‘If purgatory existed, what would the British version be?’ – 23 UK places you would not want to wait in for an eternity

Purgatory is defined as a place of temporary punishment in which souls are purified before they can enter the gates of heaven. So basically, somewhere horrible that you have to hang out for an indeterminate length of time.

They’ve discussing particularly British purgatorial places on the AskUK subreddit after user sudwald posted this:

If purgatory existed, what would the British version be?

I’m thinking waiting for a bus that never comes. The bus shelter has been smashed and there’s a wind coming through the hole that keeps blowing the exact same hair back into your face. The bus stop is located on a bend so you can’t ever relax or you won’t see the bus in time to hail it.

Yep, that sounds pretty miserable. And plenty of other people came up with their ideas of UK-based almost-hell, like these:

1.

‘Queuing at the bar in one long queue rather than all the way down the length.’
–Voodoopulse

2.

‘Or the old school post office queue when post offices were just that, so nothing WHSmithy to even look at.’
–palpatineforever

3.

‘Theres a tea shop… but its American teabags and French long life milk served with tepidly warm water by a Spaniard.’
–martzgregpaul

4.

‘You are sitting on a cheap plastic chair at Argos waiting for your number to be called. Thirty years have passed.’
–Significant-Food4836

5.

‘Being on hold to the GP, endlessly pressing 1. ‘You are number……3,475…..in the queue’.’
-farlos75

6.

‘Mrs Brown’s Boys on telly 24/7.’
–Spazzticus

7.

‘Stood on a platform at Manchester Piccadilly for a train which keeps being delayed 5 minutes every time it hits the new scheduled arrival time.’
–Harrry-Otter

8.

‘Waiting for a delayed replacement bus with zero estimate of when it will arrive.’
–BadahBingBadahBoom

9.

‘Purgatory does exist: it’s called Saturday in IKEA.’
–Worried_Suit4820

10.

‘Or Bank Holiday in IKEA followed by a trip to B & Q. Strong men in South London weep when Purley Way is mentioned.’
–WesternZucchini5343

11.

‘Sitting in school assembly waiting for the teacher to get a overhead projector working to start a sing-along. Forever.’
–Dennyisthepisslord

12.

‘Six deep at a supermarket checkout and the cashier keeps looking up at the queue but never opens another one.. the customer at the front of the line is a chatty old lady who never leaves.’
–Stinkinhippy