There are things I hate about the UK despite growing up there in Manchester, Levenshulme.
In this post let’s focus on the LOVE.
There is a lot to love about:
- The country.
- How things are set up.
- How society is organized.
And other things tied to its unique aspects.
The weather, unsurprisingly, is NOT one of those things to love but you already knew that.
Let’s get to it!
Things I love about the UK:
1. The people
Ironically the people can also be the reason to HATE the UK depending on your viewpoint and experiences, but the people in the UK can be a unique bunch.
Let’s take the people up North for example. Up north is anywhere beyond:
- Manchester.
- Yorkshire.
Once you reach Manchester, there can be a brotherhood between the men and even the women of sorts (depending on where you are and the time of day).
That feeling between people where despite only just meeting they just “get it” without saying a word.
This continues into places like Liverpool, Blackpool, and the further up you travel.
Down south on the other end has a different view from the people.
You get so-called posher people or those who though similar to northerners, are slightly different by their accents, witty punchlines, sarcasm, and banter (meaning conversation).
And in the middle (Midlands like Birmingham) there is a mixture of brotherhood, open-mindedness, chill, or in the case of another article, miserable c*nt.s
To be fair though that’s everywhere and there is something to love about it that’s unique to the country.
2. The differences between each region
In the East Midlands, it’s more relaxed in my opinion. Most people don’t go there but for those who do, they know how relaxing, calm, and peaceful it is in this countryside.
Areas like:
- Derbyshire.
- Lincolnshire.
- Leicestershire.
And so on are part of East Midlands.
Derbyshire is one of my favourite places to be in the entire UK for its peace, serenity, and views.
North West, where I come from, is one of the busier parts outside of London.
You have:
- Manchester.
- West, East, South, And North Yorkshire.
- Liverpool.
- Southport.
- Preston.
- Newcastle.
- Chester.
And eventually, Scotland as well (not part of the North West).
Clubs, parties, business culture, lots of money (poverty as well), tons of people, plenty of culture, and the most diverse ACCENTS the UK has to offer.
There are quieter parts like Lytham St Annes, Alderley Edge, and so on as well.
I joke that the further up north you go, the harder it is to understand the accents.
That by itself is something to love about the UK for me.
3. The unlimited range of food
The UK is what it is because of the amount of races, faces, cultures, and people that come there.
From:
- Turkish.
- French.
- Polish.
- Romanian.
- Jews.
- Pakistani.
- Indians.
- Chinese.
- Muslims.
- Bangladeshi.
- Nigerians.
- Kenyans.
- Jamaicans.
And the list goes on and on.
This makes the FOOD some of the best in the world that you can eat without having to go to multiple countries to eat it specifically.
Of course, if you eat it in the country it comes from it will always be superior. But generally speaking, it’s what makes the UK different to so many countries across the world.
Food culture is its main and massive highlight.
4. The wide range of accents
I mentioned this briefly but it deserves its own category.
The accents in the UK are unique because there are so many of them.
- Yorkshire sounds different to Mancunian.
- Liverpool sounds different to Yorkshire.
- Newcastle sounds different to everywhere.
- Scottish is unique from Irish.
- Irish (north Ireland) is unique to regular UK accents.
- London has its own style.
- Cornwall (cornish) has its own flavour.
- So does Devonshire, Exeter, Bristol, and especially West Midlands.
As long as you’re down south you won’t struggle hearing accents unless you go beyond Devon and Cornwall.
It only gets “difficult” when you travel further up North as you can go, for the average person at least.
5. The lack of natural disasters
This one is major. So many countries across the world have their fair share of natural disasters, especially when those countries are warmer, more tropical, hotter, etc. But the UK is unique in this way.
There are no natural disasters to speak of.
Yes, you can have:
- Earthquakes.
- Floods.
- Wind.
But none of these are the degree that it’s:
- Life threatening.
- Dangerous.
- Horrific.
- Threatens the lives of many in the 1000s.
And so on.
The recent earthquake in Japan killed people in 2024, which is tragic.
This could never happen in the UK on any level, no matter how windy it can get or rainy or the little tremors you can experience which are no more threatening than a vibrating massage chair.
The COLD might be a negative to the UK, but this lack of natural disasters is not to be underestimated as far as quality of life goes.
6. Dangerous animals don’t exist
In Africa, it’s said that Hippos kill more people every year than any other animal, insect, killer bee, vertebrae, etc.
Turkey, more so places like Antalya has venomous snakes in the mountains.
Thailand has tigers, and South America has saltwater crocodiles, bears, and more.
The UK has none of these things in any capacity.
Dogs, cats, grass snakes, birds, mice, and non-threatening animals make up the UK in its entirety.
Spiders are no threat either, unlike Australia. And any land animal you can find like lizards and whatnot is harmless.
You could be in a forest like the one in Derbyshire (near Church Gresley, kinda) and still wouldn’t need to care because nothing there can do any harm.
7. Access to clean water
What I mean by this is you can DRINK the water from taps in the UK contrary to popular belief.
Now if you live in certain places like London then it may not be as appealing to do it, but generally speaking, there are no issues in doing so across the country. Including the North.
Usually, I’d take the water from the tap and then boil it in the kettle, and drink it later if I’m going to drink water by myself. But that’s not necessary.
8. The power of the British passport
The fact is the British passport is one of the most powerful in the world. It gives you access to so many countries it’s ridiculous.
Few passports if any can compete with the British passport for access, visa travel, visas in certain countries, and the rules that apply if you’re coming from places like the UK.
The world is your oyster, your plaything, and at your disposal with a British passport which is why so many want it, I suspect (I grew up with it so It’s different in that context).
9. Supermarkets
Let’s keep it all the way real. You can’t NOT love the UK for its supermarkets.
The sheer convenience of UK supermarkets is out of this world. And you have one on almost every corner of the country, even in villages like Church Gresley, Alderley Edge, or relatively small towns like St Annes.
There is a double-edged sword element to supermarkets when it comes to some of the questionable food quality, but overall it’s hard to disregard its benefits and how it makes the UK a lot better in so many ways.
10. Takeaway food delivery
There are so many takeaways in the UK of all sorts of foods from different cultures as mentioned before, but the quality of the delivery is top-notch.
Because of the number of takeaways and types of foods you can buy in the UK and have access to, sitting on your ass and ordering food from your phone and having it arrive relatively fast is a blessing in itself.
This was proven during the pandemic when everything went belly up. I relied on takeaway food ordered from my phone, and my options were endless.
11. Uber
One word is all we need here. And that word is UBER. The taxi services in the UK aren’t the best and never have been, but once Uber came onto the scene it made things so much better.
The convenience of Uber can’t be understood in certain countries since Uber is either banned or just not as widely available in certain places, but the UK is one where you can rely on it, it’s always on time, the process is better, the drivers are good, and the convenience is incomparable.
Not to mention the value you get out of it (price).
12. Trains
Trains are one of the most convenient ways to travel in the UK, and they’re a lot cleaner than buses by a margin so large it’s not even funny.
Less problems will happen travelling on the train than any other method of travel.
Plus, the banter, the talking, meeting random people, and the potential fun you can have on a train are just different.
Unless you’re in an area like Derbyshire, East Yorkshire, St Annes, and places like this, the Buses are shit whereas trains have a good standard across the board (in general).
13. Quality aftershaves
With close access to Europe, which many of the aftershave are from, the quality is on point.
Jean Paul is one of my favourites, the smell is divine. Versache is good, and Paco Rabanne’s 1 Million is gorgeous.
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In the end, there are many reasons to love the UK but this is MY list for loving the UK and what I enjoy about the country.
I’ll do an opposite post soon.
