12 Things That Will Confuse You in the UK (Until You Know the Rules)

If you have ever been asked “You alright?” in Britain and wondered whether you look unwell, you are not alone. We’re decoding the everyday UK habits that catch travellers off guard, even when they’ve visited before. Tracy and Doug share a light, practical guide to the social rules that locals follow without thinking, so you can step off the plane feeling more confident and less confused.

We talk through 12 classic British culture shocks that show up on UK holidays and London city breaks: the sacred art of queuing, the automatic “sorry” that appears even when someone else is in the wrong, and the understated way we describe everything from weather to opinions. We also dig into British humour, where irony and sarcasm often come with a straight face, plus the quiet etiquette on public transport where eye contact can feel like a major event.

Along the way, we tackle UK travel essentials that save time and embarrassment: how ordering works in a pub, what “buying a round” really means, how tipping works in restaurants versus pubs, and why UK place name pronunciation is basically its own sport. We also clear up the difference between Great Britain and the United Kingdom and why Scottish and Welsh identity matters.

If you’re planning UK travel, subscribe for weekly destination guides and practical tips, share this with a friend visiting Britain, and leave us a review so more travellers can find the podcast.

📝 Show Notes - Episode 198

🎟️ Sponsored by Walks Tours & Devour Tours. Explore London with expert guides, from sightseeing to food tours.

👉 Book London sightseeing tours with Walks
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Transcript

Why Britain Feels Confusing

SPEAKER_03 0:00

If you've ever wondered why a British person says sorry to you when you bumped into them, this episode is for you. Today, Doug and I are unpacking 12 things that will genuinely confuse you in the UK until you know the rules.

SPEAKER_00 0:13

Welcome to the UK Travel Planning Podcast. Your host is the founder of the UK travel planning website, Tracy Collins. Each week, Tracy shares destination guides, travel tips and itinerary ideas, as well as interviews with a variety of guests who share their knowledge and experience of UK travel to help you plan your perfect UK vacation. Join us as we explore the UK from cosmopolitan cities to quaint villages, from historic castles to beautiful islands, and from the picturesque countryside to seaside towns.

Sponsor And Show Setup

SPEAKER_03 0:43

Before we get started, we'd like to thank our sponsor, Walks and Devour Tours. If you're planning a trip to London, you'll already know the challenge. There's a lot you want to do and only a limited amount of time to fit it all in. That's where the right tour makes all the difference because you want experiences that are the best use of your time with more access, less waiting, and a deeper sense of the city. That's why we recommend Walks and Devour Tours. They offer walk-in tours and food tours designed to make your time count, often with early or after hours entry. You'll also be with exceptional local guides who add the stories and context so you leave with a richer understanding of what you're seeing and a trip that feels genuinely memorable. If you're visiting London as a couple with family or you simply prefer a more intimate experience, walks and devour tours also offer private tour options. To learn more, you'll find the link in the show notes. Now let's get into this week's episode. Hi everybody, and welcome to this week's edition of the UK Travel Planner Podcast, episode 198. Can you believe it? Can you believe it, Doug? I've managed to talk through 198 episodes. So if you're new here and you're new to listening to the podcast, welcome. I'm Tracy Collins, the host of the UK Travel Planner Podcast. This week, Doug is with me. Doug is not always in every episode, are you, Doug?

SPEAKER_02 2:03

No, no, I'm not. I'm not actually with you, am I, really, today, are you?

SPEAKER_03 2:06

No, you're not.

SPEAKER_02 2:07

I'm sort of on the other side of the planet.

SPEAKER_03 2:09

Yeah, yeah. Well, yes, I'll I'll explain that in a minute. But anyway, so yeah, if you're new to this, Doug, Doug is our um UK train expert and my husband, so he's also um the co-founder of UK travel planning. Um, so yes, so just to kind of briefly explain, I'm actually in London at the moment, um, and Doug is all the way over in Australia. Australia. Um, but you'll be coming over in the next well, in the next month or so, won't you?

SPEAKER_02 2:37

About five or six weeks. The uh 25th of May.

SPEAKER_03 2:41

Yeah, you're land. So that's really cool. So I've been in uh London for the last few weeks. Um and um yeah, just having a really good time and doing some fantastic tours. So I've been out with the the English bus for a few tours the last few days. There's an episode coming next week all about that. So if you're thinking about some taking some day tours from London, um listen in for that episode because I'm gonna talk about the three different tours I've taken uh with them from out of London, which have been really, really good. And I've also did a food tour, which I know you're gonna be really jealous of, Doug. I did a food tour of uh with DeVo of uh Borough Market, which is always fun.

SPEAKER_01 3:19

Oh, it's fantastic!

The Greeting That Sounds Like Concern

SPEAKER_03 3:20

Yeah, so I really enjoyed that. Um, and also a big shout actually to Naomi and David, who uh were also on the chair, and it was lovely when uh Naomi uh walked up to me and went, Oh my goodness, it's Tracy uh from the podcast, a big podcast fan. Um so we had a photo taken and then we spent the the the whole morning together um on the footage, so that was really good. So hi know Naomi and David continue to have a fantastic uh time in on your UK trip. Um so anyway, I just thought for this episode we would talk a little bit. We've got a few episodes in the past, a little bit about British culture. Um, but because obviously we always talk about the practical things, don't we? Yeah, that's right. We talk about trains and tickets and places to visit and how to get there and all that sort of thing.

SPEAKER_02 4:05

And then more trains.

SPEAKER_03 4:07

Well, you've been talking about trains forever, can't you? Um but one of the yeah, yeah, one of the things I think is really interesting to talk about um is actually British culture. And um there there are a lot of there are a lot of um uh I don't know, uh there's some confusion, I think, about a lot of British culture and and um the ways that we say things or ways that we behave, and um and and I think I think honestly it doesn't matter how long you live here, and I know there's a lot of people that come and that you know that they stay here for 10 years or 20 years and stuff. I still think sometimes um things can be a bit of a mystery because we grow up with this. Yeah, yeah, we kind of grow up with this, and it's kind of in our blood. So I just think it has to be a British person that really explains this to you because I just think um, yeah, it would really interest actually because we we were as I say we were on this uh bus tour uh with uh the English bus a couple of times this week. And obviously on the bus, there was the the two guides who are amazing, and and myself and my friend Terry who came on. So at one point, actually, the guy said, Look, you've got four Brits on this bus. So if there are things that you don't understand about British culture, this is the best time to ask the questions, uh, which was really, really funny. Um so there's quite a few questions came up, which was which was good, anyway. Um, you know me and talking. Um I could talk forever, but I thought let's um I've I've kind of put it into 12 points. So 12 things we're gonna talk about. Um and we're just gonna we're just gonna have a conversation about this. We're gonna just chat me and Doug. So hopefully you can't. Yeah, that's just scratching the surface.

SPEAKER_02 5:39

There's so much we could talk for hours about this.

SPEAKER_03 5:42

Yeah, there are yeah, there are, yeah, we could. We'll probably have in the past. Um but anyway, I thought I'd make it make it a little bit more succinct and just do um 12 kind of the 12 kind of things that stuck out to me. Um the first one, the first one is probably one of my favourite ones because it confuses so many people. And this confused when I when we first moved to Australia, this confused so many people. Um, but we will say, you're alright. You're right, you're alright. You might you might meet somebody and go, Oh, you're right, you're right. Um, it's not it's a greeting. We're not actually asking you if you're alright, are we?

SPEAKER_02 6:20

Yeah, that's that's right, yeah. I mean there is regional accents on top of that as well, which we'll cover later. But you know where I come from, it's you're eat.

SPEAKER_03 6:29

Yeah, you eat me duck.

SPEAKER_02 6:31

You eat me duck, yeah. So it's like in Derbyshire, Staffordshire. Yeah, that's one way of speaking. But it is you you you're dead right. It's not uh a license to then just give you know welfare check. Give me your give you me uh your medical history, please. No no no. The standard response is I'm fine, thanks. Are you all right? Or how are you?

SPEAKER_03 6:50

Yeah, yeah. Are you, yeah, are we? It's basically just a way of kind of just saying hello. It's just a way of saying hello. Um, so we're not, yeah. I mean, it's really funny. I remember when I first moved to Australia and um the the company I was working for, I said it to I think the cleaner came in and I went, Oh, you're alright. And she she did not know what to say to me. She was like, Um, yeah, I'm fine. And I went, Oh, and I realized after a couple of days that she just didn't wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. Um, so I was like, Oh, it's just me saying hello.

