# The United Kingdom



## cardiff (Jul 26, 2005)

Blenheim Palace (near Oxford)


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## Its AlL gUUd (Jan 24, 2006)

cardiff said:


> sculpture near Newcastle called the Angel of the North


LoL is that guy lost or something:lol:


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## cardiff (Jul 26, 2005)

I think he was trying to keep the mystery of his hairline a secret 

Harry potter - Gloucester Cathedral - has the largest stained glass window in the UK (might be in Europe as well)




























recognise it?


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## cardiff (Jul 26, 2005)

Portsmouth museum


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## shugs (Oct 25, 2005)

cardiff said:


> when i visited Sydney i got the 25 days of rain they have every year though!


Incidently same here, when I went in 99/00 i stayed for the new millenium and it was apparently the beggining of summer, out of the 6 weeks i stayed it rained for 4 of them :nuts:.. altho it was a tropical feel; it was disapointing


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## Pobbie (Jul 16, 2005)

> Well the UK has many names - Britain, Great Britain, UK, England - so here is why it is called them


Sorry to be pedantic, but I must clear this up:

United Kingdom = England, Wales, Scotland & Northern Ireland

Great Britain = the main island of England, Wales & Scotland

Britain = unofficial, but usually refers to either Great Britain or the United Kingdom

England = England


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## Cartel (Aug 26, 2005)

Justme said:


> I agree, the scenary in Britain is far more diverse than most realize. To celebrate that fact, here are a few photos of various beaches to be found in Britain. So many people from around the world imagine British beaches to be all like Brighton, which doesn't have sand, but there are so many near perfect sandy beaches as well.


I am highly sceptical that some of these images are from the british mainland, that last one looks suspiciously like lake como in italyhno:


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## Justme (Sep 11, 2002)

Cartel said:


> I am highly sceptical that some of these images are from the british mainland, that last one looks suspiciously like lake como in italyhno:


No need to be sceptical here. They really are all in Great Britain. The last one, the one you thought was Italy is actually Scotland. Here is the link where I found the photo: http://www.travel-wise.com/europe/scotland/scotia.html

The Lake is called Loch Lomond and here are a couple more pics.









































Just because you have never seen or heard of a place like this, doesn't mean you should automatically assume people are pulling wool over your eyes.

Scotland has some great coastal scenes. Here are some more.

Morar, Scotland



































And yes, the above photos are really Scotland!


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

Cartel said:


> I am highly sceptical that some of these images are from the british mainland, that last one looks suspiciously like lake como in italyhno:


Oh dear, they are all from the UK although some seem to be pictures of the Isles of Scilly of the coast of Cornwall, admittedly not the mainland but the UK nevertheless.

The UK is an island with a very long coastline, why do you suppose it wouldn't have nice beaches??


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## cardiff (Jul 26, 2005)

Well i suppose we have educated at least one person guys! well done and hope he/she stays around to be surprised even more 

here is a sign of modern Manchester, and of similar sized buildings being built all around the regional cities of the UK


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## cardiff (Jul 26, 2005)

Brecon Beacons national park in south Wales (near Cardiff)


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## Its AlL gUUd (Jan 24, 2006)

Keep'em coming


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## 1878EFC (Jun 24, 2006)

Two Cathedrals









Speke Hall









Path to the Anglican Cathderal









Welsh hills









Sefton Park pano


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## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

Here r some more pics I pulled off the Amazing European Cities thread:

A city punctuated by dead volcanoes, the castle with the medieval city on one side and the 'New Town' on the other, a vast stretch of Georgian town planning.

for scale, can you see the little man?


















the 300 year old 'New Town:


















the medieval old Town (pic below shows the entry bridge into this highrise labyrinth of ancient streets perched on the hill):


















































From stuckonscotland.co.uk

Edinburgh















the gigantic Forth Bridge, (bright red):









the Edinburgh Festival, the worlds largest arts festival:

























Legendary New Years Eve celebrations, one of the best in the world: Hogmonay




























the military tattoo:


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## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

London, 

thanx to El Greco for these pix











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and these thanks to Kilgore Trout:











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7 - photo by elaine tam









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## Mr Bricks (May 6, 2005)

Awesome. I really like Greco´s pic of Leadenhall Street (?).


