Brighton is the capital of Gay UK. It’s so much more than just a tourist town. It’s a beacon of tolerance and diversity and has been for hundreds of years. It’s a great place to visit.
What do you mean we don't have many beaches? We live on an island surrounded by beaches. For someone who is supposed to be interested in the UK, you are ignorant of basic information. They are not rocks on Brighton Beach, they are pebbles worn smooth by the action of the sea.
He's right Brighton is a terrible beach as are most of the beaches along the south coast. There are some really nice sandy beaches in Sussex, East and West, that I'm not going to mention here as they used to be pretty unknown but now with the Internet are getting too busy. The only other decent beaches in the South are Dorset-way and Cornwall, which is a long drive for most. Some in East Anglia too but that's more East than South. Wales has amazing beaches, especially Gower, Pembrokeshire and in the North West, Pwllheli, Barmouth etc.
Joel how can you say we have not many beaches…. We are a damn island or selection of islands joined in unity . We are surrounded by water and have a huge number of excellent beaches, sandy, pebbles and rocks with awesome rock pools. When we are young we explored rock pools for the variety of small sea animals that were trapped when the sea went out
“You guys don’t have many beaches”. We’re an island man, we have literally thousands of miles of beaches 😂 shingle, golden sand, chalk , fossil filled rocks, Britain has every type of beach.
Just to confirm, Brighton has a Beach. However, it does not have a "Sandy Beach". It has a "Pebble Beach". The UK has loads of different "types" of Beach. It is not a place to build sand castles. However, the pebbles and shells are fascinating in themselves. Different colours, shapes and sizes. Used to collect them as a youngster for all sorts of art and craft activities.
No more south west but I would recommend it if JPS ventured that way for beaches with sand. For somewhere in the south east West Beach in Littlehampton is sandy with sand dunes 😊
Another place in the South East worthy of a visit is Arundel Castle. Arundel itself is quaint and has a old English look to it. The castle can be toured and the rooms are like stepping back in time and the gardens there are beautiful, full of flowers in the summer. I like visiting Arundel as it’s near to me and has lovely areas to walk around for getting into the countryside. Side note: easy to get to from London Victoria on the train (it’s one train journey about an hour and half into the journey- the train travels through the South Downs which is a scenic route to take)
I’m from the South East near to Canterbury. Just extra info - Canterbury Cathedral is the oldest of all cathedrals within the UK, it was built in 597 AD. Canterbury cathedral also is where Saint Thomas Becket was entombed and where King Henry the fourth was buried. The best thing about the architecture of Canterbury’s cathedral apart from the obvious beauty, is it’s phenomenal acoustics. Many classical concerts choose the cathedral for this reason 😊
Brighton is a lovely place, despite it being a bit of a touristy spot. If you've never been to a Pride parade, go to Brighton 4th-7th August this year. It is probably the most diverse place on the South coast of England, outside of London. A great atmosphere and an eye opener!
My mum visited Portsmouth for her holiday and she really enjoyed her time there she visited HMS Victory and from Portsmouth she went to the Isle of Wight which she enthused about and wished she could have stayed longer.
Brighton embraces all things LGBTQ, quirky individuals and places which really add to it's character. There is so much more than the brash touristy nature of the place. Beachy Head has a decommissioned lighthouse, the Bel Toute that was moved 17 meters away from the cliff edge through an amazing feat of engineering because of coastal erosion. The coastline is still in danger and the café at Burling Gap which was briefly shown is getting closer and closer to the cliff edge each year. Hope you don't mind the nerdy but fascinating info Joel.
I would really recommend both Brighton and Eastbourne to visit - with Beachy Head and maybe Cuckmere Haven inbetween. I love Brighton's quirkiness and crazy busy-ness whereas Eastbourne with its' seafront and pier has managed to escape commercial tackiness and kept its Victorian character (love the art deco bandstand 🙂)
@@nightowl5395 Eastbourne also claims to have the most hours of sunshine in the UK. Hire a car and take the scenic coastal road between Eastbourne and Brighton, perhaps stopping off at that pub at East Dean, one of the most picturesque villages, for a bite to eat.
Lighthouse sold for...£900 in 2001 by the local council to a local councillors wife? Later in 2007 on the market for... £850,000? Nothing to see here of course ;)
Joel, the churches in the UK, when they were built, were signs of piety and of power. They were built tall in an effort to reach toward God. Prayers ascended to God in these spaces. These huge churches are all over the UK and Europe. They were part of the culture when they were built.