SPEAKER_02 7:22

Um so but it's particularly when there's the uh the inflection at the end, you know, if you add that onto it, you know, it makes it sound like a a question, but you don't know to what level you're supposed to answer.

SPEAKER_03 7:35

Yeah, that that is so true. That's so true. Yeah, so if so, if I meet you in the street in London, you come up to me, um, or Doug, if you if you recognise us, come and just say you're right. That would be great. That would be we'd love that, and it would be like, Yeah, we're we're we're good, how are you?

SPEAKER_02 7:50

So just to confuse it, you might even just get the you okay?

SPEAKER_03 7:55

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:57

That's a short version again, so that's even more confusing.

SPEAKER_03 8:01

Yeah, so basically just remember it's just a way for just to say hello. So yeah, just say, Yeah, good, thanks, how are you? That's the best way to do it. But um, yeah, yeah, you're right, not isn't it doesn't need to have a huge more explanation.

SPEAKER_02 8:15

Ask it back as well. Ask back as well.

Queuing Rules And Silent Judgement

SPEAKER_03 8:18

Yes, um, but yeah, that that is probably uh one of my favourite ones, and I just know that got that confuses so many people because they're quite quite sure what to answer. Just smile, just just smile and nod. Yeah, it's probably the best way. Um what about the next one that I put on the list, Doug? What what's this one?

SPEAKER_02 8:38

Oh, it's the British institution, it's called queuing. We are good at it.

SPEAKER_03 8:43

We are very, very good at queuing or lining up. And if you're from America, you probably say that you're lining up. Um we call it queuing. Um it's it's it's a national pastime. Um and I tell you what, you you get it wrong and you're in trouble. But you're not in trouble in a kind of obvious somebody's gonna tell you off kind of way, you're in trouble in a in a ten people in the in the queue that you may have just jumped in front of are gonna give you the stare or a tut.

SPEAKER_04 9:14

Or a tut.

SPEAKER_03 9:16

Yes. They'll look at you and they'll be like, they'll just be they'll be I I could say to be stares.

SPEAKER_02 9:25

Non-confrontational, of course.

SPEAKER_03 9:26

Yeah, but you you you might see one or two other people in the queue look at each other with a knowing look and just yes, yes, they'll probably will, and they'll be a bit of they'll probably be tushing, they'll probably will be shaking of heads, or usually this shaking of heads, a bit of shaking, but not not aggressive shaking of head, just a little you know, maybe a sharp intake of breath.

SPEAKER_02 9:49

That's uh it's a silent understanding, no words are exchanged between people, but they look at each other and go, hmm, we know, don't we?

SPEAKER_03 9:57

Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. And uh just a kind of like, how has this happened?

SPEAKER_02 10:02

Yeah, we see this jumping on trains as well, and things like that, and the looks and the yeah, absolutely. That's not right.

SPEAKER_03 10:14

Actually, do we do enjoy it? Uh yeah, yeah, we'd what we enjoy queue in, yes, I think it would do. And it really is like it, it is, it's just it's like a social, it's just a social thing that we do when we don't break the rules.

SPEAKER_02 10:27

I I do swear you could start forming a queue somewhere in the UK for nothing at all, and people would join you.

SPEAKER_03 10:35

You're absolutely right. You could end up with this massive gripping queue, nobody knows where they go, but they just stand really quietly and politely in that line. Yeah, yeah. I have to yeah, I was gonna say that my my uh this thing about it actually, I think it is seen as a bit of a character failing if you if by British people, if you can't cue. And um, my favourite example of this was actually it was it was in Paris, and and it was um it was when Dominique was very young, and um, I'd gone with my mum to to Disneyland Paris, and we were standing in a in a queue for the toilet, and this this lady just walked in, looked at the queue, and just one of the cubicle doors opened, she went straight in it. Just she just my my mum was apoplectic in a very quiet English way. Um but she just was like, she she just what what what's uh what she what she literally couldn't speak, she was kind of like I can't believe that after after she got into kind of like uh at the shock. Um but it was like that that's not a British thing to do. And I'm like, well, we're in France, Mum. We're not gonna be able to get it. Just not British. Yeah, just not a British thing to do. Um but yes, so so make sure that if you um if you see, if you're good, if you're going in a particular place and you see that there is a queue and you're not sure where the queue starts, this is also really important. The best thing to do is ask, are you in the queue?

SPEAKER_01 12:04

Are you queuing? Yep.

SPEAKER_03 12:05

Yeah, because if you go and stand in front of them, oof, you're gonna get the stare. So you're best to ask, you'll always ask, and you will see that British people will ask, Are you in the queue? Are you in the queue? And then people will politely kind of um suggest, you know, uh the the end of the queue, and often they'll say then the queue is there, and they will tell you exactly where to go and stand.

SPEAKER_02 12:24

It's an acceptable question as well. You're not breaking any sort of social barriers, it is a perfectly acceptable question.

SPEAKER_03 13:29

Yeah, are you in the queue? Also, the other one I have to talk about is um keeping a place in the queue. Now, that's also quite an interesting one because you can do that, and and often we'll do that, you'll keep a place in a queue, and I'll go and do something you and I'll come back. But we're still uncomfortable with that, I think. Because it depends how many people come back with you. So if it was me, see me and Doug and Doug kept the the place in the queue and I just came back to him, that would probably be acceptable. But if I turned up with 15 people, I think we might be a mini riot.

SPEAKER_02 14:04

You know what I'd have to do is I'd have to turn around uncomfortably and tell everybody that's my wife. That's my wife. Yeah, my wife's just come back to us. She's she she's been over there now. She now she's come back here, but it's my wife. It's okay, it's my wife. Yeah, it's true.

SPEAKER_03 14:18

I think you've done that before, actually, just to just to stop the tucks and the and the kind of like shaking necks and it's like, yeah. Yes, yes. Oh, but no, it is funny. So I honestly, I want to know if you had an experience in queuing in in in the UK, let me know how you got on. Because it is it is a it really is a national institution.

SPEAKER_02 14:36

And you know what, Tracy? I think we should add it on to our CV or resumes. We are expert professional queuers, queuers were queuers, yeah.

Why Brits Say Sorry Constantly

SPEAKER_03 14:45

Yeah, I think so. I think and that actually kind of goes really well with the next one that I'm going to talk about. Um sorry, does it? Yes, and that is the word sorry because we use it all the time in different words. My favourite use of sorry, or the favourite time you'll you'll hear the word, or my favourite, I guess, is that you say sorry when you're apologizing for what somebody else has done.

SPEAKER_01 15:10

Yeah. Or you say it at the same time that somebody else has done it.

SPEAKER_03 15:13

At the same time, yeah. Like somebody's trying to get past you on their chain, and they say sorry to you, and you're saying sorry to them. Meanwhile, you've not done anything, they're trying to get past you and they're saying sorry, but you're still apologising to them. It is just such a British thing to do.

SPEAKER_02 15:29

It is, but it's automatic. There's no thought process involved with it. It's just comes straight out. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's just one of those things that we say it, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:39

I wonder how many times a day that we actually just we say sorry. And I'm probably obviously I'm in London at the minute, so I'm probably saying it a million times a day. Yeah. All the time. Um, but yes, that is a favourite. So if you're yeah, I just think we we just seem to apologize, just basically uh that's true.

SPEAKER_02 15:58

Mine usually starts with with a moan or whinge. I apologize. Sorry, I have to tell you that I think this service is awful. Why am I apologising for your service being terrible? I have no idea. I'm sorry, that's my seat.

SPEAKER_03 16:12

That's because sorry, but that's my seat. Yeah, you get on a train and you've got a reservation and somebody's sat in your seat. And you don't go up to them and go, Well, you just wouldn't go, that's my seat. You go, I'm really sorry. Sorry. Yeah, we're apologizing for the fact that somebody nicked our seat. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:35

I mean, it can it it can start the ball rolling when they come back and say, sorry, yes, it is. Well, sorry, can I have my seat? Well, sorry, but you can't know. Oh, sorry about that.

SPEAKER_03 16:45

Sorry, but I do because I actually yeah, exactly. It just becomes a complete sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. Sorry, situation. Oh, honestly, it is just uh it it yeah, it's a word that you're gonna hear all the time. I just think we're just a a nation of apologizers.

SPEAKER_02 17:01

Yeah, cues and apologies, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:04

Yes, absolutely. Um true. So I mean, yeah, if if a British person says sorry and you're not quite sure why, just just go with it. Just go with it. Um because it probably haven't done anything wrong, but they're just apologising for potentially maybe doing something wrong to irritate you, you know, or the getting in your way, or potentially going to do something wrong in a minute.

SPEAKER_02 17:24

Yeah, yeah.

