Hobbies
Nature & wildlife
Finding, identifying and recording living things.
Birdwatching
Finding, identifying and recording wild birds — a hobby you can start from a kitchen window.
£25–£100 to start · outdoors · gentle
Annatsach / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Astronomy
Observing the night sky, from naked-eye constellations to telescopic deep-sky objects.
£100–£300 to start · outdoors · sedentary
The Wandering Angel from Makati City, Philippines / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Fishkeeping
Keeping a freshwater or marine aquarium — which is really the practice of keeping water, with fish as the beneficiaries.
£300–£1,000 to start · indoors · gentle
Fly fishing
HobbySportCasting a weighted line to present an almost weightless artificial fly — the one branch of angling where the casting is the skill.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
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
Mycology
HobbyFinding, identifying and recording fungi as a subject in its own right — a field science that amateurs still genuinely advance.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsGentle
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
Also in this category
Classified but not yet written up.
110 activities in the catalogue, 7 written up so far.
Alpine gardening
HobbyGrowing mountain plants in troughs, raised beds and frames, where drainage decides everything.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Amateur geology
HobbyReading landscape and rock, and understanding how a place was made.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Amateur microscopy
HobbyExamining pond life, sections and minerals, with a society tradition going back centuries.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Animal tracking
HobbyReading tracks, scat and field signs to work out what passed and when.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
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
Astronomy outreach
HobbyShowing the sky to the public at star parties, which is a distinct skill from observing.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Badger watching
HobbyWatching setts at dusk from downwind, with legal protection that shapes how close anyone may get.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Bat detecting
HobbyFinding bats by their echolocation calls with a handheld detector.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Bat roost monitoring
HobbyChecking and recording bat boxes and roosts under licence, with a training route through local groups.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
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
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
Beekeeping
HobbyKeeping honeybee colonies through the year, and the honey that follows.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Bioactive vivarium keeping
HobbyBuilding self-cleaning enclosures with live plants and a clean-up crew of invertebrates.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsSedentary
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
Birdsong recording
HobbyField recording of bird and wildlife sound, halfway between birdwatching and audio work.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Botanical illustration
HobbyCraftDrawing plants accurately enough to identify them, in a tradition centuries old.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Botanical watercolour
CraftHobbyPainting plants to a botanical standard, where accuracy of structure matters as much as beauty.
£100–£300 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Breeding bird surveying
HobbyWalking a fixed transect and recording every bird, feeding a long-running national dataset.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Bryology
HobbyIdentifying mosses and liverworts, best done in winter when everything else has stopped.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsGentle
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
Carnivorous plant growing
HobbyGrowing sundews, pitchers and flytraps, which need rainwater, poor soil and a winter rest.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
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
Coarse fishing
HobbySportFishing for non-game freshwater species on lakes, canals and rivers.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsGentle
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
Coppicing
CraftHobbyCutting broadleaf trees to the base on a rotation and using the regrowth.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsVery demanding
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
Dawn chorus recording
HobbyRecording and identifying birdsong at first light, for pleasure and for data.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsGentle
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
Entomology
HobbyStudying, recording and sometimes collecting insects, under strict ethical limits.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Falconry
HobbyKeeping and hunting with birds of prey, under substantial legal and welfare duties.
Over £1,000 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Field recording
HobbyCraftRecording places and soundscapes, which teaches you to hear where you already live.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Fly tying
CraftHobbyTying artificial flies at the vice, a craft with a deep tradition that outlasts any one fishing trip.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Foraging
HobbyFinding, identifying and using wild food — with identification as the whole skill.
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
Fossil preparation
HobbyCraftCleaning and stabilising fossils out of their matrix, a patient specialist craft.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Garden pond keeping
HobbyBuilding and maintaining an outdoor pond, for wildlife or for fish.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Green roof building
HobbyCraftPlanting a shed, garage or extension roof, which is a loading and drainage problem first.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsDemanding
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
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
Herbarium making
HobbyCraftPressing, mounting and cataloguing plants to a scientific standard.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Hide photography
HobbyPhotographing wildlife from a permanent or portable hide, where patience beats equipment.
Over £1,000 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Home weather stations
HobbyRunning and maintaining a personal weather station, and feeding its data to a public network.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsGentle
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
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
Lapidary
CraftHobbyCutting, grinding and polishing stone into cabochons and faceted gems on wheels and laps.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Lichen recording
HobbyIdentifying and recording lichens, which are excellent air-quality indicators and everywhere.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsGentle
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
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
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
Macro photography
HobbyPhotographing very small subjects at life size or greater.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Mammal tracking
HobbyReading prints, trails and signs to work out what has passed through.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
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
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
Moss gardening
HobbyCultivating moss for shade planting and containers, a slow craft with a strong Japanese tradition.
£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
Moth trapping
HobbyRunning a light trap overnight and identifying and releasing what comes.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Mushroom foraging
HobbyFinding and identifying wild fungi, where a mistake can be fatal.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
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
Nest box monitoring
HobbyRecording breeding birds under licence for national monitoring schemes.
£100–£300 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
Planetary imaging
HobbyVideo astronomy of planets, where thousands of frames are stacked to beat the atmosphere.
Over £1,000 to startOutdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Plant identification
HobbyLearning to name wild plants using keys, features and habitat.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
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
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
Recreational tree climbing
SportClimbing standing trees on rope, using arborist technique for its own sake.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Reptile and amphibian surveying
HobbySurveying newts, frogs, lizards and snakes for local record centres.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsGentle
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
Rod building
CraftHobbyBuilding fishing rods from blanks — guides, wraps and finish — to a specification you choose.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Scuba diving
SportHobbyBreathing compressed gas underwater, under a formal training and certification system.
Over £1,000 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Scything
HobbyCraftMowing grass with a hand scythe, revived for meadow management and competition.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsDemanding
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 foraging
HobbyGathering and drying edible seaweeds from the shore, with tide and water-quality judgement.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
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
Shell collecting
HobbyIdentifying and cataloguing marine shells, an old natural-history discipline.
Under £25 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
Small mammal surveying
HobbyLive-trapping and recording mice, voles and shrews under licence and protocol.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
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
Solar observing
HobbyWatching the Sun safely with dedicated filters or telescopes — the one daytime astronomy.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Spearfishing
SportHobbyHunting fish on breath-hold with a speargun or pole spear, under species and season rules.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Spider recording
HobbyRecording spiders and harvestmen, a group where most identification needs a microscope and a key.
£100–£300 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Taxidermy
CraftMounting animal skins over sculpted forms, a preparation craft with strict rules about what may be used.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsGentle
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
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
Variable star observing
HobbyMeasuring stars that change brightness and submitting the data, which professionals use.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsSedentary
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
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
Widefield astrophotography
HobbyPhotographing the Milky Way and constellations with an ordinary camera and a tripod.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Wild food preserving
HobbyCraftTurning foraged gluts into preserves, where identification and preserving safety both matter.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
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
Wildflower identification
HobbyLearning to name wild plants by key rather than by picture, which is a different and durable skill.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsGentle
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 photography
HobbyPhotographing wild animals, which is mostly fieldcraft and patience.
Over £1,000 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
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
Yamadori collecting
HobbyCraftCollecting stunted wild trees for bonsai, under permission and with a long recovery period.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet