Hampshire, England

Hampshire is a large county in the southern part of England.

It includes the port cities of Southampton and Portsmouth as well as the county town and cathedral city of Winchester. (Note: Portsmouth is also a Roman Catholic cathedral city.) Nearer to London, you also have the city of Basingstoke, sort of the last major train stop before reaching Greater London.

Having lived there (from 1997 to 2004), I was surprised to learn that the county was called the County of Southampton (and sometimes Southamptonshire) from 1889 to 1959! I'd never seen any evidence of such! Apparently the city name came first, but I'll cover that more when I talk about Southampton itself.

Climate

(From Wikipedia)

Hampshire is warmer and drier than many parts of the UK. When I was trying to equate the coastal climate to my native Oregon, I eventually concluded that Southampton's climate was akin to Brookings, Oregon – as far north as fuchsias are evergreen. (Incidentally, even in Wiltshire, where I lived another 7 years, the fuchsia was not evergreen, so it's a fine line.)

Natural Beauty

Hampshire has many natural attractions including the “national parks” of the South Downs and the New Forest as well as many “country parks.”

Several rivers run through the county including the Test and the Itchen on either side of Southampton and the Hamble further East.

Additionally, the Solent with it's unique four-daily high tides, draws all sorts of sea-lovers whether you prefer to enjoy it from the shoreline (including some nice beaches in Portsmouth) or on the water. The Solent is a very busy channel, filled with commercial freighters, luxury cruise ships, ferries to the Isle of Wight, France or Spain, and a myriad of private boats of all shapes and sizes. Nearer to Portsmouth, there are naval vessels as well.

In addition to the natural features, there are plenty of manmade landmarks.

As the region is believed to have been continuously occupied since the end of the last Ice Age, it is unsurprising that there is much evidence of these earlier peoples including the Danebury Rings hillfort and Roman ruins (especially in Silchester). There are also many picturesque historical buildings and ruins.

Hampshire Sheep (Oklahoma State)

Agriculture

Hampshire has a long history of agriculture originating from when it was brought over from mainland Europe.

Therefore, it should not be surprising to learn that a couple of modern livestock breeds originated in Hampshire. There's the Hampshire sheep which is popular among US 4-Hers. Then there is the Hampshire pig which is not only popular in the US, but even has a commemorative statue in Winchester, Hampshire.

Hampshire Pig (Oklahoma State)

Famous things and people

Jane Austen spent most of her life in Hampshire. Here's a virtual tour of her house in Chawton.

The famous ship, Titanic sailed from Southampton on her fateful maiden voyage.

There is plenty more to read about Hampshire on Wikipedia.

Touristy things on the Web...

Beaulieu (pronounced Bew-lee) – with its famous car museum – has an excellent virtual tour.

Marwell Zoo has a good presence on the internet from a Flicker photo gallery to webcams to videos, you can see what they have to offer.

Then, we have the many Country Parks of the county.

From Manor Farm to Royal Victoria to Lepe (pronounced “leap”) there are many family-friendly places to enjoy nature and play.

Here's a really cool “living history” museum. Lots of pictures of the various exhibits at Milestones near Basingstoke.

Even places which don't have the greatest web pages are probably easily viewed via Google Street View once you know where to look. Google have thoroughly covered most of the UK, so you should have no trouble being a static tourist.

Other Towns

(This list will be incomplete as I'm only including the ones where I quickly found a tourist website – I may add more at a later date.)

Alresford including an interactive tour.

Petersfield

Don't miss any of the great places in Hampshire – check out the Visit Hampshire site for details on each of the cities, towns and villages as well as many of the places to see.

(I will do separate pages on Southampton, Portsmouth and Winchester... mainly because I've spent the most time there – and they are interesting places to me.)

Welcome to London!

August 2012 - copyright Viking Visual

As most travelers arrive in Britain through one of the London airports (or the Channel Tunnel), it is the most logical place to start our tour of Britain.

London is the capital of the UK and one of the oldest cities as well. In Roman times, it was called Londinium.

A thorough exploration of London would fill an entire blog on its own. However, there are other websites which will do this better than I ever could without living there, so I will leave that to them. So, I apologize for the brevity of this narrative which cannot possibly do London the justice it deserves.

How about a map or two?

First of all, it's important to know where you are going. Even in a virtual sense, it's helpful to know where things are on the map, so here are a couple of options to help you get to know the lay of the land.

* VisitLondon.com has a decent map (based on Google) which shows where some of the top attractions are.

