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Four Good Reasons to Visit EnglandThrilling History, Good Food, Great Houses and Pub Grub - and Drink
While no one vacations in England to get a suntan, the nation is a garden spot for tourists seeking fodder for the mind, the stomach, and the eyes.
Although weather is the least of England's charms (despite glorious spring days and even some summer stunners), there are myriad other reasons to visit England, any time of year. A minimal listing would include:
If one is visiting London, one might also include Theater. Indeed, if one is visiting Tavistock, Devon, a four-hour drive from London, one might also include Theater. The town of just 12,000 boasts both a dramatic and a musical theater troupe. A musical production last fall of Cole Porter's Anything Goes was quite enjoyable, if not world-class, mainly because the cast managed to get the "New Yawk" accents spot on. UK History is US History, TooHowever, history is the topic that is national in scope, whether one is a Yank or a Brit. As it happens, some of the seminal events in British history were also pivotal for U.S. history. The Magna Carta, signed by King John in 1215, is responsible for the rule of law in both nations. Tourists can easily visit one of the two sites thought to be the possible place of the signing, the lake meadow at Runnymede, or Magna Carta Island in the Thames, nearby. Plymouth, far southwest of London, was the site from which the Massachusetts Bay colonists set out, today marked by a commemorative stone just a minute’s walk from the medieval part of town, undestroyed by the German blitzkrieg of World War II that laid waste to much of Plymouth. All Sorts of “Vores” Catered ForFood is important to the British, so much so that the government has banned genetically modified (GM) foodstuffs, and most towns of any size will have a health food store and a number of restaurants spearheading both the slow food movement and catering for “locavores.” A small nation, it is not difficult for chefs to buy locally, as transport is not the same major issue it is in the United States. Stately Homes or Humble Ones Are All InvitingIf visit England for a couple of weeks with no set schedule, it is worth joining the National Trust. That organization has preserved an enormous number of architecturally stunning and/or historically compelling great houses, and some notable smaller ones. A huge house such as Sissinghurst, home of author Vita Sackville-West near London is of both literary and historic importance. The Old Post Office, the medieval home of a yeoman in Tintagel, is of historic, archaeological and sociological importance. Most Trust houses have fine gift shops with reasonable prices, and quaint restaurants with tasty offerings, many involved with the locavore movement. The only caveat is that virtually all are closed from sometime in November until early spring, with exceptions. Look at the National Trust website for opening times for all Trust properties. Pub Life is Great LifeHardly a breathing traveler is unfamiliar with the great British Pub Ploughman’s Lunch, a platter containing breads, meats, cheeses, pickles and some greens, to be washed down with a pint. Pubs don’t generally do the fancy, fruity drinks so many Americans are fond of. But if you want to relax with a pint of beer or bitter, some cider (hard there, unlike in the States), a relatively simply presented quaff of some form of spirit, England’s your place. The English pub is deservedly an institution copied the world over for its friendly atmosphere, filling food and a wee drop of something to take the chill off.
The copyright of the article Four Good Reasons to Visit England in England Travel is owned by Laura Harrison McBride. Permission to republish Four Good Reasons to Visit England in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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