Facts at a Glance
Full country name: Great Britain
Area: 88,619 sq miles (142,677 sq km)
Population: 58.5 million
Capital city: London (pop 7 million)
People: English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish, with minorities from Pakistan, India and the West Indies
Languages: English, some Welsh and Gaelic
Religion: Church of England, Methodist, Baptist, Catholic and Muslim
Government: Parliamentary monarchy
Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II
Prime minister: Tony Blair
Shaped like a witch riding a pig, according to Paul Theroux, the island of Britain lies off the north-western coast of the European mainland. It comprises the geographical entities of England, Scotland and Wales, and is separated from France by the narrow English Channel and from Scandinavia by the North Sea. England occupies the southern two-thirds of the island and is bounded by Wales to the west and Scotland to the north. The island measures just under 560 miles (900km) north to south and around 250 miles (400km) east to west at its widest point.
Much of England is flat or low lying, but there are several significant ranges of hills, including the Pennines, which form a backbone ridge running 248 miles (400km) from the Scottish border to the Midlands. The Cumbrian Mountains and the Lake District in the north-west of England form the country's most dramatic landscapes, but the misty lowlands of eastern England, which fuse almost imperceptibly with the North Sea, and the granite outcrops and rugged coastline of south-western England also captivate visitors. Wales has several modest mountain ranges, including the Brecon Beacons in the south and Snowdonia in the north. Large areas of Wales are either moorland or deeply cut narrow valleys. Scotland boasts the wildest and grandest terrain, with the northern two-thirds of the country comprising highlands and moorland, and the southern third fertile coastal plains and low hills.
Black Mountains, Wales (14K)
Britain is a small, densely populated island with a long history of human habitation so it's no surprise that nature has come off second best to human needs. The destruction of hedgerows and incursions made by pesticides, conifer plantations and massive road building have all done their bit to reduce biodiversity. The traditional vision of England as a land of folksy deciduous woodland should be dispelled immediately. Tree cover has fallen to a mere 7%, the lowest figure of any European country except Ireland. There is, however, a network of national parks and some 116 protected animal species. The most spectacular animal in Britain is probably the red deer, found in Exmoor, Dartmoor, the Lake District and large swathes of Scotland. The latter provides one of the few refuges for wild plants and animals because almost three-quarters of its area is uncultivated moorland and bog.
Climatologists classify Britain's climate as temperate maritime, which basically means mild and damp. It's generally warmer the further south and west you go, but visitors should expect cloud and rain just about anywhere and at any time of the year. Summer lasts from June to September, with temperatures hovering around 20° C; in winter, minimum temperatures frequently drop below freezing point. Discussing the weather is a national pastime, and the climate was the main reason why 50% of Brits recently surveyed said they would emigrate if they could.
The British beach: a cultural phenomenon (22K)
GDP: US$1,054 billion
GDP per head: US$18,138
Annual growth: 3%
Inflation: 3%
Major industries: Banking and finance, steel, transport equipment, oil and gas, tourism
Major trading partners: EU & USA
British cities are cultural powerhouses and the British are a creative, energetic and bullish people who have had an impact on the world that is entirely disproportionate to their number. Although Britishness has traditionally been characterised by a polite aloofness or just plain eccentricity, visitors will find Britons as humorous, passionate, hospitable, sentimental and obsessive as any other people.
Castle Howard, Yorkshire (16K)
Britain's greatest artistic contributions have come in the fields of theatre, literature and architecture. Although there is not an equivalent tradition in painting and sculpture, Britain is a treasure house of masterpieces from every age and continent thanks to its rapacious past. Most visitors are overwhelmed by the stately homes of the aristocracy, and Britain's fine collection of castles and cathedrals. Unfortunately, this significant architectural heritage has failed to lead to anything more inspiring in the 20th century than motorways, high-rise housing and tawdry suburban development. Anyone who has studied English literature at school will remember ploughing through Chaucer, Shakespeare, Dickens and Morrissey, and painful though it might have been at the time, no-one can deny Britain's formidable contribution to the Western literary canon. Britain's myths have also entered global folklore, from Robin Hood and Camelot to the Loch Ness Monster and user pays.