* The one at The City of London website is an Ordinance Survey (the official map-makers of Britain) mapping tool with sites fairly easy to see – if you already know where to look...

Maybe an interactive tour will give you a better idea.

Photographs and Virtual Tours of London

Finding photos of London is easy. Finding great ones can be a little harder. Here are some sites which will help you with your virtual site-seeing.

* This one by Visualise is a pretty good way to tour London without leaving your computer. A quick warning to anyone with vertigo – it takes a little practice with this tool to stop you spinning around dizzyingly!

* Arounder has a good set of photos of main destinations in London.

* Explore London has 200 panoramas for you to discover. (Note: Westminster Bridge panorama is a tad old – before the London Eye was built!)

* Another excellent Aerial tour has some vertigo issues, but once you get the hang of it, it's an excellent way to waste a huge amount of time exploring London!

* London By Click hosts another collection of 360 degree photographs all around London.

Virtual tours of attractions

Some tourist attractions offer virtual tours as well.

* The National Gallery has an excellent online tour where you can virtually visit many of their galleries and access information about the artwork on display. Even more amazing – their entire collection can be seen online from their collection of artists. What an excellent educational opportunity!

* The Royal Air Force Museum in London also has some virtual tours of their various exhibitions.

Kew Gardens is one of my favorite places in Greater London. It's also one of the more photographed locations – simply because it's so beautiful and so much loved by most Brits. (I haven't looked specifically, but there should be tons of photos and videos out there about Kew.)

General sightseeing

Although it's relatively easy to find out about the big attractions, what about more minor attractions? The hidden gems?

An excellent resource is the Timeout magazine. Almost anything worth seeing can be read about here. They even have videos!

Visit London has a few things to offer you.

As does Lonely Planet.

Other Virtual experiences

There is even an app to allow you to run a virtual London Marathon set to be fully introduced in April 2015.

My suggestion to you – is to start with one of these websites with loads of suggestions, then find the place on Google maps and use Street View to see even more.

For more of an “in the moment” experience, you may want to go another route.

Remember, that Britain is on GMT (+1 in the summer) which is generally five hours ahead of New York or Washington DC, and eight hours ahead of Seattle, Portland or Los Angeles on the West Coast. (So noon in New York is 5pm in London; noon in Los Angeles is 8pm in London.)

There are many Webcams in London as you will find at this GoAndRoam site.

Cultural immersion

Culturally, you can do many things to immerse yourself into London culture from afar.

Drama is an obvious choice. From Sherlock Holmes to Doctor Who; Eastenders to James Bond

Fortunately, finding movies and TV shows set in London is extremely easy. Most Sherlock Holmes TV shows are set in London, as is a lot of Doctor Who. James Bond is another obvious option.

London is both easy and difficult to learn about.

The surface knowledge is plentiful and widely-distributed – which also makes it difficult to get beneath the surface. Hopefully, some of the resources I have shared with you will help you to get there.

Next, let's start exploring some of the counties.

Living in Britain

Glastonbury, England - as viewed from the Tor
copyright Viking Visual

In 1997, the day that Tony Blair was elected into office, I was entering the UK to live, bleary-eyed from a very short night's sleep during the flight from New York. I had my (then) husband and our baby with me. I got through customs on my single-entry, wife visa and began my 16.5 years of living in the UK.

Hopefully, you will have already had the experience of visiting the UK on holiday (vacation) to get the flavor of shopping, traveling and site-seeing. However, no vacation will give you the trials which ordinary living will give you – such as trying to find a decent broom or getting to grips with making the perfect cuppa (cup of tea.)

Logistics

The UK is one of the harder countries to move to if you're not already a citizen of the EU. (Even within the EU, it is one of the harder countries to enter – along with Ireland and Denmark.) If you want to retire in the UK, it is difficult unless you have plenty of money (Madonna has a considerable estate there) – but that isn't true for most of us. If you are retiring, it's best to start somewhere else in the EU where all they care about is whether your social security and/or pension is enough to support you... then you can move to the UK later after you've become an EU citizen. (By then, of course, you'll probably be too used to Mediterranean living – perhaps – too care about the UK!)

In general, it's a lot easier to move to Britain if you have a good job and/or you have a spouse or parent who is a citizen.

If you are doing the international relationship thing, I can say that it's a LOT easier to live together in the UK than it is to do it in the USA.

