Recommended list

Additions to the list above...
1.  Take a walk on the old city walls that go around Derry.  It's about a mile I think and there are some really good views of the city.

2. Bloody Sunday Memorial in Derry.  I usually shy away from NI politics but there are some interesting murals on the buildings.

3. Mourne Mountains in County Down.  Gorgeous area, there is a small seaside town at the base of the mountains called Newcastle...so far my favorite place in Northern Ireland.

4. Ulster American Folk Park in Omagh.  It's an outdoor museum that tells the story of emigration from Ulster to the US in the 18th and 19th centuries.  I haven't been there yet but have heard it's very well done and really interesting.

5. My last suggestion is for Dublin (I know, not in the UK but oh well lol).  They have this thing called a Dublin Ghost Bus tour.  They use and old double decker, people only sit in the top part, the interior is painted dark colors, curtains on the windows etc.  It starts about  8:30-9pm and the tour guide tell stories about haunted areas around Dublin and you go by all the areas.  You also go by Bram Stoker's house etc and to an old cemetary where he explains how people used to go grave digging etc.  The guy that did it was a brilliant storyteller and I thought it was more interesting than your usual city bus tours.

1. Have a play day at Hungamunga or a free relax sunday at Working Men's Club in Bethnal green.
2. Enjoy some afternoon teacakes and tease cabaret at Volupte Bar
3. Have a kitsch cabaret night out at Madame Jo Jo's
4. enjoy some free jazz at the southbank
5. go to the spitafields winter festival

I just remember another:

Visit the Neasden Temple

Been there.:-p

Id recommend to all....GLASTONBURY MUSIC FESTIVAL!
Survived it twice and plan on going again this year...;-)

Id recommend to all....GLASTONBURY MUSIC FESTIVAL!
Survived it twice and plan on going again this year...;-)

been there  4x (two with child )

I don't know if I can muster a week of no showers and spending money to see kylie headlining though  Big Chill did spoil me 


1. have a popcorn tossing dance session at Rock and Roll Cinema
2. Camp out at the Newforest
3. Go ice skating at Hampstead Heath
4. Go to a Sunday dinner and Alternative cabaret at Bread and Roses
5. Go to the stand against racism music festival at finsbury park in the summer

go to the Red Lion Pub , whitehall and people watch with a pint.

Go for a pint of real ale at The Crescent pub on The Crescent in Salford.  Sit where Marx and Engels argued the toss over radical politics while getting rat arsed

Great atmos and full of fiddle playing beardy types of the left!

11 come to Bradford just for the great museums here (and you can do no 2 at the same time )

And don't forget to have a curry...they are the best Anams is awsome.

There's far too many for me to remember so here are a few;

1. Go to Edinburgh see the city and its history and marvel in the crazy accents of the crazy but fun locals.

2. Visit Windsor Castle, you can go around it and it's one of the most beautiful and well kept castles around. The queen goes there a lot, the local area and pubs/restaurants are also great. Once you've seen the Castle you can take a walk along the picturesque canal.

3. Go to the Lake District and see the most amazing scenery and if you're of that sort of ilk camp and enjoy a fire in one of the most beautiful places. Be aware though it's one of the most rainy places in England so if rain and camping isn't you're thing it's worth staying at a B&B or hotel.

4. As others have said, go to a football match. I watched my beloved Stoke lose 2-1 to Chelsea today but it was a good event overall. If you do go to a football match please remember the English love to fight and football grounds are one of the acceptable places to scrap in England. So choose where you sit and who you go to see. There are plenty of scumbags who love to scrap here. But go there with your eyes open and have a great time. I'd suggest not wearing any football shirt if you don't know the area/ground.

You could also come and see the loudest fans in the Premiership



5. Take in the British love for music. We always have huge amounts festivals and events going on. Liverpool is a good place to visit if you like the likes of the Beatles. I always enjoy stopping by the Beatles Hotel in Liverpool and there’s a museum too.

6. Go to an Old English pub and just watch life go by and have a pint of real ale!

7. Visit Cork in Ireland and take in the quaint Irish ways. I've always found the Irish to be hospitable people and Cork has a history of Glassmaking. If that’s something that interests you, you can take tours and watch them do it. I'm normally not into that stuff but I found it interesting. I find Dublin is not only expensive but very touristy now which takes the charm away for me.

8. Visit what was once the Pottery centre of the world (Stoke-On-Trent) and see the history. You can also buy pottery very cheap from the factory shops.

