding birch besoms and bench brooms by hand, one of the oldest surviving woodland trades.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Tramway enthusiasm
HobbyFollowing tramways and light rail — surviving systems, closed routes and the museums that preserve them.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Tree identification
HobbyLearning to name trees in every season, including the hard half of the year without leaves.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Trig point bagging
HobbySportVisiting Ordnance Survey trig pillars, a walking hobby with a well-defined list.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Trigpointing
HobbyFinding and logging Ordnance Survey triangulation pillars across the country.
Free or near-free to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Trugo
SportDriving a rubber ring through a distant goal with a mallet, invented by Melbourne railway workers.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Tug of war
SportA governed international sport with weight classes, technique and a national championship.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Tune ringing
HobbyPlaying melodies on handbells as a team, distinct from the mathematical sequences of change ringing.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Ukulele
HobbyFour nylon strings, and the fastest route to playing songs with other people.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Ultimate
SportSeven a side, no referees, disputes settled by the players themselves.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Umbrella repair
CraftRepairing and reframing umbrellas, an almost vanished trade.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Urban birding
HobbyBirdwatching in cities and industrial edgeland, which has its own species list and its own patience.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Vegetable fermenting
CraftHobbySauerkraut, kimchi and pickles preserved by lactic fermentation rather than vinegar.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Vegetable growing
HobbyGrowing food on a plot, allotment or in beds, to a yearly rhythm.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Vertical gardening
HobbyGrowing up walls and structures where there is no ground to plant in.
£100–£300 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Veteran tree recording
HobbyFinding, measuring and recording ancient trees for national inventories.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Via ferrata
SportClimbing a fixed cable and ladder route clipped in with a shock-absorbing lanyard.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Video game collecting
HobbyCollecting games and hardware by console, region and completeness.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Video gaming
HobbyPlaying games seriously — as a hobby with its own depth and community.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Vinegar making
CraftHobbyTurning wine, cider or beer to vinegar with a mother, over months in an open crock.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Vintage calculator collecting
HobbyCollecting early electronic calculators and pocket computers, most of which still run.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Vintage camera collecting
HobbyCollecting and often restoring film cameras, and shooting with them.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Vintage clothing collecting
HobbyFinding, dating and caring for period garments, where textile knowledge decides what is worth buying.
£100–£300 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Vintage toy collecting
HobbyCollecting tinplate, clockwork and mid-century toys, where original boxes carry much of the value.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Vinyl record collecting
HobbyCollecting records — pressings, labels, conditions and the gear to play them.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Visible mending
CraftRepairing clothes so the repair shows and is part of the garment.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Volunteering
HobbyGiving regular time to an organisation — the most reliable way to meet people.
Free or near-free to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Wainwright bagging
HobbySportWalking the 214 Lakeland fells of Wainwright’s guides, the most followed list in England.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Walking football
SportFootball with running banned — designed to keep older players playing.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Walking netball
SportNetball without running, designed for returning and older players and growing fast.
Under £25 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Walking rugby
SportNon-contact rugby at walking pace, aimed squarely at people who thought they had stopped.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
War memorial research
HobbyResearching the people behind local memorials and recording what is found.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Wattle and daub
CraftBuilding infill panels from woven hazel and earth render, on heritage buildings and garden structures.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Weather observing
HobbyRecording weather at home with real instruments, and learning to forecast.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Whale and dolphin watching
HobbyWatching and recording cetaceans from headland or boat, with sightings submitted to national schemes.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Whisky tasting
HobbyTasting and collecting whisky by region, cask and distillery.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Whist
HobbyA trick-taking card game with a long club and village-hall drive tradition in Britain.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Whitewater rafting
SportDescending rapids in a crewed inflatable raft, paddled to commands from a guide at the stern.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Wild orchid recording
HobbyFinding and recording native orchids, a small and much-followed group with tightly defined sites and seasons.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Wild yeast culturing
CraftHobbyKeeping and understanding live cultures — starters, kefir grains, ginger bugs — as a practice in itself.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Wildlife gardening
HobbyManaging a garden for insects, birds and amphibians rather than for tidiness.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Wildlife pond building
HobbyCraftDigging and planting a pond for wildlife, the single most effective garden intervention there is.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Wine tasting
HobbyLearning to taste and describe wine systematically, often towards a qualification.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Wing chun
SportA close-range southern Chinese martial art built on structure, centreline and sticking hands.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Wire wrapping
CraftBinding stones and beads in shaped wire with no soldering at all.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Worldbuilding
HobbyCraftInventing consistent fictional places, histories and cultures in detail.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Wormery keeping
HobbyComposting kitchen waste with worms, which works indoors and in a flat.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Wreath making
CraftBinding foliage, dried flowers and seedheads onto a ring or frame.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Zine making
HobbyCraftWriting, laying out and photocopying small self-published magazines.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
This is one hand-picked cut through the catalogue. If your constraints are more specific than a single question, the hobby finder takes several at once and shows you why each suggestion matched.