Going on Holiday in the UK - WHY?
Discussion
Bill said:
LunarOne said:
I'm waiting for you to tell me that the French have nothing that compares with our Nando's, Greggs, Wetherspoons and overpriced Fish and Chips shops.
Unfortunately that have loads. It's easier to find decent food, but there are plenty of crap places too.I still have to add Norway, Poland, Slovenia and Andorra to that list at some point. Without any doubt at all, the UK is in the bottom few countries when it comes to food. We don't have a very strong food culture. We don't celebrate regional delicacies. Our cheeses are good but few and far between. We seem to eschew fish and seafood, which is bizarre considering we are an island nation surrounded by the sea.
Europe is filled with great places to eat that don't cost an arm and a leg, and they make the most of their regional resources. Britain does have some lovely places to eat, but they tend to be places that you have to track down specifically. If you are driving along exploring and you want to stop to discover the local food, what are you going to find here? We are a country of fast food, inauthentic Indian restaurants (Bangladeshi really), expensive fine dining, or fast food in which I am including fish and chips. We are a country of retail parks with burger chains, awful attempts at popular foreign foods (think Yo sushi, Itsu, Wagamama, Frankie & Benny)
I remember in Hamburg's central train station (Hauptbahnhof) there were lots of food vendors offering seating or takeaway, and I was blown away by the quality. There were always fresh fish restaurants everywhere. The only thing the Germans didn't know how to do was Indian food. It was far worse than the UK.
Go touring in France - every town with more than a couple of thousand inhabitants has a one ore more bakeries where you can get fantastic breads. Every one has a patisserie and a proper butcher. Likely there are one or more fromageries where you can choose from hundreds of cheeses from around France and beyond. And there'll be a charcuterie where you can buy artisanal hams, salamis and meat products that are not vacuum packed and shipped from abroad. And there will be a choice of restaurants, brasseries, auberges and cafes, often overlooking a beautiful central square. And there will be more dotted along the routes in and out of town.
Yes it's true that other countries don't have the wide variety of foods from other parts of the world, but bigger towns and cities will have Italian and Thai and Indian foods. For me, touring is all about good weather, stunning scenery, fantastic roads not infested with dawdlers and speed cameras and most importantly, amazing places to eat. I don't go in for mountain climbing, hiking, canoeing or cycling when I'm on holiday, so for me the UK is a complete non-starter.
okgo said:
If you ever left the UK you’d know, Europe is wonderful. And only 2.5 hours away. Amusing how people from abroad that come to the U.K. to live mostly use it as a base to explore Europe.
UK is not most people’s idea of a holiday. Unless they can’t afford to go elsewhere, historically. But these days UK is just as expensive as anywhere else unless you’re camping.
Really... 35.1 million visited in 2023. UK tourism'' GDP contribution was £214 billion. Thats a lot of money to use us as a base. UK is not most people’s idea of a holiday. Unless they can’t afford to go elsewhere, historically. But these days UK is just as expensive as anywhere else unless you’re camping.
okgo said:
Now do sunshine hours 
It looks very very different.
I suspect so, but again that comes down to what you want from a holiday. To me 37 degrees and clear sky (current forecast for Thessaloniki) is going to be a pretty sIt looks very very different.
t holiday as I'm not going to be doing anything outside.RizzoTheRat said:
I suspect so, but again that comes down to what you want from a holiday. To me 37 degrees and clear sky (current forecast for Thessaloniki) is going to be a pretty st holiday as I'm not going to be doing anything outside.
Oh for sure. Some places are hellishly hot. But i dare say most folk would rather it was sunny than raining when on their holiday. And much of Europe is nowhere near as offensive as Greece and Spain in high summer. t holiday as I'm not going to be doing anything outside.J777wk I said people that move abroad to ‘live’ here. It’s a convenient base. It’s basically all the UK is in a business sense if we’re honest , a good timezone between US and Asia
Edited by okgo on Tuesday 9th July 14:59
RizzoTheRat said:
I suspect so, but again that comes down to what you want from a holiday. To me 37 degrees and clear sky (current forecast for Thessaloniki) is going to be a pretty st holiday as I'm not going to be doing anything outside.
