I love the UK.

The UK has an awful lot going for it - I fail to see the attaction of the "usual suspects" - Tenerife, Ibiza, Cyprus, Crete and so on. As mentioned above there's a wealth of beautiful locations - straight up the M6 we have the Lake District, go a bit further and you're in Scotland, or go Eastwards and you get the Yorkshire Dales.

There are tons of places off the Tourist Trail - but I like to hope they won't get discovered! The Lake District doesn't half get crowded.

Outside of Preston is a delightful little hamlet/village called Chipping - it's one of those places where you have to agree to not have a satellite dish, television aerials, do anything to the exterior of your property that's not in character, etc. It's regularly in demand by TV production companies because it looks as if it's still in the 16th Century.

And anyway, national news footage of holidaymakers stuck at the airport due to a hold up (French air traffic controllers!) should surely put anyone off going to foreign climbs - everyone looks frazzled to bits, trying to kip on those dreadful plastic chairs!

Oh I wish it wasn’t such a loooong way for us to come. Could you just move it over into the Pacific? 🚢 You are so lucky you don’t have to travel so much, green with envy . 🍀

Yeah, great thread and full of suggestions about interesting places to visit.Am making a list right now.😍
Haven’t had a holiday for a long time but we should be able to have a week next year.Other than that it’s a day out now and again, I love getting out into the countryside and it’s never all that far no matter where you live.

Forgot to say great thread annsixty. Thank you.

I feel very lucky to have been born and bred in England. I love my country and the whole of the UK. We have stunning countryside and wildlife, beautiful plants and trees, fantastic coastline and beaches, plus amazing buildings and history, arts and culture.

I love our history and pageantry. No country does "pomp and circumstance" like we do. And I love the seasons and changing landscapes.

Whenever I have travelled abroad, as the plane circles over the UK prior to landing and as a passenger I looked down on the patchwork of green fields, I would choke with emotion. There is nowhere else I'd rather live. It's not perfect - what country is? - but it's home and I feel very patriotic and proud of my country.

Nandalot and Primrose - this hidden gem was where I met friends in the city when my oldest child was tiny. Happy days.

We have enjoyed many many holidays in the UK and have lots of favourite places. Currently on holiday in Portugal and lucky enough to have already had one abroad holiday this year in Gran Canaria we are seriously considering making this our last. A major consideration is the ever rising cost of travel insurance as we age we have more and more to declare. Definitely more UK short breaks for us but I won't rule out seeing Italy a few more times before I throw in the passports.

It is a lovely country and often the loveliest parts are virtually unknown and not on the ‘tourist routes’. In fact the tourist towns tend to be very overcrowded with awful traffic jams so I always advise friends visiting to avoid them as much as possible. With a bit of research you can find the stunning unknowns and Utube is also very good for this.

I, too, feel blessed to live in the UK. We lived abroad a lot while DH was in the Army, but we were always pleased to come home. I grew up spending a lot of time in the Peak District and it was our go to place when DH retired from the Army and we came to live here in South Yorkshire. It still is for me because I don’t have to drive very far to get there - but we also had a long standing love affair with West Wales, North Norfolk, and the East Yorkshire coast - Staithes, Flamborough, Whitby and Filey Bay. And latterly, glorious Northumberland! Britain? Bring it on!

You've just reminded me, LaCrepescule, of how our beautiful country is also captured in works of art - poetry, paintings and music.

Oh to be in England
Now that April's there,
And whoever wakes in England
Sees, some morning, unaware,
That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf
Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,
While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough
In England - now!
(apologies, this applies to the rest of the UK too!)
BUT since Brexit my soul is no longer here. I’m ashamed of our politicians and long to be part of the wider European community again 🙁

How nice to see people expressing their admiration for this country instead of knocking it. You don't need to spend a lot of money to get out and enjoy our wonderful countryside and wildlife.
I don't understand why so many people are happy to see it all destroyed and the land covered in concrete.

It would be even better if our rivers and seas were clean to swim in, and our native species weren’t being depleted on a record level. Shame our environment is hardly ever mentioned in the election campaign.

Primrose53, my DB and DSIL live almost opposite that garden in Norwich. It is a hidden gem.

Such a great thread. This is a beautiful country and I love it so much.
I was lucky enough to see much of it back in my camper van days, and although we toured Europe a lot I was always glad to get home . Every part of Britain has glorious areas, from the west country to Scotland, so much of Wales is beautiful too, and the lake district, Northumberland and Yorkshire, East Anglia etc.
I'm so pleased that many of us appreciate it.

LOL.
Well there are modern buildings of course, but coast and countryside are timeless. Some of our country parks are modern, as they have been created out of former coal mines!

1Summer’s post reminds of one of dd2’s friends, when they were about 16. She came to visit from South Africa so we showed her what we thought was the best of Scotland and then we went to the north of England. After a busy and active day in York we relaxed back at our hotel and asked her for her impressions. ‘Well, it’s alright and quite interesting but isn’t there anything modern in this country?’

Thinking about it I have never been to anywhere in England that I couldn’t find anything positive to say about it. I struggled with Blackpool though.

It might be lovely buildings, churches, parks, modern shopping centres, rivers or canals. There is usually something interesting.

We visited Lancashire, Yorkshire and also Kent last year. All beautiful and diverse. There is nowhere as beautiful as Britain and I’ve been to many other countries. And at this time of year the countryside is at its best. I could never live anywhere else.

Interesting to come across this thread.in the last few weeks I have had two cousins come to visit from Vancouver. I live in the Midlands and so did they nearly 50 years ago.
I was a bit worried they would find it drab and dismal in this country,but looking at it through someone else’s eyes changed my mind.
We visited the towns of Leamington Spa, Warwick, Kenilworth and beautiful villages of Warwickshire especially Berkswell. where my cousin married. All lovely places with nice churches, castles and parks. The cities of Coventry and Birmingham with beautiful architecture, museums, cathedrals and hidden gems. We spent 3 days in my brothers home city of Wells with its beautiful Cathedral, Bishops Palace and gardens. The mystical town of Glastonbury with the Abbey and Tor.
They loved it all and didn’t want to leave, they kept saying they didn’t remember the UK being so beautiful and interesting. It honestly left me very proud to live in this amazing country which we often take for granted.

The most lovely thread! I don't use planes either Luckygirl13 and am so thankful the inspiring landscapes that surround us all.
Off to seek out some Medieval Doom Paintings and Ancient Yew trees this weekend in deepest darkest Gloucestershire!

NotSpaghetti

Lots of our cities have lovely parks - and arboretum too.

I know. That’s what I tried to convey.

Here`s our caravan at our very favourite campsite, Muasdale, just down the road from our lovely Soop.

Lots of our cities have lovely parks - and arboretum too.

Kate1949

Yes Primrose. Walsall town centre is quite a tired place these days but this wonderful arboretum is on the edge of the town. There are lovely walks, streams, lakes, acres of lawn, a tennis court, children's play area complete with water features, picnic areas, a very cheap little cafe. Last time we were there there were parakeets in the trees.

I love it when I visit a town or city and discover a lovely park. We have a lot to thank the Victorians for.

We found a lovely one inHastings once when the kids were small. Scarborough has a beauty. Leicester has many lovely parks andWalks and of course, Nottingham.