7 Very British Things I LOVE About Living in England 

I love that all the ‘things about Britain’ videos seem to have a 90% British viewership. Like we just here to check...

The pub is simply an extension to one’s home. A larger living room but with ale.

Your English is amazing, my guess was that you were American and would never in a million years have guessed you were Austrian.

Here's a pub you must visit. The Royal Standard of England, in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. It's the oldest freehouse in England. It's 900 years old. Check out the wall on the right as you enter. It's not a wall, it's the side of a giant wooden vat that they used to brew beer in. Oh, just a heads up, Beaconsfield is pronounced Bekonsfield even though it got it's name from a roman navigation beacon. Don't ask about weird British pronunciation, we don't understand it either. Glad to have you here in the UK. ✌️

What a lovely, positive person

I went into Waitrose one time and asked an assistant if they had any roast rhinoceros testicle sandwiches, and they said "No, sorry. We ran out of bread".

As a Brit I am deeply grateful to you for telling people to visit not just London but other places too. I feel like too many people only think of our capital when they think of Britain but I'm from Yorkshire and Yorkshire is a very picturesque place! So thank you very much Vanessa! I love your videos, hoping you're well and sending you my regards! :)

I lived in Sandwich for years.It always made people laugh.Near Sandwich is a village called Ham (no joke) and a road sign with Ham Sandwich on it..It’s always being stolen 😂

We Brits tend to be rather critical of ourselves, so it's surprisingly refreshing to hear someone big us up so eloquently. If you like old pubs, you may wish to slake your thirst in Gordon's Wine Bar in Villiers Street. One of the oldest in the world. Don't mess around with the wine, go straight for the house port, poured from a barrel. You won't be disappointed!

Finally! Someone who appreciates our crisps 😭!

This is the first of your videos that I have watched Vanessa. It is lovely to hear someone from another country and culture speaking with such enthusiasm about England and the things you love here. That's especially true when I think about the imperial history of Austria and it's present day influence in beautiful architecture, music and food. We get so much negative, often ill-informed comment and it's nice to hear the upside for once. By the way, congratulations on climbing/walking the Yorkshire three peaks. I did the same many years ago and was also very proud of myself for doing so. This was my first but definitely not my last of your videos. I'm very happy that you are here and enjoying our country.

Hi. Loved your video. You're very welcome & the Uk is lucky to have you here.x

Hi, just found your excellent videos. I'm a Brit, in the US. You enjoy history, so I would suggest you visit the city of Chester, if you haven't already. Chester was founded by the Roman's, originally called Deva. Lovely 'Rows', to walk around and shop, and there is the original Roman wall still standing, which you can walk around the city on.There is also an Coliseum, that sat 5,000, where gladiators fought. Chester also has a pub, built in the 16th century. Cheers.

A 'Period' in England is called a Full Stop. Period over here either means a particular phase of history , or the menstrual cycle.

There's still a misconception about food in the U.K. from people who haven't either ever visited or did so many years ago. The past 20 years has literally been a revolution in food with London now offering the greatest variety on earth (despite many chains that vary in quality) Pub food used to be quite ordinary but now the majority offer really great food. As for theatre, London easily beats Broadway for variety, no contest. As for weather, London is not so bad but the further North you go the colder it gets and the less sun you'll see but the landscape is spectacular.

When you asked Alexa about "who invented sandwiches?" my Alexa just answered, made me jump!

I love the pubs to me and my husband got married in a village pub and it was having its 1000 year birthday was amazing

Thank you for reminding me what is so great about England. With the weirdness of the last 9 months you have restored my faith in life. You might visit the Rivoli Ballroom at Crofton Park sometime, the last proper ballroom in London with atmospheric decor like you were still in the 1950's. Also a great club is Whirl-y-gig, perhaps the friendliest club in the UK. These are closed at the moment, but when they reopen. You mentioned Dorset beaches, you can find lots of fossils in some of these. In August in normal times the sri ganapathy temple wimbledon one minute from where I live have a festival where they have a procession throughout the streets and you can see worshipers rolling along the street vertically and other amazing things. A chronicler of his times Doctor Johnson said the man who becomes tired of London becomes tired of life. This could be applied to the whole UK. Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales are amazing.