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## Orgoglioso (Aug 30, 2006)

I can't see some of the photos, it just says photobucket, how do i see them, do i have to download something?


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## brummad (Nov 20, 2002)

just to clarify: 
i teach this in school by the way

great britain = england wales and scotland
united kingdom = england wales scotland and NI
british isles = england, wales scotland NI and eire + lots of other small islands

bye xx


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## The Boy David (Sep 14, 2004)

The Spliff Fairy: those are some of the best pictures of Edinburgh I've ever seen, and I practically live there.

Amazing stuff - Edinburgh is an utterly breathtaking city.

Thanks so much for posting these!


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## Its AlL gUUd (Jan 24, 2006)

Thanks for the effort guys


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## Dallas star (Jul 6, 2006)

The ones i can see look great but i only see like 15pics the rest sat Bandwidth exceded???


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## Orgoglioso (Aug 30, 2006)

yeh im getting the same thing


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## shugs (Oct 25, 2005)

Cartel said:


> I am highly sceptical that some of these images are from the british mainland, that last one looks suspiciously like lake como in italyhno:


Well actually the last one looks like a view point near Teignmouth looking onto the river Teign and Shaldon... In the South West of England (near me!)... Infact a few of those pics look really familiar to my area...


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## Cartel (Aug 26, 2005)

Jonesy55 said:


> Oh dear, they are all from the UK although some seem to be pictures of the Isles of Scilly of the coast of Cornwall, admittedly not the mainland but the UK nevertheless.
> 
> The UK is an island with a very long coastline, why do you suppose it wouldn't have nice beaches??


well I haven't been anywhere in Britian apart from heathrow, actually I've avoided the place. I don't actually consider those beaches nice, compared to what I'm used to. It was more of the beautiful colour and clarity of the water that suprised me, I guess just because of it's lattitude and that everyone in Australasia doesn't really think there's much natural beauty there, maybe just compared to what we have I don't know - 100's of thousands of us go to London to live and work and I know there are some very beautiful places in Scotland but I doubt many of them are going to Britian for it's scenic beauty.


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## Justme (Sep 11, 2002)

Cartel said:


> well I haven't been anywhere in Britian apart from heathrow, actually I've avoided the place. I don't actually consider those beaches nice, compared to what I'm used to. It was more of the beautiful colour and clarity of the water that suprised me, I guess just because of it's lattitude and that everyone in Australasia doesn't really think there's much natural beauty there, maybe just compared to what we have I don't know - 100's of thousands of us go to London to live and work and I know there are some very beautiful places in Scotland but I doubt many of them are going to Britian for it's scenic beauty.


Well, I´ve lived in New Zealand, and in Christchurch where your from. And I can say easily that British Beaches and coastline is just as beautiful as New Zealands. As far as scenary goes, Britain has some stunners. The fact that so many people in Australia and New Zealand have no idea about this comes down to a combination of a lack of knowledge about Europe and a hint of national snobbery. 

From what you say, how you´ve "avoided" Britain, I would even guess that your dislike of those beaches, or idea that New Zealand is so much nicer, boils down somehow to some sort of personal dislike for the UK. One that has given you (false) impressions on how the country looks. I suggest you take a step back and look through these photos on this forum with a neutral point of view. 

I am not British, in fact, I´m from your part of the world. And I find Britain, and the rest of Europe, just as scenically beautiful as anything I have found in Australia or New Zealand.


