"This is home." United Kingdom by leics

United Kingdom Travel Guide: 92,815 reviews and 218,592 photos

I've travelled extensively throughout the UK over the years and, despite all the niggles, I do like the place. The countryside, the people and the culture vary so hugely within what is really a tiny piece of land.

It's important to remember that the UK is actually four separate countries in all but overall name. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own history, culture and languages (and parliaments) and should never be included in 'England'.

Of those countries I know England and Wales the best. I am saving Scotland for my retirement years (although I have made visits in the past, pre VT). Recently I've explored (and fallen in love with) wonderful Orkney and, in 2011, the even more wonderful Shetland Isles

My 2010 visit to Northern Ireland introduced me to a country I'd long wanted to explore. I'll go again, for there is still much to see. I've listed the places I visited (and made pages for) on my N Ireland page. Exploring Belfast, in particular, was a real pleasure, but I also visited many other places.

The UK has been inhabited for hundreds of thousands of years. The last Ice Age removed much evidence of early inhabitants, but excavations in Boxgrove, Sussex, has proved hominids were here over 200 000 years ago. Neanderthal teeth have been found in Pontnewydd cave, South Wales.

Evidence of prehistoric settlement can be seen throughout the UK, from the magnificent Neolithic village at Skara Brae to the ultimate standing stones at Stonehenge.

The Romans invaded in 55 AD, but only dominated for about 400 years.... and never reached much of Scotland. Later, the UK was settled by groups such as the Saxons, Angles, Jutes and, of course, the Vikings. Each left their mark on local culture and language. The last invasion, in 1066, was by the Normans, whose 'motte and bailey' castles are such a feature of the English and Welsh landscape.

Many of our towns still have reminders of their past, be they Saxon, Medieval or later, and these are always worth seeking out.Until the Industrial Revolution of the early 19th century, life in the UK was mainly pastoral. Towns focused on trade, many having daily or weekly markets, and 'cottage industry' was the norm ...... you made whatever you made in your own house, and sold it without using a middleman. The Industrial Revolution led to the development of factories, forcing many people to leave their farms and cottage industries and seek work in the industrialised towns. Consequently, many towns in the UK, especially England, are made up of Victorian workers' homes of one sort or another. These are often terraced and often built of brick (where local stone wasn't easily available). Until the law promoted by George Smith was passed, it was quite usual for children to work in the brickfields (long hours, harsh working conditions). Many of the bricks used to build our most famous early Victorian constructions (e.g. St. Pancras station in London) were made with child labour.

The thing about the UK is, I think, that it is a tiny set of islands which has absorbed a vast amount of change over the centuries, including almost entire changes of language and culture. Consequently, what remains to be visited is more varied in landscape, customs, architecture etc than perhaps anywhere else of similar size. Knowing a little about how the UK came into being helps one to better understand its anomalies and quirks.

Each hamlet, village, town and city is different.

Skara Brae, Orkney

Although I've travelled a lot around this country, I didn't take a huge number of photos until I became a VT member (and, later, got a digital camera). I've got a very good visual memory and, anyway, I didn't have anyone to show them to!

I've now made pages about lots of UK places. Wherever possible, these have been listed under their county. Here are some of them:

England:

Berkshire with Hermitage and Pangbourne

Cambridgeshire , with Peterborough, Cambridge and Ely.

Cheshire: Chester

The Cotswolds (not a county, an area): Bourton-on-the-Water, Cirencester, Moreton-in-the-Marsh, Stow-on-the-Wold, Little Rollright

Derbyshire: Peak District, Butterton, Ashbourne

Devon: Dartmoor, Exeter, Postbridge, Manaton, Thorverton, Widecombe and Dartmoor National Park

Dorset: Lyme Regis

County Durham: Durham

Gloucestershire: , Deerhurst, lovely Tewkesbury

Hampshire: Silchester and wonderful, historic Winchester

Herefordshire: ancient Hereford

Hertfordshire: Letchworth, the first 'garden city'.

Leicestershire with Leicester, Market Harborough, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Somerby , Market Bosworth, Houghton-on-the-hill and
Hinckley

Lincolnshire: Lincoln

London and Heathrow

Manchester

North Wales

Norfolk with Sedgeford, where I spent my summers digging an Anglo-Saxon burial and occupation site.