Understatement As A National Skill

SPEAKER_03 17:24

That's what I'm saying, yeah. So just so just uh potentially doing it, yeah. So um the next the next one I've got is um understatement. I guess you know, we we kind of say one thing but often mean another thing.

SPEAKER_02 17:41

Um yeah, we are we are good at this one. This is very much in the subconscious as well. It's like the underpaying, the you know, we're good with obviously things like the weather we talk about a lot, but the classic ones are it's a bit cold today, it's a bit chilly. Actually, it's bloody freezing.

SPEAKER_03 17:56

It's freezing cold. Yeah, or or uh I feel a little bit rough, but you're actually really, really feeling awful. Awful today, yeah. Uh but the weather, I think we're a great one to understand. We're gonna talk about the weather in a bit, but I I think we do, we we understate the weather. We're just like it's a little bit cold, or um or or the best one is um see, and I think Aussie's that they're gonna love this one. Um it gets to 16 degrees. Oh, this always makes me laugh. And it's it's it's so hot. It's so hot. We're sweltering. It's just it's it's just um, you know, and it's really not that hot.

SPEAKER_02 18:32

Um but yeah, that or or the very good one when it's pouring down with rain. It's a it's a bit wet.

SPEAKER_03 18:39

Yeah, it's a bit wet, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:41

Yeah, it's a it's a bit wet. No, it's absolutely sodder because it's pouring down with rain, that's why it's wet.

SPEAKER_03 18:46

Yeah, actually, no, I was thinking about that one about the weather I've just said about it being hot. It's the British people will say it's hot, and I'll be going, Oh yeah, it's sweltering. Because it's 16 degrees and it's actually not that hot. Um, but it's that kind of understatement of uh, you know, um not quite, you know, w we might go to something and really, really love it. And we'll go, oh yeah, it was it wasn't bad. But actually we really enjoyed it. Um, you know, or yeah, something and also because we don't really like to let people down. So we we might go, for example, we might go to the theatre and see a show, and we might have hated it. Well, generally it doesn't happen because I enjoy going to the theatre, but you might go to something and go, well, it was it was a bit disappointing. Um but actually it could but it was okay, but actually it could have been absolutely dreadful and we just understate it.

SPEAKER_02 19:32

Um that word rough again, you know, that was a bit rough. That can cover so many, so many things. You know, it's a question of interpretation, but nobody's gonna ask you to quantify exactly what you mean. It's just that knowing look and yeah. Yeah, it was.

SPEAKER_03 19:50

So I think I mean, really, I think if we say something positive, um, you have to kind of double the sentiment. Maybe we're just not, we just don't sound that excited, but we're when we are, and when we say something negative, really triple it because that's probably a bit more realistic. Because again, we just kind of we don't I think we just don't ever want to offend anybody. So we don't want to we do we don't want to overstate things and get everything everybody too excited about something. Mind saying that I think I do that a lot on the podcast because everybody always says that, but I think we we we just are a bit more understated with stuff, so a bit more reserved, yeah. A bit more reserved. We just like to keep things on a bit more of an even keel, so not not one extreme of way up to the other extreme of Walnut was absolutely dreadful.

SPEAKER_02 20:35

We're just we don't be seen as too excitable.

Place Names You Will Mispronounce

SPEAKER_03 20:37

I think that's what that's true, that's probably right. Um and the well, the next one uh place name pronunciations, this one. You know what? I think I'm gonna go on Instagram and just I'm I'm gonna put a whole load of words up and I'm gonna pronounce them. Now, what I'm gonna also say, and this is this is something worth mentioning at this point anyway, as well, is that um Doug and I are from different parts of the UK. So I'm from the north, so I come from the northernmost county in England, which is Northumberland, which is the best county. Um, there's gonna be loads of English people that are gonna be uh sending me messages. Um and Doug comes from the middle bit.

SPEAKER_02 21:21

The middle bit called the Midlands, not very imaginative, I grant you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:25

I was gonna say that it's not very it's not very imaginative, is it? The middle bit. Um I'm from the northern bit. Um so so we're still you're not. So we're not gonna get into this argument. All right, okay. This this wasn't even on our list of things to do, but I'm gonna I am gonna just mention this. Um, us northerners, as in me, not Doug, are very protective about the northern, our northern character and northern culture. So I get a little bit offended when Doug says that he's from the north because he's not, he's from the middle. I'm not a southerner, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 22:00

So therefore I'm from the north.

SPEAKER_03 22:02

But you're not, you're a Midlander. Exactly. Because now, for anybody in the south, so that is kind of London and around. I don't know where that kind of line is, but anywhere, anywhere not, yeah, I'm gonna say anywhere north of Watford is considered to be north. Well, I have to tell you, when my when my grand my grandfather was alive and I I visited with a friend of mine from Liverpool, um that I was at school with, and um my grandfather called her a southerner. So it's put it all in from Liverpool, you know. She was like, No, I'm not um in a scouse accent, which I can't do. Um yeah, so so actually I will mention you're gonna get lots of um different accents. But what you also can you you what you're gonna find out is that we we pronounce things probably not how you expect.

SPEAKER_02 22:51

Um that's true, but we also possibly in in uh in our defense as well, not being from say Some of these places we're going to mention these names, we ourselves may not 100% pronounce them how the locals do.

SPEAKER_03 23:06

That is an huge and excellent point because there's an episode about Edinburgh coming out in a couple of weeks' time, and I I talk about pronouncing Edinburgh. Now I pronounce Edinburgh for like somebody from the Northeast. Um not Edinburgh, Edinburgh. So that's how I say it. That's how I grew up to say it. Um but the main thing I think in that episode I was trying to say to if you want to say it my way, say it my way or Edinburgh, but is not say Edinburgh. That's a huge one, that's a huge sticking point. And honestly, if you're not sure how to pronounce somewhere, just ask somebody. Um ask, or even I've done it on Google, I put the the word in Google, how do you pronounce this? Obviously, for other not necessarily British place names, but just so I've got an idea of how you actually pronounce a place name. Now, I think we in the UK just love to confuse everybody with the different ways that we spell things which are not related to how you actually pronounce it.

SPEAKER_02 24:01

I'm gonna have to just stop you there. You mentioned the northeast. There's one particular place in the northeast, which is I'm not sure how big the place is, but it causes massive confusion. I'm going to say Chambois, and you're gonna tell me Chemist.

SPEAKER_03 24:18

It's chemist.

SPEAKER_02 24:19

I need to say how you spell that.

SPEAKER_03 24:21

Yeah, it's C A M B O I S. There's no there's no H in it, by the way. So it's C-A-M-B-O-I-I-S. And you're bringing this one up because this is the one that I mispronounced. I'm from the Northeast and I mispronounced it, much to my mother's hilarity at the time. Um, but I on my defence, I've been living in France, so I've I pronounced it the French way, Camboise. Actually, it's not, it's Camas, but there you go. Um it's very small, so I'm not I'm not sure many people on this podcast will be headed in Camus.

SPEAKER_02 24:48

I just wanted to say it.

SPEAKER_03 24:50

I'm sure you did.

SPEAKER_02 24:51

Sorry.

SPEAKER_03 24:53

Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you are sorry. Um see there's there's my sarcasm coming in there anyway. There you go. So so Edinburgh or Edinburgh, because I call it Edinburgh, but just not Edinburgh. That's a big one. Yeah, come on. Oh, I'm gonna talk about another one in the in the northeast that get catches everybody out, which is um Anik. Anik, which is spelled A-L-N-W-I-C-K. So a lot of people say when I say Alnwick, it's not, it's Anik. Just miss out the the N, uh the L, sorry, don't miss out the N. Miss out the L and miss out the W. Now come on, you could give me some other examples, Doug.

SPEAKER_02 25:28

Well, it's the one not far from where I'm from, it's called Loughborough. The university, which is not easily pronounced. So you say it Loughborough, but the spelling is L-O-U-G-H-O-R-O-U-G-H. Loughbrug.

SPEAKER_03 25:48

And we get we've heard Lugabruger, haven't we? For that one.

SPEAKER_02 25:51

Lugabruger, yes, and Lugabruger.

SPEAKER_03 25:55

Um, another one that's uh quite funny. Ah, now this one I find um in in Australia is pronounced a very interesting way. Um, and that is another one actually not too far from you in the Midlands, which is Leicester.

SPEAKER_02 26:07

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 26:08

Or in Australia, I've heard it pronounced as Leicester, which I kind of go, what? Um which actually, to be fair, when you look at the word, I would also say Leicester, because it's L-E-I, C E S T E R, but it's actually Leicester.

