I found his video very well done. A but of a shame that he repeated what we used to be taught in primary school when I was a child, that the Normans essentially brought a more civilised society, when in actual fact the reason they wanted England was because it was a well organised and wealthy country.

Just a note on smoking in the UK…it’s not allowed in any enclosed workplace, public building or on public transport. The ban came into law on 1st July 2007.

Even without speaking you can tell that Rick Steves is American from the pub scene, everyone else, even the kids, are eating with a knife and fork while he is scooping with a fork in his right hand like a toddler. It's one of those cultural differences you don't think about until you see it but then it's unmistakable

I wondered lonely as a cloud, That floats on high o’er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host of golden daffodils, Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Continuous as the stars that shine, And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line, Along the margin of a bay, Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. The waves beside them danced; but they Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: A poet could not but be gay, In such a jocund company: I gazed-and gazed-but little thought What wealth the show to me had brought. For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or passive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils. One of William Wordsworth’s poems.

The BBC TV series "One Man and His Dog" ran from 1976 for decades. With up to 8 million viewers. One of those TV programs that were always there in the background, while I was growing up.

One obvious mistake in Rick Steves commentary - the English/Scottish border does not generally run close to Hadrian's Wall, except at the western end for a few miles. Indeed, there is a large English county, Northumberland, between the wall and much of the Scottish border

Hadrians wall was 5 metres high, the romans left the British Isles in 400AD. Theres been a lot of weathering and taking of the stone for other uses in the last 1600 years. Whats shown here is some of the best remaining parts in the centre. At each end as it approaches the coast theres often nothing left.

If you've only got two weeks here trying to see "everything" means you see nothing properly. Pick a region and from a home base you can travel 40 miles in any direction in an hour ( as long as its not rush hour or school holidays ) and in much of England 40 miles in any direction will keep you busy for 12 months.

Watching a shepherd and his dog working in the wild is almost emotional.

I spent the happiest years of my childhood in Cumbria and this made me so homesick. It's a paradise.

Herding sheep with dogs isn't just a sport/competition, most british sheep farmers still use them every day to gather sheep it's the fastest way. Some use quad bikes and dogs but its very much still the british farming way.

I think it takes watching videos like this to remind us over here that we live in a really beautiful country

Please dont be dissapointed in yourselves for seeing certain places in the UK over others. That you plan to return and keep exploring is what is most uplifting. I've spent 34 of my 42 yrs in this country and still havnt seen all its wonders despite my best efforts :) Love your reacts and learning.

I studied at Durham, and lived there for nearly 10 years. For a while my bedroom window faced the bell tower, making the cathedral my alarm clock. As a student at Durham, I matriculated (ceremony to start your degree) and graduated in the cathedral. It’s even more spectacular in person, and the whole city has a strange otherworldly feel.

A mile or so south of Hadrian's Wall is a fortress - part of the whole military complex - then called VINDOLANDA. (I can't quite remember the English name - Chesterholm?). There has been discovered one of the greatest series of archaeological finds we've ever had; the Vindolanda "Tablets". Boggy ground has preserved all manner of items - shoes, tents, etc.- but the best were scraps of bark. Infra-red light shows up the writing originally on them; none other than the everyday correspondence of the Roman soldiers! (If they couldn't write there were plenty of scribes about to help out.) 'Orders of the day'; orders for supplies, including beer; one soldier writing to another sending socks and underpants(!); a dodgy business deal; an invitation from one commander's wife to another for her birthday party; and masses more. They're online in a website.

I live in Northumberland which is north of Hadrians wall. This county is largely ignored but exceptionally beautiful. Well worth a visit. From the Industrial southeast to the wild border with Scotland and the very beautiful coastline. I really enjoy your programmes. Keep up the excellent work.

What Steve missed was heading north of Durham up to Northumberland, land of castles and coast.

My partner was working as a receptionist in a York guest house in the 1990's. She met Rick Steves when he stayed there while exploring the city. He's as friendly in person as he seems in video.

I hate to disagree with Rick, but we didn't have 600 years of chaos between the Romans leaving in 410 and the Normans arriving in 1066. There was a whole set of Saxon kings who organised and changed laws, especially king Aethelstan. We had the Vikings and the Danelaw. It was the dark ages but because not many people were writing histories at that time, but what we do know makes it a very interesting time.

The seat of a Bishop is called a cathedra. Thus a church that contains one is called a cathedral church - usually shortened to just cathedral. A minster is a large church built as part of a monastery - which can also be a cathedral! I hope that helps.

