Pub Life and other United Kingdom Local Custom Tips

Public Houses are a way of life in the U.K. and Ireland. The opening ours are mostly restricted and they usually close before midnight. Pubs are the heart of many villages and neighbourhoods. People meet and greet, gather to enjoy each other there. Beers and ales are wide and varied and it's fun to try different types. I've yet to pick a favourite, but i'm still looking. Pubs can be modern and cold, attracting the younger set. My favourites are the more traditional types of pubs. Most of them serve food and it's a great place to get relatively inexpensive meals and they aren't all deep fried heart attacks on plates anymore. Many of them are catering to more healthy choices and vegetarian choices as well as traditional fare like bangers (sausages) and mash (mashed potatoes loaded with gravy).

A Ploughman's Lunch is often a filling meal, with cold meat, cheese, a dark rich relish called Branston pickle and let's not forget the pickled onion and sometimes, pate.

You'll probably find some congenial company too. Well, at least the bartender will probably be chatty. Just remember, you have to get your drinks and order your food at the bar, they don't come to the table and wait on you. You don't tip either, but you can offer the bartender a drink and he or she will take the price of a drink from your change as the tip. "And one for yourself"

Guide to pub etiquette:
http://www.sirc.org/publik/ptpchap1.html

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Favourite holiday destination for the residents of the UK are the many seaside towns and resorts. The Victorians built long piers out over the water and covered them with restaurants and amusements like games and arcades and theatres and shops. The beaches are dotted with changing huts, umbrellas and lounging chairs and there are wide promenades that run along the shore, lined with hotels, guesthouses and places to eat and drink. The most famous of these in the North West is Blackpool with Southport a close second. The Londoners headed out to South End and Brighton has been a favourite destination too. North Wales has Llandudno, Yorkshire has Scarborough, Cornwall will see you in Newquay. If you're in the south east you might find the beaches of Margate to your liking.

I've been to both Llandudno (North Wales) and Blackpool (Northwest coast). Llandudno is not nearly as gaudy and crowded as Blackpool which is sort of a cross between Coney Island and Las Vegas and has three major amusement piers and a huge amusement park called the Pleasure Beach. Blackpool also has a 400+ foot tower you can ascend or stay on the ground and dance in the elaborate ballroom. Llandudno is more sedate, with a nice pier and sweeping wide promenade lined with elegant terrace housing and hotels. There's great hiking on the nearby Great Orme and a Victorian tram that will take you up to the summit if you're not up to the climb.

Brighton is on the south coast and I would highly recommend it as a day trip out of London. It's about an hour on the train from Victoria station and is a compact city in the centre. There are fantastic shops, the wonderful Pavillion (see Things to Do tip), a museum, theatre and the seaside pier, of course! There used to be two piers but one burned a few years ago and it's just a shell now but they haven't torn it down.

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