* I have a friend who tried to bring her husband to the US – but was prevented by something stupid he did as a teenager (he was, like, 50 when he applied!) In the end, they gave up on it – she wasn't able to move to the UK (kids) and he wasn't able to move to the USA.

* I considered trying to get a partner of mine into the USA, but would've required quite a lucrative financial situation to have any chance at all. Not feasible for many, including myself.

A word of warning on these international relationships though. They are a beautiful thing when they work. When they don't, the foreigner often finds themselves trapped in a foreign country due to child issues. I remained in Britain for almost 10 years AFTER the marriage failed for that reason. I know others who have had the same problem (or the same in reverse.)

Some years after I became a permanent resident in the UK, they brought in the “Life in the UK” test – which brought about much amusement within the country with articles in the newspapers showing people that most citizens could not have passed it without considerable study! Yet, this is needed if you wish to become a permanent resident or citizen. The book for it is available at most book stores and probably many news agents as well. It is very dry reading, but if you can read all the way through and take the practice exams online, you shouldn't have too much trouble, especially if you speak English reasonably well.

Driving

When you arrive in the UK, you get a whole year to use your US drivers' license before you must sit your British exam in order to keep driving. (Going to the US, your UK license tends to be good only for a month – surprising when you discover just how much harder the UK license is – and how much more training you must have in order to pass!)

The first thing you need to have is a copy of the “Highway Code” available in most news agents and book stores. It includes all you need to know – including how to operate one of those dreaded roundabouts which you will find littered everywhere you want to drive. (Used correctly, roundabouts are an excellent solution to an intersection with uneven traffic flow or not quite busy enough to justify traffic lights yet.) Do realize that almost all UK cars are manual transmission, so if you need an automatic, you will need to make special arrangements. (If you take your exam in an automatic, you will be licensed only for automatics!)

As the driver's exam is much harder in the UK than it is anywhere in the USA, it is prudent to purchase some private training through any of the many driving schools in the UK. It is quite normal to fail the test the first attempt (or two...)

A surprisingly large percentage of the British population do not drive. But considering the excellent public transit system, it makes more sense...

Public transit

Compared with almost anywhere in the USA, the public transit system in the UK is amazing! It shouldn't be too surprising, considering the population density of the country, but it is very easy to get used to the idea that there are trains to almost anywhere you might want to go. Most of the rest of the country is very well connected using buses. I was very impressed with the buses in south Wales where you really could go almost anywhere without driving yourself.

You will want to get familiar with pages such as the National Rail website, the individual company websites such as First and Stagecoach. Then, there's National Express and other smaller networks.

Climate

When using a USDA-styled climate map, the UK ranges from a zone 10 on the Isles of Scilly off the SW coast of Cornwall to a zone 7 over the hills of northern Britain. Compared to much of the US, the UK enjoys a very comfortable climate. It generally never gets either super hot nor super cold.

Obviously, it does differ from region to region. In Southampton, where I was for almost seven years, I likened the growing season to southern coastal Oregon... where fuchsias are evergreen most years.

In Berkshire and Wiltshire, it was more like the Willamette Valley, just a little cloudier. South Wales was like being in coastal Washington.

Northern parts of Britain – and along the North Sea coast, there is a much more substantial snowfall in most years. Generally, the NE coastline gets the first snowfall. I would liken this part of the country to the East Coast of the USA, without the temperature extremes.

Although the UK does not experience the same sorts of temperature extremes as you see in the USA, due to the humidity, you may find that UK extremes feel very similar to USA extremes. I've also learned that simply translating Farenheit to Celcius doesn't give an accurate guide for how the air feels.

Religion

There is no official “separation of church and state” in Britain. Christian beliefs and heritage are fairly deeply entrenched throughout the country. But although most Brits are nominally Anglican (similar to Episcopalian in the US,) the actual adherence is quite low.

Christianity definitely has the largest religious following – and most denominations can be found in large numbers – from the Brethren and Quakers to Anglicans and Catholics to Baptists and Penticostals. Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses are found in large numbers as well. Additionally, many other faiths can be found in Britain, whether ancient and native (like druidry) or foreign (like Islam) or modern (like Jediism,) The pagan movement is very strong and better tolerated than it is in the USA. As you can see, Britain is a very multi-faith country.

LGBT Pride

Gay pride is alive and well in Britain. “Civil partnership” which includes “gay marriage” has been around for a few years now giving hope to many couples who were not able to have legal protections previously. (This includes the ability to inherit property and the ability to access help in cases of domestic violence.) Although many may not see it as being the same as “marriage”, it is probably this very difference which allowed it to slide into the UK years before the movement picked up a similar level of momentum in the USA.