Northumberland with Alnwick, Bamburgh, Craster, , Berwick-on-Tweed, Dunstanburgh, magical Lindisfarne , Seahouses and Wooler

North Yorkshire with York, ,Ripon

Nottinghamshire: Newark-on-Trent

Oxfordshire, with Dorchester-on-Thames,
Wantage and Oxford

Rutland (England's tiniest county): Oakham

Somerset: Glastonbury and tiny, beautiful Wells

Staffordshire: tiny, ancient Lichfield and Roman Wall

Warwickshire: Kenilworth, Leamington Spa, Warwick, Shipston-on-Stour , Coventry and Stratford-on-Avon

The West Midlands: Dudley, Birmingham

West Yorkshire: Halifax, Hebden Bridge, Haworth,
Ripon, Sowerby Bridge.

Wiltshire: Salisbury, Devizes, Marlborough and Avebury

Worcestershire: Worcester

I know North Wales particularly well, because I lived there for 5+ years.

Llangollen and
the county of Gwynedd
Bangor
Beaumaris (on Anglesey)
Caernarfon
Llanberis
and beautiful Snowdonia

Pros and Cons

Pros:Diversity, tolerance, inclusivity, history.
Cons:Intolerance, decrepitude, unpredictable weather.
In a nutshell:It can be weird place sometimes, but I like it.

Intro Updated May 4, 2012
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Reviews (26)

Do not abbreviate!! Warnings and Dangers (10)

In some parts of the world it is common to abbreviate streetnames. For example: 'I met him on Albany'. Do not do this... more travel advice

If you bring your dog....... Warnings and Dangers (10)

..as you might do if you are from Europe, do be aware that allowing your dog to foul the streets is taken pretty... more travel advice

'Kettling' Warnings and Dangers (10)

A warning about something you are unlikely to come across, but the possibility does exist. Most UK marches and... more travel advice

Benchmarks Off The Beaten Path (2)

You may come across some odd marks on buildings as you travel the UK. Inside ancient buildings (especially religious... more travel advice

Things to Do (2)
See All Give some money to the lifeboats
Local Customs (7)
See All Pubs, and how to get served in them.

Shopping (3)
See All Charity shops
Transportation (2)
See All Taxis, cabs, mini-cabs.

Travelogues (3)

1 - 3 of 3

Comments (10)

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Nemorino Jan 4, 2012 at 2:47 AM

Thanks for clearing up a minor mystery. I had noticed that people in the UK tend not to abbreviate street names (as we do both in the US and in Germany), but I never knew why. -- “The Butts” in your photo is a funny sounding street name to us Americans.
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xaver Oct 28, 2010 at 2:19 AM

nice, OS maps do sound helpful!
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alza Oct 13, 2010 at 1:51 PM

LOL! I might snoop around kettling but usually avoid it not to waste precious time. Good tip though, some travel unaware of possible blocks to full enjoyment of a place. :) Need our eyes opened everywhere! Demonstrations are usually best avoided...
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Trekki Jun 22, 2008 at 11:30 AM

Fantastic stuff :-)) Haha, I should no even think of driving... these rules sound verrry difficult. But then... how else would I discover these cute little very much off path villages?
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christine.j Dec 14, 2007 at 2:52 AM

This is a great page with many helpful tips.I've never seen an adder in all my hikes in the UK, but would love to.
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MikeStarr5 Oct 29, 2007 at 2:46 PM

Great pic - Thanks. Here in "Barking Town" we have the UK's 2nd largest public artwork called "Holding Pattern" - It's 70m long x 50m wide and almost 6m high. It cost £650,000 to build and only Anthony Gormley's “Angel of the North” is bigger.
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mtncorg May 25, 2007 at 8:56 AM

No cell phone here, as my corgi hasn't learned how to call me yet, so I should be fine on the motorway if I can just remember to stay on the right side of the road ... I mean, left!
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uglyscot Aug 7, 2005 at 11:45 PM

Your tips are really very useful. As an expat I found some hints I'd either forgotten or were new to me. Thanks .
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aadil Jan 19, 2005 at 1:53 PM

Lovely page with many helpful and info filled tips and pics!!! Thanks for sharing your 4 in 1 (combined) country with us on VT!!! I just love visiting the UK every year!!! Great places to see and enjoy even though it is very expensive!!!
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mrjemm Aug 28, 2004 at 2:38 PM

I like the local lingo pointers and pleased to see the road-use tips: as a biker I'm vulnerable. But must point out there're a few very good food vans out there (got one in a restaurant tip!), Jem