The word Cathedral didn't come into use untill after the Norman invasion of 1066. The Anglo Saxon word for an important important church is Minster. Some Minsters are cathedrals like York or my favourite Southwell while other are churches such as Wimborne in Dorset. The reason for two different names basically comes down the fact that two languages combined to make one. I have heard people say they are called minster becuase the church was home for monks, but Cathedrals had monks too, Canterbury Cathedral difficultly had monks

Hadrian’s Wall was built to keep people in as well as out, it was also a customs post. The Britons would attack the Romans and then escape to the north, the wall prevented them escaping in that direction, so they were contained to the south which was a lot more dangerous for them. England and Scotland didn’t exist as countries in those days so the Wall has England on both sides these days and not Scotland immediately on the north side as some people believe. The ready supply of dressed stone has been taken from the wall over the centuries and used in many buildings such as churchs.

man and nature in the UK, we had several thousands of years to come to an arrangement with the land, we dont own it, it owns us, pretty much. the Lakes are fantastic yorkshire side is also great.. the North has some of the greatest places, I love CastleRigg Stone circle older than stonehenge and its in beautif mountains all around

I live in County Durham .. Most of the time the area is totally looked over but it is beautiful here .. the beaches and the countryside are breath taking. Durham city is my fav next to York .. and durham catherdal has been used in many movies like harry potter and Avengers End game ... beaches in original Get Carter and Aliens 3!

Smoking ban….. on 1 July 2007 - it became illegal to smoke in any pub, restaurant, nightclub, shops and most workplaces and work vehicles, anywhere in the UK. Part of this ban was that you would have to display a no smoking sign at all entrances and sometimes within the building if you were going into another room. It is still a legal requirement to do so, but almost nobody displays the signs anymore. As part of the law they could if they wished provide a “smoking shelter” but the structure had to be 2/3rds open to the air. An interesting fact is that there was a jump in the number of romantic affairs and divorces following the ban, due to couples that where made up of smokers and non smokers then spending time me apart. Both sides would spend time talking to fellow smokers/non smokers and feeling they had more in common, to the point that people that were strangers beforehand would then be going up to each other and invite the other person to go for a cigarette…..😂 a strange world

You might like to know that in the North of England sheep are counted by an ancient system. Each locality has its own slightly different way. That in Weardale in County Durham where I grew up is (one to ten): Yan; Tyan; Thethera; Methera; Tic; Yan a tic; Tyan a tic; Tehtera tic; Methera tic; Bub. Eleven would be Yan a bub. This narrater's history is sketchy. The Roman wall was built to be defended both sides, not just the South. It was a control point. And the weather was much better then. The Romans could grow grapes near the wall. You can't grow them there now. And England was one of the most developed and prosperous countries in Europe before the Norman conquest. The architecture did change though.

Hadrian's wall was built along the volcanic fault that wrenched Britain away from the American continent. It's called the Sill and is spectacular. The wall is also awe inspiring. Castle Rigg is a beautiful stone circle in the most amazing setting. Well worth a visit as is all of the Lake District.

Both my sons went to Durham University and the youngest lived in the Castle keep for a year. The castle which is directly opposite the cathedral was mainly ignored in this video. Its now a college of the uni, but the rooms are used by tourists between terms. From the lake district, Durham, Newcastle, the North east coast, and Northumberland( The county between Newcastle and Scotland) you could tour for months. And the amount of castles is staggering.

First time I've seen you two guys doing a reaction, love it! The material you choose and the simple down to earth presentation of it. Nice one, I much enjoyed it x

I was born in Durham just a mile or so from the cathedral and my wife was raised in Keswick in the lake District. We now live in Durham and really believe although other parts of the country are great, these are remarkable places that have spectacular views and history.

Sheepdogs are used in moder farming, the trials are just to show non farming people how the dogs work. The dog love it and are well rewarded

Dogs are welcome in nearly all pubs in the UK. There is a total ban on smoking in all pubs ,restaurants, work places, The ban applies to enclosed or substantially enclosed premises. Affected premises will include stadiums and sports grounds (as well as shops, bars, clubs, restaurants and health centres.

We hike the Lake District mountains nearly every weekend, we have the videos on our channel if you want to see more of the Lake District mountains. PS: the picture at 3:39 is overlooking Derwent water. Love The Shackleton family

Newcastle is just twelve minutes away from Durham on the train. It would be a terrible shame to visit one and not the other. Both gems, in their own ways.

