New research has unveiled a surprising secret about some of the UK's most tranquil towns and cities. While known for their historic charm and scenic beauty, they are also home to the nation's most sizeable purchases of a particular intimate product.
The Size Champions of the UK
The serene city of Hereford, famed for its cathedral, walking routes, and beef cattle, has claimed an unexpected title. According to Lovehoney's 2025 UK sex map, residents purchased the biggest dildos on average last year, measuring a substantial 7.13 inches. To put that in perspective, it's roughly the length of a standard pencil or a mid-sized banana.
Hereford did not stand alone in its preferences. The Channel Island of Jersey followed closely in second place with an average of 7.11 inches. Scotland's Inverness took third (7.10 inches), with Twickenham (7.09 inches) and Hemel Hempstead (7.07 inches) rounding out the top five.
Several other towns showed a preference for toys over seven inches, including Doncaster, Wigan, Peterborough, Halifax, Norwich, and Darlington. The historic city of Salisbury, ranked 12th, was the first on the list to show a preference for the six-inch range, with an average of 6.99 inches.
Not Everyone Believes Size is Everything
Despite the impressive figures from some postcodes, the data proves that many Britons prefer a more realistic feel. The most popular size across the country was actually five inches, dominating purchases in 82 cities, with Birmingham buying more of this size than anywhere else.
Other regional favourites included Lincoln for six-inch toys and Bristol for 6.5-inch products. This trend aligns with the fact that the average erect penis size in the UK is 5.63 inches, a figure that has grown by 8.9% in two years, placing Britain eighth globally for growth.
Britain's Raunchiest Regions Revealed
When it comes to the sheer volume of sex toys purchased per person, one area was the clear winner. East central London, encompassing boroughs like Islington, Camden, and Westminster, bought more toys per capita than anywhere else in the UK.
Interestingly, Gloucester, previously named the UK's BDSM capital, did not even rank in the top 50 for dildo size, coming in at 6.89 inches.
Separate research by sex toy manufacturer Rocks Off sheds light on the nation's collections. It found that 47.4% of people own between seven and nine sex toys, while a surprising 10.5% admitted to owning more than 20. The butt plug was the most popular choice, favoured by over 47% of respondents, followed by clit suckers, cock rings, and vibrators. The primary reason for use was to help climax (57.9%), with others citing added variety and keeping their sex life alive.
The history of such intimate aids is long and fascinating. The first known dildo, discovered in a German cave, is thought to be 28,000 years old, dating back to the Ice Age. Ancient Egyptian art depicts women wearing phallic objects, and Cleopatra is credited with an early form of the vibrator around 50 BCE, allegedly using a hollow gourd filled with bees.
