To ask what you like about living in the U.K.?

[glabicki]

I'm pregnant, and we are moving back to the U.K. I'm nervous about it.

So, could you tell me some of the reasons you love living there to calm me down a bit?

A lot of the time, I read quite a lot of negative things, but I know the positives out way the negative!

Help!

The weather, tea, accents, no guns, fish and chips, extra mature cheddar cheese, oak trees. Apart from the oak trees, Australia has all that.

(the weather???)

Also, absence of dangerous bitey animals big and small.

Proper fresh milk to go in your tea.
Digestive biscuits, with and without chocolate.
Free Health Service, No Guns, flavoured crisps.

Nothing.

What’s not to like?

I live in the North West and count my blessings every day.

The humour
Relatively advanced in terms of the treatment of women in society and expectations about the roles they play (not perfect by any stretch but vastly better than a lot of countries
Music and music culture
The food (depending in part on where you are)
The general tolerance (again, depending on where you are)
The seasons
The countryside
Pubs
Country market towns
Self-deprecation and the fact people tend not to take themselves too seriously and are not endlessly self-promoting

North London has gorgeous green spaces and views!

Teapots, lovely lovely teapots in a café. Scones and jam (I personally don't need the cream ) Tap water that doesn't taste vile.
Greetings in the street, at a bus-stop etc. by smiling people.

The variety of restaurants.
The supermarkets.

Humour and a general sense people wanting to help you in shops.
Plus, your baby, lots of people offering g congratulations and telling you the baby is lovely etc.

People are just brilliant!

Beautiful green countryside...lovely rugged seaside places...fish n chips...the changing seasons...old country pubs with roaring fires in the winter, the British sense of humour.

This is no doubt an unfashionable answer, but the weather! It is rarely very extreme here, which I like. Related to this: the fact that it's a green country, and that even in the winter, there are (evergreen) trees and some flowers; it is rarely totally barren. Also: I don't know how this compares with Germany, but certainly is an advantage to me compared with the USA and some other countries: at least for those living in a town, it is less necessary to be able to drive (which for medical reasons I cannot do).

I think many of you must be in a bubble, I live in Bath and it doesn’t get much better in the UK but there is lots to dislike here in the UK unless you are older , have a decent social life, and are very comfortably off or at the opposite end and get lots ‘paid’ for you I actually think I’m the middle here without a large nest egg but with decent standards and expectations and it’s bloody hard these days. We are thinking of going to Sweden or Denmark. High tax but high standards. I know Germany very well with work, one reason it’s not on our list is it’s very beauracratic and not the easiest to run a business from, but it too has lovely countryside, food is good but not as varied I feel as UK, certain things much better though there such as rent controls, social provision for families, refuse collection and I find younger Germans very friendly . I also think weather here is dreadful and would much prefer colder winters, less rain, more snow and sunnier summers - but I guess everyone’s different. I certainly don’t think the uk these days is the be all and end all .

English bacon. When I lived abroad I desperately craved a proper bacon sarnie!

The historical sites, the astonishing beauty of thousands of little villages, the woodland, the musical heritage, tea, churches, the literary heritage, general politeness ( I’ve very rarely encountered any real rudeness even in big bad London), the fact that liberal values are law (re: sexism, racism etc).

My mum is Swedish, and we did look into moving to Sweden (helps that I have citizenship and speak the language), but no way - couldn't do it!

I moved here from abroad so I think I am qualified to comment

Clothes shops, supermarkets (choice and prices)
Supermarket home delivery
Mild winters (no need for a million layers, can have whole years where there’s no panic about walking/driving on ice)
Tv
Music
Sense of humour
Pubs
National Trust
Gardens
Fish and chips
Tea

British humour
Relatively safe
The freedom to be whoever you want. You could walk down a street in London in full drag and most people wouldn't bat an eyelid.
Beautiful greenery and landscapes
Great variety of food from all over the world
Wide range of shopping and choices for all budgets
No guns
Gay marriage is legal
Generally friendly people

I love the countryside. I love forests and woodlands, getting muddy and going on walks in the fresh air. The UK has wonderful areas of beauty which really are stunning. I love that we're never too far from a beach wherever we live, not really. I love being able to drive to different ends of the country is relatively sensible times, compared to other much larger countries.

I love the regional variations in such small islands - the island of Ireland, Scotland and Wales all have such great national characteristics. I dunno why but even though I can't speak Welsh and I'm from the English Midlands I loved taking the bus in Wales and everyone talking in a language I don't know.

What's not to like?

No extremes of temperatures
Four seasons
Lots of beautiful countryside
Brilliant food
pubs
the NHS

So many things.

We have very good TV compared to the other countries I've lived in

Outside of Brooklyn or LA the best craft beer in the world - Cloudwater, track, pressure drop, deya... to name but 4 amazing breweries

Proper pubs

Mushy peas

The Lake District, the Cairngorms, the Peak District, Devon.

Honestly, I no longer do. The referendum has brought the bigots out of the closet, we have a totalitarian government and it's no longer home.

We can still make jokes about it, I suppose that's a plus.

Although don't do the Berlin stare here or you may get some aggressive reactions. It's incredibly rude. Was astounded when I went to Berlin and people just openly stare at you

Harvey Nicks
John Lewis
Harrods

Beautiful umbrellas

@user1479305498 and you’re missing the point of the thread...

Bluebells.
Clotted cream.
Pork pies.
Radio 3.
Wigmore Hall.
People who know how to queue properly and don’t push and shove.

I like British weather - although I’m in the relatively dry south east and I reckon that Germany isn’t too dissimilar if a little less mild?
Freedom to roam - but I think Germany has that too!

I think the U.K. offers many of the same benefits Germany does, though sometimes to a lesser extent, so it’s a matter of personal preference. If I left I would miss Marmite, our specific type of pub culture, the free museums and treasures we have and the really mild and pleasant British summers days.