What's your favourite thing about the UK?
Posted by Equivalent-Ad-2373@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 97 comments
Feels like most conversations about the UK lately are pretty negative - cost of living, the political situation, general mood, all that.
But that can’t be the whole story. There must be things people genuinely enjoy or feel proud of.
No-Owl-5625@reddit
The airport when going on holiday
Flavourifshrrp@reddit
This isn’t from me, this was from someone who is a friend born outside of the U.K. but now lives here.
The fact that people smile at you, complete strangers and of course not every single person but people you walk past or by smile at you and he said that makes a difference to his day because from his home country while people aren’t rude they don’t do that. Thought it was a nice touch.
DumCrescoSpero@reddit
Does he live up north? I'm in Kent, and I can't remember the last time anyone smiled at me. 😂
unclearthur68@reddit
I'm smiling at you right now.
External-Praline-451@reddit
I live in the South East and see lots of smiles. Sorry dude, maybe Kent is particularly unfriendly or you look scary 😂
FandomFanatic97@reddit
I live in Yorkshire. A couple of years ago I thanked a bus driver in London. He looked shocked. 🤣
onlysmaller@reddit
I live in Sussex and I smile when I make eye contact if they don’t look yknow, high or something. Normally get a smile back. But I’m a short woman so generally considered approachable.
AirlineSevere7456@reddit
Never see people smile at passing people here in Warwickshire/West Midlands unless dog walking.
_testingdude@reddit
After living in Canada, for me I love the trains here! Being able to get to many interesting places in an hour or two on high speed electric trains is pretty cool!
AirlineSevere7456@reddit
Gammon, egg and chips at a pub outside by a river with a pint of ale with friends
YeeeepersJeeepers@reddit
M&S. Bloody love the place.
AirlineSevere7456@reddit
If we're talking the foodhalls then yeah, my peeps
FandomFanatic97@reddit
B&m for me
YeeeepersJeeepers@reddit
I forgot B&M. It's just one giant Aldi middle aisle.... What's not to like?!
deyterkourjerbs@reddit
B&Q wins
EatingCoooolo@reddit
So many but here are three:
Safety, ability and ease to holiday out the country.
Decent_Confidence_36@reddit
When the suns out, whole mood of the nation shifts it’s a great place to be in the summer time
AndrewHinds67@reddit
Yep. Half the country decides to create traffic chaos driving to the seaside, creating parking chaos and then going to the beach and leaving all their litter behind for everyone else to clear up after them.
Mysterious-Bid-9446@reddit
the countryside
MintBerryFondue@reddit
Having a casual bevvy after work on a Friday is norm in the UK. I work abroad now, and I get the strange looks whenever I tell people this. People abroad think I'm alcoholic.
Taking a piss/bant. I can't do that with my colleagues and friends abroad. They'll get personally offended.
Buying fresh sandwiches for work breaks from Asda, M&S, Tesco...etc.
Rolling cigarettes! Amber leaf + Swan extra slim filters.
Ok_Raspberry5383@reddit
The fact you can take public transport 1-2 hours and find yourself in an entirely different city with a different culture, accent and sometimes even language
Illustrious-Iron2840@reddit
When I leave it to go on holiday
Gingr_man@reddit
The mild weather and the familiar surroundings.
LadyInAllPower@reddit
Our tea, and our sausages
National_Shoe3552@reddit
Cumberland sausages for the win!
National_Shoe3552@reddit
The Premier League!
AussieManc@reddit
There’s always been negative commentary about every country from within. That’s not new, and it will always happen. I don’t like it when things get framed like the walls are falling in
External-Praline-451@reddit
A lot of it is astroturfed and spun by the media. It pisses me off because we have so much to be grateful for in this country compared to many others, so many rights and freedoms, and safety nets. If people switched off from the constanr negative propaganda more, they'd be so much happier.
Immediate_Mud2372@reddit
The people
Jasboh@reddit
Walking my dog into our local, I get a pint and he gets attention and treats from everyone. Glorious in the summer and quiet and chill in the winter
Jasboh@reddit
Commercial_Level_615@reddit
I love where I live, Anglesey because I'm close to both the sea and the mountains.
Aceleeds@reddit
Spring. Spring especially May is so Flippin beautiful.
Ashie2112@reddit
Yep. I second that.
Shitelark@reddit
The music, and The Music.
bowak@reddit
It's really green here.
Heypisshands@reddit
Jellied eels
FCSadsquatch@reddit
Gross.
miss-mercatale@reddit
Spring flowers and birdsong
FCSadsquatch@reddit
What are some flowers you like?
Christian-Metal@reddit
Sorry.
No, sorry. You first. Go on. Sorry.
Thanks, sorry. Thank you.
ind1g0o_@reddit
There's nothing like British summertime countryside. Grew up in the countryside area of West Midlands. So beautiful especially on a hot day, some of my favorite times swimming in the river with friends, all the wildlife and green space.
FCSadsquatch@reddit
The weather. I'm not joking, I love the miserable weather.
Pure_Breadfruit8219@reddit
Overpaid sports commentators with no gravitas.
OddSign2828@reddit
Do you have to be miserable all the time?
irishstreams@reddit
Ale. It’s about the only thing we get right.
Duanedoberman@reddit
British Beer is excellent, I will never understand people who only drink Lager (which can be nice on a warm day admittedly).
SoundsDB@reddit
The humour.
There's nothing quite like dry, cynical, world-weary and oft surreal British comedy.
That and pies.
