American Reacts 10 Best Places to Live in the United Kingdom
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- čas přidán 12. 09. 2022
- After reacting to the 10 Best Places to Live in the United Kingdom I am convinced that the UK has some of the most amazing places to live in the world. Beautiful old world architecture, amazing scenery and cities that I could absolutely see calling home.
I've been really enjoying this experience learning about the UK. At this rate, who knows, maybe one day I'll be living on a UK homestead inviting my subscribers over for tea. :)
If you enjoyed this reaction please click the like button and remember to subscribe so you can follow me on my journey as I discover my motherland.
Architecture in Britain tend to be named by the era in which they were built. Elizabethan, Victorian, Tudor, Georgian, Edwardian, Saxon, Norman, Medieval etc. I live in West Sussex and have Saxon churches near me which are over 1,000 years old.
West Sussex my heart home, I lived near Chichester with The Witterings and Goodwood on my doorstep for many years, I would recommend he visited the area and I think Fishbourne Roman Palace would blow his mind 😂
You forgot Regency.
i also live in westsussex
The architecture in the UK was mainly built several hundreds of years ago./ It still stands,
Never mentioned Wales. It's a beautiful place with a lot of castles, mountains and countryside. I'm proud to be welsh!
These towns are definitely not the most beautiful, or even near to it.
Most of the UK is covered with lakes, beautiful landscapes, mountains
check out the Lake District, Ireland, the towns mentioned here are not
the "most beautiful" by a long chalk, but they are being described as
job centres etc.
There are some stunning “outstanding natural beauty” countryside in wales and costal areas not to mention snowdonia absolute heaven on earth. There are lovely pretty picturesque villages but I do Agree that Some towns and shopping centres are a bit run down and in need of a face lift and a clean up. Squandered money by dysfunction- able councils are to blame!
Quite agree Maureen. Stunning .. rains a lot .. but just beautiful as are it’s people! So friendly.
@@mandywarren8566 We’ve just had the most fabulous spring/summer/autumn very little rain actually, which makes a change. 🏴
Wait till he sees Portmeirion!
Mayflower was an English ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. After a grueling 10 weeks at sea, Mayflower, with 102 passengers and a crew of about 30, reached America, dropping anchor near the tip of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, on November 21 [O.S. November 11], 1620.
And the Mayflower sailed from Plymouth 🏴
interesting that he's looking at our history when he doesnt even know that of his own country.
@@Paul-hl8yg the pilgrim fathers originally started in Boston, Lincolnshire.
excellent...loved hearing this...
@@ianprince1698 And from where Boston U.S got its name.
York is my favourite and my Capital City as a Yorkshireman. The history here is amazing, Euberacum to the Romans, Yorvic to the Vikings, and York now. At 60 years old I still haven't explored it all
I'm from Derby and have to agree, of all the towns and cities I've visited in the UK, York is my favourite... However I'll keep Derbyshire as my county!
They didn't show enough of York. They never showed The Shambles or mentioned the Minster although it was partly on one of the photos. The video didn't do it justice.
I’m from Surrey and I got to say I agree with you
Yayyy, tykes in the comments!
As a Scotsman, I agree that York is stunning, just don't shoot me inside the city walls with a crossbow ;)
Its so nice seeing someone react to things I do take for granted every day. I barely notice walking past 500 year old churches and historic homes. Really enjoying watching your journey and have subscribed
Thanks so much. I appreciate it. I think we all do that. We take for granted things in our life that others find amazing because they just become our everyday norm. No fault of our own, just human nature.
Bunjitsu, well said my friend. we're in Warwickshire and have the same problem. we take it for granted
Its a shame that I consider 500 years to not be that old. Sometimes, I try to imagine what it's like to be a person from somewhere like America where most buildings aren't even in their triple digits age-wise.
The Lake District scenery is absolutely beautiful,it borders both England and Scotland.The farther north you go in the UK you get the lovely green rolling hills and beautiful valleys.
Lots of variety here to in Somerset, coast, moors, mendips, blackdown hills, quantocks, poldens, lakes, and apple orchards, oh and glastonbury tor, 😀
to be fair, you get great countryside in all parts of the UK. It is less populated in the north, but even in the most densely populated area, the south east. you still get some great countryside.
Mountains too in Wales, and Scotland.
If you want to look at great Architecture you may want to give Swindon a miss!
😅
Hehe! I thought that!
Not sure why Swindon came up... but.hey 😂I would give it a miss
The Mayflower was an English ship that set sail in 1620, bringing a crew of over 100 pilgrims to “the new world”
Shocked to see Swindon but to each there own. The "wall" you saw is part of the town wall that circles the entire old town forming a very large "castle" 99% of the wall is still there and you can walk along the top
That's so interesting. So many places to check out eventually.
@@reactingtomyroots , you mentioned cricket in a previous video so here is. 3 good videos for you to watch if not react to , no particular order to play but number 2 will shock everyone on here and most of America if not all cricket players everywhere
1) cricket explained for baseball fans
2) pitch of dreams cricket in America
3) cricket & baseball similarities and differences
I lived in Swindon as a child
@@debbie6710
I use to go to the Oasis and Swindon Speedway. To me it's just another town
@@lawrenceglaister4364 Baseball is more similar to Rounders.
The Wall in York was originally constructed by the Romans, later developed by the Vikings & the English. Was a Viking Stronghold for several centuries
Now that makes sense. Thanks for the info.
It was a Viking stronghold for 1 century, not 'several centuries'. :)
@@Codex7777 The vikings were invading England for several centuries
@@SoupMagoosh - Raiding and settling. Even if you prefer 'invasion' it doesn't detract from my original point. York was not a Viking stronghold for 'centuries'. It was a Viking stronghold for 1 century and didn't actually control it for significant periods during that century.
Just stumbled across your videos and I just love how amazed you are with all of our historic buildings, them old victorian buildings and pubs remind me of buildings you'd see in Harry Potter 😄 we definitely take these amazing architecture for granted as we are lucky to have these beautiful structures all over the UK. Keep up the great content! 🇬🇧 ❤️
Thanks so much. I can't wait to come for a visit and go exploring. The history of those old buildings and even the old cemeteries are amazing and unique. In the USA we do have some cute towns and some great nature spots, etc, but the history and age of the UK is something I'm really looking forward to experiencing. Hope you have a great night. :)
@@reactingtomyroots Try Saint Albans in Hertfordshire. They have a pub called the fighting cocks that is over 800 years old. A bit further away near Penn is a pub called the Royal Standard of England, it's been a pub for over 1000 years. Not too far from there is a barn built from the timbers taken from The Mayflower when it was scrapped. It is open to the public.
York is an absolutely beautiful city! Nothing like having a tradition old ale in a tavern that's nearly a thousand years old!
Don't believe everything you hear in the US media about prices and taxation in the UK. We generally do not have the add ons and extras you have, so the price you see is the price you pay. And remember, at least currently, the Pound is worth around 20% more than the US Dollar.Therefore, overall the UK is a little cheaper in the end. Depending upon your lifestyle I suppose?
Yeah the average American only has like 50 percent of their wage left after tax and add ons compared to the 70-80 percent leftover in Europe
Not any more it isn't thanks to Kwarzi Kwarteng. 🤦
Lived in Cambridge most of my life and you're right we take the beautiful city for granted. I love Cambridge and yes that is a regular scene
I do think most of us would have been pretty surprised to see Swindon come up at no.1.
Edinburgh is lovely. Lots to see. The castle. Holyrood House. Views from the surrounding hills. Pipers on every corner.
I lived on a street that had pipers out almost every single day in Edinburgh. It does begin to get on your nerves eventually
What you named as London Bridge is actually Tower Bridge.
The car you were saying you've seen a lot of similar ones in movies, well that's a Mini and you're kinda bang on: it's British and German. The original design was British and manufactured by the British companies Austin and Morris (Morris being based in Oxford) both of which were in a nationalised industry called "British Motor Corporation". After the decline of the British car industry the Mini ceased production around 2000 with the last of them being made in Birmingham at British Leyland's huge factory, Longbridge. Then in 2001 the new Mini was launched by the German company BMW which had bought the rights to the design along with most of the remnants of the British car industry around 1995. Since then they've been made in the Netherlands and the UK by BMW. The new Mini is pretty popular in the UK, and there's still quite a lot of the old Minis around too.
TIPS FOR TOURISTS::: PRONUNCIATION - any place name that ends in "ham" is pronounced as "um" (borrow the sound from the end of "Gotham"). So Birmingham becomes Birmingum". Any place name that ends in "shire" is pronounced as "sha" so Warwickshire is pronounced "Waricksha". Any place name ending in "bury" becomes "bree" so Sailsbury is pronounced Salzbree. BRIDGES - London Bridge is a really boring arc of concrete. The one in all the movies is Tower Bridge, found next to the Tower Of London in the borough of Tower Hamlets. London IS the largest city in the UK (population about 9 million) and is also the largest city in Europe. ARCHITECTURE - the oldest churches are "Gothic" in style and some are more than 1000 years old (oldest one was built AD 597). Most of the houses you saw were either Tudor (black wooden beams) Elizabethan (complex brick work), Georgian (elegant, tall windows) or Victorian (red/brown brick, slate roof.) Car number plates are completely standardised throughout the UK for ANPR cameras to read them - remember - the UK is the most heavily surveilled place on the planet !
Nay, it depends on where you're from on how you pronounce things.
I love how we have such variety of accents for such a little bit of land
Definitely Lincoln-sheer!
@@swallowedshark2281 Ooooh, that's interesting. I've lived in south Lincolnshire on and off for over 20 years but am from Yorkshire and not only do I say Lincolnsha, but almost everyone else I've heard says the same. I wonder if it depends on both area and also culture?