Have a look at Britain's canals. You will be amazed.

UK is one of the most diverse countries for its small size, from Devon/Cornwall to the Highlands to Norfolk/Suffolk Cumbria Yorkshire etc -- much more to the UK than just the major cities

As a Brit living these days New Zealand,t was lovely to hear you talk with such enthusiasm about the British Countryside, and your advice to explore outside London earned you a follow! Whist being locked down in Tier 5 must be a hell of a bummer right now, here are a few suggestions of places to visit (if you haven't found them yet) once conditions improve. Head out to the southwest and look for Newlands Corner and the village of Shere. Best in the summertime, you can park at Newlands Corner, take the path to the top of a very sandy hill and visit the church there. On the way you will see a picture postcard view of England as it used to be . Then take the car to the nearby village of Shere, complete with authentic duck pond, wooden bridge and great pubs. On the way back, visit the Thames at Richmond-on-Thames, climb Richmond Hill and see the view that inspired someone to name Richmond, Virginia after it. Thanks for your videos (and the Xmas advert ones!) Best wishes from Greg in Auckland NZ.

The Snowden national park is breath taking. The mountain simply floors you with it's magnificence. The first time I saw it I stopped and just cried it was so beautiful. Wales has some incredible scenery, you will love it should you visit.

I have stood in front of the sandwich fridge at Marks and Sparks for literally ten minutes trying to choose one.

If you haven't already vist Norwich. We have 2 cathedrals, a castle and the biggest outdoor market in the UK. There are historical buildings everywhere. Norwich is a small city and once your in the centre all places of interest are just a short walk away.

I worked in Austria and loved the food there too, but that's the great thing about travel and different countries with different laws and histories and cultures.

Very proud to be British I live near chatsworth glad you liked it

If you have not already watched it I highly recommend the BBC TV Series "Pride & Prejudice" from 1997, which despite the video recording replay quality not being up to modern HD standards, is probably the best abridgement of the book ever.

If you love the countryside you must go to The Lake District! It's like The Peaks but better in every way

Been binge watching your videos over the last few days. So glad you love our country, food, traditions, quirks and everything that makes us unique. Luv from Scotland.

Additionally, your comment around 5'10" is so relevant; thank you so much for it... Many people I've met when overseas believe that The UK is just London. No! See the Highlands, Northumberland, Cornwall, Giant's Causeway, Brecon Beacons, Filey, Cumbria... ths list is endless. Danke schön ☺ x

I just love your positivity it’s infectious. Thanks for giving us great reviews it rarely happens .

If you ever come to Norwich I would show you the city and it history from the river that runs through its centre , with medieval bridges and towers to pubs built in 1242 to how the cathedral was built .

I've just returned from a 2 day walking weekend in the Wye valley. Take time to visit Ledbury, Ross on Wye, Monmouth, Tewkesbury. Lots of Tudor style buildings. The forest of dean is also a beautiful area. Symonds Yat in the Wye valley is scenically beautiful.

I used to work in a place where we had a staff restaurant. My favourite sandwich was Fresh Water Crayfish in Lemon Mayonnaise.

Great vid, it’s nice to be reminded of the things I take for granted through the eyes of another.

When you can, come to Chester... a Roman walled city and the architecture from every period thereafter is stunning.

Thank you! Inspiring as always ✨😍 yes london video please ✨

YOU'RE VERY ATTRACTIVE 😍

Oh my, how I enjoyed watching, and listening to you here! You speak better than, perhaps 80 %, of Brits, and I am pretty sure that the reason you get people being so kind to you, Is that you are drop dead gorgeous (can I say that....too late I did)! Oh, and you just got 'Subbed'!