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## cardiff (Jul 26, 2005)

I found New Zealand exactly like the UK, except that in New Zealand it is unspoilt (if you like) by little villages, cathedral cities and history..... only joking (please dont take offence), although i do find them very similar, except New Zealand has prestine countryside.


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## Its AlL gUUd (Jan 24, 2006)

I think some one has a chip on their shoulder, not naming names..


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## aquablue (Mar 18, 2006)

Don't listen to Cartel; Everytime he comments on an English/London thread he makes dispariging remarks - i.e, London's crap, etc... He's an anglophobe, just ignore him.


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## Cartel (Aug 26, 2005)

Justme said:


> Well, I´ve lived in New Zealand, and in Christchurch where your from. And I can say easily that British Beaches and coastline is just as beautiful as New Zealands. As far as scenary goes, Britain has some stunners. The fact that so many people in Australia and New Zealand have no idea about this comes down to a combination of a lack of knowledge about Europe and a hint of national snobbery.
> 
> From what you say, how you´ve "avoided" Britain, I would even guess that your dislike of those beaches, or idea that New Zealand is so much nicer, boils down somehow to some sort of personal dislike for the UK. One that has given you (false) impressions on how the country looks. I suggest you take a step back and look through these photos on this forum with a neutral point of view.
> 
> I am not British, in fact, I´m from your part of the world. And I find Britain, and the rest of Europe, just as scenically beautiful as anything I have found in Australia or New Zealand.


well, that's great as you have been to both places and I have not I completley respect your views. I'm not saying I believe that the beaches there aren't nice there, compared to here or not. I just said from the ones that I was in this thread (the only UK beaches I have ever seen) I did not really think they were that great to be honest. The beaches around Christchurch are not exactly mindblowing I was more referring to other parts of the South Island, west coast, able tasman etc, south pacific beaches in the cook islands and tahiti, and in Sinai, Egypt - because that is what I am used to.

As I said before my ideas of what it is like there have come solely from what I have heard from other australasians and some british friends, none of whom have spoken nicely about the beaches - so surely you can understand my sentiments.

I don't think I have a personal dislike of Britain, a little bit of envy perhaps. I wont get into that because it's a complicated issue of oversaturation in NZ.

I have avoided the UK for 2 reasons, 1 - I am a big traveller but it it not a place that interests me in the slightest, it has nothing to do with personal dislike, it just doesn't interest me at all! I don't think there's anything that I need to do or see there. There are other places that dont interest me, like Brazil, which most people would love to go to. On the other hand I have a great fascination with countries like Iran, which many people would never dream of going to. So it's all relative.

2 - The majority of my travel is buissness, discovering new markets, tapping into and
with any luck, eventually controlling them or at least playing a large part in their operation.
I do not believe that the UK is a healthy buisness enviroment for me and my organization.


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## Cartel (Aug 26, 2005)

aquablue said:


> Don't listen to Cartel; Everytime he comments on an English/London thread he makes dispariging remarks - i.e, London's crap, etc... He's an anglophobe, just ignore him.


**** off you hoodrat. Who the **** are you to call me names? It's very easy to do in the comfort and safety of your own home isn't it? The amount of shit I have seen you stirring other threads! You no good hypocrite.

For everyone else, I had only ever made one other post in a UK/London related thread. The nature of the thread was to show a nasty side of London. I think the threat was" the london they didn't want you to see" and commented "London's a hole:lol: " cleary a joke and relative to the thread!


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## Justme (Sep 11, 2002)

Cartel said:


> well, that's great as you have been to both places and I have not I completley respect your views. I'm not saying I believe that the beaches there aren't nice there, compared to here or not. I just said from the ones that I was in this thread (the only UK beaches I have ever seen) I did not really think they were that great to be honest. The beaches around Christchurch are not exactly mindblowing I was more referring to other parts of the South Island, west coast, able tasman etc, south pacific beaches in the cook islands and tahiti, and in Sinai, Egypt - because that is what I am used to.
> 
> As I said before my ideas of what it is like there have come solely from what I have heard from other australasians and some british friends, none of whom have spoken nicely about the beaches - so surely you can understand my sentiments.
> 
> ...


