I love the UK.

Gin

Yesterday I went to Hidcote Gardens in the heart of the Cotswolds and went through such beautiful scenery and delightful honey-coloured stone towns. At the weekend we are off to Devon, one of my favourite counties.

Usually we holiday.in SW Scotland where the rugged coast is a joy to explore. Anyone else know Dunure? This is the favourite place of the whole family.

Dunure is a very special place to my family! As children we used to climb the big rock on the quayside.

Sometimes, when I look at the state of the country - the tired and dilapidated state of so many cities, the rundown hospitals with their overworked staff, the homeless in the underpass and the endless political argument and mud-slinging - I ask myself why I live here and why I didn't emigrate years ago.
Then I go out to the garden in SO's little bit of South Yorkshire and look at the view. How could I even think of going elsewhere?

Some of you live in such lovely parts of the country with such lovely views. I do have super views, but only from my upstairs windows !

Joseann

“Cossy
I too think we have a beautiful country. Lots and lots of green spaces and lots of national parks and some amazing beaches.

People, in my opinion, don’t hate the geography of the UK, just the economic and political situations, which actually prevents a substantial amount of people enjoying it all to the full.
I don't understand how the economic situation necessarily prevents people from enjoying the area in which they live. Obviously travelling around the UK becomes difficult without money, but nature surrounds everyone, even if you just sit in a London park, walk in a forest or wander along a beach. Cornwall, for example, is a very poor county, but this is made up for by the riches on the doorstep.
I love our cities, towns and countryside. Such diversity on a small island.“

You are absolutely correct, nothing to stop anyone enjoying their immediate areas, but for those wishing to travel slightly further afield the cost of fuel and accommodation can be vast.

I’m aware people can go camping, but this isn’t suitable for all.

I cannot argue though that from Lands End through to John O Groats, we have some spectacular scenery, as does Ireland, both sides.

l've never wanted to go anywhere else.
apart from ireland for other reasons, and to germany once for a conference, wish i hadn't bothered, having to apply for a passport. long expired, so not even useful for ID.
i haven't been anywhere for nearly 20 years.
and that was derbys.
my life changed. the carefree days were over.
if i ever did go anywhere again, it would not be anywhere that required a passport.
but i have no urge to do so.
agree with the OP; all we need and much to marvel at here in UK.

crazyH

Some of you live in such lovely parts of the country with such lovely views. I do have super views, but only from my upstairs windows !

puts me in mind of the old music hall song:
oh it really is a wery pwetty gardin, . . .
wiv a ladder an some glasses,
you could see to 'ackney marshes,
if it wasn't for the 'ouses in between.

apologies to the great mr gus elen.
here is the proper reference. folksongandmusichall.com/index.php/if-it-wasnt-for-the-ouses-inbetween/

I couldn’t agree more annsixty. There is no place in the world that I love more than our beautiful green and pleasant land.
What a lovely thread, just sitting reading about how much so many of us love this place has made me feel warm and fuzzy.

Probably feel less fuzzy if I shaved my legs.

I too love living in this country - it has so much beauty, of such different kinds, and is a 'green and pleasant land' - because of rain. We do not always like rain but without it our landscape would be parched and brown for much of the year. I feel so very lucky to live here - and for other reasons too, like having the rule of law (even if it is imperfect..)

I don’t know how many times I’ve sailed into Dover. But I still get slightly emotional when I see those white cliffs.

We have a Motorhome and I love touring England although it mostly turns north when we get out of the drive! We live in North Yorkshire and have so many beautiful dales around us, followed by Northumberland, Scotland and the Outer Hebrides. It just gets better and better. Last year we even managed Orkney and Shetland.

We do go abroad a lot and have just got back from three weeks touring Canada and I must admit I love England the best!

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202406/medium-402944-20180526-193414.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202406/medium-459590-20180526-193613.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202406/medium-900081-20180526-194209.jpg

Luckygirl🙂

Germanshepherdsmum I too love the soft and gentle climate here. We do have extremes at times but not for long, and having spent time in countries where savage weather makes life unbearable for some of the year, I have become even more grateful. Some years ago we were in new York when a hurricane was due to strike at the weekend; there were so many frightened people. We have much to be glad about.

it has some awful history,but then what country doesnt? the weather could be better? my dil who is from canada loves the variety of the landscape,i have to agree.

We have a campervan, and did a 6 week tour of Spain and France earlier this year, which was lovely, but we have come to the conclusion that the UK is unbeatable. You only have to drive 30 miles to arrive in totally different terrain, whereas in Spain you can drive all day and the views are much the same!...........Viva Reino Unido!

I suggest that those of you who love the British countryside take a long look at what is proposed for the Suffolk coastline.

In order to bring more power from offshore wind farms the National Grid is planning to build a line of pylons and cables across the countryside towards London. It could be taken down the North Sea straight to London but it is the easier and cheaper option to go overland.

The National Grid is the privatised former CEGB.

I live in Marlborough, a nice little town to visit, but living here isn't that great!

One set of traffic lights anywhere even as far back as the M4 and A419 to the Cotswolds causes absolute GRIDLOCK! Just getting to the shops is a nightmare. It should have had a bypass years ago using the old railway line, but it wasn't to be. Allegedly Marlborough College and Waitrose had some impact on that decision. In times gone by Waitrose had a lot of passing lunchtime trade, but now as you have to pay for parking, I doubt they do still?

There are two major routes going through the town - one is the A4, the other is a main north-south route from the M4 to the likes of Salisbury. That route you cannot even pass single file if there is a lorry going either way - the traffic has to stop to let it through (not entirely sure why but they all seem to be Home Bargains lorries?) The route passes through The Green, a lovely area surrounded by Elizabethan and Georgian houses, and if you are sitting in one and a lorry goes past, you can actually feel the house shake! These beautiful buildings are being ruined by all the traffic trying to move through roads built for horses and carriages - it's ridiculous!

The surrounding villages are far nicer, but I had to move here to be closer to my daughter sadly as I need her help more and more as time goes on ...

welbeck I think an expired passport is still OK for voting ID. So long as it is still obviously you.

I thought it had to be current.

Mine isn't current, and doesn't look like me either.

We are close to the Warwickshire countryside and live in a 'leafy suburb' of a city. We are literally surrounded by green fields, nature reserves and country parks. We have several fabulous National Trust gardens within short driving distance and can get to Birmingham easily where we can wander among the amazing canal waterways area before choosing from several excellent places to lunch.

welbeck - I like your song 👍

I love the UK! I live in the NW ...1 hours drive from the lakes, Wales and the Dales ( different directions) ..... Keswick and Kirby Lonsdale are my favourites ...go every year to both

I have lived in N Ireland, England and Scotland (I haven’t lived in Wales only because the opportunity never came my way) and I have enjoyed living in each of them for the beautiful countryside and, as some have pointed out, beauty within many towns and “built up areas”. Even sitting in my, relatively, small garden surrounded by peace, quiet and trees I feel very, very lucky. Someone I know goes on at least one cruise every year but was willing to make a round trip of between 10 and 12 hours to drive round a Scottish island in one day!!!

We recently visited Fuerteventura recently and hired a car and we commented on the lack of diversity of the landscape it makes you really appreciate the wild and wonderful landscapes within the whole of the UK.