SPEAKER_01 26:22

That's true.

SPEAKER_03 26:23

Uh um again, those kind of the C E S T E R ones get uh kind of get everybody out because we've also got a uh what looks like Bicester, which is actually Bist Bister. Bista. B-B-I-C-E-S-T-E-R. Bister. I'm gonna put these in the show notes if you kind of want to have a look at what we're what we're pronouncing, and not still not showing it.

SPEAKER_02 26:43

One of my favourite one of my favourites is down in in Cornwall. And this one is funny, there's no way other way of saying it. It is the words are mouse hole. I'm not joking, the place name is called mouse hole, but you don't pronounce it like that. You pronounce it mousle. Mousle as in which is not easy.

SPEAKER_03 27:09

It does get everybody, it's yeah, because it just looks like mouse hole. It should be mouse hole. I'm sorry, people are mouse all, but like if you pronounce if you spell it mouse hole, everybody's gonna say mouse hole.

SPEAKER_02 27:20

I mean there's something down in London as well, isn't there? There's uh uh what Marlebone or Marylebone, depending on how you want to say it. This is one uh one I say wrong.

SPEAKER_03 27:31

I say it wrong quite often because you just want to say Mary Lebone, and it's like it's Marlebone, uh Marlebone action, Marlebone. I can't even say it properly because I'm not a Londoner, so again I apologise, and this is what I kind of say when people say that they're London locals, you know. To be honest, you've got to be born and brought up in London to know this stuff because it's just in your blood, it really, really is. Um I'm not a Londoner. Um Chis Chiswick, Chiswick. Yeah, Chiswick, you know.

SPEAKER_02 27:58

Well, I had to learn all these one, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 28:00

Yeah, I was yeah, when I moved out of London, I had to learn all these because I'm like I say I'm not a native London, I don't know these words. So um uh Greenwich catches a lot of people out because that's spelled G-R-E-E-N, W I C H. Um so again we dropped the W, Greenwich.

SPEAKER_02 28:16

Yeah, and one of my favourite ones is slough, which is S-L O U G H, but you actually pronounce it slough as in cow. Cow.

SPEAKER_03 28:29

Yeah, so instead of slough, which you kind of want to say slough is a nursing term for wounds, yeah, yeah. Ah, yeah, okay. Interesting. Um, actually, when we're talking about cows, we get that a lot for glass for for Glasgow. So Glasgow's Glasgow, and when quite often that will get pronounced as Glascow, and it's not, it's it's it's it's Glasgow. Um but honestly, if you're not sure um about pronunciation, just just ask. Honestly, ask people will be yeah, because honestly, sometimes we have to kind of go, hmm, how do how is how do you pronounce that? Um I I think it's just uh and I'm guessing this is a lot going back to um obviously we inherit a lot of uh place names from the Romans, the Celts, the Anglo-Saxon, whatever. Whoever's been in the country's developed all the different names. For example, like Chester means fort. So you'll see a lot of towns that end with the word Chester, um, and that's at Manchester or Chester itself. Um at that that's because it the Roman uh fort. Um yeah, so yeah, I think um it it's just it's just fun trying to figure out who it is.

SPEAKER_04 29:38

Some of these kids, yeah.

Pub Culture And How Ordering Works

SPEAKER_03 29:41

Um, but yes, that'll be um so if you found that a bit hard, the best place to to to go to is the pub. We're gonna talk about being at the pub now. Um because that is really a big cultural thing in in the UK, is that we um it's not a bar, it's it's just somewhere that you go. I mean, my dad would go to work, he'd come back at the end of his shift, he'd go and have a bath, get himself washed, and go and have a pint at the pub, and he'd meet all his friends after work, and it was a big social, just a social event for him. And that's what he enjoyed doing. Um, and that's what he looked forward at the end of the day. He'd just go and have a have a pint, have a chat.

SPEAKER_02 30:19

Um, and you'll find a lot, I mean people have the local, their pub that they that is in the area that they'll go to, um, you know, and they'll have lots of friends and and well I'll say there's also meeting places for clubs and societies, and yeah, you know, and it it was a uh, as you say, a very big social part of a local community.

SPEAKER_03 30:39

Yeah. And I know when I was actually because I was at um uh uh Leadenhall Market the other day, and I know the guide was saying that um quite often American people find it quite interesting that during the day, um, you know, people at lunchtime will go out and have a pint um before going back to work, which is and and again it's that kind of social go out at lunchtime, just go and probably even even have half, half a pint or whatever, and then go back to work in the afternoon. Again, that's that's normal. Or after work, you'll see a lot of people. You know, if you're in the uh covent garden as always, you'll see loads of people around the the the pubs at Covent Garden having a enjoying a pint um after work in a chat. No, no one's oh no, that's another thing worth saying, actually. If you go to a pub, you can have no non-alcoholic that drinks because you don't drink, so I don't drink no. But I love that atmosphere, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:30

Yeah, but it's a good place for things like football these days as well. People go and watch, you know, on the screens to put uh live matches on. There's always pool tables and uh dance boards, and it's just that it's just that social. Yeah, you know, well yesterday actually.

SPEAKER_03 31:45

Yeah, yesterday I was in Oxford and um having having a drink and um uh having some food, that's the thing I kind of mentioned um and um and the the football was on in the background. So and actually the fire was on yesterday, it wasn't very warm. Um the fire was on, yeah. Um you'll see like um uh dogs are allowed in pubs, you'll probably go in that there'll be there'll be you know some well-behaved dogs sitting there. Um you could so when you go into a pub, a few things to know is that you go to the bar and order. Um you know, uh if if it's uh if it's got a restaurant part to the pub, then generally you'll have to wait to be seated. Or sometimes, again, this is a bit confusing. You we have to kind of figure this out with some places you go to, some places you just go and you get your seat, there's a number on the table, then you go and order your food. Like even yesterday, there was a number on the table. So I went to order um a drink and some food, then I brought the drinks back to the table, and then the food was delivered to the table, but I paid for that at the bar, um and you just wait your turn. Um, you don't tip if you really wanted to for the bomb, you just say it and one for you, so you just basically um find the bottom.

SPEAKER_02 32:54

But when it when it comes to sort of the modern pubs, you know, it confuses sometimes British people just the same. So, but if in dad, either watch other people find a table or wait to be seated when you're walking, but or just ask somebody, you know. It's yeah, you will be the first person to ask.

SPEAKER_03 33:11

A lot of them have instructions though now. Even the one the one I went to yesterday, it just said it said take it take a seat and then order at the bar. It actually had the instructions. I guess it was Oxford, so they know there's gonna be a lot of people visiting who aren't necessarily gonna be up with. You know what we would do, don't pop.

SPEAKER_02 33:25

We probably start the question with a sorry. Sorry, but can I just ask you?

SPEAKER_03 33:30

Yeah, yeah, that's true. Yeah, so uh can I can I just show it? Um yeah, do I have can I just get a seat myself? Um, and usually it'll say if you've got to wait to be to be seated. Um if you are joining a group of other people, um, you know, if somebody buys people might buy a round, so that means they'll just buy a drink for everybody that you're with. So the expectation is that then everybody in that group would buy a round of drinks, yeah. Um so that you know you take your turn. Also, the expectation is you're right, but you don't have to have an alcoholic drink because you just say you're driving, even if you're not, you just say you're driving and people aren't going to question it anyway.

SPEAKER_02 34:06

Um you up to the round, so that's that's what you do.

unknown 34:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 34:11

Do you want to talk a lot? Because I don't drink, and I know you you don't drink anymore, but you just you used to have a beer and stuff like that. So I'm not, um, I'm not really up on because I don't drink any of this stuff, but like the different like beers and lagers and ales and stuff like that you can get.

SPEAKER_02 34:29

Yeah, we've got your your sort of traditional ales. I mean, I come from a brewery town, so I should know a little bit about this, even though I don't drink anymore. You've got your keg beer, which is your mass-produced beer, um, which is usually made from hops. So that's what's that usually comes in the uh in a metal keg, which is what's on the on the pumps. Then you have your cascales, which is wooden cases, which is your real ales. They usually come in a wooden barrel and with a bit more sort of niche type taste, if you like. So and then you've got your lagers, which is what you used to be made from. Um there there's all sorts of e-design and lagers and things like that. But the UK is not just pretty shells anymore, you've got beers and lagers and beers from around the world, so it's it's very much a cosmopolitan market now, but you still have you still have your craft beers, you still have your microbrew beers, um which are very popular. And they're usually the smaller type hubs, not your meal gastro-type hubs. These can be really sort of backstreet, sort of smaller, but very much sort of specialist beers, if you like, you know, for a refined taste. If that makes sense.

