Hobbies · Sports

Social & community

Activities whose point is other people.

Written up in depth

Picklerpeej / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Pickleball

A paddle sport on a badminton-sized court with a perforated plastic ball and a non-volley zone.

£25–£100 to start · indoors or out · moderate effort

Kintaro / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Game mastering

Running roleplaying games for other people — a distinct craft of preparation, improvisation and table management.

£25–£100 to start · indoors · sedentary

yui* / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Mahjong

A four-player tile game of drawing and discarding, whose several national rule sets are the single most confusing thing about it.

£25–£100 to start · indoors · sedentary

Also in this category

Classified but not yet written up.

169 activities in the catalogue, 6 written up so far.

Allotment gardening
Hobby
Growing on a rented plot, with waiting lists, site rules and a social world of its own.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Amateur conducting
Hobby
Directing a choir or orchestra, which is score study and people management.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Amateur dramatics
Hobby
Acting, staging and producing plays with a local company.
Under £25 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Amateur orchestra
Hobby
Playing in a non-professional symphony or string orchestra, which is where most adult instrumentalists actually play.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Archive volunteering
Hobby
Cataloguing, repackaging and indexing records in a local record office.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Argentine tango
Hobby
Improvised partner dance with a milonga culture and an unusually steep first year.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Arm wrestling
Sport
A 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
Astronomy outreach
Hobby
Showing 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
Axe throwing
Sport
Throwing hatchets at a wooden target, usually in a supervised venue.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Bachata
Hobby
A 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
Ballroom dancing
HobbySport
Partner dancing through a graded syllabus of standard and Latin styles.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Barbershop singing
Hobby
Unaccompanied four-part close harmony, sung in choruses and quartets with a strong contest circuit.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Beach cleaning
Hobby
Organised and solo litter picking on the coast, with recording that feeds research.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Befriending volunteering
Hobby
Regular 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
Sport
Paddling twin-hulled stable craft, used as an accessible introduction to team paddling.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Big band
Hobby
Sectional jazz ensemble playing from charts, with written parts and improvised solos over them.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
BioBlitz recording
Hobby
Intensive recording of every species found in one place in one day.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Boccia
Sport
A 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
Book clubs
Hobby
Reading the same book as other people and then arguing about it.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Brass banding
Hobby
The British brass band tradition: graded contests, weekly rehearsals and lent instruments.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
British Sign Language
Hobby
Learning BSL, a full language with its own grammar rather than signed English.
£100–£300 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Busking
Hobby
Playing in public for passers-by, which teaches repertoire, projection and nerve faster than anything else.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Cage bird showing
Hobby
Breeding and exhibiting budgerigars, canaries and finches to breed standards.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Canasta
Hobby
A 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
Cargo cycling
Hobby
Using 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
HobbySport
A 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
Cat showing
Hobby
Breeding and exhibiting pedigree cats to standard at judged shows.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Cavy showing
Hobby
Breeding and exhibiting guinea pigs to standard — a distinct fancy from rabbits.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Ceilidh dancing
Hobby
Called 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
Chamber music
Hobby
Small-ensemble playing with one player to a part, rehearsed without a conductor.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Change ringing
Hobby
Ringing tower bells in mathematical sequences, as a team, from memory.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Charity shop volunteering
Hobby
Sorting, 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
Choral singing
Hobby
Singing in a choir, in parts, to a conductor.
Under £25 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Church recording
Hobby
Systematically recording church fittings, monuments and glass for national archives.
Under £25 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Citizen science
Hobby
Contributing structured observations to real research projects.
Free or near-free to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Coastal rowing
Sport
Rowing stable open boats on the sea, in crews, often in community clubs.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Community archaeology
Hobby
Excavating and recording with a local group under professional supervision.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Community choir
Hobby
Non-auditioned group singing, which is the lowest-barrier social hobby that exists.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Community first responding
Hobby
Volunteering to attend ambulance calls near home in the minutes before a crew arrives.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Community gardening
Hobby
Growing 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
Hobby
Planting, 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
Community radio
Hobby
Producing and presenting on a licensed local station, run almost entirely by volunteers.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Competitive jigsaw
Hobby
Speed jigsaw assembly, now with national and world championships.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Competitive ploughing
Hobby
Ploughing a measured plot for straightness and finish, with horse, vintage and modern classes.
Over £1,000 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Competitive sheep shearing
SportHobby
Shearing against the clock and on quality, judged in graded competition classes.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Competitive vegetable showing
Hobby
Growing produce to exhibition standard for village and national shows, judged on form as much as size.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Competitive wood chopping
Sport
Timed axe and saw events — underhand, standing block, and crosscut sawing.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Concert band
Hobby
Wind 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
Hobby
Practical habitat work with a local group — scrub clearance, coppicing, surveys.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Contemporary a cappella
Hobby
Arranged 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
Hobby
Long-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
Contract bridge
Hobby
Partnership trick-taking with bidding as a language of its own.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Cornhole
HobbySport
Pitching 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
Cosplay
CraftHobby
Building and wearing costumes of characters, combining sewing, foam and prop work.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Cribbage
Hobby
A 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
Hobby
A 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
Dahlia growing and showing
Hobby
Growing dahlias to exhibition standard, with classification by form and size.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Darts
Sport
Three darts, a board, and more arithmetic than anyone expects.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Debating
Hobby
Arguing a case to a format and a clock, judged on the argument.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Digital mapping
Hobby
Contributing to open map data by surveying and editing the places you already know.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Djembe and hand drumming
Hobby
West 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
Dodgeball
Sport
Throwing, dodging and catching foam balls, played seriously in leagues.
Under £25 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Dog showing
Hobby
Exhibiting dogs against a breed standard, with its own handling craft and circuit.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoors or outdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Dominoes
Hobby
Tile games from simple blocking to fives-and-threes scoring.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Drag performance
HobbyCraft
Performing in drag, combining costume, makeup, lip sync and stagecraft.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Escape rooms
Hobby
Solving a themed room of puzzles against a clock, in a small team.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Esperanto
Hobby
Learning a constructed international language with a real speaker community.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Eurogames
Hobby
Strategy board games built around resource management and low luck rather than direct conflict.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Fan fiction writing
HobbyCraft
Writing fiction in somebody else’s world, with an enormous online culture.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
First aid volunteering
Hobby
Providing event and community first aid through a voluntary aid society, trained and re-assessed annually.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Folk sessions
Hobby
Playing traditional tunes by ear in a pub circle, with etiquette nobody writes down.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Footgolf
Sport
Golf 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
Free-form dance
Hobby
Unchoreographed movement practice in a facilitated group, with no steps to learn.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Gamelan
Hobby
Indonesian 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
Grass track cycling
Sport
Racing on grass ovals at village sports days and dedicated meetings.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Grassroots coaching
SportHobby
Coaching a club or junior side, which is a taught qualification and a genuine second hobby.
£100–£300 to startIndoors or outdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Great books reading
Hobby