9. Go to Stone Henge, spend half a day there and then make the short trip to Salisbury Cathedral. The Cathedral had moved my fiancée (Miss K) at how amazing it is. Its architecture is amazing and it also has things like one of the four oldest Magna Carta's in the world. It has Europe’s oldest working clock and was built in the 13th Century. It's truly an amazing place and when you are stood by a knight’s shrine and the incredibly powerful organ starts to play you'll see why people go there from all over Europe.

http://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/

10.  Join a Heritage trust like English Heritage Trust for a small amount and then go and explore English history. Loads of places to see and things to do.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/

There's loads more stuff and I could go on all day!

Another thought is exploring.

You can either walk the paths and explore the ruins. There is right of way to walk nearly everywhere in England.

You can also explore old buildings too but please be aware it may not be strictly legal to explore everywhere.

I find the 28days exploring reports fascinating but these guys don't always follow the law but they do explore some of the most important and amazing places in the UK.

http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/

Hi There !!

Thanks for the list of things which one can do. It is very helpful for the tourists.

Keep posting such


Thanks & Regards
Annete Duffel

Here's 10 suggestions from me, many of which include free attractions, and a few little local gems that may not be so well known:

1) In the South East - Dover Castle.  One of the largest and finest medieval castles in the country, and includes once secret underground tunnels from which the evacuation of Dunkirk was planned. 
[Little local secret: try Langdon Cliff - a beautiful National Trust site on top of the famous white cliffs.  Not only a site of special scientific  interest, if you look carefully among the grass you'll find the remains of gun emplacements from WW2, when huge artillety pieces mounted on rail carriages were run in at dust from secret hides to shell the German positions on the Calais coast.  In turn, Dover was itself shelled (as well as bombed) and several pubs in the town have maps on the wall showing the bomb hits and shell strikes in "Hell Fire Corner".] 

http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/dover/dover.php [nofollow]
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-thewhitecliffsofdover [nofollow]

2) In London - See a Shakespeare play at the open air theatre in Regent's Park. 
[Little local secret: try a public lecture at Burlington House in Picadilly - the home of 6 of Britains great Scientific and Historical societies.  When you go in, ask if you can see the William Smith Map - This was the first geological map in the world and is hung on the wall by the staircase protected behind a curtain.  In addition to it's momentous scientific significance it is a thing of beauty in its own right.]

http://openairtheatre.org/index.html [nofollow]
http://www.burlingtonhouse.org/default.asp [nofollow]

3) In South Wales - visit Monmouth.  A picturesque little town with a ruined castle thought to be the birthplace of King Henry the 5th (a great English Hero), and an ancient gated bridge over the River.  Combine this with a visit to nearby Ross-on-Wye during their music festival in August. 
[Little local secret - try the museum of the "Royal Monmouth Royal Engineers (Militia)" - the most senior regiment in the British Reserve Army, having been in the continuous service of the Sovreign since 1539]

http://www.monmouth.org.uk/Home/Default.aspx [nofollow]
http://www.royalforestofdean.info/wye-valley/ross-on-wye.shtml [nofollow]

4) In the Southwest - Visit Cornwall, particularly Land's End, the beautiful seaside town of Penzance, and the gorgeous little coves and smuggler's bays all along the coast.  While there, find a good local tea shop and try a Cream Tea (English tea served with buttered scones and jam - yum!)

http://www.visitcornwall.com/site/things-to-do [nofollow]

5) In Birmingham - Check out the awesome shopping: "The Bull Ring" shopping centre (including the iconic Selfidges store), the open air and covered markets, "The Mail Box", The Jewellery Quarter and much more.  Try the canal-side development "Brindley Place" for lunch in a waterside pub and maybe take a ride on a narrow boat. 
For evening entertainment I recommend the Birmingham Royal Ballet at the Hippodrome and/or trying out a curry in the 'Balti Triangle'. 
On a Saturday see a Premiership Football match at Villa Park, the home of Aston Villa [greatest team in the world...  ]. Try for a 'derby' match against another west midlands team like Birmingham City or West Bromwich Albion - the atmosphere will be electric!
[Little local secret - before you go to the match have a look around Aston Hall - a Jacobean Mansion in the park near the football stadium.  A real gem]

http://www.visitbirmingham.com/ [nofollow]
http://www.brb.org.uk/masque/index.htm?act=WhatsOn [nofollow]
http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/Home/0,,10265,00.html [nofollow]
http://www.bmag.org.uk/aston-hall [nofollow]