Ok, so now you have heard both British and non-British people saying wonderful things about British scenery, coastline and beaches. As you haven't been to Britain yourself, you can add this to the negative comments you have heard as well. One thing about expats - where ever they are from. They often do say negative things about the country they left behind. Afterall, they did leave that country, so it may have not been good for them. In other cases, they say negative things about their old country and positive things about their new country as a way to help themselves fit in to their new home. I can assure you, if all expats in New Zealand went on about how beautiful their previous country was, they would constantly be asked why they don't go back. But if they say how much more beautiful their new country is, they get accepted far more quickly.

I must say, I am completely fascinated by your last comment. What industry are you in that you can't see Britain as a healthy business environment? The British economy is extremely strong and versatile. It is certainly no less than Australia or New Zealand. It has low unemployment, good growth rates, a large, wealthy population. What could be so unhealthy about it? Especially compared to New Zealand.


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## Zenith (Oct 23, 2003)

Cartel said:


> well I haven't been anywhere in Britian apart from heathrow, actually I've avoided the place. I don't actually consider those beaches nice, compared to what I'm used to. It was more of the beautiful colour and clarity of the water that suprised me, I guess just because of it's lattitude and that everyone in Australasia doesn't really think there's much natural beauty there, maybe just compared to what we have I don't know - 100's of thousands of us go to London to live and work and I know there are some very beautiful places in Scotland but I doubt many of them are going to Britian for it's scenic beauty.



Then don't bother with the thread.......these comments are extremely ignorant, no matter how you choose to reply to me. Go away, you bore me.


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## Manuel (Sep 11, 2002)

All the following pics are mine, taken last summer while touring southern britain.

Portsmouth

























Brighton

































London


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## cardiff (Jul 26, 2005)

great pics there ^^

City of Bath


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## Orgoglioso (Aug 30, 2006)

I really need to go to Brighton but ive always had the beautiful resort of Blackpool for my seaside wants which has prevented me from going to southern seaside towns. They are much nicer looking at these pics, need to explore southern beaches more and definately round near cornwall judging on the pics on this thread. That pavillion is one of the best buildings in Britain in my opinion.


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## aquablue (Mar 18, 2006)

Cartel said:


> **** off you hoodrat. Who the **** are you to call me names? It's very easy to do in the comfort and safety of your own home isn't it? The amount of shit I have seen you stirring other threads! You no good hypocrite.
> 
> For everyone else, I had only ever made one other post in a UK/London related thread. The nature of the thread was to show a nasty side of London. I think the threat was" the london they didn't want you to see" and commented "London's a hole:lol: " cleary a joke and relative to the thread!


Hahahhaa...why are you even on this thread if you "don't care about the UK" -- you're the one stirring up shit sir,so please be on your bike...


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## marrio415 (Jun 18, 2006)

wow i tell you i'm 32 lived in uk all my life and some of the pics are really stunning i know from places i have been and visited like the peak district ,lake district,scotland and wales all very nice places and all the pics on this thread do our great nation justice.and we still are a great nation.


British and proud of it......


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## Its AlL gUUd (Jan 24, 2006)

great pics, cornwall is an amazing place, but so are places like bath.


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## Cariad (Sep 22, 2005)

Justme said:


> One thing about expats - where ever they are from. They often do say negative things about the country they left behind. Afterall, they did leave that country, so it may have not been good for them. In other cases, they say negative things about their old country and positive things about their new country as a way to help themselves fit in to their new home. I can assure you, if all expats in New Zealand went on about how beautiful their previous country was, they would constantly be asked why they don't go back. But if they say how much more beautiful their new country is, they get accepted far more quickly.