Family Freedoms

Home births are common in the UK and midwifery is a respected profession – though, as with many professions, there has been a recent shortage. In general, though, the UK is a very good place to have a baby. The mother is well-looked-after, from the beginning stages clear through several months after the birth. No rushing to the doctor in those early days after birth unless it is medically required. It's a much more laid back – much more “natural” process. Not to mention the fact that as a legal resident, your healthcare is FREE!!! (Dental and prescriptions are also free while you are pregnant and during the year afterwards.)

Home education is less regulated than many places. Although the current trend is towards more regulation (annual checks and a register) – it is still only the equivalent of the “yellow” states on the map of home school regulations for the US.

Although vaccination is strongly encouraged and expected, there are no penalties for someone who opts out. A parent can also choose to delay vaccines or accept some and refuse others. Currently, schools do not require vaccination records before admission into the education system.

Discipline is regulated in Scotland, where it is illegal to “smack” (spank) children... even your own. (Note: whereas in the USA, the word “smack” has a very violent connotation, in the UK, it's the word “spank” which is the stronger word – not one you want to get wrong.)

Recently, Scotland has been in the process of implementing some rather draconian parenting laws about having a “named person” (social worker) for every child in the country. From the freedom-loving point of view, I'd stay clear of Scotland for the near future.

I can say both good things and bad things about living in the UK. I lived there for many years, but it never truly became home – yet, having left, I can also say that a very large part of my heart was left behind too. Not just in the people I have left behind, but the familiarity I have with a country where I spent nearly all my adult life up until the time I left – the country where I achieved the fullness of motherhood and experienced the heartache of family breakdown and other personal struggles.

If you have further questions, please leave them in the comments and I'll answer them in a future Q & A blog post.

Old Blighty – The United Kingdom

One of the safest places to explore is the United Kingdom. With English as the main language and a healthy online population, it is an obvious place to start your static globetrotter expedition. The country is well-represented by Google street view as well (actually, a little too well according to some reports!) It's also small enough that you can get a very good impression with little effort.

Geography

The Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is comprised of four separate countries, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Although the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands (including Jersey and Guernsey) are dependencies of the Crown according to Wikipedia, they are not part of the UK. (For confusion's sake, the term “Great Britain” does not include Northern Ireland, whereas the term “the British Isles” includes all of Ireland as well.

Area of the UK

The United Kingdom is slightly larger than the US state of Minnesota and slightly smaller than Michigan (or Wyoming or Oregon – both similar sizes) with a population of around 63 million people. This is broken down into:

* England – just over 50,000 square miles (130,000 square kilometers) - slightly larger than Mississippi and slightly smaller than Louisiana.

* Scotland - just over 30,000 square miles (nearly 79,000 square kilometers) - a little smaller than South Carolina.

* Wales - only 8000 square miles (nearly 21,000 square kilometers) - smaller than the state of New Jersey.

* Northen Ireland - just over 5000 square miles (nearly 14,000 square kilometers) – about the size of Connecticut.

The Peoples of the UK

Most people in the UK speak some variant or other of English. There are also native populations of Welsh, Scots Gaelic and Irish Gaelic speakers as well as many immigrant groups who have brought their native tongues with them.

Britain has been inhabited for a very long time; even thousands of years before the last great Ice Age, there were people of some description living on these islands. According to Wikipedia, some 80% of modern British DNA originated from the Ice Age hunters who lived on the islands before the glaciers melted.

As various people migrated (or invaded), there were influxes of the Beaker people, Celtic tribes, Saxons, Romans, Gaels – and that's still in the prehistoric section of British history! Then, we had the Viking raids, the Norman invasion, the Romani (sometimes known as Gypsies) and people fleeing persecution in Europe. In colonial times, many came from India and Africa. These days, there are still people fleeing persecution from the Middle East and Eastern Europe and many others taking advantage of various treaties – all looking for a new and happier life in the United Kingdom.

With such a history of migration, it isn't surprising that each group has left its mark on the UK.

Historical Landmarks

Britain is famous for its many landmarks.

* Ancient peoples left behind hill forts, standing stones, cairns and chalk figures.

* The Romans left behind their roads, amphitheaters, baths and other ruins.

* Medieval Britain left behind castles, stoneworks, abbeys, cathedrals and churches. Many manor houses and palaces had their beginnings in this time.

