I love the UK

[mpirie]

Haggis are not good swimmers because of the two short legs on one side and the two long legs on the other side that they need for running around the hills.

Of course, the traditional way to catch them is to wait for them to come all the way around the hill, jump out in front of them as they approach and the scare they get forces them to turn around and of course roll down the hill where they get caught.

Mike

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Thanks for the kind words about your experiences in the UK but I'd question your comments about "That English food" especially as you are from the country that invented junk food and serves it up by the tonne

Next time you cross the pond Jack treat yourself to a pint of Guiness in a scruffy pub in Ireland and I promise that you'll never have another one in England.

The only food Worth mentioning in England his breakfast and most of the pump foods the rest is pretty pitiful. As far as photography goes trying to get to the Yorkshire dales in the southwest of England. You won't be disappointed.

 

[Dusty Negative]

Back in the days when my stomach could handle the confrontation, a pork pie and a John Smith’s Ale was as good a lunch as any. Now I would need to follow it up with a prilosec and a nap.

Might still be worth it, to be honest.

 

[benjiboy]

The only food Worth mentioning in England his breakfast and most of the pump foods the rest is pretty pitiful. As far as photography goes trying to get to the Yorkshire dales in the southwest of England. You won't be disappointed.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park is mainly in North Yorkshire and Cumbria in the North Of England, not the South West.

 

[benjiboy]

A shout out to the UK and all the people there. I LOVE YOU GUYS! Everyone should go to London to photograph. The people are uniformally positive and helpful. The landscape in London yells"Photograph me". Even the police are courteous. I was photographing in centrtal London when out of the corner of my eye I could see red lights flashing. No sirens just lights. This has happened before and I knew what to expect. They were there to see what I was doing. An 8x10 camera can look suspicious. They gently backed me against a wall while they sent my passport information through their computer. They just chit chatted about photography and such. It was all very informal and relaxed but make no mistake, I wasn't going anywhere nor was I going to challenge these two substantial guys. I was working around the New Scotland Yard and they explained that there were sensitive government buildings in the area. When they were content that my intentions were peaceful they wrote me a ticket. Not a ticket in the American sense. This ticket was to show other police that I was cleared and needn't be bothered. How very civilized. There was alarge crowd gathering around the corner at Westminster Abbey and someone told me that the Queen was making an appearance. I began walking over there but was deterred when I saw the police or military guarding the area with machine guns. I detoured. Better safe than sorry.
At Gatwick airport My wife and I were asked to leave the ticket line. We were taken to a secured room and our luggage was searched. What they found in my luggage was 23 very large Cadbury bars. They all got a good laugh when I explained that I was taking them to supply my English and Irish friends in the States. Anyway. I've been there three times and I'm yet to see the countryside because the city is endlessly fascinating. Go there . Photograph. Have High Tea. Have a Guiness or three. That English food, well thats another story
Jack

There's an old saying, " if you're tired of London, you're tired of life".

 

[pentaxuser]

There's an old saying, " if you're tired of London, you're tired of life".

Must be a few tired of life then. Most of the candidates for those "Escape To The Country" TV programmes seem to be from London or Greater London and seek the sunny uplands of Dorset, Devon and Cornwall or slightly less sunny uplands of Yorkshire and occasionally Wales

pentaxuser

 

[KenS]

IMHO.. they seem to be seeking more of the publicity about how much they can afford to spend on a new-to-them house.

Ken.
(Who 'escaped' to Canada by 'working his passage' on a cattle-boat in '63 and has never regretted so doing).

 

[Bikerider]

I think the people in the UK are great, and while I really don't like London, I think the country is one of the most beautiful I have ever visited.

I will enlighten you. There are places in England if my dog strayed into the I would have it shot! One of them being London! I was in the police service in London for about 23 years and we saw the sorry underbelly of an overcrowded, expensive, smelly and dirty environment, where the rubbish bins are empty because what should be in them is on the ground nearby. What passes for beer is laughingly called gnats pee! Throw a pint or three of Theakson's' Black Sheep' beer down your throat and you will never find a better.

The North of England, and I don't mean around Manchester, could be a totally different country. From North Yorkshire across to Cumbria, then going north and into Scotland is pure delight. There are roads in Northumberland you can drive for half an hour and never see another person, never mind a car. There are more sheep than people, and the landscape is superb for photography! A reasonably decent bed with a huge breakfast can be had for around £50. Try to find that in London!

 

[RalphLambrecht]

A shout out to the UK and all the people there. I LOVE YOU GUYS! Everyone should go to London to photograph. The people are uniformally positive and helpful. The landscape in London yells"Photograph me". Even the police are courteous. I was photographing in centrtal London when out of the corner of my eye I could see red lights flashing. No sirens just lights. This has happened before and I knew what to expect. They were there to see what I was doing. An 8x10 camera can look suspicious. They gently backed me against a wall while they sent my passport information through their computer. They just chit chatted about photography and such. It was all very informal and relaxed but make no mistake, I wasn't going anywhere nor was I going to challenge these two substantial guys. I was working around the New Scotland Yard and they explained that there were sensitive government buildings in the area. When they were content that my intentions were peaceful they wrote me a ticket. Not a ticket in the American sense. This ticket was to show other police that I was cleared and needn't be bothered. How very civilized. There was alarge crowd gathering around the corner at Westminster Abbey and someone told me that the Queen was making an appearance. I began walking over there but was deterred when I saw the police or military guarding the area with machine guns. I detoured. Better safe than sorry.
At Gatwick airport My wife and I were asked to leave the ticket line. We were taken to a secured room and our luggage was searched. What they found in my luggage was 23 very large Cadbury bars. They all got a good laugh when I explained that I was taking them to supply my English and Irish friends in the States. Anyway. I've been there three times and I'm yet to see the countryside because the city is endlessly fascinating. Go there . Photograph. Have High Tea. Have a Guiness or three. That English food, well thats another story
Jack

this does not entirely reflect my experience; I've been made to stop photographing in train station several times by UK police even as a member of the Royal Phtographic society!

 

[Bikerider]

This was circulating in the Photographic Press at least 10+years ago, and to some extent unverified. However under the Terrorism Act they would be acting within their remit.

Photographing on Railway Stations are not banned per se, but because they are private property. (Yes really) anyone can be stopped at any time and if have no justified reason for being there can be asked to leave. (Railway Regulation Act 1840, Section 16.)

However I happen to know that the British Transport Police who have a responsibility for safety on all UK railway premises are very amenable to photographers, so long as they do not put themselves or others in danger, or cause an unnecessary obstruction. Going onto the running lines is a big 'No No' and can attract a very heavy fine up to £2000!

 

[blockend]

However I happen to know that the British Transport Police who have a responsibility for safety on all UK railway premises are very amenable to photographers, so long as they do not put themselves or others in danger, or cause an unnecessary obstruction.

Although railway stations are private property, and TOCs have a legal right to stop photography on their premises, most are indulgent of trainspotting and photography. There's always the occasional jobsworth, and purges coincide with terrorist incidents, but on the whole photography is not a big deal. Given the amount of smartphones recording images, conversations and everything else, it would be impossible to police photography.