Hi both! I’m glad they showed the breakfast because it was a real full English ! Too many people nowadays change the “traditional Fried Bread” with toast on the plate which is the chefs fault, they have mucked about with traditional British food in the name of foodies and fashion. You are supposed to have fried bread on the breakfast plate followed by toasted bread with butter and jam (jelly to you I think) or marmalade which is a more traditional condiment on toast for breakfast. Actually your supposed to have the choice of kippers which is I think smoked herring also but that gets into the realms of the real 2hour breakfast! Love it! Any way that breakfast from the B&B lady was definitely traditional with lashings of strong black tea! Cheers both love the vids!

*Waves from Durham* :) In fact, I live 4 miles west of Durham City... When I'm in Durham during the day, I'll park me bot on the riverside with a Greggs, and a view of the cathedral! :) If I'm there on a night out, usually a restaurant then a few drinks by the river with the cathedral all lit up... Or... I'm up the Gala end... Pissed! :D Hehehe ;) I wouldnt wish to live anywhere else, around my way, you can head in literally any direction and your greeted with great countryside, go east, you end up at our gorgeous coast (Which I go diving in, because it's teeming with wildlife and has some great wrecks), head west and your in Weardale, head North and your in Northumberland, and South, the rolling hills of Yorkshire! :) I class myself as very lucky! :) And yes, Newcastle is just a hop on and off the train, highly recommended, and for night life, it's up there with the best the UK has to offer... Grey Street highly recommended, it's the sort of "In place", but you will find some gems in regards to pubs just tucked out of the way... So... Explore! :)

From the 1970's to the present day the BBC has a TV programme called 'One Man and his Dog' which is basically televised sheepdog trials like the one in this video. The Smoking Ban has been in place in England since 2007. You may not smoke indoors in pubs or restaurants, or in any place of work (which pretty much means anywhere indoors, apart from your own home). This is why you will see small huddles of people outside pubs having a smoke, before returning indoors to join their friends. Don't be too regretful that you didn't see 'everything' when you were here. We may be a small country- but we pack a lot in! You would need to be here for months to even scratch the surface, to be honest. You packed a lot in when you were here last year - so I hope you can get here next year to explore some more!

Wonderful video and cracking reaction, I'm a little surprised that he doesn't mention about the pencil museum in Keswick, I've been and it's only small but well worth a visit, there's lots to see and do, Angela mentioned about climbing three mountains, in North Yorkshire there are the tree peeks of Pen-y-gent, Whernside and Ingleborough, each year there is a race to climb them one after another, so there are trails/paths between them, I've climbed all three but not on the same day, you can see the sea from the tops too on a clear day. Your comment near the beginning about visiting Wales, personally I think that you made the right decision, you both managed to tick another country off your list (seeing all three countries on an island in your first visit is a cool thing to do and something that not a huge amount of people can claim worldwide or even in the UK, I guess that I can but it took me a long time, 23 years actually, you, two weeks 😂 If you do come back to the UK and I hope that you do, maybe consider a base and visiting places around that area, you will get to see so much more of what is about, I liked what Angela said about being in the countryside, I understand that, I know that time etc is limited and you want to get your moneys worth, but seeing things properly/fully is getting your moneys worth in a different way, take care 😊

Don't fret about not seeing everything the UK has to offer! I'm a 61 year old Brit, & I've hardly scratched the surface of all the places I could visit, but I'm aiming to tick off a few more, before I'm too old!

The Lake District is pure magic. I’m Irish and it’s like a better version of Ireland with better towns and nicer locals!

Castlerigg Stone circle is absolutely epic. It's straight out of Dungeons and Dragons. The best time to be there though, is sunrise and sit and watch the sun burn away the mist. Serious goosebumps.

Catbells is almost twice the height of Arthur's Seat

Gimbal walks or Tyneside life vlogs give you a good insight into North East England , check them out and this one was a good one . Hope you manage to get back over here at some point , just as much as I would love to get back over there .

I visited Durham a couple of years ago, for the first time. It is a fabulous city. If you do come over again, as a southerner (East Sussex - a beautiful county) I recommend you visit Durham, and Newcastle. I was very impressed with this city as well. The video didn’t show the Angel if the North. Another must visit. From photos I was not particularly impressed with it, even seeing it from the main road it was not as impressive as I expected, but actually standing under it, it is awesome, also I found it strangely emotional.

Having lived and driven all over the UK for 50+ years, I haven't seen anywhere near as much as I would love to. So any holiday will just give you a taster of this beautiful land. Every corner turned gives a new and interesting perspective.