SPEAKER_03 35:47

Yeah, and then can you and like you can obviously order half a pint or a paint. Yeah, half a pint, and it's warm as well. Somebody mentioned the other day about the fact that British beer is warm. It's supposed to be kind of room temperature, isn't it? Is that right?

SPEAKER_02 36:00

Well, you you've got to look at the the the temperatures of where you are. I mean, if you're in Australia, say in Queensland, you know, they want to chill beer on up to refresh you. But you would not want a real ale freezing cold because it'd affect the flavour and the taste.

SPEAKER_03 36:15

Right, okay.

SPEAKER_02 36:16

So you would not want that lagers more sober. Popper ale's no, you want it cool but not cold because it affects the flow, uh I understand, and it affects the flavour, and it should be standing.

SPEAKER_03 36:26

Okay. Right. So hopefully that that um that clears up any confusion about going into a pub.

SPEAKER_02 36:32

Um I am not an expert on beers anymore, so if I've got any slight details slightly on, I apologize. Somebody just correct me.

SPEAKER_03 36:39

Yeah, I was gonna say it's it's a while since you've you've had a beer, so um, yeah, I don't know. And you still used to enjoy your your your whiskey as well, but you can get in pubs. You can get lots of gins. Um I particularly like gin and there's lots of great gins. Uh gin and tonic has been my my uh my my drink of truce recently, and um being able to uh try that in the pub. Oh, another drink to try actually, if you do want something in the UK in the summer, is a PIMS. I absolutely love Pims and Lemonade. Um, it's just perfect when it's warm. And if they asked to put the fruit in, say yes, you want all the fruit. Um because yeah, I had one, it was actually warm last week before then it turned arctically cold again. Um so when I was at the pub earlier on the week, sounds like I've been at the pub a lot. Um, I did have a pim and lemonade, which was very nice. I thought, oh, it's like summer in the UK. Um stuff. So what's the next one?

SPEAKER_02 37:28

Is our humour?

SPEAKER_03 37:30

Yes, yes, and I think yeah, that that can sometimes be taken the wrong way. Um but I mean there's so many British TV shows that are so popular around the world, like comedian, like funny, like you know, like Monty Python, I guess is a really good one to kind of mention, you know, that that that people love, but that's Mr.

SPEAKER_01 37:52

Bean.

SPEAKER_03 37:52

Yeah, Mr. Bean, um kind of are I don't know, I think it can and also we can be we can be quite um quite ironic. So it's uh it's about kind of taking sometimes what we say with a bit of a pinch of salt. Yeah, yeah. You know, like again, it's a bit like we talked about before when we talked about that that understatement and that that that kind of that irony is that we we might use that, or um you know, yeah, it's kind of that kind of I I irony and and kind of taking the Mickey out of head panel taking the Mickey, yeah. Yeah, and making taking the Mickey out of ourselves as well. Yeah. Um yeah, and and with a kind of straight face, and then that can be a little bit difficult um sometimes for for people to to interpret.

SPEAKER_02 38:44

I I can explain one of one of them in particular, good example when I was uh in the UK last time when it's in September into October, and I was on the train and it it was late, basically, and and this guy next to me we had not spoken in the entire journey, and he just turned to me and went, Oh that went well, didn't it? And that was all he said. And I went, Yeah. Neither of us said another word, we just looked at each other and went, Yeah, and that was it. And there was another couple sitting across from the table. I don't know where they're from, they were not involved with it, but they just looked at the both of us, thinking, I we'd I got the impression they didn't understand exactly what we were just saying. Because all he said was, Well, that went well, didn't it? Yeah, and I don't think they knew what exactly what we meant. But that is that that is just that.

SPEAKER_03 39:34

And that that's what I'm saying about sometimes you you you you just know, because yeah, you just know, don't you? It's kind of yeah, we brought up with that and you kind of just know what's going on, and and um yeah, that kind of telepathy of on the same wavelength, I think.

SPEAKER_02 39:52

It's a shared experience, I think. So it's a shared experience we don't need to say because we're both thinking exactly the same thing, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 39:58

But it's the fact we think of it in those terms as well, you know, that oh well that went well. Yeah, in that kind of like everybody got they're being serious. No, we're not we're actually not we're being ironic.

SPEAKER_02 40:11

I have to tell you, another one is on a sports um theme, is where you your team you just went well played. Yeah, because it was it it was all thinking complete opposite, you're absolutely rubbish. Yeah, there's no well played about it, yeah.

The Weather As Conversation Fuel

SPEAKER_03 40:28

Yeah, it's it's that that that sarcasm. Oh yeah, it's that thing as well. Yeah, you know, you you open the door and it's poor and raining, oh great weather today. You know, it's that it's again, it's that kind of understated iron irony. I think I think um I th uh uh to be honest, again, I guess I think that the point four and and point seven kind of go together. So um we're kind of we're gonna roll those into one, but I know nice weather for ducks. Yes, yeah, that's another one, and which actually takes us really well. And nice segue, Doug, into point eight, which is the weather.

SPEAKER_01 41:03

Oh, which is I love it.

SPEAKER_03 41:06

It we it's a hobby, isn't it? It's a hobby. Moaning about the weather is a hobby. Um because you know what? And I'm I mean, we shouldn't say commenting about the weather isn't moaning, but I think we do moan about it all the time because we moan even when it's nice, because yeah, people say it's too hot, which always makes me because like 16 degrees, oh it's too hot or swelled, or it's 22 and that's it, it's a heat wave, heat wave, and everybody is just like, oh I can't bear this, it's just too hot. It's just it's just oh it's ridiculous. Can't breathe, it's just too hot. Um, and then it's not moaning.

SPEAKER_02 41:38

I think I think it's a weather report or observation or prediction.

SPEAKER_03 41:43

Yeah, I mean it's a lot of things. Well we're talking about it all the time. All the time.

SPEAKER_02 41:47

I don't think we have much faith in weather forecasting. So I think what it is, we like to make our own observations and say, it's raining out there, it's very wet.

SPEAKER_03 41:58

You know what? I think I think there's two I think there's two ways of using it. I think that I think we do complain, and uh I I think there's just a it's just a complaining culture about the weather, or just because we just naturally do it. Um, but there's also the kind of like, oh, it's just rubbish. But there's also the using it to to have a conversation. We just have a conversation, yeah. Yeah, about the weather. Um, you know, and you can talk about it. Honestly, if you want to talk to a British person, start with the weather. There you are, you're away. You're a really that'll be that'll you've been talking to them for hours.

SPEAKER_02 42:30

It is, but you've got to choose that right moment. There's no good being in the theatre and start talking about it raining outside, unless you're about to walk outside and you can hear the rain. But you've got to choose that right moment.

SPEAKER_03 42:42

Yeah, that's true. That's true. But I I would think I I'm wondering how many times a day. I see, I don't do this when I'm in Australia. I'd love it, because it's just pretty nice all the time. I did do it when I was in in in Perth and it was cold. I think I'll moan more when it's cold than when it's hot. I just think it's really interesting that yeah, we always comment on it here. Um the comments are there, and then if it's an extreme of one or the other, I think it can it can then go into I don't know, but a bit of a moan. Oh I want to get shot down for British people saying this, but there is funny moments with it, you know.

SPEAKER_02 43:18

Somebody walks in from the outside, absolutely soaked through, and what will a British person say? Is it raining?

SPEAKER_03 43:25

Yeah, it's true.

SPEAKER_02 43:27

No, no, I just had a shower with my clothes on.

SPEAKER_03 43:30

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That that's true. Or is it is it raining heavy? Is it raining heavy? That's it. It's like, you know, oh, I don't know. It's um I I I I have to say though, since being back, and you'll be exactly the same when you cover next week. We get obsessed with it. And you know why? I and I I know why. It's because you just don't know what you're gonna get. So earlier this week, I was in Kew Gardens and it was warm, right? Hot, warm, warm, I want to say hot, but warm. Well, by Wednesday, it would be what I would classify as hot. It was like 25 degrees, I think. So which is fairly hot, even in our show, we'd say that that's pretty hot, um, you know, warm to hot. Um, and then I froze on Friday in London. I think it was like it felt like it was about minus 7,000 uh with a wind chill of about minus 7 million. Um, it was ridiculous. So I uh from going wearing kind of short sleeved t-shirt, and now uh yesterday I went out with a thick puffer jacket on, um, my uh cashmere scarf on, and I really wished I'd had a hat later on in the day and gloves, because my fingers are gonna fall off. So I think that's why we get obsessed because we don't know what it's gonna be like.