It’s more like -im than -um, at least that’s how I’ve heard people say it but there are lots of regional accents
UK has castles older than USA has been a country,. UK is full of ancient history connected to the Romans and the Vikings,
Good video 👍🇬🇧
I think the actual reason the USA isn't walkable is because the US Government was completely beholden to General Motors and their money. Whatever was good for the profits of GM, was 'good' for America. So now unfortunately everything is miles from everything else, homes are built next to homes, and business next to business, with NO mixing, Zoning laws hurt! Loving these reactions btw i can see your sub count getting bigger soon
Yes. The idea that the US is too big and spread out for European-style public transport has a little truth to it, but if you compare it to similar big and spread-out countries like Canada or Australia, it still becomes clear that public transport has been deliberately sabotaged.
Spot on
Tell you something you might find worth checking out on your own time. We had this long running show called Time Team. They would go to a historic site, did it over three days. They would explain how he archeology worked, what they fought they found and why. Further more the greater historical contex of the site and the finds. They also did a lot of recontructive and experimental acheology. Durring their run they dug sites from the late stone age to the second world war. It is facinating to anyone interestd in British history.
Don't take time team as gospel.They all followed the Marxist school of history.If they don't like it, they change the narrative.
@@vincentfoxall5704 To be fair this is litteraly the OG aproch to history. Chroniclers would record what they thought people ougt to ave said rather that what they actualy said. ~Xenathon
Brilliant programme, loved Time Team
There are lots Time Team videos here on CZcams
Salisbury cathedral is an example of gothic architecture.
That river in Cambridge - yes, that's a regular scene. We live in the Cotswolds and regularly go punting and rowing on the river in Bath. We're regular folks. I have three castles within a 20 minute radius of me, the oldest having been built nearly 1000 years ago in 1067. It really is special and we never take it for granted.
Licence plates are of a similar size all over the UK and the EU so will fit 99% of European and Asian built cars (Approx' 20.5 inches x 4.5 inches, front and rear). The only private US vehicles that I see, are driven by local USAF personnel, (Loads in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk) mainly with original US plates on them. We don't see that many US built cars though, as they tend to be impracticle, due to size, running costs and build quality!
Also remember cars are built differently for different countries based on what side of the road they drive on, so a difference in shape of the chassis shouldn’t be too surprising
What you were asking about in York is the original City wall built by the Romans over 2000 years ago
I live in Britain's Ocean City of Plymouth, the monument you spotted 1620 is the Mayflower Steps where the Pilgrim Fathers set sail to the new world on the Mayflower, a lot of American tourists visit Plymouth to see where the Pilgrim Fathers set sail from.
What they dont realise it that the original steps are under a pubs toilets
They originally set sail from Southampton. They had to put in for repairs at Plymouth
Strictly speaking, in the UK, what you call a 'Licence Plate' is properly called a 'Registration Number Plate'. The number/letter combination it carries, issued be the DVLA, is a unique identifier and remains with the vehicle for its entire life. The plate identifies the age of the vehicle and the part of the country in which it was first registered when it was sold as a new vehicle. The size of the plate and the numbers/letters it carries are specified in law and are similar to European requirements.
The wall in York is an old Roman wall that goes around York.. you can still walk the walk today x
Yes the Mayflower. That’s where the first forefathers boarded for the new world. There are many different kinds of architecture. There’s Norman, medieval, Tudor, Georgian, Edwardian, Victorian etc.
Your guess about Cambridge was spot on. You can hire a punt and go boating down the River Cam which runs behind the University and has some stunning views. Great fun with a few mates and a case of beer. Lol
That sounds like a blast.
All of us are going to tell you that there are many many many more lovely places here! Also, our archietecture covers all different styles from right back to the 11th century to the present day!
York - great town. The Viking and Roman museums are great. Those are the original Roman walls with more recent additions. That’s York Minster in the background. It’s terrific. The rose window of stained glass is beautiful. I was fortunate to visit once when the choir was rehearsing. That was just fantastic. Just like it might have been centuries ago, as that sang without the organ. Tons of Chinese and Japanese tourists but they’re very quiet and respectful. The Shambles are well worth a visit - medieval shopping streets. The red footed geese in the big park are aggressive and will go for you if you look at them or are riding a bike.
Salisbury Cathedral is a 13th century Gothic cathedral in Salisbury, England. It holds claim to having the tallest church spire in the UK, as well as being home to the world's oldest working clock.
Great videos - So entertaining. An cool American yearning for knowledge. Well Done Sir.
Thanks Tony. I appreciate it. :)
The UK has an undeserved reputation for rain ! It is only the 17th rainy country in the world,Melbourne has far more as does Belgium. It also varies as to the part
of the UK. In England for example, an Island in the middle of the Atlantic ocean
our weather is blown in from the West, so therefore the West tends to be much
wetter, go East to Norfolk etc. and it is very dry !
I've lived in Cambridge for about 17 years now and yes, punting (pole propelled boats) is a normal thing but it's more for the tourists and new students than it is for the locals. York (where I have also lived) is truly wonderful. I was lucky enough to graduate in the Minster which is a very impressive building.
That video was really a recommendation of places to live if you’re coming to work here, hence all the info re salaries, commuting and property costs. Swindon at No. 1 would definitely not figure as ‘best’ for 99% of us! To set your heart beating faster I recommend you find some tourist videos, preferably with some aerial views, to show you just how beautiful most of our towns are and how blessed we are too that there are building restrictions that ensure a limit to urban development so that we lots of lush green countryside - the Green Belt. In some ways, that’s a two-edged sword because the population continues to expand and houses are always needed, but we are a small island and there are limits to the amount of land available. Some of it has to stay green so we can breathe!
