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Prepare for a shock - in Britain the buses are no longer all red nor are all the taxis black And the sedan chair is now seldom seen on the streets of London. But for all that we still have a wonderful heritage to offer the overseas visitor. You will like it in Britain
Nevertheless our transportation system can be viewed as quaint, and our roads can vary from gridlock to pleasant open air motoring. We do insist on driving on the correct side of the road.
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My advice to the tourist from abroad is to rent a car if you can, as its the only way you will really see the country. The train is only a real option to make day trips from London, or to cover say London to Cornwall or to Edinburgh if you really do not want to drive the whole way This page is a brief introduction to the following areas that you can access for fuller details |
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| Accommodation | Accommodation | You tend to get what you pay for, but not necessarily what you are looking for. How to attack this minefield of accommodation, from hotels to hostels, b&b to country houses. | |
| Gatwick & Heathrow Airports | Arrival at LHR Heathrow or LGW Gatwick Airport | Its a hassle when you arrive in any airport, in any country - how to best face Heathrow or Gatwick airports | |
| Air Travel within UK | Air travel within UK | You can fly to most places in Britain, but it is probably only worth considering for journeys over 300 miles | |
| Car Rental | Car Hire or rental | All the international companies and many national companies are after your business. There is a convenience v cost equation. We call it car hire, you may call it car rental. | |
| Channel Tunnel |
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The massive project of constructing a tunnel to link Britain to Europe. White Elephant or engineering miracle? | |
| Coaches & Buses | Coaches & Buses | National Express do cover the whole country for long distances. Shorter journeys are more of a problem | |
| Food | Food | Regional food does exist in Britain, but it can be over hyped and at the cheap end of the market probably not worth eating | |
| Money & Banks | Money & Banks | A guide to our currency and banking system. Some thoughts on credit cards, travelers cheques, Vat and tipping | |
| Motoring Rules | Motoring rules | A quick guide to our speed limits, parking laws, and a few other pointers to ease your motoring experiences in Britain | |
| National Trust | National Trust | Our historical sites are controlled by three groups of people - The National Trust, The Government and Others | |
| Newspapers & TV | Newspapers & TV | Newspaper circulation is dropping fairly dramatically (down 20% since 1990) but lots of national and regional papers plus 5 terrestrial and many satellite TV channels | |
| Public Holidays | Public Holidays | The British are not flush with public holidays. Our main public holiday is at Christmas, which runs into New Year now | |
| Taxis | Taxis | Taxis are a nasty necessity in any country you visit. A guide to taxis and mini-cabs | |
| Telephone & Post | Telephone & Post | A guide to how our phones work, how to pay in telephone boxes. Plus where to buy postage stamps | |
| Toilets | Toilets | Britain has a reasonable number of public loos. You should not get caught short, if in doubt ask! | |
| Tourist Information | Tourist Information | That's what it says on the sign outside, but Tourist Information Centres are there to make money. | |
| Trains | Trains | On our newly privatised railways, one company owns the tracks, others run the trains. You can still get a train to Glasgow | |
| Weather | Weather | It is well known that the British have a national obsession with the weather. Stay here long enough and you will discover why. | |
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