William Shakespeare: fact or fiction?
Perhaps Britain's greatest cultural export has been the English language, the current lingua franca of the international community. There are astonishing regional variations in accents, from the soft, hayseed West Country drawl to guttural Glaswegian and the Irish-tinged Liverpudlian lilt, and it is not unusual to find those in southern England claiming to need an interpreter to speak to anyone living north of Oxford.
Semiotic nationalism (15K)
The majority of Britons who profess religious beliefs belong to the Church of England, which became independent of Rome in the 16th century. Other significant protestant churches include Methodist, Baptist and the Salvation Army. One in 10 Britons consider themselves Catholic, and there are now over a million Muslims and sizeable Hindu and Sikh populations. Despite this variety of religions, most Britons are fonder of their churches as architectural icons of grandeur and stability than as houses of religious piety.
Salisbury Cathedral, Wiltshire (15K)
Perhaps the least appealing aspect of British culture is the food, which is stodgy, uninspiring and expensive. Although London is experiencing a renaissance in quality, creative cuisine, travellers in the provinces or those on a budget should be prepared for uninventive, overcooked meat-and-two-veg and an assortment of fish `n' chips, eggs and bacon, and mashed potatoes and sausages.
The House of Lords
For the sporty, the traditional Oxford/Cambridge University Boat Race is held in London on the River Thames in late March; the famous but gruelling Grand National steeplechase takes place at Aintree, Liverpool, on the first Saturday in April; the FA Cup soccer tournament reaches its climax at London's Wembley stadium in May; the strawberries and cream Lawn Tennis Championships take place at Wimbledon in late June; the champagne-quaffing set head for the Henley Royal Regatta at Henley-on-Thames also in June; and the Cowes Week yachting extravaganza pushes off on the Isle of Wight in late July. For some truly unruly rugby, try the Ba' in Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands, which has been held on Christmas Day and New Year's Day for centuries. It consists of two teams and some 400 alcohol-fuelled players, who turn the entire town into a giant rugby pitch for the day. The game starts at the cathedral and the harbour is one of the goals. Puritans should steer well clear.
Those uninterested in ball games and fast-moving animals should check out the Chelsea Flower Show at London's Royal Hospital in May; the Trooping of the Colour pageantry on the Queen's birthday in London in mid-June; the bacchanalian Glastonbury Festival music extravaganza which swamps Glastonbury's paddocks in June; Edinburgh's highly prestigious International & Fringe Festivals in mid-August; and the riotous (in the best possible sense) Caribbean carnival in London's Notting Hill in late August.
Visas: EU citizens may live and work free of any immigration controls. Citizens of the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are generally allowed to stay six months without a visa.
Health risks: No major risks
Time: GMT/UTC
Electricity: 240V, 50 Hz
Weights & Measures: Metric (except beer, which comes in pints) (see conversion table)
Tourism: 19 million
Money & Costs
Currency: Pound sterling
Exchange rate: US$1 = ú0.62
Relative costs:
- Budget meal: US$5-10
- Moderate restaurant meal: US$15-25
- Top-end restaurant meal: US$30 and upwards
- Budget room: US$15-30
- Moderate hotel: US$40-100
- Top-end hotel: US$100 and upwards
Britain is extremely expensive and London is horrific. While in London you will need to budget about US$35 for bare survival (dorm accommodation, a one-day travel card and the most basic sustenance). Even moderate sightseeing or nightlife can easily add another US$25 to this. If you stay in a hotel and eat restaurant meals you could easily spend US$90 a day without being extravagant. Once you get out of the big smoke the costs will drop, particularly if you have a transport pass and if you cook your own meals. You'll still need at least US$30 a day, and if you stay in B&Bs, eat one sit-down meal a day and don't stint on entry fees, you'll need about US$65 a day.