SPEAKER_02 44:40

I'm gonna ask you a question. I'm gonna ask you a question. This is not rehearsed, we're not doing this at all. If somebody comes up to you and starts talking about the weather, what do you usually respond with? Because if somebody from not from the UK is asked about the weather, how do you think they should respond?

SPEAKER_03 44:59

So somebody came up to me and said something about the weather. Well, I was doing a lot of talking about the weather on Friday because we were standing just waiting to start the on yeah, no, Saturday for the DeVoe food tour. And um and yeah, uh we were talking about the weather because it was cold and we were cold going, oh, it's terrible. Then it was like, I think it started off with, oh, it's a bit chilly, which might have been me or or other couple, I can't remember. But then there was a lot of comments about the weather, and then it was I think the prediction actually what's really interesting, it starts with that, and then then you either we'll talk about how it's been, oh, but it was lovely earlier on the week, and then you'll start predicting. So you'll start predicting for the rest of the day. Well, it oh look at the sky, it could all looks like there's rain in there, there's rain over there, there's rain, oh, there's clouds coming, or and then as the day goes on, and actually, this is indicative of Saturday because we had again we had so many different types of weather. Um, oh, it's a bit warmer now. Oh, oh, at that rate, that that that wind's calmed down, so you just so it's a weather report now, and we're gonna predict the weather for later.

SPEAKER_02 46:01

That's what I said because we don't have a lot of faith in the weather forecasting, so we have to do it ourselves. That's what you're saying.

SPEAKER_03 46:08

And also there's that nostalgia for the when it was actually nicer weather. So you'll hear a lot of talk about oh, last summer was lovely, or or the other day it was lovely. There's that.

SPEAKER_02 46:18

Which is totally irrelevant, isn't it?

Tipping Etiquette And Service Charges

SPEAKER_03 46:20

Yeah, it's too irrelevant. But there's like there's a kind of wistfulness of that, of like, oh remember when, remember when. And I know at the beginning of this year it rained. I think it was basically 40 days and 40 nights of rain, and um and people are still talking about it here. Oh, but the rain. We just had rain, we just never thought it was gonna stop raining. Um so actually, I'm just looking out the window now. We've got blue sky and sunshine, so that's really good. Oh wow. What's it gonna do later? Um I think this entire week, because yes, I have looked at the entire week ahead, is pretty good. I think tomorrow's grey, which is unfortunate because I'm I'm actually out with um with uh with Robin Launder um doing some of his fantastic walks in London. Actually, the next two days I'm gonna be doing some walks with with Robin. That will be fantastic, yeah. Which I'm looking forward to, but I think the weather's a little bit grey, but um yeah, we'll see how it goes. Uh actually, because I'm going to Scotland um next week, I'm more interested in Scotland because it can be very cold and very windy and very rainy, and I want to make sure I pack the right clothes. So I have been, and I will every day this week I will check the weather in Scotland, the where I'm going to Scotland anyway, just to check. Um because you can't I could look today and it could say one thing, and I could look tomorrow and I say another thing, and you know, so you've just got to keep on top of it, really. Um big thing though for packing, and I talk about all the time, and we've got episodes about packing and lots of um articles about packing, is just layers. Just make sure you bring layers. Uh, because as I say, I've worn summer clothes this week, and uh now I'm into my um I get my thermals out yesterday. It was so it was so cold. Um but yeah, um, should we talk about well that we're gonna be here all day, so we're gonna get on with the next one, I think. Because again, this is what happens when we start chat and tipping.

SPEAKER_04 48:04

Tipping is confusing for everybody, even though it can be unproof.

SPEAKER_03 48:09

Most people we don't like talking about money. I think that's a thing. And we don't like asking, yeah, and we don't like asking for tips, even though we do have a tip you guide and you can sponsor this podcast because Doug and I have realised that actually we just have to be a bit more uh less uncomfortable with it and just be a bit more upfront about it. Um because we need it to keep the business running and keep giving you a chance to do it.

SPEAKER_02 48:33

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 48:33

So so we we have kind of got over that, but to start with, we were like, oh, can't we can't can't ask. Can't possibly can't possibly, can't possibly ask, can't you know, and I and I see that actually quite a lot. The tour guys when I go out tour guys, is it it I see that kind of sense of oh don't tip, and it's just uh it's such a difficult one. And I know a lot of cultures kind of expect to tip. Australia wouldn't tend to tip, uh, American and Americans. I know you love to tip, um, and don't it's in your culture, so it's I don't know whether you love to tip, but I know it's an expectation.

SPEAKER_02 49:03

Um but this is how things have changed over the years, though, isn't it? I mean, when I was growing up, I don't consciously remember tipping even mentioned. Well, basically, nobody talked about money in public in the first place. Oh no so it's just not a just not a topic that's raised.

SPEAKER_03 49:20

No, it wouldn't do that at all. I think um I think we're just more awareness now because obviously um it's it's it's something we get asked about a lot. I have to say that most of the places I've been out to eat have added a 12.5% discretionary um service charge, which is basically a tip, onto the bill. It's supposed to be discretionary, but obviously just pay it. But unless you've had bad service and don't pay it, then argue, you know, you should be kind of questioning that. Um, but most of the time that's added on. I mean, like pubs and things, you don't tip. Um restaurants, yes, you can as I say that there there'll probably be a tip added um on these days. It seems to be kind of just just added on there. Um but coffee shops and cafes, you're not expected to tip. If you take a black cab, for example, you can round up, uh to the nearest kind of pound. Um but obviously I think it's you know what? It's uh in some ways, I think it's I don't know if it's easier or harder to tip now because it's not a cash culture. We use cards for everything, but then often you'll get asked, you know, do you want to add the tip on? Um I think it's a bit more difficult on tours and things like that, um, like how you how you give a tip. So if you want to do a tip, I mean quite often I think you can get a QR code now from tour guides because I think you know, tour guides work really hard and and and deserve a you know a tip. Um but um I know some carry around a little card reader so that you can tap them and tip them that way. But again, I think we're just British are just uncomfortable with that, you know. Um but um one thing I would say, and I've I've I've heard this around and actually probably actually I don't know, maybe I should ask some tour guides how they feel about this. Maybe it's a tip is a tip, whatever currency. But I do hear quite often about people saying, Oh, I'm oh I haven't got any any cash, I'm just gonna tip in US dollars or whatever. Um and they they're gonna have to change it. Well, I kind of think, well, I don't know, uh that makes me where are they gonna change it? Unless they're gonna you know it's gonna cost them to change it. And if you're gonna give a$20 tip, it's not gonna be worth them changing it. So I imagine that just goes in a draw at home. So just think about that if you're gonna tip how you're gonna do it, because I think um I it feels a bit it's like if I went to if I went to Spain and went on a chair, I wouldn't want to tip in British pounds. You know, it's it's I I just think you know, think carefully of like if you're gonna tip in your currency because that's what you've got, how what do you expect them to do with it? Again, two guys might be listening to this and go, it's all right, Tracy, because we get twenty dollars regularly from people, and at the end of the month we have$500 and we just go into the exchange and change it.

SPEAKER_02 51:51

So so and the other thing is uh everything was said about the British culture, if if the tour guide is British, they would not have the heart to say no.

SPEAKER_03 52:00

No, they wouldn't say anything anyway.

SPEAKER_02 52:02

They would they wouldn't say anything because you've got to take it in the spirit that it's meant, it's meant as a reward for your work or good service or yeah, yeah. And which is fine.

SPEAKER_03 52:13

Like I say, I for me it's just I I feel like you should be tipping in the currency that we use and not not your home currency.

SPEAKER_04 52:20

True.

SPEAKER_03 52:20

Um, because I just hear that quite often. But then again, if you're not gonna tip at all because you have we've only got US dollars or Australian dollars or whatever, still give them money because I'm sure I can hear two girls go, no, Tracy, we still want the tip.

SPEAKER_02 52:31

Well, they wouldn't uh they wouldn't go and exchange it in one go, would they? They'll wait until the end of a of a season and do it in one go, wouldn't you?

UK Countries And Regional Identities

SPEAKER_03 52:39

Yeah, probably. So yeah, so I don't want to speak out of term, but I just think you know if you can make an effort to get some uh you're saying that again, it's not a massive cash culture anymore. I have not used any cash for the last few years in the UK at all, at all. Um I was given some cash the other day because I paid for something in a restaurant, and I I will take that to Scotland to see if I use that, especially because I'm gonna be on the islands and I'm wondering if I might use the cash on the Scottish Islands, but um I just don't tend to use it. But anyway, I've just thrown that one in. That was a that was just an an an aside. Um shall we talk about number 10? Because again, we're gonna talk forever. It's just a regional difference, which we've kind of talked about, yeah, because the fact that I'm from a different part of the UK than dog.

