Tourists Should Visit England: the "Dirty Man of Europe"

Edinburgh is a classy city. You'll like that place. Make sure you go Dean Village - a must see. Recommend you walk as much as you can here - lovely place.

London is... big and impersonal. What sort of plans do you have? If it's the typical tourist thing, it's expensive but fun. There's lots to do.

If you want to try some stuff that's a bit different, try Camden market (it's just a great atmosphere) or Portabello market. Leadenhall Market is good if you like Harry Potter as I think some of it was filmed there!
Don't do the London Eye for a view - if you want one, go up the Sky Garden instead. You have to book ahead but it's free. I think there's a new one called Horizon 22 nearby it as well which is taller but Sky Garden is cool.
If you're after history, Templar's Church is amazing. Westminster Abbey is a must see as well - so much of our country's past in one place.
A fantastic pub recommendation is the Clachan near Bond Street. Proper place.
If you can, avoid the underground for close stops. London has something to see on every corner which we bypass under ground. Walking times between stations on the same line (tfl.gov.uk) is terrific as it shows you the gaps. Only one I'd recommend is Baker Street as it feels pretty much like a throwback to Victorian times.
Also, if it's during football season there is a small Gator club in London you can find with a quick google.

EDIT: oh our train system is absolutely SHOCKING so please have a contingency in mind. It's expensive, late and frequently cancelled/on strike.

 

I’m not even visiting England and I enjoyed reading about the proper spots to see.
Also, I like reading your posts in a proper English accent.
And, if you don’t mind… I think I’m going to start using the word “proper” more often, maybe incorporate it into my regular everyday conversation. It’s a nice touch, don’t ya think?

 

Whacky ideas like … ?

 

I just read that the Tories are getting slaughtered in this next election... They act just like our RINOs.

 

During pan-panic there were only two parties: Lock Down and Lock Down Harder.

 

Not to change the subject but I've got a question for LimeyGator. As a huge cowboy fan (99% of my TV and movie time is watching westerns) how come I haven't seen one single English cowboy movie? It is almost like England disappeared during the late 1800s. Didn't they have Cowboys? Even Australia has cowboy movies Snowy River, Quigley down under, Ned Kelly ect. I just want to see one British cowboy movie.

 

Not LimeyGator, but I'll answer your ridiculous question with the fact England did not have a "wild west" in the 1800s. You may be shocked to learn England's history goes quite a bit further back than that. They also lacked Native Americans.

 

I visited London in August 2023. The underground (tubes) are teriffic, clean, and safe. The food scene is now stellar. Their Chinatown is better than NY or SF -closed to traffic and better food. Fantastic free museums, cathedrals, etc. Big improvement in previous visits starting back in 80's. They have infrastructure issues but no worse than ours. Worth a visit.

 

Wrong



Sounds like they had rustlers just like us. They had cattle drives so I imagine they had drovers just like Rowdy Yates. How come Clint never made a British cowboy movie?

 

Doubt we would notice. I can still smell the Main Street water treatment plant ...

 

You posted you" haven't seen one single English cowboy movie?" Found one for you. And I can personally attest to seeing a man on a bicycle herd 20 - give or take - cattle, in the Bavarian Alps. He was escorting them home from their day in the village communal pasture, that doubles as the local soccer field when cattle is gone.

Perhaps @LimeyGator can tell us what chuffed means?

 

It's a long idea, but basically, they are going to massively cut taxes (which everyone likes) and magically transform everything else so it's better.

Don't get me wrong, that sounds lovely! I'd like me some of that.

It's just utterly built in dreamland. We've had nearly 13 years of open austerity and public services are on their knees. I'm all for reform but any party thinking they can solve that with a couple of reforms are overpromising to get votes, like having no waiting lists for care. Much like Brexit, it's all unicorns and no reality.

The next Government needs to improve public services. If there were genuinely easy reforms we would have made them. Truth is, it'll come down to choices. Apparently they don't have to make any tough ones.

From their manifesto, they spout gibberish like this:


I have been a qualified teacher for 2 decades. It's borderline insulting to think the first point hasn't always been top of the agenda, but it garners votes for those that have no dose of reality. Likewise, the second one. I've never been visited by "the woke police" in my life. It's a tired narrative designed to rile. I can't stand lazy, self serving politics.

 

That's a great question to which I honestly don't know the answer. It's not something when I think of British history. That's the Victorian era - we were still out pinching stuff from most of the world around then...

 

I would add that London is good for the tourist thing but there's so many beautiful places outside of London worth a visit.
If you like the whole front of a postcard England-thing, the Cotswolds are stunning. Bourton on the Water is one of my favourite places to visit - quintessentially an English village.


Stonehenge is out that way to the west. Bath and Oxford are great cities to visit. Canterbury is nice if you're staying local to London as well - a quick train ride. But my personal favourite is York, up in the North West. Stunning place. Unbelievable number of lovely pubs too

 

Ha! It's one of my favourite words and I'm well chuffed you asked

It means "to be pleased", in a typical English way.

 

second the sky garden, just make sure to get up there before they close off the balcony. Templars and Westminster Abbey are both amazing to see the history there. Same for Tower of London. Just make sure to reserve all in advance. Sky garden tickets go quick when released. Not much free in London but sky garden is. We liked St Paul's Cathedral and the tour up through the dome. good theater scene in London too. taking the water taxi up and down the Thames gives a good overview as does the hop on, hop off bus.

 

In the movie Yesterday where supposedly the Beatles didn't exist, there was a concert on the beach at the end. Don't know where it was but looked pretty big.

 

If you're going to go to the ToL, get there early.
There's also a good pub called the 'Hung, Drawn and Quartered' - proper pub, on Great Tower Street nearby.

If you like history, Hampton Court Palace is another. That's quite 'British splendour'.
Hyde Park is nice for a walk too.
The Globe Theatre is another as it's by the River and cool if you like that kind of thing.
.

 

Are you suggesting they’re making up the stuff about woke and religious persecution ?

 

I want to visit the Admirality and Scapa Flow.