Travellers' cheques are widely accepted in British banks and you might as well buy them in pounds sterling to avoid changing currencies twice. Change bureaus in London frequently levy outrageous commissions and fees, so make sure you establish any deductions in advance. The bureaus at the international airports are exceptions to the rule, charging less than most banks and cashing sterling travellers' cheques for free. Cashpoints (ATMs) are very common in Britain: most are linked to major credit cards as well as the Cirrus, Maestro and Plus cash networks, but if a machine swallows your card it can be a nightmare. Most banks insist on chopping it in half and sending it back to your home branch - very helpful.
If you eat in a British restaurant you should leave a tip of at least 10% unless the service was unsatisfactory. Waiting staff are often paid derisory wages on the assumption that the money will be supplemented by tips. Some restaurants include a service charge on the bill, in which case a gratuity is unnecessary. Taxi drivers expect to be tipped about 10%, especially in London.
When to Go
Anyone who spends any extended period of time in Britain will sympathise with the locals' obsession with the weather, although in relative terms the climate is mild and the rainfall is not spectacular. The least hospitable months for visitors are November through February - it's cold and the days are short. March and October are marginal - there's more daylight but it can still be very cold. April to September are undoubtedly the best months, and this is, unsurprisingly, when most sights are open, and when most people visit. July and August are the busiest months, and best avoided if at all possible. The crowds on the coast, at the national parks, in London and popular towns like Oxford, Bath and York have to be seen to be believed.
Getting There & Away
London is one of the most important air-transport hubs in the world and the centre for discounted long-haul airfares, so there are plenty of opportunities to find cheap flights. There are five international airports servicing London (Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and London City), and international connections to Manchester, Newcastle, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Cardiff. The departure tax on international flights is US$34 (US$17 if you're flying to an EU country).
For the first time since the Ice ages, Britain has a land link with mainland Europe. Two services operate through the Channel Tunnel: Eurostar is a high-speed passenger service between London, Paris and Brussels; Eurotunnel has a shuttle service (Le Shuttle) for cars, motorbikes and buses between the English port of Folkestone and the French port of Calais.
If you feel uncomfortable with the idea of a tunnel or want to get some fresh air in the English Channel, you can get a bus or train connection to mainland Europe with a short ferry or hovercraft ride thrown in. The boat trip on the shortest routes (from Dover or Folkestone to Calais or Boulogne) takes about 90 minutes; the hovercraft takes about 35 minutes. Ferries go to France, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavia from a number of southern and eastern British ports; to Spain from Portsmouth; to Ireland from a handful of western English and Scottish ports; and to the Faroe Islands, Norway and Iceland from the Shetland Islands.
Public transport in Britain is generally of a high standard, but can be expensive. Buses or coaches are the cheapest but slowest way to get around. On longer journeys they are also the least scenic way to travel. Britain has an impressive rail network which includes a couple of beautiful lines through sparsely populated country. Fast intercity trains make air travel unnecessary unless you're in a real hurry. Car hire is worth considering if you want to explore some of the remoter towns and villages at your own pace. Taxis are plentiful in London, but less conspicuous in regional centres.
London's transport icons (20K)
- It's become something of a cliché to tramp around Britain in order to assess its state of health, but entertaining forays by Paul Theroux (The Kingdom by the Sea), Jonathan Raban (Coasting) and Beryl Bainbridge (English Journey) make an interesting read. Bill Bryson's Notes From a Small Island follows the author's usual formula, comprising 90% window-dressing and 10% unstoppable belly-laugh.
- For authors associated with particular regions, try Wordsworth (the Lake District), the Brontes (the Yorkshire Moors), Thomas Hardy (Dorset), DH Lawrence (Nottinghamshire), John Buchan (Scotland), Daphne du Maurier (Cornwall) and Dylan Thomas (South Wales).
- To get a grasp of British history, try works by AJP Taylor, EP Thompson, Asa Briggs, GM Trevelyan or Stuart Hall.
- See also the Recommended Reading listings for England, Scotland and Wales.
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