SPEAKER_02 53:24

And dog's from the superior Midlands area of the UK.

SPEAKER_03 53:27

No, you're not. Go away, go away. Um, right, should we explain a little bit? Because you know what? This again confuses everybody. And actually, I remember being on a tour a few years ago and somebody was asking me if Wales was a country. I was like, oh my god. Um, yes, yes, it's a country. I think they didn't think it was a country. So let me just say Great Britain is made up of England, Scotland, and Wales, which are all countries. England is a country, Scotland is a country, Wales is a country. Scottish people and Welsh people do not want to be called English. Do not call them English because they're not.

SPEAKER_02 54:00

They are very proud and patriotic.

SPEAKER_03 54:02

And they're Welsh. Absolutely, it's really important. Um, Scotland is not England, Wales is not England, and that really matters to Scottish and Welsh people. It really, really does. Um, you can call us all British, we're all British. So um Scottish, Welsh, English, we're all British, but again, still Scottish people want to be Scottish, Welsh people want to be Welsh. Um, I think English people we don't really care if we call English or British.

SPEAKER_02 54:26

I tell you what, the you say the the don't care, but each of those countries are very patriotic and very proud. And we all stand united, but I tell you, when they're playing each other at sport for their own countries, they are fiercely patriotic. You will see exactly how patriotic they are.

SPEAKER_03 54:46

Absolutely, absolutely. Um, and well, it's important, I think, just to kind of say that you know, the United Kingdom so Great Britain, England, Scotland, Wales are three countries, three proud nations. Um United Kingdom is Great Britain plus Northern Ireland. Um, so Republic of Ireland is not part of the United Kingdom. Yeah, um, and as you can hear from Doug and I's accent, we sound different because we're different from different parts of the UK. And you can go 20 miles down the road and you're gonna get a completely different accent.

SPEAKER_02 55:20

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 55:21

So we have different names for people from different parts of the country as well, depending on the accent. Don't we? So what are we?

SPEAKER_02 55:29

We certainly do. You're a Geordie man.

SPEAKER_03 55:32

I'm a Geordie like source from the North East. Um should we should we go through some other different other different regional nicknames? Uh on then I'll do the Liverpool people. I was gonna say Liverpool supporter.

SPEAKER_02 55:45

Scouses.

SPEAKER_03 55:47

Scouses.

SPEAKER_02 55:48

Very decent people.

SPEAKER_03 55:49

Yeah, what about uh the Brummies or yummy?

SPEAKER_02 55:53

Wow now, I worked in Birmingham for a while and I remember I called everybody a brummy. Brummy is just short for Birmingham. And I was well you think I committed the I was in trouble. But from the industrial heartlands around there, it was known as the the black country. So the black country is somebody they call them a yam-yam. Yam yam is just the way that they talk. I won't uh I won't attempt it because I'm not very good at it, but it is a it's a variation of a brummy accent. And then obviously we all know what cockneys are, don't we?

SPEAKER_03 56:33

Yes, um, and of course what with the cockneys you get the rhyming slang, uh which I can't do because again I'm not from London, so I'm not a Londoner. I am not a local, I don't um I don't know all of the I know apples and pears.

SPEAKER_04 56:49

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 56:50

Which are? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 56:51

Stairs. Stairs and I was gonna mention this later on.

SPEAKER_02 56:54

I know what a cup of Rosie Lee is.

SPEAKER_03 56:56

Oh yes, well we all know what a cup of rosy lee is.

SPEAKER_02 56:59

But I will point out about uh regional accents, they do actually vary within a location where you know, based on age, based on which part of that town or city you come from. And because there is variance of each dialect. Yeah, so yeah, we could mention the northeast. We we got uh say from Middlesbrough, Sunderland, Newcastle, there is variations in that that language, isn't there?

SPEAKER_03 57:30

Yeah, very like I can tell where somebody from it's from the northeast, depending on their accent, because they're not gonna sound like me. So there are variations, and also I will say um that uh older people um will have a much stronger accent. Uh my my grandfather unfortunately passed away 20 years ago, but if you you know, my I I had friends that came over, say from Liverpool, could not understand a word my grandfather said because he had a very strong Northumbrian accent. So um again, uh you don't hear that was very guttural, which you tend not to hear very much anymore. Uh it's kind of died out a bit. Um, but yes, even within a a region you're gonna get different variations on it. Also, you get really cute, like different, like I'll say um pet and you'll say duck. So those are kind of um you're you know, might say, you're right pet. So I'd say you're right, pet, and you'll you're you're so or eat my duck. Or eat me duck, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 58:26

So what saying it like that, it's not necessarily from where I'm from, it's where I work for many years. I worked in Derbyshire because I'm from Staffordshire, albeit is used there, but it's mostly from me working in the city of Derby in Derbyshire, uh, where I was exposed to that on a daily basis, you know, that was constant. And I will point out to any of our listeners that Tracy, when she's very, very angry with me, does actually go native. So at times I do not understand a word that she's saying to me, which helps.

SPEAKER_03 58:56

No, you just say that and it's not true. That's not it. Yeah, I do. When I go back to the northeast, I'm um uh when I go back to the northeast, I'm cross with US and more Geordie, that's for sure. But when I go up there, they just say that I'm very posh now. I get told that I'm very posh.

SPEAKER_04 59:08

Posh geordie, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 59:09

Posh geordie, which is really, really funny. But and this is another reason I kind of really, really, really encourage you guys to go outside of London, don't just spend your entire trip in London. Yeah, um, because it's like me going to to New York or or Sydney, you know, you're not experiencing that the whole everything. You just experience one little capital city. Well, actually, Sydney isn't the capital city before Australia's jump on. I know it's not, I know it's Canberra. However, um, you know, everybody will go to Sydney, everybody well, New York maybe. Um, a lot of people go to New York. And I know New York is also not the capital of the US because I can go and it's not these yes, I know they're not capitals, but these are kind of the places where you know you you go uh a lot of people talk about go to Sydney, a lot of people talk about going to New York, but they're not, they're just a the small example, they're not unique to go outside of those big metropolises to go and experience a bit more.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:01

There is a city culture, isn't there? What uh whatever country you're in, there there is a to a degree a certain city culture, and I think it if you move away from there, I think generally speaking, there is a bit more friendliness and openness and a little bit more trustworthiness. And uh the further you move away from the bigger cities, the more raw somewhere is. I think there's a little bit more. I mean, I I'm going very much sort of all of thumb, uh, because you know I've met some lovely people in London and I've met some lovely people, you know, cities everywhere, but I think by and large, I think you move away from the bigger cities, I think it's easier to talk to people.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:40

Yeah, I guess so. Yeah, so maybe a bit friendlier and not rushing around as much as they do in the big cities.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:48

Yeah, the friendliest people in the UK are obviously from the Midlands.

Quiet Rules On Public Transport

SPEAKER_03 1:00:52

I'm not gonna even argue with this one. Right, I'm gonna go on the next one because we've already spoken for over an hour, so we need to get on. Um, another one is um, oh yeah, again, British don't talk loudly, especially on public transport, because we're we tend not to be really loud. I was actually reading something on Facebook the other day and they were saying which nationality are the loudest. And interestingly, um Spanish came very high on that. Um, Americans came very high. Um, but yeah, Spanish. I was quite surprised at that. Um, but you'll find that um we tend to be quite quiet, especially on public transport.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:30

That that's right. I mean that London transport, I mean I can talk from a train perspective. London transport, particularly uh on the underground, is people like to be in their own bubble. If you're wearing earphones, that's a that's a sign, do not talk to me, sort of thing. Um on commuter trains, not just London, but everywhere, because I commuted for many years in the UK, and it's very much a you know, this is my time before work, don't talk to me. And if you should see somebody or hear somebody talking about work, they get the look, they get the look off everybody because you do tend to see a lot of the same faces on a daily basis, and so you know, well, they talk a lot, so we always sit away from them. So it's there is definitely a protocol as regards commuters and London transport, is the fact that you just do not, as a rule, talk to other people.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:22

You don't make eye contact either. You don't make it on the contact. Yeah, but you don't make eye contact, no, no eye contact.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:26