DampFlange@reddit
You’ve covered pretty much all the bases here
DampFlange@reddit
As someone who lived abroad and then moved home;
The NHS
The BBC
Our beautiful countryside
London - a truly incredible city that we take for granted
Pubs in general
Cricket
Music festivals and the attitude on 98% of attendees
majestic_spiral@reddit
You know when you come across a post that’s something like the all the train passengers singing, or when a policeman stops the traffic to let a family of ducks cross the road, or when well known songs get parodied to take the mick out of something in the press. Yeah. I like that.
Japhet_Corncrake@reddit
The Cornish Pasty.
bonshui@reddit
The BBC
Pure_Breadfruit8219@reddit
I especially love the TV license.
bonshui@reddit
Absurdly good value - I'd happily pay it for BBC Sounds alone
LaidbackHonest@reddit
The NHS. Bank holidays. Football. Cricket. Fish and chips. English breakfast. The occasional brunette. The occasional blonde.
AdvanceAlive2103@reddit
Countryside, history, architecture, wacky traditions (Morris Men, I’m looking at you), food, banter, sense of humor
heepofsheep@reddit
Curry
NMJKJOPAL@reddit
The birds/nature. I wish it was sunny more often because it's gorgeous with true greens (that's what I call the UK-green under the sun).
Simbooptendo@reddit
Our insanely great rock bands, past and present
Suspicious_Banana255@reddit
The beautiful countryside, the interesting historic sites.
APithyComment@reddit
Looking towards America; the freedom.
ldn-ldn@reddit
Access to high quality food.
GeneralMedia1282@reddit
That you can get on a train and end up in a whole other city in a couple of hours. As someone who grew up in Australia, this still blows my mind.
Particular-Quit-630@reddit
Probably the people. Not all of them though mind.
Sufficient_Ebb_5020@reddit
It has to be our sense of humour! We are second to none!
WillBots@reddit
Good job the nuns are hilarious!
Iron_Beef_Curtain@reddit
The mood when the sun is out. Beer gardens packed, people smiling and joking. Families on days out. Granted it only lasts for two weeks, but it’s a cracking two weeks nonetheless!
SoundsDB@reddit
Pure vibes.
Everyone nodding at eachother in the street. The first proper summer's day getting on it in the local beer garden. People jokingly complaining to strangers about it being too hot.
Getting a bag in at about 6pm when you've got a second degree t-shirt tan.
Absolutely magical 😎
KindHearted_IceQueen@reddit
People are genuinely funny here and it’s so easy to crack a smile or genuinely break into a laugh.
I don’t just mean stand up comedians or guests on panel shows, even my colleagues at the office or the random person you bump into at the pub can causally say the funniest thing to you and it’s like constantly witnessing some of the best comedy but it’s your own mini shows never to be performed again!
insertitherenow@reddit
The weather and the animals aren’t terrifying.
Sea_Director_4439@reddit
Our love of dogs is our best trait
BladesMan235@reddit
Oh yeah nothing like sitting in the garden on a nice day and hearing the 3 dozen neighbourhood dogs bark at anything that moves all day
OrangeTractorMan@reddit
I'm this guys neighbour and we just do it on purpose at this point.
Sea_Director_4439@reddit
We're annoying the right people
chaingaurd@reddit
The weather. We actually have it. I do like that can spend an 1hr or 2 on the road and be somwhere where scenery is completely different and people talk different. I've lived in North Lincolnshire my whole life, seeing hills still blows my mind.
ender3sam@reddit
It's home.
Cherrytree374@reddit
We're a nation of optimistic pessimists.
When asked how are things, we can unironically answer "not too bad" or "could be worse" and truly mean it as a positive.
makemycockcry@reddit
The variety of landscape and coastal areas. A climate that is volatile and exciting, in contrast to other nations. Our rich cultural heritage. Chips.
BobbyMunson@reddit
When the weather hits 16 degrees and every beer garden in the country is absolutely rammed. Dogs, weans, granny's the lot.
If thats not gloriously British, I don't know what is.
Glass_Advantage_1370@reddit
Most of the UK's problems are not unique to the UK. Culture being eroded by American media everywhere. The environment is being destroyed everywhere. People feel lonelier and less friendly everywhere. Population, quality of life, literacy and economic opportunity are declining everywhere.
British culture and tradition is still the UK's greatest asset, and not in the way that you can feel elsewhere. British culture in Britain is pure and special. Tea culture, theatre, London rap and innovative rock music, Doctor Who (if you're a millennial at least), the sounds of trains at night, self-deprecating humor, pubs with hundred year old stains on the wood, whinging about work and getting it done anyway.
stm2657@reddit
There is something about us brits. Hard to say what it is, but I like it.
Timely_Egg_6827@reddit
It's pretty. You are never more than an hour from a big green space, river or woodland. Probably less. We are really fortunate in our weather - no extremes just drizzle. We don't have high levels of crime. Beige describes traditional English food and British life alike but nothing wrong with beige. You can accessorise it but it's good for most occasions.
clemventure@reddit
I love the older generation patting themselves on the back daily because they ‘worked hard’
krokadog@reddit
“I paid in all my life”
clemventure@reddit
I love a postman whose wage could house, feed and pay for holidays for his stay at home wife and two kids lecturing me how lucky I am to have a smartphone…
TerpzArmy@reddit
Got a chip on your shoulder you
clemventure@reddit
Can’t afford chips
swingthecatz@reddit
Sense of humour
Sweaty-Adeptness1541@reddit
Our love of our pets and animals in general.
jogglingswimmer@reddit
Ocado
FilmFanatic1066@reddit
All of my loved ones are here
FlatTyres@reddit
I think we have some very high quality writing in many genres of film and television and very high production qualities for many programmes and films.
Rare_Mushroom_1129@reddit
M&S Simply Food.
MisterD90x@reddit
The national parks
jackyboiiii95@reddit
Going on holiday
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