The wall was fifteen feet high originally, a lot of the stone was plundered to build other walls over the centuries.

23:40 What I always find amazing is that those cathedrals were usually built in places where nothing previously existed. The builds around them usually only came up because the workers needed somewhere to live while building, and then the town just grew over time. Imagine you're some illiterate barbarian in the wilderness and suddenly come across this enormous beautiful cathedral in the middle of nowhere with monks ready to feed the hungry. When all you knew of before was basically wooden huts and hardship, pretty obvious how that could cause a religious experience then.

Newcastle is just a 10 minute train ride to Durham, the Cathedral is magnificent, it's featured heavily in Harry Potter films.

I had to laugh when they showed the Castle rig stone circle and he talked about the wonder of being there alone at dusk and waxed lyric al about the beauty of this. I'm not taking the Mick out of his words or sense of awe, but, as he said this, the camera cuts to a couple, presumably enjoying exactly what he was saying and enjoying this tranquility...with...a camera pointed straight at them! 😆

I'm so pleased Durham was shown in that video, a lot of visitors to the UK don't know it exists and it's a World Heritage site. Durham Castle is right opposite the Cathedral and was home to the Prince Bishops, it's now used by the University as student accomodation etc, they have some rooms that they rent out to visitors aswell. I heard you mention the Yorkshire Dales aswell, we have just returned from the dales after a few days away and we stay in Ingleton which is a great place to stay lots of walks near enough to a lot of places Lake Windemere in the Lake District is only half an hours drive away.

I’m from the north west of England originally. My aunt and uncle had a caravan in Keswick when I was young so I spent so much time there. Having since got married and had two boys they love the lakes and Keswick as much as I do. Oh yes and our dog, Cooper. The guy is so right when he says Keswick is like ‘doggie central’ 🐶💙they are welcome in most shops and pubs in the lakes. The dog and gun is such a good pub too 🍻🍻

Yes Newcastle is my beautiful city so much history and so meny bridges and one of the best football teams in England 😂

The soot on stonework is not just from industrial sources, we all used to have coal burning fires in our houses. I have walked along most of the central section of Hadrian's Wall, and I agree that the countryside is beautiful. But I imagine that there are times in winter when 'bleak' might be a very fitting description; especially from the viewpoint of a soldier from say the 9th Legion Hispana. I've watched several of your videos and I really like the way you do things. I hope you do get back some time to see some more of the country.

Lots of amazing places up here in the north

The sheepdogs gathering in the flock is still both a competitive sport & a vital daily task of thousands of working hill farmers across the UK. They are phenomenal animals to watch working & the speed the cover the ground with to get out to, and ahead of the fleeing flock, in order to turn them back towards the Shepard & pen is incredible. Usain Bolt, eat your’ heart out! Also, especially pre global warming, that area on the wall had some pretty brutal winter weather back then, given the limitations of clothing in those days it would have been a tough old posting compared to the Mediterranean.

Cat Bells is a good walk but from Keswick I think there is a better one. Latrigg is to the north of the town and is a gentle walk which you can do up and down in three hours if you want but four hours is comfortable. The last hundred yards brings you over the summit from the north and opens up a 270 degree view that I think is the best in the Lakes. Trivia question: how many lakes are there in the Lake District? The answer is one. Only Bassenthwaite Lake has the word "lake" in its name. All the others are waters meres or tarns. You will hear "Lake Windermere" but you won't see that on maps. Its just Windermere. Travel trip. The Lake District National Park does not cover the whole of Cumbria and you will save money if you stay just outside the national park boundaries. You can drive the length of the Lakes in an hour outside rush hour so it isn't necessary to stay centrally. The range of scenery colours textures scale and weather creates something that is truly special. I live in North West Cumbria near the Solway coast and bless my luck on a daily basis. And we are always open to visitors.

i see a lot of these 'american reacts to the UK type videos.....its so nice to see guys that actually make the trip, so good to see americans widening their horizons

The smoking ban isnt upto the individual owner, it a legal ban on smoking in a workplace, so signs are nit really required... having a smoking section of a resturant was a bit like having a peeing end in s swimming pool!

You certainly shouldn't be disappointed at visiting Snowdonia over the Lake District. While Snowdonia might be a little more rugged than the Lakes, they're both absolutely beautiful parts of the country 👌

Sheep herding events go on in the USA as well. There's somewhere in Nevada that teaches the skills involved in sheep herding with a dog.