Love your enthusiasm for the sandwich!!! It made me smile!!! I find Pret and Eat are good for sandwiches too, they were my go to places when I worked in Central London. They did great soups as well. I think soup is a big British thing as well that you don't get in a lot of places around the world, not in the same way at least. You can't beat a good bowl of soup on a cold winters day to warm you up!!!

Mad respect for doing the 3 peaks. We did a sponsored walk for a friend with medical needs and it nearly killed us! As you said, amazing scenery, especially from the summit of the second peak. Glad you got to see Yorkshire at its finest.

Thank you for making this video, Vanessa! Now I don’t need to explain to people why I love living in the UK. All I have to do is send them this video. We literally love it for the exact same reasons and you’ve expressed it all so accurately and in such an articulate way so, once again, thank you!

Bingley arms in bardsey, just outside Leeds, dates back to 935 AD and is said to be England’s oldest public house. I’ve been a few times and does great grub.

Not going to lie was surprised you knew about the Earl of sandwich, sort of thing only Brits usually know, I mean why would you know it? Now if I hear you like marmite it's a done deal you are 100% British

The seasons here are not as contrasting as they used to be.

Beautiful kind people are always welcome here 😀

much respect for your outlook on life. loved this video.

Very informative, enjoyed it a lot. More vids you legend

Love love love this video I want to visit all those places!!🥰🙏🏼💫

Try the Red Lion pub in Charlton Hampsire (A3 - approximately 15 north from Portsmouth) this pub goes back 800 years, so it’s worth a visit as they also serve nice food! 🤓🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

This is the first video of yours that I have watched but I already love you. Subscribed, of course!

Lulworth Cove! Was there this summer! Really good commentary btw, love hearing others perception of british culture. Thank you and subscribed :)

I live near Chatsworth and the best place for walking and the views is Curbar Edge that overlooks the Estate and also the whole valley. Nottingham is also rich in history, with a pub called Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem. Built into the rock that Nottingham castle sits on it dates back to 1189. Then Sherwood Forest and Bolsover Castle near Chesterfield. Chatsworth is probably the most famous in the area, but their are alot more hidden gems around the same area.

Come to Bristol in the West Country' I'll buy you a pint of proper Scrumpy Cider, its the best in the world. In Bristol, Somerset and Devon we are renowned for real cider.

What a great little channel, thanks for yr vids.

All reasons why I love living in the UK too!

Love this videos about british culture. Please post more of them Vanessa xoxo

Ha ha, my Alexa answered your who invented the sandwich question in stereo!

You have made me realise why I love living here, sandwiches, beautiful countryside and architectural wonders! To most Brits London feels like a foreign place, you really need to travel away from London to discover the real beauty of England, and all our rich regional accents. X

Great fun listening to this and so nice to hear your great experiences. Please continue. If you haven’t already been there you may enjoy Knutsford in Cheshire. A tiny town with two main streets and about 20 restaurants, known for its old buildings, Gaskell tower in the Main Street, occasional Penny farthing races, a royal May Day parade and its unusual Harding Watt Mediterranean style houses in Legh Road.

Thank you Vanessa for the kind words about my country. Regards from Dorset

You said, " In my opinion and I hope it is a popular opinion " . It matters not if it is popular or no . It is your view , it is important that you can express what you think , it's called free speech , do it ! We enjoy your videos , keep them coming ! 😊

Well done 👍 lady on EVERYTHING you've explained here! It's better than I....a native!

Nice video Vanessa! Best of luck from one teacher to another! :)

It's very reassuring to hear that you find so many things to like in Britain.

if you like the country side, i definitely recommend visiting wales, i live in the valleys and it’s just amazing

Where I live about 40 miles outside of London there is a pub that dates back to the 11th century!