Check out the following places: York again, but especially look at the city centre which dates back to the Vikings, the county of Norfolk where Admiral Lord Nelson was born and especially the city of Norwich, the Lake District, the city of Bath which was founded by the Romans, Windsor, Chester, the Yorkshire Dales, Snowdonia National Park in Wales and Cornwall.
I’ve subscribed and will come back and post links for you when and if I find useful videos. I’ve lived all over the U.K. so hope I can help a little with your voyage of discovery. We have to try and make your (expensive) trip worthwhile! 😊
I like your list much better! Apart from Cambridge, York and Edinburgh, the video didn't represent the UK very well. I was born and raised in Norwich and didn't realise how fortunate I was until I moved to N. America for work purposes, but will return to Norwich, always home in my mind.
I was surprised the south wasn't shown, pretty towns such as Torquay and St Ives, beautiful Devon and Cornwall should have it's own video.
Love these reaction videos. I've lived in Cambridge my whole life (ish), and I've never given it a second thought, it's just home isn't it. When someone from 'outside' comments it's super interesting.
I know what you mean. We see our home/town everyday and it's just normal, but to someone looking in it seems really interesting. A culture, traditions, food, people, etc all different than we're used to. Knowing this is where I trace my ancestry to makes it even more interesting. I'm excited to get over there and explore one day. Thanks for your comment Tim.
@@reactingtomyroots Regarding the weather. No, it doesn't rain all the time! The south east coast has the lowest rainfall. Also, for comparison, the annual rainfall in NYC is higher than that of London. The summers are becoming hotter, they just suffered through up to 40°C without A/C. (roughly high 90's-100°F.
Also, the further south you go, the warmer it is. I'm surprised not to see Lands End! There are beautiful towns, such as Torquay and St. Ives as you head south, south/west.
The further north, is obviously cooler.
We in the UK often don’t realise how beautiful our towns and cities are because of the history of the country. The UK has over a thousand years of history and we typically don’t tear down our old buildings to make room for new more modern ones, we would rather renew and renovate to keep our history. Many many buildings are hundreds of years old. Many castles can be up to a thousand years old. Even a large number of our pubs can be hundreds of years old! I feel it’s like living through history.
we have examples of roman architecture over 2000 years old
The Architecture is Romanesque to Gothic on all the old buildings such as Abbey’s and Cathedrals. The old Black and White properties like this are Usually Tudor, Stuart and Jacobean. They get their period names by whichever Royal house ruled at the time they were built.the wall is the wall around the city, York is a walled city.we do get harsh winters here in the uk but the summer time can be very hot, we have just had a tropical summer with droughts.
I'm a cornish girl. Tonnes of people come to Cornwall every year. We have sub tropical climate, high humidity and plenty of beaches and beautiful areas. I went to Plymouth once and I hated it. So different once out of Cornwall that I'd never go out of it again haha
You are definitely Cornish hating Plymouth. I loathe Cornwall (but not the people) it's so drab & dull. All you have are beaches & mine stacks. But each to their own
We love the old architecture too! I think I get a warm glow of 'history' when I see the buildings. What stories they could tell! They have my respect 100% 😄🏠😄💕
Hello Steve - York is (still) a fortified 'walled city' with medieval "gates" (gated entrances) with tall turrets. They were keen on medieval days on keeping invaders and vagabonds OUT! Virtually all the length of the walls are walkable, takes about 40 minutes to walk right round. (Roman EBORACUM).
The Viking name was Yorvik.
Remembering that in streetnames, Gate = Street and Bar is a Gate.
Hence Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma Gate, York is a street.
Micklegate Bar is "Mickle Street Gate" , Visit if you can!
The architectural style of Salisbury Cathedral is early English Gothic. Once you get used to some of the styles as a layman you can actually date buildings and discover how old certain towns are or when they were most prosperous. As someone else has mentioned, we can get blasé about the age of our surroundings. I visited Odda's Chapel in Gloucestershire last week, it's almost a thousand years old. On a whim I visited the church next to it, which happened to be Saxon and nearly 1200 years old and had hosted King Cnut (Canute)in 1016, when he negotiated a peace treaty with Edmund II.
It’s worth noting that a lot of gothic architecture is designed to look older than it is, so while it may be old, it’s not as old as you might think
The choice of Swindon surprised me. All it has to recommend it is job availability. If I was to choose any of those cities it would be either Cambridge or York. Great architecture, gorgeous countryside surrounding both cities, and very good transport links to the rest of the country.
I think it surprised all of us!
I really wanted number 1 to be Middlesbrough or Sunderland
My wife walked in the room as the video mentioned Swindon and the first thing she said was (and I quote) "Swindon??? That's a f---ing s--thole!" LOL
To be fair most of that video seemed focussed on job opportunities and commuter access (presubably to London). Personally I prefer to live in a more rural area or maybe a small town - I'm really not a city guy at all, but to each their own I guess. But yeah, Swindon was a real surprise - maybe the guy was just trolling :)
I think this video shows the best places to live in respect of income/cost of living etc and not how pretty they are or what stunning architecture they have (excepting Oxford Cambridge and York but even these you see very little of the actual buildings)
Swindon isn’t a city (no cathedral).