Off there next week, and that sounds perfect to me! t holiday as I'm not going to be doing anything outside.LunarOne said:
I happen to work for a French company. I live in the UK but spend one week out of 8-10 in France, mainly in Paris. Before that I spend 8 years working in Reading, and before that I lived and worked in Hamburg in Germany for 18 months, Aalborg in Denmark for a year and I've travelled widely within western Europe, having travelled in France, Republic of Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Monaco, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, all by car.
I still have to add Norway, Poland, Slovenia and Andorra to that list at some point. Without any doubt at all, the UK is in the bottom few countries when it comes to food. We don't have a very strong food culture. We don't celebrate regional delicacies. Our cheeses are good but few and far between. We seem to eschew fish and seafood, which is bizarre considering we are an island nation surrounded by the sea.
Europe is filled with great places to eat that don't cost an arm and a leg, and they make the most of their regional resources. Britain does have some lovely places to eat, but they tend to be places that you have to track down specifically. If you are driving along exploring and you want to stop to discover the local food, what are you going to find here? We are a country of fast food, inauthentic Indian restaurants (Bangladeshi really), expensive fine dining, or fast food in which I am including fish and chips. We are a country of retail parks with burger chains, awful attempts at popular foreign foods (think Yo sushi, Itsu, Wagamama, Frankie & Benny)
I remember in Hamburg's central train station (Hauptbahnhof) there were lots of food vendors offering seating or takeaway, and I was blown away by the quality. There were always fresh fish restaurants everywhere. The only thing the Germans didn't know how to do was Indian food. It was far worse than the UK.
Go touring in France - every town with more than a couple of thousand inhabitants has a one ore more bakeries where you can get fantastic breads. Every one has a patisserie and a proper butcher. Likely there are one or more fromageries where you can choose from hundreds of cheeses from around France and beyond. And there'll be a charcuterie where you can buy artisanal hams, salamis and meat products that are not vacuum packed and shipped from abroad. And there will be a choice of restaurants, brasseries, auberges and cafes, often overlooking a beautiful central square. And there will be more dotted along the routes in and out of town.
Yes it's true that other countries don't have the wide variety of foods from other parts of the world, but bigger towns and cities will have Italian and Thai and Indian foods. For me, touring is all about good weather, stunning scenery, fantastic roads not infested with dawdlers and speed cameras and most importantly, amazing places to eat. I don't go in for mountain climbing, hiking, canoeing or cycling when I'm on holiday, so for me the UK is a complete non-starter.
This is very much how I see things.I still have to add Norway, Poland, Slovenia and Andorra to that list at some point. Without any doubt at all, the UK is in the bottom few countries when it comes to food. We don't have a very strong food culture. We don't celebrate regional delicacies. Our cheeses are good but few and far between. We seem to eschew fish and seafood, which is bizarre considering we are an island nation surrounded by the sea.
Europe is filled with great places to eat that don't cost an arm and a leg, and they make the most of their regional resources. Britain does have some lovely places to eat, but they tend to be places that you have to track down specifically. If you are driving along exploring and you want to stop to discover the local food, what are you going to find here? We are a country of fast food, inauthentic Indian restaurants (Bangladeshi really), expensive fine dining, or fast food in which I am including fish and chips. We are a country of retail parks with burger chains, awful attempts at popular foreign foods (think Yo sushi, Itsu, Wagamama, Frankie & Benny)
I remember in Hamburg's central train station (Hauptbahnhof) there were lots of food vendors offering seating or takeaway, and I was blown away by the quality. There were always fresh fish restaurants everywhere. The only thing the Germans didn't know how to do was Indian food. It was far worse than the UK.
Go touring in France - every town with more than a couple of thousand inhabitants has a one ore more bakeries where you can get fantastic breads. Every one has a patisserie and a proper butcher. Likely there are one or more fromageries where you can choose from hundreds of cheeses from around France and beyond. And there'll be a charcuterie where you can buy artisanal hams, salamis and meat products that are not vacuum packed and shipped from abroad. And there will be a choice of restaurants, brasseries, auberges and cafes, often overlooking a beautiful central square. And there will be more dotted along the routes in and out of town.