My gran was from Austria moved hear after the war she never lost her accent so you’ve really impressed me with your English

Loved your video, you should try the George pub in Hayfield in the Peak district, dates from 1575, gorgeous pub in a beautiful village with the most amazing scenery around it!

Indeed, that very exaggerated stereotype about the weather, even though it can be the same anywhere in the world, as you correctly pointed out. The south in general, can be sometimes drought prone. London, for example, has nearly 2.5 times less rain than New York, but Brits like to remember the 1 day that it rains out of 2 months and conveniently forget all the hot, sunny, dry weather periods.

Your English is absolutely incredible. There is no hint of a Germanic accent whatsoever. I'm pleased you like our fair country. I actually love your country. But my German has more than a hint of softness about it.

Well done with the 3 peaks. I did it a few years ago. Took 12 hours in mostly rain. But rewarding.

You need to come to Herefordshire! We're right on the Welsh border. It doesn't get much more beautiful or historical than here. It's a very rural county with gorgeous valleys and countryside. From the city, which is possibly the smallest city in the country the countryside is only 5 minutes away whichever direction you travel in. The county is full of ancient castles, churches, manors and abbeys. Just over the border into Wales are the most beautiful hills and mountains. So many people I've met over the years came here never intending to stay, fell in love with it and never left. Look me up and I'll give you the tour 😁

Austrian! I'm gobsmacked. (A word you didn't have on your list of words. It means shocked). You're a very interesting lady and I do like your observations.

Lovely content always never disappoints 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

I love this video. Thank you for talking about England in such a lovely way. I would love if you came to wales to experience some of our culture to and maybe one day make a video about us to. So many people think of Britain and dont realise that britain consists of 4 different countries. They think its only England, which for some of us Welsh, scottish and northern irish we get quite insulted as we have our own culture and language ❤️ xxc

Right with you on the Waitrose and M&S sandwiches, actually Waitrose and M&S food period is glorious. Watching your YT vid has made me see our little country through fresh eyes. In fact, since Covid I have found a whole new level of appreciation for our country. Food....Here’s the thing, I can never understand how we have such a bad rep throughout the world, I think our food is fan in fact I love the food, I think we are so lucky with the whole diversity thing. And the people, I love how you love us...we’re not bad, I know we moan (well I do) I know we talk about the weather a lot (again, well I do) but I have had some of the most interesting conversations with perfect strangers, (in the supermarket queue) in shops or generally in the pub. I am fascinated by people and I like to see how they roll (nosey..haha) Anyway loved your video...

The Jon Snow pub is great. I worked in Soho for many years. Was my local.

Wow! You did the three peaks. Well done!

Seven more I'd add, in no particular order: 1, The many hundreds of stately homes and castles open to the public, either privately or more often, through organisations like The National Trust and English Heritage, which as members for about £40 to £80 a year, you can visit for free. Most museums are free to enter too. 2, Good public transport that enables you to travel easily locally or nationally by bus or train. Longer journeys are often very affordable if you book ahead. 3, Decent tv, and even radio is surprisingly good as well. 4, Public footpaths and rights of way everywhere in the countryside allowing good access. 5, The UK is a pretty safe country, on the whole fairly crime free, with very little gun crime and low murder rate. 6,The National Health Service. 7, Drivers here are usually pretty polite and considerate, and the accident rate is fairly low.

Thank you for your kind video. If you haven’t yet been to Chester then I would highly recommend a visit. The most complete Roman city walls together a shopping area called the Rows, with individual shops stacked above each other but with a walkway. You have to see it ! It’s only a few miles to North Wales, with the Snowdonian hill range, slate mines and a huge underground hydro electric plant, which you have to take a bus around because it’s so big (even has traffic lights). Then it’s only a short journey back into England to visit Liverpool, with its historic waterfront and buildings featured in so many films. Of course the Maritime Museum is a must, as is the Tate Modern. You can’t mention Liverpool without talking about The Beatles and they have their own museum as well. Take a trip on the world famous, ferry across the Mersey and then visit Liverpool One, the big shopping area. It’s an area with so many fascinating places to visit, lots of culture, some amazing historic buildings and stately homes, surrounded by three National Parks. Thank you again for being so lovely about my country. Kind regards.

