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Variety is the key to the longstanding appeal of the United Kingdom, be it the spectacle and tradition of English pageantry, the beauty of Scottish lochs and highlands, the conviviality of a Welsh pub, or the castles and lakes of Northern Ireland.
Points of Interest
Area: 94,247 square miles (twice the size of New York State). Population: 58,610,000 (London, 7,640,000; Birmingham, 2,271,000; Manchester, 2,252,000; Glasgow, 681,000). Languages: English, Welsh and Scots Gaelic.
Highlights
London is a grand adventure for both first-time and frequent visitors. A city tour aboard a double-decker bus provides an excellent introduction to this ever-lively city. For another perspective, take a boat ride on the Thames.
Independent walkers can follow the Heritage Walk through the financial district, known as the City, or the Silver Jubilee Walkway that covers dozens of major sights.
Spectacles include Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace (every other day, daily in summertime); and the annual Opening of Parliament in November, when throngs line the route as the Queen rides from Buckingham Palace accompanied by her Household Cavalry. The palace is open to the public during August and September. Visitors can tour the Houses of Parliament and even attend certain sessions.
Popular day trips from London include visits to the university cities of Oxford and Cambridge, and to Windsor, site of Britain's most famous castle, recently restored and reopened.
The North Country offers marvelous landscapes and architecture. The Lake District is an 885-square-mile national park, offering changing views of mountains, lakes and valleys.
Other major cities are Liverpool, birthplace of the Beatles; and Manchester, best known for its libraries and thriving arts scene. Birmingham, in the Midlands, is Britain's second-largest city and also a growing cultural center.
In the West Country are Bath, famous for its natural hot springs, Roman remains and Georgian architecture; and Plymouth, starting point for such voyagers as the Pilgrims and Sir Francis Drake.
Scotland offers highlands (Ben Nevis at 4,000 feet is the tallest point in the British Isles), lochs (including Loch Ness, of monster fame) and the romantic appeal of ancient gardens and castles. Glasgow has blossomed into a center of the arts. Edinburgh, the capital, is dominated by its castle, where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to James VI of Scotland (England's James I). (text copied from somewhere)
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