The Romans would not station troops from a local area IN that area. It was (rightly) believed that local soldiers would have too many local ties to follow orders against the locals. The soldiers stationed at the wall were from other parts of the vast empire and the 'bleak' surroundings could be really daunting to foreigners used to warmer climbs.

The North is cheaper, the people friendlier, the countryside beautiful. The great agricultural shows are ways worth a visit for a fun day.

What he didn't show at the Honister Slate Mine was the via ferrata climbing route across the cliffs above the pass. It translates to approximately iron road. You wear a harness and clip onto a wire that runs the length of the cliff and you climb along metal bars, ladders and bridges built into the rock face. Great fun.

I was 15 and worked in holiday fellowship in keswick, the manor house was right on the lake with fab gardens. I went there 40 years later and it hadn’t changed. I have climbed cats bell and walked around buttermere lake.

The Romans typically built their forts with an outer ditch, the fill was then piled up into a bank, on the inner edge of the ditch, and a palisade built on top, so that if you are in the bottom of the ditch they can throw stuff down on you. With something as permanent as the wall their could be a number of explanations for the height. A couple of obvious ones, local people have robbed away the stone, to build their houses, or it is merely the foundation for a wooden structure that long since perished. The Normans were originally Vikings who settled in what is now northern France and obviously the locals said, yeah, you can live there, just don't stab us...

Lovely reaction, and very interesting, thanks ☀️

The Lake District is breathtaking! When it rains it really rains! Wordsworth wrote "I wandered lonely like a cloud" Very well known British poem. Hadrians wall is also amazing. It was taller! Thanks guys xx

Take a look at Cornwall and Devon,outstanding natural beauty.

The Lakes and the Yorkshire Dales are good pair of National Parks to visit in one holiday, I'd say. (Not TOO far between them).

lol, Hadrians wall used to be a lot bigger much of it was taken to make roads and buildings over the centurys its quite interesting,i like how there is little remaining pieces of it dotted around some towns in random places

I love that saying too - "There's no bad weather, just inappropriate clothing".

“Rock fence”? We call them walls here!

Well since no one else has mentioned Carlisle I will its probably got the most interesting history since it has the castle that was the border fortress and the times the city was attacked and passed between English and Scottish hands it also has a cathedral not the biggest but still worth seeing and the citadel is very imposing as you come up botchergate but its not countryside its history and of course the only city in Cumbria well worth seeing I would say I know one thing I wouldn't live in any other city in the uk.

I live in beautiful and historically important Durham (my fav city). We are so lucky as not only our beautiful city but we have the Durham Dales, Yorkshire Dales, Yorkshire Moors, Northumberland beautiful coastline and National Park Land and Lake District as well as the sea all within an hours drive!

i suppose that most people feel that home is home, but to the brits that have seen Britain first hand in all it's beauty, it is truly a wonder to behold. don't get me wrong, i love going abroad, but i also love it when i come home again, Britain has so much to offer, it's historical buildings and gorgeous landscapes are like no other In my opinion. maybe it's because i am just used to it,

The ragamuffin sheep are called Herdwicks

I love The Lakes, its my favourite place in the world. It gets busier between late July and the first week in September, coinciding with the school holidays. We last went in early July and it was great, as is early September.

0:11 - it's the shire! Lots of the UK is pretty rather than dramatic. It's like a giant beautiful garden.

Base yourself somewhere around Skipton and you're within easy reach of the Yorkshire Dales, Nidderdale, the Forest of Bowland, the Lake District and the Peak District.

The wall was a lot taller when it was built but it was plundered for other buildings later when they left.

Winters can be very bleak around Hadrians Wall. Can you imgine how that must have been for a Roman solidier coming from a warm climate? Snow, cold, desolate, dark nights. Makes me shiver just to think about it. Brrrrr.👍

You say you've heard of William Wordsworth, but can't recall any of his poems. Wordsworth lived from 1770 until 1850 and was 'Poet Laureate' of The United Kingdom from 1843 to 1850 and was one of the main poets of 'The Romantic Movement'. He spent much of his live within the area that was to become 'The Lake District' and also wrote travel guides to the area, when the rest of the world saw it as 'wild' and 'untamed'. As to his poems: Most people realise that they've heard his poem: Daffodils, as soon as they're reminded of its first two lines "I wandered lonely as a cloud, that floats on high o'er vales and hills," after which many people who didn't even realise that they knew any Wordsworth poetry, can often go on to recite at least the first verse of that one!

