 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland – to give it its full title – is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Each country revels in its own separate identity, but each too can vary immensely within its official borders. Its long, and often dramatic, history has helped to shape the landscape and its people. No one knows much about the original inhabitants, but more is known about the Celts, Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Normans who have left behind a legacy of jewellery, weaponry, castles, fortresses and place names among other things. Today, the United Kingdom is a wonderful place to explore, and with so much on offer – from historic cathedrals and palaces to more modern achievements, like the giant London Eye ferris wheel besides the Thames. This ‘green and pleasant land’ is also crammed with fascinating cities, but you won’t have to go far to experience its famous rolling countryside. Don’t confine yourself to just England though. Visit Scotland and you’ll be treated to moors, lochs, bagpipes and rugged scenery. Go to Wales and you’ll be entranced by its unique language, Norman castles, Roman remains and gorgeous countryside. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland showcases the Giant’s Causeway, as well as lakes and coastal cliffs.
Capitals
London is the capital of England, Cardiff the capital of Wales, Edinburgh the capital of Scotland, and Belfast the capital of Northern Ireland. London is the largest city in Europe, with seven million people living in Central and Greater London and a further five million within its urban sprawl. Cardiff has a population of 265,000; Edinburgh 425,000; and Belfast around 280,000.
Where is it and how do I get there?
The United Kingdom is off the north east coast of France, between the Atlantic Ocean and North Sea. The Irish Sea separates Northern Ireland and Ireland from Great Britain, the largest of the British Isles. The English Channel separates Great Britain from France.
Many airlines fly to the UK from Australia, including Qantas/British Airways (via Bangkok or Singapore), Malaysian Airlines (via Kuala Lumpur), Cathay Pacific (via Hong Kong), Emirates (via Dubai), Asiana Airlines (via Seoul, South Korea), Japan Airlines (via Tokyo or Osaka), Thai Airways (via Bangkok), Singapore Airlines (via Singapore). The flight time to London takes between 20 and 24 hours, depending on the route.
When to go/Weather
Always expect rain – it rains a lot in the UK. November to March are the coldest months, with the possibility of snow, especially further north. April brings spring flowers but often unsettled weather, while May and June – the recommended time to go – can have relatively warm days. Summer is short, stretching from mid-June to mid September, with temperatures getting up to the late 20s or more on a good day. July and August are busy with tourists and the London Underground trains can be stiflingly hot. So if you hate crowds and raised prices, avoid it. That said, the evenings seem to go on forever. Good weather can persist into October, when the trees start to turn golden, but it’s back to short, cold days in November.
|
Average Temperature |
| Winter (November to March) |
4 – 8°C |
| Summer (June to September) |
14 – 17°C |
Where to stay
Family Friendly Hotels
Like almost everywhere, it’s difficult to find family-friendly hotels in the UK, especially when you arrive and have nowhere to stay. Pre-booking is essential so advance planning is a must if you want a hassle-free holiday. Check out these websites for a wide range of family-friendly hotels across the UK: www.babyworld.co.au, www.babycentre.co.uk, www.all4kidsuk.com
The hotels in London (below) are also recommended.
 George Hotel, London
Set in an eighteenth-century crescent with its own gardens and tennis courts, the George Hotel has easy access to most of London's main attractions, theatres and clubs. It’s a few minutes walk to the British Museum, Oxford Street and the theatre district near Soho. It has triple and quad rooms at reasonable rates. www.georgehotel.com
Globetrotter Inn, London
The Globetrotter Inn London is an brand new award-winning hostel situated only 100 metres from Hammersmith tube station. It’s primarily a youth hostel but it has rooms with two sets of bunk beds. There’s also a Globetrotter Inn in Edinburgh. www.globetrotterinns.com
22 Jermyn Street, London
This is a luxury townhouse hotel located in the heart of London's fashionable St James's area, a short walk to Piccadilly tube station. It’s right in the heart of the London action, but this top-rating hotel doesn’t come cheap. If you can afford it you, won’t find a better place to stay in London. The hotel prides itself on its kids' services and even produces a pamphlet on what to do with kids in London. www.22jermyn.com
Food and Drink
In England fish and chips is the most popular family food, while the Ploughman’s Lunch of bread, pickles and cheese makes for good family pub food. Black pudding – fried pig’s blood – reigns in parts of the north, and pasties in the south west. In Scotland try haggis, and in Northern Ireland, soda bread. It’s heavy, white, sweetened by raisins and yummy when fried. Specialities of Wales include ‘lava bread’ – or seaweed; Welsh cakes – small flat scones made from flour, butter, currants and spices; and cockles – especially in Swansea. Plenty of local breweries supply pubs with unusual warm brews, while cider is the drink of choice in Devon and Cornwall. Children are welcome in most pubs, and many provide outdoor areas.
Shopping
You can’t go past Hamleys, on Regent Street, near Oxford Circus tube in the centre of London, for children’s toys. Apart from that, save your money – Britain is expensive – so take everything you need with you unless you have cash to burn.
Sport, Concert and Theatre Tickets
Get Me In are the European leader in Secondary Market ticket sales. They provide an open and transparent marketplace for people to buy and sell their excess concert, sport, or theatre tickets. When the other sites have long since sold out, they’ll have tickets.
Airports
Heathrow is the main airport in London. It includes Duty Free Shopping in the Departure and Arrival halls, though it’s cheaper to buy in Australia. Flights from Australia and Europe also land at the less convenient Stanstead and Gatwick airports. Car hire is available at all airports. Both Cardiff and Edinburgh have their own airports and flights to Northern Ireland can connect through Manchester.
