Blogs > Life in the UK

A Guide to: The British Countryside

• January 30, 2020

A Guide to: The British Countryside

The countryside holds a special place within English life and culture. Although most Brits work in the city, the countryside remains for most people in Britain an idyllic place and a place where one can both live and relax in their free time.

For most people, the British countryside provides endless access to historic sites, memorials, monuments, protected areas, pretty villages and pub gardens.

In this blog post, we share the five reasons to visit the British countryside when you relocate to the UK and join the NHS.

1. Spectacular Views

When you first visit the British countryside, you will find the views “charming, quaint, lovely and picturesque”. When you first visit the English countryside, you will be overwhelmed with plenty of greenery, country inns, moss-covered walls, hedged roads and rolling hills.

2. Historical

The British countryside represents natural beauty; however, a fun fact is that it is artificial and uniquely designed via landscaping over hundreds of years by the British people, who hold a 1000-long-year obsession with gardening.

3. You can travel to the countryside by train

The United Kingdom’s rail system is one of Britain’s greatest features, with over 20,000 passenger services per day. Most UK getaways are easily accessible by train and explorable by foot once you arrive and often it is a journey of no more than a couple of hours from the nearest airport. Trains are a great way to travel because you can purchase advance tickets for a cheaper price or last minute if your plans suddenly free up and you find yourself wanting to explore. On British trains, you can bring your own food and drinks, you can spread out and travel with comfort, set out your laptop and catch up on some life admin or even play some card games – and of course, enjoying the beautiful countryside out of the window!

You should note that some places in the countryside do require a car to get to. However, you could always travel by train, bus and then get a taxi if need be to the specific location that you are visiting.

4. Range of activities

The fantastic thing about the NHS countryside is that is the range of fun activities you can do! Whether you have a passion for hiking, playing golf, surfing in Wales, touring a winery, visiting an auto-museum or rock-climbing – there is something for absolutely everyone.

5. Pub Lunch

After you have completed a 10-mile hike or bike ride, a hearty Sunday Roast or a classic British dish: beef burgers with mature cheddar cheese and crisp chips, homemade Cumberland sausage with onion gravy and mashed potatoes or roasted pork with spiced apple sauce; you will be spoilt for choice.

If you are a vegetarian, the UK has plenty of fantastic veggie-friendly options from grilled halloumi to roasted butternut squash.

Fun Facts about the British Countryside

1. There are 10 National Parks in England: Dartmoor, Exmoor, New Forest, South Downs, The Broads, Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors, Lake District and Northumberland.
2. Wales and Scotland have just 5 National Parks between them: Brecon Beacons, Snowdonia and Pembrokeshire Coast in Wales and the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs in Scotland.
3. The 15 National Parks have two purposes – conserving and enhancing their natural and cultural heritage and promoting the understanding and enjoyment of the qualities of the parks to the public
4. Britain has few endemic (native) species, due to the closeness to mainland Europe.
5. Britain’s only poisonous snake is the adder
6. The number of magpies in Britain and Ireland has quadrupled in the last 30 years
7. Yorkshire is the most Instagrammed location in Britain, followed by the Scottish Highlands and the Shetland Islands
8. Walking is Britain’s most popular outdoor recreation, with almost a third of the adult population walking at least two miles a month
9. Nowhere in the UK is more than 70 miles from the coast
    

Relocation to the UK

If you are interested in relocating to the UK’s countryside or a major city, email your CV to us at [email protected] and we can help you secure the most perfect NHS post.

Are you a member of our Facebook Group? When you join IMG Advisor, you will join a community of doctors all looking to relocate to the UK and join the NHS. We post a series of blogs and vlogs into the group every single day. We will also always be on hand to answer all your relocation queries.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel! We have over 60 videos on everything you need to know about relocating to the UK and joining the NHS!

References

Furfeatherandfin.com. (2020). Facts About the British Countryside and Coast | Fur Feather and Fin. [online] Available at: https://www.furfeatherandfin.com/blog/facts-about-british-countryside-coast/ [Accessed 28 Jan. 2020].

BuzzFeed. (2020). 9 Reasons Why You Need To Visit The British Countryside. [online] Available at: https://www.buzzfeed.com/visitbritain/reasons-why-you-need-to-visit-the-british-countryside [Accessed 28 Jan. 2020].