6) Elsewhere in the Midlands - try a trip to the town of Ironbridge - World Heritage Site and birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, or Warwick Castle - an outstanding medieval attraction for the family where you can often see live Jousting and falconry. 

http://www.visitironbridge.co.uk/ [nofollow]
http://www.warwick-castle.co.uk/ [nofollow]


7) On the South Coast - Portsmouth is well worth a visit.  A naval port with many attractions including the Historic Dockyards complex.  This houses HMS Victory, the flagship of Admiral Lord Nelson, the remains of the Mary Rose - Henry VIII's flagship, and HMS Warrior, the world's first iron clad warship.  There's enough there to fill several days worth of tourist time.  Portsmouth also boasts a number of forts and historic buildings including Southsea Castle - a fine example of an artillery castle from the time of Henry VIII, the "martello towers", Fort Nelson, The Square Tower, and many others.  Theres also a vibrant quayside shopping and liesure complex "Gunwarf Quays" with the famous Spinnaker Tower observation platform. 
[Little local secret - Try taking the ferry accross the mouth of the Harbour to the Gosport side and visit Stokes Bay and Gilkicker Point. You'll find a fabulous little waterfront cafe at the west end, a beautiful long promenade with views of the Isle of Wight accross the solent where there's usually lots of sailing, an outdoor children's swimming pool, cafe and the lifeboat station, and at the west end the Gilkicker battery.  The shingle point is a site of special scientific interest having many rare flora & fauna including the Gilkicker beetle which is found nowhere else on earth.  Head a little further in and you'll find Alverstoke Village whose tiny little fish and chip shop serves some of the best Traditional English fish and chips I've ever had!]

http://www.visitportsmouth.co.uk/ [nofollow]
http://www.fortgilkicker.co.uk/index.htm [nofollow]

In Scotland - Edinburgh is a must.  A beautiful city packed with history and culture.  The castle is a must see, especially if you can be there for the 1pm gun being fired as it has been every day for hundreds of years (grab a good spot to see it well before 1pm as it's very popular). 

9) In the Northwest - Visit Haweswater in the Lake District.  This is a beautiful upland reserve maintained by the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds).  Quite apart from the scenery, it is home to the only Golden Eagle south of Scotland.  15 Years ago spent a week there volunteering and watching over a pair of Eagles who had nested but failed to raise a brood that year.  Since the website now only mentions one eagle I assume his mate died, but believe me they are so majestic that one is enough.
[Little local secret - if you visit in high summer or any period of drought, the water in the reservoir there may be low enough for you to see the remains of the village that was drowned when the valley was flooded to create it (don't worry, they relocated the residents first!)]
Derwent Water in the Lake District is also a favourite of mine.  If you have the legs try the climb up Skiddaw Fell for an incredible view down onto the lake and the town of Keswick (where you'll find a pencil museum - sounds dull but actually very good.  The pencil was first invented there in Cumbria where shepherds used graphite found in the local volcanic rocks to mark their sheep before someone had the bright idea of encasing it in a tube of wood!
[Antother little local secret - the Coledale Inn in the nearby village of Braithwaite is a fantastic country pub where I recommend you try a pint of Jennings Ale - a very fine local Cumbrian Ale]

http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/h/haweswater/ [nofollow]
http://www.coledale-inn.co.uk/index.htm [nofollow]

10) On the South Coast again - visit the Lyme Regis and the "Jurassic Coast" another world heritage site.  Famous for the incredible fossils found in the cliffs and for its fantastic coastal scenery (including the 'Durdle Door' sea arch at nearby Lulworth Cove). 
In Lyme Regis itself get a photograph of you standing on the Cobb (the old stone quay) looking out to sea just as Meryl Streep did in the film "The French Lieutenant's Woman". 
[Little tip - if you want to hunt for fossils the best time is just after a storm when the cliffs will have fresh slumps/slides/rockfalls, though you'll have to get up early or the commercial fossil collectors will have made off with the best ones.  Do excercise caution near the unstable cliffs though and get some local advice first if you can]

http://www.lymeregis.org/ [nofollow]

thanks for this list. if my move to the UK ever do happen I am gonna have this list! lol

Go to a football match (some grounds much better than others for atmosphere). Make sure to get a pie at halftime.

Get a proper pie and mash in London.

Take the eurostar to Paris. (certainly an experience you wont get in america)

see the fireworks for guy fawkes

Cycle around london, or at least Hyde Park or Regents Park

Go to Edinburgh.