Transfers from airport
The Heathrow Express is the non-stop train service between Heathrow Airport and Paddington station in the heart of London. It takes just 15 minutes and trains depart every 15 minutes too. The Gatwick Express takes 30 minutes to reach Victoria Station in London from Gatwick Airport. The Stansted Express takes 41 minutes to Liverpool Street station in London.
Getting around for families
Trains can be expensive, though a Family Railcard, costing 20 pounds, will give you a 34 per cent discount on off-peak services. Children under 5 travel free on trains, and between five and 15 they pay half fare for most tickets – so you need to do your sums. Virgin Trains (www.virgintrainsfares.co.uk) offer discounted tickets if you book in advance. If you are planning to travel extensively in Britain, it is wise to purchase a BritRail Pass. The passes are great value for money and can only be bought before you leave Australia. You can buy a BritRail pass before you depart Australia from any local travel agent, BritRail (www.britrail.net/aus) and also Rail Plus (http://www.railplus.com.au).
Intercity buses travel between most cities and major towns. BritXplorer (www.nationalexpress.com) is a low cost alternative for discovering the UK for Australian passport holders. BritXplorer allows you to travel on an unlimited amount of journeys operated by National Express coaches within a given period of time – depending on which BritXplorer pass you've opted for. Travel tickets do not need to be booked – all you have to do is produce the BritXplorer pass to the driver at your time of departure. So as long as the coach is not full, you can hop on board and travel. For low cost intercity travel, also check out Mega Bus (www.megabus.com) which operate discounted bus services between London and 22 major cities within Britain.
Car hire is expensive in the UK. Fly/drive packages bought in Australia can work out the better option. Hire car companies can provide child seats for a fee if contacted in advance. A camper van gives you great flexibility, but because most areas have laws to ward off ‘travellers’ (gypsies) you’ll have trouble finding a place to pull over and spend the night other than a dedicated, fee-paying camping spot.
 What to wear
In winter you’ll need a thick jumper and coat. Always carry rainwear throughout the year. Varying summer temperatures mean that one minute you might be in a t-shirt and the next in your jacket.
Population
Around 60 million people call the UK home. It’s a culturally diverse place these days thanks to immigration, mainly from its former colonies, including Pakistan, India and the Caribbean. As you travel around the UK you’ll also notice the differences in the more traditional inhabitants too – and that’s not just as far as their accents go. In the east of England people tend to be tall and reserved – some people blame it on the Norman Invasion. In the West they tend to be shorter and stockier, even more so in Wales, where dark skin and eyes are common. The further north you go the fairer the average skin becomes, while in both Scotland and Northern Ireland red hair and freckles put in more of an appearance.
Culture/Religion
In general the English tend to be quite reserved and can come across as quite sharp compared to the average garrulous Australian. Meanwhile, visitors to Wales are sometimes upset when they walk into a shop where everyone is speaking English, only for the general conversation to mutate into Welsh as soon as they open their mouths. Stick around – in Wales the conversation takes natural and unexpected turns back and forth between the two languages. Most people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are Protestants if anything at all. In Scotland, Catholics and Protestants live side by side, one lot generally supporting Celtic football club and the other the Rangers.
 Language
English is spoken everywhere, but sometimes not as a first language. Apart from the various languages brought to Britain by more recent immigrants, two forms of the Celtic language still exist in the UK. The strongest of these is Welsh – not to be confused with the heavy accented English you might here if travelling in Wales. Welsh is one of four branches of the Celtic languages, two of which are extinct. It’s closely related to Breton (spoken in parts of Brittany in France) and to Cornish (spoken by a couple of hundred people). Around 20 percent of the Welsh population speak Welsh, many as a first language. Almost all road signs in Wales are in both Welsh and English. Forms of Gaelic, from the other surviving arm of Celtic language, are spoken in Scotland and Ireland, though to a lesser degree than Welsh is in Wales. Below is some basic Welsh vocabulary, though not its pronunciation!
| Hello |
Shwmae |
| How are you? |
Sut ydych chi? |
| Welcome |
Croeso |
| Good morning |
Bore da |
| Wales |
Cymru |
| Thank You |
Diolch |
| Goodbye |
Hwyl |
Time
The UK is eight hours behind Eastern Standard Time and nine hours behind in Eastern Daylight Saving Time. Click here for more on time zones.
Currency
UK pound. $1AU is approximately 40 UK pence. For and up-to-date currency conversion, click here.
 Tipping
Tipping is voluntary for restaurants, bars and taxis in the UK, although hotel porters will expect a small token. A tip of about 10% is reasonable if you feel you have received good service.
Electricity
240 volts using English square plugs. Buy at an airport in Australia before you leave.
Health precautions
You don’t need any jabs before you go unless you are stopping off at somewhere that recommends them before. Get your teeth checked before you leave and take a prescription for glasses or contact lenses if you wear them and also for any medications you take. Australia has Reciprocal Health Care Agreements with the UK, so take your Australian passport if you visit a doctor.
Tap water
Tap water is safe to drink almost everywhere.
Passport and Visa
A valid passport and a return or onward ticket are required by immigration. Australians do not need a visa to enter the UK.
HWK Family Travel Tips
While it might cross your mind to travel direct to the UK from Australia – to get it over with – it can turn out to be a nightmare if you are travelling with young children. It’s far better to arrange a stop-off on both the way over and coming back, so you can all adjust to the changing time zones and break up the journey with a good night’s sleep in between flight sectors. When travelling in the UK with kids make sure you factor in – and plan in advance – things they’d like to do. It seems obvious, but with so many things on offer it’s easy to dash around all over the place – only for the whole day to turn into a screaming-match with bored and tired little ones. Travel around big cities, especially London, after or before the rush hour – which can start as early as 7am in the morning, and again at 4pm in the afternoon until at least 7pm. The emergency phone number throughout the UK in 999.
Click here for Things to See & Do in the United Kingdom
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