This is sooooo true! Being an ex-pat I often hear other ex-pats slagging off the UK, and it usually boils down to the fact that they had a horrible life there, experiences etc.
On the other hand you also get ex-pats that come to places like Sydney and whine because it is not like London, or Australia is backward in some respects just because they are not fitting in, finding their groove so to speak. Brits seem to be the ones constantly complaining aka whinging pom. They want to be able to come here and watch the footy and eat egg and chips and have a beer, people like this should NEVER leave the UK, places like Spain have been spoilt due to this mentality.

Me on the other hand am an ex-pat from Cardiff and I am very pro-Welsh (as I think the Welsh always get left behind .. awwww), but I love the UK and am always saying how wonderful it is. It just doesnt suit my lifestyle. I live in Bondi, near the beach and like the sun ) 

So I am keeping the poms in line here and doing my bit for British Tourism


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## Justme (Sep 11, 2002)

Cariad said:


> This is sooooo true! Being an ex-pat I often hear other ex-pats slagging off the UK, and it usually boils down to the fact that they had a horrible life there, experiences etc.
> On the other hand you also get ex-pats that come to places like Sydney and whine because it is not like London, or Australia is backward in some respects just because they are not fitting in, finding their groove so to speak. Brits seem to be the ones constantly complaining aka whinging pom. They want to be able to come here and watch the footy and eat egg and chips and have a beer, people like this should NEVER leave the UK, places like Spain have been spoilt due to this mentality.
> 
> Me on the other hand am an ex-pat from Cardiff and I am very pro-Welsh (as I think the Welsh always get left behind .. awwww), but I love the UK and am always saying how wonderful it is. It just doesn't suit my lifestyle. I live in Bondi, near the beach and like the sun )
> ...


Agreed. It's not only expat Brits though that moan. I find this in all expat groups. The difference is that the British, when travelling to another English speaking country like Australia, feel close enough to the locals to be more open. Other ethnic groups don't take longer to mingle with the English speaking locals, either because of language issues or cultural differences. Australians who come to the UK are similar.

One of the big problems for migrating to Australia, (or Australians migrating to the UK) is the enormous distance. People miss their families and their home country and the difficulties to meet up can be quite taxing. For others of cause it's not such a big issue, depends on the person. This is one reason Spain has become such a big alternative for Brits looking for sunshine and a new lifestyle. Close enough to be able to fly back home for the weekends, and close enough to watch UK TV and the football. 

But Britain is still a beautiful country, and it's bustling economy encourages an enormous amount of immigration on it's own. 

I was totally surprised to discover how beautiful the UK was when I first went there. Like many Australians and New Zealanders, I thought it was just a grey cold place before actually arriving (I always found it odd when NZer's think this, as their own country has similar weather). But after arriving, I found some of the most beautiful countryside I had ever seen. Stunning rolling hills, villages so quaint it makes the postcards look bland and the cosiest pubs on the planet. 

I didn't like London much when I first saw it, mainly because it was just so big. A bit of a shock to the system. But I gave it another try a couple of years later and enjoyed it much more. By the 3rd time I was in love, so much so, I lived there for a year and even now I visit it at least four times every year.

I remember back in Australia before I left for Germany, one of my closest friends asked why I was going. He thought Germany was nothing but industry and urban development, from the top of the country to the bottom. His idea of Europe is quite typical of many from Australia and NZ. There is a perception there that Europe has very little countryside left which is utter nonsense. In fact, the countryside in Europe is more accessible to most people as the cities are often denser and thus more compact. I can walk to a forest from my house as well as walk to downtown. The difference is that the countryside is filled with tiny small quaint and beautiful villages everywhere, instead of larger farmlands with the towns much further apart like in Australia and NZ. But there is still plenty of stunning scenery and open spaces.

Of cauase, the lifestyle in Bondi is very different to that of what most people in the UK know. I used to live in Manly, right off the beach, and I know (and loved) that lifestyle well. 

Anyway, cheers from Europe :O)


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