Just north of Swindon lies the lovely region of the Cotswolds. Worth checking out!
I live 40 miles from York in a very small, very rural moorland village:Goathland. My village is 9 miles from the coast, our nearest coastal town is Whitby. Bram Stoker stayed in Whitby when he wrote Dracula and a lot of the novel is set around the 6th century Abbey.
Another thing with licence plates is that they relate to the car, not the driver, like they do in the US so you don’t have to renew then or anything. Throughout its lifetime the car will always be identified by that (unless you get custom plates) so you can look up its history
Police have number plate recognition camera s in cars instant ownership..road tax and insurancecheck if car is stopped.some police in London are armed with the advent of terrorism now
Insurance is mandatory
I literally found one of your videos totally by accident and now have watched half of your channel literally!🤣 Love watching these videos and really like you as a person, feel like I almost know you now lol. It's great to see the interest in the UK as it is a beautiful place. It really makes me appreciate it even more, I am sitting in my home now and less than a mile away is a 600 year old church just like at 6:14. I am 50 minutes from London, I can go there any time I like by train, explore all day, be back for dinner and no het lag lol. Makes me really appreciate where I live and am from more than ever!
I love these videos, I mean this in nicest possible way it’s like watching a kid eager to learn and plenty of people helping him to learn 🥰I’m English of Scottish descent and I’m not overly intelligent but if I know I will always help you out mate, keep up vids 💪
Thanks Robert. I'm so new to all of this that I feel like a kid eager to learn and the comments have been amazing to help me understand things that the videos didn't quite cover.
According to Wikipedia, Salisbury Cathedral is Early English Gothic. They started building it in 1220.
I'm surprised that Swindon came out as No 1 but then I'm probably doing it a great disservice as I've never been there and know nothing about it.
If you do come over, please try to make time to check out East Anglia. You mentioned Essex (a county, not a city) which is where I live, but up in Norfolk you have the beautiful old city of Norwich. I went to university there and still visit often. All those scenic views, all the dazzling architecture, just a couple of hours by train from London.
I love your wide-eyed wonder at things we take for granted. Never lose it!
I concur. Norwich is a great city. Especially for an Ale crawl. Essex though? I try not to venture over the border these days!
Some of York is closer to 2000 years old as it's Roman. The wall-like structure in the York video is the "Bar walls" and is a mix of medieval and Roman city walls. Best viewed in the late spring when the daffodils are out. The walls are near complete and encircle the entire city. The only other complete set of medieval walls in the UK is a place called Conwy in Wales. Chester has a nearly complete set of walls to. After that it's just short sections in the handful of cities with remnants of city walls.
Britain has some beautiful scenery. Yes your right.
No it doesn’t
@@kaydod3190 Don’t be ridiculous Britain has some very beautiful scenery.
@@gailcrowe727 Nah, not really
@@kaydod3190 Stop talking nonsense.
I live about halfway between the first two locations mentioned. The architecture and history here is beautiful. My small town is nestled in the Wessex countryside,has a Norman period-Medieval period Abbey that's the burial place of two of Alfred the Great's brothers,a Norman period ruined castle and an Elizabethan castle built by Sir Walter Raleigh. The town was founded in the 700s by West Saxons and has artifacts and buildings from every historical period since it's founding. One can palpably feel the timespans and weight of the centuries.
Wow. You describe that in a way that sounds so appealing to live in. I'm a little jealous of your surroundings. LOL Looking up some images of Wessex online it appears that it's a beautiful part of England. Definitely a place I'd like to check out when I get over there for a visit one day.
@@reactingtomyroots i think u would love visiting the uk.
The bridge at the beginning in London is Tower Bridge. Glasgow - you were nearly right the first time, ignore the w at the end.
Want to save yourself some syllables, we just say Public Transport.
I'm guessing that's where the famous London bridge was at one point? I just found out the actual bridge is now here in the states. I have no clue what that's about. It's going to take a few to pronounce the different place names properly, but I'll get there. My southern accent also sometimes get the best of me. Thanks for reaching out. BTW it's a small image, but I must say, your beard looks awesome.
@@reactingtomyroots Hi chap, there are many bridges across the river Thames (pronounced Tems), The London Bridge you lot now have, was another crossing elsewhere. Thanks for the beard envy! Alastair.
What still blows my mind is that all these beautiful and historic buildings were built by master stone masons and craftsman, all without modern-day tools. No scaffolding or heavy vehicles to dig out foundations or lift extremely heavy stones. it is truly mind-blowing! Sadly, the modern building aren’t up to those standards. They’ve stood for centuries. Glasgow is pronounced Glas-go. Yes, London has 32 boroughs and 9 million people.