The Normans were Vikings that settled in Normandy. They did not bring civilisation to England. The Vikings, Saxons, Angle, Jutes etc that had invaded the British isles were not much different to the Norse Normans.

Rodeos are a North American event we don't have an equivalent . We do have county shows ( similar to a state fair.)

Newcastle is regarded as the most friendly city in uk, where strangers will think it odd if you DONT talk to them.

I used to visit the lake district every year growing up and loved it, not been for a long time now though :(

The word Minster means gathering of flock where people met for religious gatherings. Minsters are found in York & Beverley. Westminster uses the word Minster in its name, Meaning religious gathering to the west. But its an Abbey Church. It dated to a time before Henry the 8ths desolution of the monasteries and would originally have been occupied by monks Or Nuns. So Minster Abbey or Cathedrals....they are or were all Cathedrals as Beverly Minster is now a very large parish church.

I’m a caver myself so I pricked up my ears when you mentioned the possibility of including a caving trip. Would you be thinking of visiting one of the many cave’s that have been opened to tourists with permanent concrete paths and lights and a guide pointing out various items of interest, such as White Scar Caves, where there’s a car park almost at the entrance and a shop and snack bar as part of the visitor centre, or would you perhaps consider visiting a natural cave system where you might have to walk or swim through ponds or tunnels that have flooded to the depth of 10 feet or more. One such cave would be Long Churn Cave, a part of the Alum Pot system. Some other caves or potholes have the trend toward being more vertical in profile as can be noted by being called a pothole whereas caves trend to be more horizontal. Some locations are only opened to the public for a short period of a few days perhaps two times per year ,( usually on bank holidays ) and we are fortunate that we have cave’s and potholes scattered throughout the UK although the ones that I have named are within Yorkshire. I would suggest that you check with the tourist board in the areas that you wish to visit for contact information for clubs that might be willing to arrange an underground trip for you, unfortunately my ill health has put a stop to most of my caving activities so I won’t be able to join you. If you want to see videos of the wild style of cave’s I suggest you check the internet for some of the films by a cameraman named Sid Perou who was the inspiration for me to start caving.

What I remember about Wordsworth is he thought nothing about walking 8 miles to borrow a book (and 8 miles back) over very hilly terrain. Nowadays some will only venture 100 yards from their car. It was in many ways a completely different world.

Comparing sheep dogs to a rodeo is so funny😂

Hope you manage to get back to the UK next year Ethan & Angela 💕

Take a look at Dartmoor, it has a kinda spooky beauty about it

I live in the county of Durham and the Yorkshire dales and the Lake District is practically on my doorstep

Newcastle is (i think ) in the county of Northumberland which is a bit of a "hidden gem" for foreign tourists - lots to see there including Alnwick castle & its famous (or should i say infamous garden - (you will need to book to see it) and banburgh castle

Been to the Lakes maybe 15 times - I hope I go another million times 🙂

Hello Ethan and Angela. I am one of those who goes on about Yorkshire being God's country, but this is a bit further north, though still beautiful. Years ago I won two pub quiz jackpots running. The second time they asked when Durham Cathedral was founded to within five years. I based my guess on the Doomsday Book, the inventory the Normans did to audit what they had conquered. We learned about it in school as my area resisted the conquest and was described as "waste". I got the right answer, causing shouts of "fix" from the tap room, all of whom were less than sober. Luckily, I am built like my cousin, a former professional rugby player, so things soon calmed down.

Lucky enough to live in the English Lake district. Beautiful area.

Fun fact: The Lake District only has one 'Lake' which is called Bassenthwaite Lake. All the other lakes (lower case 'l'!) are either 'meres' or 'Waters', like Buttermere and Windermere, Ennerdale Water and Coniston Water. To add 'Lake', as in the ear-grating 'Lake Windermere' etc. is like saying 'Lake Winder Lake! More and more nowadays you'll also hear people referring to 'The Borrowdale Valley', 'The Langdale Valley' or the 'The Eskdale Valley' but the word 'dale' literally means valley so, like the unnecessary 'Lake', it's totally superfluous to add 'Valley' after 'dale'. Here endeth today's Northern pedantry :)

It's nice to see that the breakfast didn't have hash browns. They are definitly not traditional. It annoys me when seeing that an English breakfast comes with them as they take away the English in the title of the breakfast.

The wall was actually about 20 feet high with ramparts and guard stations originally. When the Romans left people took the most of the stone to build houses with.