It's nice to hear a Girl from abroad saying nice things about Britain. We seem to be hated by everyone.

You made me think of visiting the UK someday and I should start with London ;)

Hey Chatsworth House is around a 40 min drive from where i live , glad you enjoyed it.

Try the Trip to Jerusalem pub in Nottingham. It dates from the Middle Ages.

Hi I visited Vienna years ago great architecture just as good as london loved Austria also I think you would liked Madrid plus much better weather hope u doing ok in these challenging times ⛄🎄😄

What a lovely lady. You've got one of those soft voices which make me go all gooey inside. There are some very cozy pubs down in the West Country if you ever feel inclined to head that way. Put up your feet in front of the fire and have a pint of Summer Lightning while you wait for your Sunday roast.

The climate has warmed up the last 20/30 years. The SE is quite sunny at times. Last winter was incredibly mild. Not great in terms of global warming but does mean warmer times than before just in my lifetime. There are now many vineyards in SE

Lovely video, just subscribed

Nice to hear something positive about Britain!

I'm so impressed you did the Yorkshire Three Peaks. Pleased you got to see the Yorkshire countryside!

I was born in Yorkshire and did the 3 peaks when I was a LOT younger, lol, you deserve that pat on the back as it's a really tough hike. The Yorkshire Dales is some of my very favourite scenery anywhere.

York, Bath, places up north or down in the south west. I have been to most of them.

I love her enthusiasm

I can't believe that I commented on a what I thought was a reasonably recent video with a comment about Yorkshire and just watched this one and you've done The Three Peaks Challenge so you know about many things I mentioned!!! Doh!!! I was up there between lockdowns and went up Pen-y-Gent, that was enough for me!!! There are many different parts of the Yorkshire Dales though so there a lot more to explore, if you haven't been a bit further north and east than you seemingly went. I haven't seen a video on a trip to Yorkshire. Is there one or was this when the channel wasn't that way orientated? I think your comment about the weather is so true, especially in London (and the South East in general). I think it's more sunnier there then it is rainy, and often when you do get rain it costs up and doesn't stay all day. I think where you are in the UK makes a big difference in the weather, Wales, the North West, and West Scotland getting the most rain (and Northern Ireland too), the rest of the country I think can get heavy rain, but not as much. I think the UK gets bad press about the weather. Sure, a lot of the year you wouldn't want to go to the beach, and some summers aren't that great, but on the whole the summers are warm enough, not too hot, and the winters are generally mild (the further north you to and where there is higher elevation the more likely you are to get snow, obviously!!!

Your English is amazing and love your intrest in uk and absolutely stunning to always helps

good vid, glad you're happy here. by way of reciprocation, i went with friends to Vienna last year for my birthday. loved it, absolutely beautiful. did a tour of the Schonbrunn Palace and grounds, spectacular. then, later, back into town for coffee and Kaiserschmarrn at the Central Cafe, delicious. did lot's more but felt hardly scratched the surface. I'd certainly go back post covid madness.

The most common pub name is "The Red Lion". We've got a lot of those!

Come up to North Yorkshire, Whitby, York, then up to Northumberland and the borders of Scotland, then across to Cumbria and the Lake District, it will blow your mind and the people are the friendliest in the country!

Great post thanks, a lot of visitors misunderstand that all Brits go to pubs, they are cross class. So for instance Winston Churchill used to go to The Red Lion in Parliament Street. In some countries this would not be the case. Glad you are enjoying living here, sometimes we can be grumpy and a bit negative, and take a while to get to know. But a friend from the Middle East said to me that when you are “in” you cannot get rid of a British friend, they tend to stay in touch.