I don't know who made that video, but they didn't mention the north west of England, when you have Manchester and Liverpool, Chester and the peak district and the lake district, I do like your enthusiasm for the UK , by the way you can fly from Manchester to Ireland in less than an hour and there are quite a lot of flights both ways, I forgot to mention in your video about the Gurkhas also to look up the Irish guards, especially with Seamus the dog, you'll enjoy it
Thanks Mike. I've been loving this journey so far. I'll be starting to check out some Irish stuff soon and the Irish guards are bookmarked. There are just so many interesting things to explore. Thanks for your recommendation.
Yorkshire and the Lake District are stunning and not to be missed.
You should be aware that the UK also has large areas of social deprivation. No go areas where gangs operate and poor housing including housing estates.
A lot of people travel around by train and bus as well as by car.
I hope you love your visit to our country and the home of your ancestors and I hope you won't be disappointed.
A car comes with it's license plate. It is registered to the car not the person. when you sell the car the license plate goes with it. That little car outside the house is a Mini.
No kidding. That's interesting. In America once you get your first license plate you literally may have that same plate for the next 50 years, as long as you don't move out of state. We pay a registration fee each year and get a sticker in the mail with year and stick that on the plate to show it's valid. I would have never assumed the plates come with the car. Thanks for the info.
@@reactingtomyroots We pay an annual "Road Tax" which used to be indicated on a paper "Tax Disc" that would be displayed inside the windscreen of the car, it would have the Registration mark, the date of expiry, the vehicle class & the amount paid. It's now stored on a computer, the police can use an ANPR camera to run your plates to check if you've got current Tax, insurance & a current MOT. The MOT is an annual test to check the roadworthyness of your vehicle, insurance comes in various classes, there's "3rd party only", "third party fire and theft" & "comprehensive". 3rd party only covers damage to anything or anyone you may hit - your own vehicle is not covered for damage in an accident caused by you or the theft of your vehicle. 3rd party fire & theft is the same but theft & fire are covered, comprehensive covers you completely - including the cost of a hire vehicle while yours is being inspected & the replacement if yours is written off, it may also cover you if you're hit by an uninsured driver.
Insurance is compulsory - you can't get your vehicle taxed or MOT tested without it.
Surprised to see Wolverhampton and Swindon in the video but relieved that London wasn't featured. The architecture inthe UK is varied. Although every town's high street has much the same shops, if you look above the shopfront you can be in for an architectural treat.
I lived in Germany for 5 years and it was wonderful to see and explore the beauty of the buildings and the streets.
A couple of tips. Many cities, if not most cities, have a city wall and Castle for defence during the many wars and battles during the middle ages. The wall between England and Scotland was built by Emporer Hadrian during the Roman occupation. The wall runs from Carlisle in the West to Wallsend in the East. The old buidings with timber frames and white walls are mostly Elizabethan. Queen Elizabeth the First. The ornate large buildings you love are Gothic style. London is the biggest and Capital city of England. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland but Glasgow is the biggest city. Cardiff is the biggest and Capital city of Wales. Only the Northern part of Ireland is part of the UK. Most weather in the UK comes on the prevailing West winds across the Atlantic and hence the West coasts get most of the wet weather and rocky shorelines. Vehicle Registration plates are letters and numbers. The first 3 letters denote the city or county of first registration, the end numbers denote the year of first reg, Pre 1960 most UK cars were made in UK or Europe, Then Nissan, and other Japanese and Korean manufacturers moved in. American cars are rare in UK. I hope this is helpful to you. Many thanks for your interest in our beautiful homeland.
You’re talking about the old reg plates. Since 2001 the first two letters denote the area (C is Wales (Cymru), S is Scotland, B is Birmingham, G is Kent (Garden of England) L is London, etc), the two numbers are the half year of manufacture and the last three letters are random.
If you want beauty look up cornwall , the lake district , the cotswolds .there are so many beautiful places in the uk ..this is just a few i love ...as a brit .
The black and white, half-timber buildings, are Tudor period 16th century and you would do well to look at the old town of 'Warwick'. This town was never bombed in WWII and has a lot of history on display, plus an awe inspiring castle, that has a lot for tourists enjoyment.
The weather in the UK is variable and we can have sun, wind, rain, hail all in one day. That is why the Brits are obsessed with the weather but it makes our country beautiful and diverse. People don't visit the UK for the weather they come for the art, culture and archetecture.
A favourite British saying, "If you don't like the weather, just wait a few minutes."
And the free healthcare. Immigrants risk their lives to live here. They don't give a flying sh*t about the architecture. All they see is an easy ride and benefits!
Anywhere in the UK is less than 100 miles from the sea. 8:40 the city on the Clyde is pronounced Glaz-go.
12:41 Most of the rivers in the UK flow more swiftly than this - so this is not a typical scene but it is one of the attractions of Cambridge.
18:06 The mediaeval wall ran round the city and much of it still survives. It is, as you might expect, vertical and high on the outside but conveniently provided with walkways and embankments on the inside.
FYI a city can only be called a city if it contains a cathedral. Otherwise its called a town regardless of size.
Not strictly true, it is one criteria. Bath , Plymouth, Hull, Newport non of which have a cathedral.
Glaz-go (Glasgow), also, for example Mos-ko (we don't say "Mos-cow"). Many towns are difficult to pronounce by reading alone, you have to hear them spoken.
The york minster is breathtaking... you have to see it to see its majesty
Hya Steve, just caught your channel and have to say I'm impressed I like your delivery and your humility but that is obviously because of your British ancestry. I noticed that it didnt include Manchester but I'm a Mancunian so I'm biased but seriously it's a great City and has some fantastic architecture and the best tram system. We have a myriad of accents in the UK and some even change town by town, a town 8 miles down the road from where I live have a different accent to our town. I love your soft yankee accent but the way. I'm looking forward to following you on your amazing learning journey in the UK and would be interesting to find out where your ancestors are from. I'm now subscribed Cheers 👍
The Kilts come from the Scottish Clans. Different colours showed you who you were loyal to. The furry bit at the front 'the Sporran' that ppl call it was used to keep barley, oats etc and you would bleed one of the cows at night and and make a black pudding. (Look it up pal).
We have a hiking channel here in the UK, we film some of the most stunning hiking trails this country has to offer. It may be a small island but it’s a bloody pretty one. 😊
I grew up in a London suburb where the Thames was a five minute walk away, where the ancient market town of Kingston was just over the river , boundaried by two royal parks and a easy walk to a a palace (Hampton Court) I played in as a child.
Famous sports venues such as Epsom and Twickenham were fairly local, as was Kew Gardens.
The famous museums of London were mostly not more than an hour away and free. It was magical.
I also was born & brought up in The royal borough of Kingston upon Thames. Such a historical and beautiful place to live. Not forgetting where the name Kingston came from. The seven Saxon Kings were all crowned there and they have on show the actual stone that was used for the Saxon kings to sit on.
Hi Steve I hope you don't mind me suggesting, there is a couple from Texas on CZcams, "Magenta Otter Travels" I think they have a place here in the UK but they have been all over the UK and their videos are really interesting and detailed I think they show a good diversity of the UK and I think you should give them a whirl I think it will be right up your street, also I want to apologise in my last comment I said you had a nice yankee accent then I realised you were from the south I hope you weren't offended. Great channel loving the content you've chosen. Cheers
York is my happy place go about 3 times a year for a few days.. absolutely love it.. even just walking round at night you just feel really safe xx
Glasgow is pronounced Glas - go.
The reason we have lots of historical buildings is that we didn't knock the old ones down, we just built new buildings round them.
I live about 6 miles from a castle (ruined) and walking distance from a Pub built in 1510
That's awesome. The oldest buildings from around here tend to be the 1700s. I'd love to check out some of those really old castles in the UK. Also, to enjoy a beer in a pub over 500 years old would be an interesting experience.
The Wall you talked about is York city walls that surrounded the settlement
Steve. I find your reaction to the UK very humbling. Thank you. Tomorrow I may wake up with a bit more gratitude for the place I live. 🙏
Your hunch is correct about the Mayflower- it transported early Pilgrims to Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. They were attempting to reach the Colony of Virginia, but winter sea conditions forced the ship back to present- day Cape Cod.
Architecture in the UK is normally reckoned by the Monarch who reined when the place was built. It’s really to do with the architectural fashion of the time. The white buildings with the the woodwork showing is probably from the Elizabeth I time called Elizabethan style, then there Georgian, Edwardian, Victorian times and styles. These eras are what you need to research
Some of our nicer cities have rivers running through them so scenes like this can be found either in the cities or just outside in the countryside.
25:40 - Licence plates are all of a standard fixed size. the mounts for the plates are pre fixed to all cars. the frount plate is white, the rear plate is yellow, all licence plates use the same black font. This is to enable license plate recognition technology used by traffic patrol and parking records. Cars reported stollen or wanted for traffic offences are quickly tracked down via traffc cameras and then local police authority are notified.
I would definitely recommend York it's a beautiful city, there's lots to do and see, lots of museums of different interests. Also check out Lincoln and Norwich both have beautiful architecture and just beautiful all round. If you like buildings and history. You might like to visit a museum called beamish, also Crich tramway museum . They are set out like Victorian days.
There’s some very lovely places to see in the UK but we were at the start of the industrial revolution, so there’s lots of less than lovely places, too.
Is the UK on the same latitude as Siberia?
Britain is on the same latitude as Siberia and parts of Russia, yet it does not suffer the same long, harsh winters. Britain's mild climate is partly due to the Gulf Stream, a large Atlantic Ocean current of warm water from the Gulf of Mexico.
Steve ,You are going to love the UK when you visit and see it for real 👍🇬🇧🇺🇸
License plates in the UK are a standard size, colour (yellow at back, white at front) and format. Letters and numbers in the pattern XX00 XXX, The first 2 letters are a code that indicates the region, or even garage where it was originally sold and registered. The last 3 letters are intended to make every plate unique and have no special meaning. The numbers indicate the year the car was first registered, so 00, 50 = 2000, 01, 50 = 2001, 10,60 = 2010, This year is 2022, so cars early in the year have 22, later in the year have 72. And so on.
Our license plates are similar in size to most of Europe. They can be two shapes, the long single line of text or shorter and deeper with two lines. British plates are white on the front of the vehicle and yellow on the rear. Currently they have 2 letters denoting the city of registration, then 2 numbers denoting the year, then 3 random letters. The plate stays with the car for its lifetime unless an owner chooses to buy a personalised plate.
@@neuralwarp I think they should have added a number and had 3 numbers to denote the year and month. E.g. 322 for March 2022. Then the month of registration as well as the year would be clear and the system would last for 100 years before repeating. The current system is weird, and the year isn’t obvopious without knowing that 53 for example is late 2003 and 60 is late 2010 - it’s illogical.
Every car over here has its own number plate that's been on the car since the car was first registered by the car sales garage after arriving from the factory.. even the vintage/classic cars.. the number plate stays on that car no matter who or how many owners it has x
Given you're descriptions of your preferences on the video, I bet you'd love anywhere along the Pennines, there's so many towns in amongst the foothills of the Pennines with valley's and rivers and the backdrop of the hills like a protective hand around you.
I live in the foothills of the Pennines on the western side, it always feels like home when I can look out and see the hills on the horizon
It is beautiful along the Thames river. Beautiful for picnics and boat trips.
(based of population in city limits)
To put into perspective on how big and bustling London is: New York City population: 8.38million(2020stats) London Population: 8.98million (2019 stats).
I think the only 2 other bigger cities on the European continent would be Moscow in Russia, and Istanbul in Turkey
im not living in Swindon, though
London has a higher population than Scotland, Wales and Nr Ireland
This video shows lots of different architecture
Georgian gothic Victorian medieval ect
I think Wales has the most castles in the UK if not Europe
Theres a top 10 worst places to live too 😱 check it out
York is a walled city
Car licence plates are standard on all vehicles in the UK
No 1 Swindon ! I'm not sure about that
The Mayflower was the ship that brought the pilgrim fathers to the north east coast . That is gothic architecture and the whole city is medieval and worth a visit . 2 hours by train from London to Salisbury .
York is like a lot of “walled cities” in England, built for defence.in the background is York Minster.
lol I’m from Swindon and I’m massively surprised we made the top 100 let alone 1st place 😭😭
This video looked at life in terms of ££ and not day to day life.
Swindon is:
45 minutes from Bristol
Just under an hour from Oxford
Just under an hour from Bath
An hour and 30 from Cardiff
2 hours from London
These places are alot more attractive to live in and although more expensive you do get better shops/stores whilst Swindon’s town centre is literally filled with coffee and £ stores.
I will admit the town (a town which is larger than a lot of cities) is trying to better itself and the councils are trying to make the town more into a city centre so it can house larger companies but overall I wouldn’t really recommend swindon, I’d only recommend it if you work in London/Oxford/Bristol or Cardiff, don’t mind travelling and want a cheaper place to live.
(We do have one of the counties best ice hockey team though but only about 2k ppl watch them every weekend September-April lol).
I like your openness to explore all things UK. I think the video you reviewed was most probably produced for business people wishing to relocate hence Swindon as no. 1! A better guide would be to explore all the amazing cathedral cities thoughout the UK as well as those near Britain's incredibly long and varied coastline and/or national parks and areas of outstanding beauty. I think that will really whet your appetite to visit - why not hire a camper van to give you greater freedom to roam our realm!
I live in the second largest city in England, which obviously spreads outwards to accommodate people and is fairly built up. What’s interesting about England is, you are never far from the countryside and beautiful historic buildings are to be found everywhere. There are ugly parts to the big cities no doubt, but you’ll still find a church in the most ugly parish. Cornwall is well worth looking at look for the best beaches in Cornwall. There’s one called Porthcurno and on a summers day, the green sea and white sand makes it look like you’re in the Caribbean. Villages and beautiful days out are never far away, even from the centre of a massive city. My son works for our historic properties within the city. They are hundreds of years old and fascinating - right in the middle of the city. But everywhere in the world has it’s ugly places. Where I’d trade with America is the space you have, being a tiny island means we’re all squashed up together 😅
11:09 - Cambridge is definitely worth a visit, I live half an hour away and yeah I love it, I proposed to my (now fiancée) there last year, it was just the perfect place, also like London very very walkable but public transport is fantastic if you want it 👍 and at 12:34 yeah it really is a common scene, anywhere like Cambridge, London or any big city has its own thing and even the countryside you see a lot of breathtaking scenes!
In the UK place names ending in 'ham' are pronounced 'em' so Birmingham is pronounced Birming-em. Places ending in 'Shire' are pronounced 'sherr' so Wiltshire is pronounced Wilt-sherr. Glasgow is pronounced Glazz-go and Edinburgh is pronounced Eddin-Burra. The bridge you saw is Tower Bridge. Westminster Abbey is 1,000 years old and the Tower of London was built in 1066. Queen Elizabeth I was held there by her half sister, Mary and nearly lost her head. Don't forget Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland if you come to the UK. York is surrounded by a wall and the Minster is awesome and took so long to build the architecture is both Norman & Gothic Styles. The main stained glass window is the size of a tennis court. So much to find out but there's so much more than London.