Yes it's true that other countries don't have the wide variety of foods from other parts of the world, but bigger towns and cities will have Italian and Thai and Indian foods. For me, touring is all about good weather, stunning scenery, fantastic roads not infested with dawdlers and speed cameras and most importantly, amazing places to eat. I don't go in for mountain climbing, hiking, canoeing or cycling when I'm on holiday, so for me the UK is a complete non-starter.
Our food & drink is generally dire in comparison with much of Europe which is on our doorstep. You also make a very good point regarding our seafood culture.
We’re lucky enough to be able do the outdoor UK stuff at the weekends as it does have its highlights, but spending my annual leave here being fleeced with poor/unpredictable weather is just something I want to avoid these days. There’s so much of the world to see and experience.
LunarOne said:
Our cheeses are good but few and far between. We seem to eschew fish and seafood, which is bizarre considering we are an island nation surrounded by the sea.
Point of order, but AIUI the UK has more different cheeses than France. And, while a lot of our fish goes abroad because we avoid it, that's far less true these days. As I said, it's easier to find good food in France but increasingly there's a lot of crap too. I've also toured a lot on the continent and loads of local boulangeries are going under (I'm assuming...) because of the big supermarkets.
And further afield, a lot of Italian food is disappointing unless you want stodge. Swiss food is expensive and often pretty awful. Austrian food is similar although a bit cheaper.
okgo said:
Oh for sure. Some places are hellishly hot. But i dare say most folk would rather it was sunny than raining when on their holiday. And much of Europe is nowhere near as offensive as Greece and Spain in high summer.
That's my point though, much of the UK isn't actually any wetter than a lot of Europe. It won't have as much sun but not everyone's looking for sun.Even the rain doesn't put everyone off, Bergen is the wettest city in Europe and still gets 2.7 million tourists a year (and well worth a visit)
The G Kid said:
RizzoTheRat said:
I suspect so, but again that comes down to what you want from a holiday. To me 37 degrees and clear sky (current forecast for Thessaloniki) is going to be a pretty st holiday as I'm not going to be doing anything outside.
Off there next week, and that sounds perfect to me! t holiday as I'm not going to be doing anything outside.Fortunately I visited in October when it was shorts and t-shirt weather rather than stay indoors with the aircon on full blast weather
RizzoTheRat said:
okgo said:
Oh for sure. Some places are hellishly hot. But i dare say most folk would rather it was sunny than raining when on their holiday. And much of Europe is nowhere near as offensive as Greece and Spain in high summer.
That's my point though, much of the UK isn't actually any wetter than a lot of Europe. It won't have as much sun but not everyone's looking for sun.Even the rain doesn't put everyone off, Bergen is the wettest city in Europe and still gets 2.7 million tourists a year (and well worth a visit)
The G Kid said:
RizzoTheRat said:
I suspect so, but again that comes down to what you want from a holiday. To me 37 degrees and clear sky (current forecast for Thessaloniki) is going to be a pretty st holiday as I'm not going to be doing anything outside.
Off there next week, and that sounds perfect to me! t holiday as I'm not going to be doing anything outside.Fortunately I visited in October when it was shorts and t-shirt weather rather than stay indoors with the aircon on full blast weather
okgo said:
MC Bodge said:
okgo, you are coming across as slightly bonkers on this thread.
roads flooded on my cycle home, what a country 
If I’m bonkers why are there so many threads on here about the terrible weather?
RizzoTheRat said:
...it's surprising how little of western Europe is drier than the south east of England
That map is showing annual precipitation - I bet a similar one for the summer (June to September)period when most Brits visit Europe for family holidays would paint a rather different picture!
PBCD said:
That map is showing annual precipitation - I bet a similar one for the summer (June to September)
period when most Brits visit Europe for family holidays would paint a rather different picture!
Check out the summer stats for yourself:period when most Brits visit Europe for family holidays would paint a rather different picture!
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps...
Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff