My friend Pete celebrated his 80th birthday which is something I didn’t want to miss. Unfortunately he wasn’t feeling too well and went into hospital the day after his birthday for a heart procedure. So celebrations were somewhat muted but enjoyable non the less. We then went up to the Lake District where it poured nonstop for the two days we were there.
So on this trip I visited Cheshire, Weybridge Surrey and South Wales. I was staying in some of the more upper-market areas of UK so my impressions must be seen under those circumstances.
Britain is an overcrowded island , in my lifetime the population has just about doubled from 38 million to 70 million. You never seem to get away from people whether it is walking in the Lake District and the New Forest and particularly on the roads where it’s going from one queue to the next. The road network is excellent but Britain is a very car-orientated society ; for example my son in law has a collection of 10 cars and Paul’s family of four each have a car. There are at least 40 million vehicles and the remarkable point is that most of them are high end models and fairly new .More people would move to public transport but it’s expensive . In fact Britain seems to me to be an affluent country , money seems to be no object .It’s cheaper to holiday in Turkey with guaranteed weather than going to Cornwall. I witnessed a guy give a 10 pound tip to the barmaid for pulling a couple of pints.UK is more or less a cash free country , people pay everything either with card tap or by phone app including the tube. Despite this the Poms seem to be a dispirited bunch. They are disenchanted with their politicians, immigration, Brexit ,NHI , high cost of living and a hangover from Covid. Housing is very expensive ; 1 million pounds is nothing and rents have gone up considerably. This is tough for young people wanting to get on the housing ladder.
Keeping fit has moved up a notch probably since the London Olympics. For example my son and wife do triathlons and swim in a nearby lake. It’s very well organized with starting times, marshals and life savers and very well attended. The only problem is that summer is 4 months at most and all these activities close in winter and you’ve got to be very motivated to continue your training in the winter.
Despite this the British diet is not very healthy, sausages, egg , bacon and chips with everything rule the roost.
At the end of June 2022 there were an estimated 10 million people in England and Wales who were not born in the UK, approx. 15% of the population. Whether this is a problem or not is debatable but it’s clear that many businesses and institutions such as the NHI struggle with a labor shortage and would not exist without them.
British people remain good natured , friendly and engaging and as ever the countryside is beautiful . London has a lot to offer, wonderful architecture, free galleries and museums , theaters, a splendid public transport system and is very walkable or cycleable. Yes it’s got problems but so has every other country so feel free to visit but it’s recommended to do that in the summer months.
