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Best way to visit the British countryside and practice English

724px-Eagle_and_Child_Pub,_Stow-on-the-WoldWith the Olympics over, I'll have to get my British fix elsewhere – in the short term by watching my new (to me) favorite television show: Doc Martin.

I had fun watching segments on England that NBC aired during the Olympics. One was on the words used by the British that are different from those we use in the U.S.

For example, what is the "English" word for: 

  • A flashlight?
  • The drugstore?
  • A bandaid? 
  • A nap?
  • A bathing suit?

(answers below)

I felt a little smug, knowing answer after answer, having spent 9 months going to school in Exeter, England. But then they got to fairy cake.

Fairy cake??

How did I miss that one? I'd learned plimsoles, warden (not the jail kind), taking the mickey, fancy dress (it ain't dressing up), crisps, rubber and so much more. But never once had I heard fairy cakes. 

The point of all this for solo travelers going to England is that along with visiting Stonehenge or Oxford or Westminster Abbey, I highly recommend you get away from the touristy cities and sights for a while and plant yourself in a village.

Visit a tea or fish and chip shop. Go to the local pub, preferrably one in a rural area where they'll spot you immediately as not one of the regulars. And likely comment.

Take the opportunity that opens to interact with people at their local haunts.

I'm partial to the West Country, home to Devon, the county Exeter is in, and Cornwall, where Doc Martin is filmed.

Wherever you go see if you can find a cream tea. Put a Flake in your ice cream cornet. Have vinegar with your fish and chips. Taste a shandy. Or a Cornish pasty. Frequent a pub to watch people playing darts, skittles or snooker.

And practice your English.

Words:

Flashlight = torch; drugstore = the chemist; bandaid = plaster; nap = kip; bathing suit = swimming costume.

Plimsoles = a type of canvas sneaker; warden = someone who oversaw the dormitories at my university; taking the mickey = teasing; fancy dress = going in costume; crisps = potato chips; rubber = eraser

Photo: Eagle and Child, Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire 

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One response to “Best way to visit the British countryside and practice English”

  1. Kendal Cottages Avatar
    Kendal Cottages

    Hear, hear! (to getting out of London and exploring the English countryside)
    We live in one of the most beautiful corners of England, between the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks.
    People are always surprised when I tell them Oxenholme the Lake District is just 2 hours 38 minutes on the train (and getting faster) – they usually expect it to be around 5 hours.
    So not only is it important to get to other places (and not just Oxford, Stratford, etc.) but they’re also much more accessible than you might realise.

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