No, on longer train journeys, you there there is a bit more, particularly if you're sharing a table up, you know, I've written about this in in our ebook, uh Guide to UK train travel. I've actually mentioned that in there as well. That certain certain icebreakers, you know, if there's announcements made or if the journey's not going to plan, the there's more than a readiness to talk to each other, but it's hard to gauge exactly how long that conversation is going to last. And that's that's the that's the tricky bit, is the fact that is it just a you know a couple of word answers, or is that then a conversation for the journey? You know, I travel back from Penn Sans in Cornwall to London. I sat next to a lady and we tracked it the entire way back, so but you've got to sort of gauge it. But if it was a quiet coach, that is it, that is accepted as it is quiet. Yes, you can talk to each other, but you keep that volume down, you don't play music, and you don't make phone calls because you will get you will get that look, you will get that look off people.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:30

And that that reminds me actually, Doug, when you said that about we uh we were coming back when we flew back in, I flew in from Marrakesh a couple of weeks ago from Morocco into Stansted and then got the train into London, and this lady was on the train sitting at a table, and obviously some member of her family phoned out. Well, I'll tell you what, the entire carriage heard her plans for the rest of the evening. Bless her. I I I think she had absolutely no idea that she was shouting as loudly as possible. Well, again, I guess it's like the cue thing. You don't say anything, no, there's just knowing looks between you know, you just everybody was kind of looking around, looking at each other. We were all like, Nobody said a word, nobody said a word. We all thought it, we all looked at each other thinking it, but again, British politists, we just went, okay, fine, and just ignored her. But it it um, yeah, she just she spent about 20 minutes explaining literally talking about a trip and what she was doing, and she's gonna pick her up, and it just went on and on and on. And um, I mean it can be entertaining.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:30

I mean, if you finish your reading your book or you, you know, your music's not very good to listen to, you listen to somebody else's conversation, you know so much about their life when they get off the train, you know, you know all the close friends where they're going out. What time they've been picked up.

Tea Culture And Final Takeaways

SPEAKER_03 1:04:44

Oh, it was just it was it it what she was doing was funny, but it was there was such a very British response to that, and that we all just touched it and kind of looked eyes to heaven and kind of like, oh dear. Um she was British, she was a British lady doing it, but it was yeah, she just had no awareness, which was quite funny. Um, right, gonna end with our favourite one of our favourite topics is um British love of tea and our love of tea, because Doug and I absolutely both have tea running through our veins, don't we all?

SPEAKER_02 1:05:11

Tea addicts, it's fair to say, yes, that that is probably true.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:14

Yeah. Yeah, I mean um I don't drink coffee. No, I don't. Doug doesn't drink coffee. None of us likes coffee. Yeah um so we get asked a lot about where to drink coffee in London, and honestly, I couldn't tell you. No idea. I couldn't tell you no idea. Um because I just I don't even like the smell of the stuff, so I don't drink it. I do drink chai latte, which I've found a lot more of this time. I've had a few uh chives in the last few days. Now, if you do go for a proper afternoon tea, and actually we're gonna do a podcast all about afternoon teas in a few months, so listening to this. Um, but if you go for a proper afternoon tea, you're gonna get teapot, you'll get tea leaves, and you get a strainer, which is always very exciting because I I must admit I'm a bit lazy. I'm a teabag, I'm a teabag person, I like my tea bag and my cup. Oh, and you never, ever, ever add the milk. I never add the milk until after I have made the tea. Then I put the milk in.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:04

I can tell you something about that. Do you know traditionally that milk was always put in first to protect the porcelain cups? So you would never put hot tea.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:15

Yes, from staining it.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:16

So you protect it. So but the the great thing about tea, and I'm just gonna defend the British culture as regards tea. Tea reaches across cultures, ages, wealth. Depending on no matter what you've got, tea fits every moment, every situation, let's put the kettle on. We'll make a brew, we'll have a cup of cup of Rosalie, depending where you're from. It covers everything. Even when things are going badly or going going well, put the kettle on. Have a cup of tea.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:55

And a kettle. It has to be a kettle. You can't put it on the hall, but put it in my grave, it's gotta be a kettle. In fact, I I was out yesterday, as I was actually on a Cot Schword and Oxford tour, so I was out all day, got in it after nine o'clock, left at half past seven yesterday morning, got in at nine o'clock last night. And you know what the first thing it was that I did when I walked in?

SPEAKER_02 1:07:13

Put kettle on.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:15

I put the kettle on and had a cup of tea.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:17

Yeah. I I admittedly I do like it with a slice of Victoria's Sponge or a decent traditional English biscuit. There's nothing wrong with that one. I mean, and they do complement each other very well.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:30

Yeah, see, I'm not a massive biscuit lover, um, but but I will I will occasionally have a digestive, chocolate digestive, um, you know, or a hobnob and chocolate. Because I have chocolate, I have to have I have to have milk chocolate on my biscuit, but I I'm not like my mum and you you you're also a big biscuit fan.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:48

I'm gonna chew this in and I would have a cow biscuit.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:53

That's good biscuit.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:55

Yeah, a malted milk cow biscuit, as we used to say when I was growing up. See uh you'd have to be British to know that, probably my age as well.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:05

But the there used to be poor tea cake, tea cake, had a tea cake yesterday, yeah. Tonic's tea cake, mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:10

Very nice, very popular.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:12

But uh yeah, so but uh I'm happy to have just a cup of tea.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:16

Me too.

What Is Next And How To Support

SPEAKER_03 1:08:17

Don't have to have a biscuit. I've had about ten cups of tea today, so I mean well on that note, we should probably finish off this podcast and go and put the kettle on. Yeah. That's what I would suggest. Um because after this podcast, I um Doug and I actually were gonna record our 200th podcast edition, uh, which is the week after next. So next week is is my review of the English bus and the three different tours that I've taken with them. So do tune in if you're considering a day trip from London, because that's great. And then the following week is episode 200. So we're gonna talk about things that we've learned over the 200 episodes. Um, some of the great tips that we obviously share, and some of the great tips that people have shared, because we always end an episode with, you know, what's your what's your number one tip? Um and so we're gonna chat about that. I hope that's gonna be a really helpful uh episode. But um the for the you can find some information if you want to look up the different place names that we mentioned. I I think I will put something on Instagram because I think that'd be fun as well to do. Um you can find that at the show notes at uktravelplanning.com. Also, share this episode if you've got somebody who's um planning to visit the UK um or is simply just interested in British culture, um, share it with your friends. We always really appreciate that, don't we Doug? Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:36

It's a lighthearted look at the British culture.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:39

Yes, I'm honestly we could probably do we could do probably do quite a few more of these um for sure. Um let us know if you've enjoyed it. Get get in touch via Speakpipe. Leave us a message, we love hearing from you guys. We really, really love to know what you enjoy. Yeah, we need to know what you know what is it that you which episodes do you do you like in particular? What what would you like to hear in the future? And obviously a big thank out uh thank big sorry to take that out around and a big shout out to our sponsors, our podcast sponsors every month. We really truly appreciate you for what you do. Um, you can sponsor the podcast from as little as three US dollars a month. Um, if you enjoy the podcast and you listen every week, please, please, please support us. It does cost us um a reasonable amount of money every week to put together the um episode. And obviously, we have an editor and then I have hosting for everything. So it it's not a cheap process, but we love doing it, as hence the fact we're nearly on 200 episodes. Um but yeah, Doug will be joining me in a few weeks' time. So there's gonna be some episodes all about our trips around the UK. We're just busy planning them at the minute. We're not 100% sure what we're gonna do, but we've got some ideas.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:46

There will be trains involved, lots of trains.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:49

I was gonna say, and if you're into YouTube, there's gonna be a lot more coming on YouTube. Um, we've just Doug's been putting a lot of train videos together. So if you're into YouTube, pop over there and um you know, join us over there, subscribe, watch some of those episodes. If there's some particular things that you want, we're gonna be working harder on that later on the year to add as many YouTube videos as we can. We seem to have conquered the podcasting world, so now it's time to conquer YouTube. Yeah, anyway, I guess that just leaves. Is there anything else you want to say, Doug, before we sign off?

SPEAKER_02 1:11:23

Uh no. Um, let me know if you agree that the Midlands is the best place in the UK.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:28

Oh, for goodness sake. I think you should cut that bit out, Ryan. That's our editor. Anyway, I am gonna say until next week. Uh, from both myself and Doug. Happy UK Travel Planning. Thank you for tuning in to this week's episode of the UK Travel Planning Podcast. As always, show notes can be found at uktravelplanning.com. If you've enjoyed the show, why not leave us feedback via text or a review on your favourite podcast app? We love to hear from you, and you never know, you may receive a shout out in a future episode. But as always, that just leaves me to say until next week, happy UK travel planning.