* Industrialization gave Britain a legacy of mining and other industrial riches including the Iron Bridge and, later, the Clifton suspension bridge in Bristol.

* The British Empire brought more grand manors and country estates; museums, bridges and Kew Gardens.

* The various wars Britain has fought is marked in many museums and fortresses. Historic dockyards in places like London and Portsmouth display the rich naval history of Britain.

* Trains have also lent a rich heritage all of their own. Some of the old steam engines have been restored and currently run on special excusion trains throughout Britain.

* Modern times have added icons such as the London Eye, the Millennium Bridge, the Olympic Stadium in London and the Millennium stadium in Cardiff.

With museums and plaques across the country, it is difficult to find a location where history has been forgotten.

Sporting Events

The United Kingdom could be considered the birth place of modern sport. Many popular sports originated in this area. From “association football” (soccer) and rugby, to cricket and rounders, to field hockey and curling, you will have a hard time finding a team sport that wasn't originally thought of in Britain. Even basketball and it's relative, netball, have their origins in Britain. For more individual sports, boxing, snooker, billiards, tennis and table tennis; golf, badminton, squash, even darts were all developed in Britain.

Although Great Britain is not a leader at the Winter Olympics, they shine in the Summer where they took fourth in the medal table in 2012. They are particularly proficient in sailing, cycling, rowing, and athletics.

Other popular sports in Britain include Formula 1 (motor racing) and equestrian events such as racing (flat or over fences) and eventing. Two of the six 4-star events on the annual eventing calendar happen in Britain – the Badminton Horse Trials and the Burghley (pronounced Burley) Horse Trials.

Arts and Entertainment

If you're more interested in the arts, there are many ways of discovering your inner Brit.

From Chaucer's Canterbury Tales to Shakespeare to Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters; Dickens to Sherlock Holmes to Agatha Christie, there are many, many authors who gave Britain a very rich literary history.

Today, there are many TV programs and movies which give an insight into British life.

From “Fawlty Towers” and “Jeeves and Wooster” to “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “Doctor Who”, you will find many British shows to help you understand the culture. The more risque “Monty Python”, “Little Britain” and comedienne, Catherine Tate, challenge Britons to understand themselves (and examine their prejudices) more thoroughly. Traditional British literature also adds unending fodder to the diet of the dramatist.

Britain has produced its share of show biz celebrities from Patrick Stewart, John Cleese and Stephen Fry to Rowan Atkinson, Hugh Grant and Ewan McGregor. Then there's Judi Dench, Helen Mirren and Angela Lansbury; Maggie Smith, Helena Bonham Carter and Kate Winslet; Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley and Emma Watson. (And that's without hardly breaking a sweat!) Even Bollywood has a big following in Britain – following the massive immigration from India with the dissolution of the British Empire.

Cultural immersion

Another option is to find some British television programming which isn't so easy as most of their channel websites will not allow you to stream their live programming from outside of the UK. But there are other options such as BBC America. Otherwise, you can use their TV listings to know what to look for, then find a site which allows you to watch these programs.

Looking at British newspaper websites is another option. Freedom of the press *is* an important notion in the UK, however, the main newspapers will lean their views in certain, but predictable, directions. “The Daily Telegraph” is followed by many supporters of the Labour party; similarly, “The Times” is followed by Conservatives and “The Guardian” by Liberal Democrats. Then, there's “The Daily Mail” which is simultaneously loved and loathed by many. The BBC maintains a news website as well.

Gardens and Wildlife

Naturalists will love the many gardens which dot the country. From Kew to the Eden Project to the Lost Gardens of Heligan (my personal favorite), you can take great inspiration from the gardeners of both past and present.

There are also plenty of good locations to watch wildlife – though some require separate boat rides, like to the Island of Lundy – where you'll find a great many puffins!

There are also caves and mining pits to explore with tour guides, seals along the coast and zoological parks of the highest standard.

In a Nutshell

As you can see, it would take a long time to fully explore everything Great Britain has to offer if you did it in real life, having to pay for it with real money, etc. When you explore as a “static globetrotter”, you can see everything much more quickly and cheaply. Then, if you do decide to visit in person, you will know exactly where you want to go – enabling you to make the very most of your travels.

As this country is one I have the most information about, I will include living information in a separate article. As I get a chance, I will add info on the various counties in the UK. There are quite a few of them, and they change from time to time.

Links to:

Living in Britain
London