"England - not Britain, Wales or Scotland!" England by aaaarrgh

England Travel Guide: 70,003 reviews and 131,230 photos

John Speed's 1610 map of England (plus Wales)

England is rich in history, famous for Boadecea, Domesday Book, the Black Death, Poll-Tax Riots, Morris Dancing, Shakespeare, The Beatles, gardening, queuing... and more poll tax riots.

It has its own Royal Family, King David and Queen Victoria Beckham*. Some of its famous exports to the World have been pilgrims (to America), convicts (to Australia) and football hooligans (until recently). England has a rich distinctive heritage, but the English are only discovering it slowly. England's regions are all very different from one another. And the English are not all white, with plummy accents and stiff upper lips. There are many different accents and many different races and cultures who all nowadays make England special.

England does not yet have its own national anthem so, until the English find one they can agree on, the rest of Britain let them use "God Save the Queen" ;-))

* Now abdicated (2007) and living comfortably in California

Remember England is not just London. It stretches all the way to Land's End, Offa's Dyke and Hadrian's Wall. It definitely does not include Wales, Scotland or Ireland (as the Welsh, Scots and Irish will often remind you).

reclaiming the flag

Since the European Football Championship in 1996, the English have shown far more pride in England's Flag of St George. During the 1970's the flag had been hijacked by fascist and racist organisations, so it is good now that ordinary, law abiding English people are reclaiming it as their own. You will often see it flying, or draped on bedroom walls, together with the flag of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Union Jack.

St George's Day is the 23rd April (maybe people hoist a few more flags, but nothing much else happens).

'Middle England'

You may like to check out my other England pages ~

London "Very BIG city in Southeast England"
Oxfordshire "Historic County of Oxfordshire"
Bristol "Bristol - capital of the Southwest"
Clacton-on-Sea "Clacton and the Sunshine Coast"
Gloucester "Gloucester - historic inland port"
Cheltenham"Cheltenham Spa - attractive Georgian town"
Abingdon-on-Thames "More people should visit here"
Ludlow, Shropshire "Ludlow - very, very tasty"

Or VT's straight-talking member sourbugger has many more very honest tips which I highly recommend!

Pros and Cons

Pros:Rich in heritage: picturesque countryside, vibrant multicultural towns and cities
Cons:Identity crisis, stiff upper lips, Earl Grey Tea, lager louts
In a nutshell:More than just London, be adventurous and check it out!

Last visit to England: Jul 2008
Intro Updated Jul 11, 2008
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Reviews (19)

Officially England's Top Visitor... Things to Do (8)

In 2011 the UK's consumer organisation, "Which", carried out a survey to find out the best and most popular tourist... more travel advice

Offa's Dyke, the 1200 year old England... Things to Do (8)

King Offa was a 9th century cheif of the ancient kingdom of Mercia and is credited as being the first actual King of all... more travel advice

The Boston Stump - England's largest... Things to Do (8)

...or St Botolph's Church, to give it its proper name. At 82 metres high and equally as long, St Botolph's boasts to be... more travel advice

Stonehenge - watch out for heavy... Things to Do (8)

One of England's most ancient and famous monuments is Stonehenge, on Salisbury Plain. Several circles of standing... more travel advice

Transportation (2)
See All Train travel - occasionally cheap,...
Local Customs (5)
See All A country of tea drinkers ~ thanks to...

Comments (17)

sourbugger Sep 24, 2008 at 3:27 PM Report Abuse

glad you enjoyed visiting boston, i left soon after you arrived. nothing personal you understand. superb tips. and ta for the plug !
St_Vincent May 12, 2007 at 2:40 PM Report Abuse

I stumbled over your England page and found some amusing tips, especially liked the sports ones. Cheers, Clive
tini58de Mar 22, 2007 at 7:20 AM Report Abuse

I love your local customs! Very funny and informative!
christine.j Oct 23, 2006 at 2:42 AM Report Abuse

Good - and funny! - tips. I remember being on a bus in Yorkshire and trying to find out which language some people were speaking. It took me quite a while to realize that it was English.
FletteMette Jan 23, 2006 at 4:50 PM Report Abuse

Very entertaining!!:o) And I do like my cuppa the English way, milk but no sugar, please... :o)
Nemorino Oct 16, 2005 at 1:28 PM Report Abuse

An entertaining and authoritative page! You are the only ex-bellringer on VT as far as I know. (I don't know if I should admit this, but I used to bring a year's supply of PG Tips back to Germany from my annual trips to Birmingham.)
jeffmartinartist Aug 11, 2005 at 4:42 PM Report Abuse

i'm off to make a cuppa
uglyscot Jul 5, 2005 at 1:29 PM Report Abuse

I'm going to save your pages for my off days, I just couldn't help letting out a laugh at the Tea Tip. Love your humour.
HORSCHECK Jun 2, 2005 at 4:09 AM Report Abuse

Sean, fantastic page about England. Very detailed and humorous commentaries. I like your "accent" and "football" tips. Keep up the good work. :o)
ZanieOR Apr 9, 2005 at 11:35 AM Report Abuse

Enjoyed your page. The photo of the Eden Project definitely makes me want to visit, and all your tips were great. Thanks for correcting my ignorance regarding Yorkshire and blood puddings.