Working through a long sequence of canonical texts, usually with a group and a schedule.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Guerrilla gardening
Hobby
Planting 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
Hedgehog surveying
Hobby
Recording hedgehog presence with footprint tunnels and night walks for a national scheme.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Heritage railway volunteering
Hobby
Restoring and running preserved railways as a volunteer.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Historical reenactment
Hobby
Recreating a period accurately — kit, craft, drill and living history.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Honey showing
Hobby
Preparing and exhibiting honey, wax and mead in show classes.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Horse showing
Sport
In-hand and ridden classes judged on conformation, way of going and turnout rather than a clock.
Over £1,000 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Horticultural judging
Hobby
Training and serving as a show judge, which turns a growing hobby into a formal expertise.
£100–£300 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Hound trailing
HobbySport
Racing hounds over a laid aniseed trail across open fell, a Cumbrian sport.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Improv comedy
Hobby
Making scenes up on stage with a group, to learned formats and rules.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Industrial heritage visiting
Hobby
Visiting 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
Kizomba
Hobby
An 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
Kubb
Hobby
A Swedish lawn game of throwing batons at wooden blocks, with a world championship.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Language exchange
Hobby
Learning 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
Legacy board games
Hobby
Campaign 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
Letter writing
Hobby
Corresponding by post, often with strangers, at length.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Life drawing
CraftHobby
Drawing from a live model in timed poses, the standard training exercise in observational drawing.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Lifeboat volunteering
Hobby
Crewing or shore-supporting a volunteer lifeboat station, on call and trained to a service standard.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Lindy hop
Hobby
The 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
Hobby
Choreographed group dancing in rows, no partner required.
Under £25 to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Litter picking
Hobby
Organised 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
Local history
Hobby
Researching one place in depth — its buildings, people and records.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Masters athletics
Sport
Age-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
Megagames
Hobby
Large 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
Hobby
A community workshop where the making and the company matter equally.
Under £25 to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Model United Nations
Hobby
Simulated diplomatic committees debating to procedure, with adult and alumni circuits as well as student ones.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Modern board gaming
Hobby
Playing designer board games — the hobby, the collection and the group.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Modern jive
Hobby
A 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
Monumental inscription recording
Hobby
Systematically recording gravestone inscriptions and plans before weathering removes them.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Morris dancing
Hobby
English traditional dance performed in sides, with live music and a season.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Mountain rescue volunteering
Hobby
Serving on a volunteer rescue team, with years of training before a first callout and a pager after it.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Museum volunteering
Hobby
Front of house, collections care or interpretation in a local museum.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Musical theatre
Hobby
Amateur companies staging full productions, combining singing, acting and dance.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Oral history
Hobby
Recording and archiving people’s memories, with a methodology and an ethics of its own.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Outdoor gym training
Sport
Training 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
Parkrun
Sport
A 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
Pétanque
Sport
Throwing steel boules at a small wooden jack on rough gravel.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Philosophy reading groups
Hobby
Reading primary texts slowly with other people, which is the only way most of them work.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Poultry showing
Hobby
Breeding and conditioning birds to a published standard and exhibiting them at shows.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Public speaking
Hobby
Practising speaking to an audience, usually in a structured club.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Puzzle hunts
Hobby
Team events solving chained cryptic puzzles against the clock, often across a city.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Quiz writing
Hobby
Writing and hosting quizzes, which is question construction, difficulty balancing and performance at once.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Quizzing
Hobby
Competitive general knowledge, from the pub league to national championships.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Rabbit hopping
HobbySport
Training rabbits over a course of jumps, a Scandinavian sport now run in Britain.
£100–£300 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Rabbit showing
Hobby
Breeding and exhibiting rabbits to breed standards at judged shows.
£100–£300 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Radio contesting
Hobby
Competitive amateur radio, making as many contacts as possible in a defined window.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Repair café volunteering
Hobby
Fixing 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
Hobby
Rehoming 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
Rummikub and tile rummy
Hobby
Rummy 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
Hobby
Social Latin partner dancing, learned in classes and danced at socials.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Sand sculpture
CraftHobby
Carving compacted sand, from beach work to competitive festival sculpture.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Sauna culture
Hobby
Regular 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
Scouting volunteering
Hobby
Running sections of a uniformed youth group, which is a training, safeguarding and logistics commitment.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Search and rescue dog handling
Hobby
Training and working a search dog to national assessment standard, which takes years with one dog.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Seed swapping
Hobby
Trading 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
Shanty singing
Hobby
Group 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
Short tennis
Sport
Tennis 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
Sign language
Hobby
Learning a signed language as a language, with its own grammar and community.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Spoken word
Hobby
Performing poetry and monologue live, at open mics and slams, where delivery is half the work.
Free or near-free to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Sports memorabilia
Hobby
Collecting programmes, shirts and ephemera around a club or a sport.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Sports officiating
SportHobby
Refereeing or umpiring at grassroots level, which is a qualification, a skill and a shortage everywhere.
£100–£300 to startIndoors or outdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Square dancing
Hobby
Called 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
CraftHobby
The 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
Steel pan
Hobby
Playing 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
Sticker album collecting
Hobby
Completing printed sticker albums by swapping duplicates, an entire economy built on scarcity.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Storytelling
Hobby
Telling traditional and original stories aloud to an audience, without a script.
Free or near-free to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Street dance
HobbySport
The 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
Surf lifesaving
Sport
A competitive sport built from beach rescue skills — swims, board races, runs and rescue drills.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Swing dancing
Hobby
Lindy hop, balboa and charleston, danced to live and recorded jazz.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Table shuffleboard
HobbySport
Sliding 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
Tabletop roleplaying
Hobby
Collaborative storytelling with dice and rules, run by one player for the rest.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Ten-pin bowling
Sport
Rolling a heavy ball at ten pins, socially or in a serious league.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Therapeutic horticulture groups
Hobby
Structured 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
Tiddlywinks
Hobby
A 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
Time banking
Hobby
Exchanging 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
Trading card games
Hobby
Competitive card games with constructed decks from a collectable card pool, played at organised events.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Trugo
Sport
Driving 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
Trumpet
Hobby
Playing the trumpet or cornet, with a strong British brass band tradition behind it.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Tune ringing
Hobby
Playing 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
Unicycle hockey
Sport
Five-a-side hockey played on unicycles, with an established league structure.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Urban birding
Hobby
Birdwatching 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
Volunteering
Hobby
Giving 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
Walking netball
Sport
Netball without running, designed for returning and older players and growing fast.
Under £25 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Walking rugby
Sport
Non-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
Hobby
Researching the people behind local memorials and recording what is found.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Whist
Hobby
A 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
Zine making
HobbyCraft
Writing, laying out and photocopying small self-published magazines.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet

Written up in depth#

Pickleball

Game mastering

Mahjong

Pool

Horticultural showing

Live action roleplay

Also in this category#

Allotment gardening

Amateur conducting

Amateur dramatics

Amateur orchestra

Archive volunteering

Argentine tango

Arm wrestling

Astronomy outreach

Axe throwing

Bachata

Ballroom dancing

Barbershop singing

Beach cleaning

Befriending volunteering

Bell boating

Big band

BioBlitz recording

Boccia

Book clubs

Brass banding

British Sign Language

Busking

Cage bird showing

Canasta

Cargo cycling

Carrom

Cat showing

Cavy showing

Ceilidh dancing

Chamber music

Change ringing

Charity shop volunteering

Choral singing

Church recording

Citizen science

Coastal rowing

Community archaeology

Community choir

Community first responding

Community gardening

Community orchards

Community radio

Competitive jigsaw

Competitive ploughing

Competitive sheep shearing

Competitive vegetable showing

Competitive wood chopping

Concert band

Conservation volunteering

Contemporary a cappella

Contra dance

Contract bridge

Cornhole

Cosplay

Cribbage

Crokinole

Dahlia growing and showing

Darts

Debating

Digital mapping

Djembe and hand drumming

Dodgeball

Dog showing

Dominoes

Drag performance

Escape rooms

Esperanto

Eurogames

Fan fiction writing

First aid volunteering

Folk sessions

Footgolf

Written up in depth

Also in this category