Re Brighton, I live in London but used to visit a friend in Brighton regularly for many years (until he moved back to Vienna). Brighton is a very cool place, called 'London-By-The-Sea' because it is only an hour from London by train and so a lot of people who work in London actually commute daily from Brighton (as my friend did). It's also the most 'Bohemian' town in the UK because of its large artistic community (its annual arts festival is famous), lively music scene, two universities (which means the average age is quite young) and the largest LGBT+ community (by percentage, and possibly absolute numbers) of any town in the UK. It has great bars, pubs and restaurants, a wonderful seafront, a famous pier, and beautiful countryside to the north (the South Downs National Park) and to the east (the famous chalk cliffs running from the Seven Sisters to Eastbourne). The place has a happy, laid-back, chilled-out vibe and makes a wonderful weekend escape for people living in London and elsewhere in the South East. But yeah, you're right - the only bad point is the beach, which is covered in pebbles rather than sand and is actually painful to walk on barefoot. But it's the local geology, so what can you do?
Joel, you should check out the Isle of Wight. Just a 30 minute ferry ride from Portsmouth. It has some of the best sandy beaches in the South. The weather is always that bit warmer & drier. We would watch the rain clouds skirt along the South Coast & miss the Isle of Wight. None of the towns are very big, but lovely villages and pubs. Lots of thatched cottages. England in miniature.
@@johngreen6375 Everything you said was great but not THe Hover. Went to France once 45 years ago and once one person is sick EVERYONE was, as we were so close together..
@@IsleofskyeLol. It depends on your sea legs I suppose. I worked at sea for 17yrs so it doesn’t bother me. The crossing from Southsea to Ryde is about 10 minutes and quite a smooth crossing over the Solent.
@@johngreen6375 In that case ,there's no contest John. I re-visited THe Isle Of Wight in 2017 having been there in 1968, 1972 and 1976. Lovely place...
There is so much more to the south East than seen in this video. For instance, a short hop away from Portsmouth you can visit the Isle of Wight via the only public hovercraft ferry service. The Isle of Wight is full of sandy beaches, historic sites and villages and possibly worth at least an overnight stay. Queen Victoria had her holiday home there and is much larger and in some ways more lavish than the palace at Brighton and now open to the public. There are lots of historic sites more inland as well. Lots of steam railways and a very varying landscape. But then the whole of the UK is like this. I live here and haven't seen that much of what is here. You just have to do your research on what interests you most. What about a brewery tour with a tasting session at the end of it? The main problem with the South Est is it is easy to transverse East to West but not as easy to traverse north south across this part of the country via the train system. It really is worth a visit during July and August as a lot of festivals are also in full swing during the holiday period.
While Henry VIII ordered the destruction of the shrine to Becket, he did not 'purge the nave of its ornate decorations and Catholic iconography''. This was the work of the Puritans in 1642 or 1643 who, as they put it, 'cleansed' the cathedral.
Being born in Kent and having lived in Australia for many many years, this was just like a trip home. Some other worthy places to visit are Tonbridge Castle, Igtham Moate and Leeds Castle. It really is a beautiful part of the world.
Romney Hythe and Dymchurch miniature railway, is a quirky visit. One can have a beer on a carriage, whilst travelling to Dungeness lighthouse. Hythe is great for an afternoon tea. The honours were carried out by the famous comedy duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy on March 21, 1947 when they visited the railway, to open the New Romney to Dungeness section of the line. Pop in the Pub/Restaurant named 'The Pilot' for Fish and Chips and a pint at Dungeness. A great day out in the summer.
There is an inland area called the Weald of Kent, which is very beautiful. The vernacular architecture is wooden shingled or tile hung cottages, and there are old Oast Houses which were used for drying hops for making beer. Nowadays the hop gardens have given way more to vineyards.
Brighton is actually lovely, if the cameras has panned round from the pier you'd have seen some absolutely gorgeous Georgian buildings running along most of the sea front. Brighton has no natural harbour, so wasn't a place with the same working class routes as towns like Portsmouth or Dover, it was largely developed by very wealthy Londoners who kept summer homes there, when London got to to hot and smelly for the rich to want to be there. There is a lot of very nice architecture. It's also a very "liberal" and artsy community making it a fun place to be.
I live in Gillingham on the North Kent coast. We have here in the Medway Towns (Rochester, Chatham and Gillingham), nearly everything mentioned in this video. Rochester, once an important Roman city, has the second oldest cathedral, after Canterbury, founded in 604 AD, a Norman Castle dating from 1089, a Manor House built by the Knights Templer in the 1200s (Temple Manor, Strood) and a Tudor castle built by Henry VIII (Upnor Castle). Chatham has a Georgian fortress, Fort Amherst, which features miles of underground tunnels, including rooms used in World War II to coordinate defences against the Luftwaffe. Also Chatham Dockyard, once one of the most important Naval bases in the country, now a fascinating Historic Dockyard. It was here at Chatham Dockyard that Nelson's flagship HMS Victory was built. Laid down in 1759, and launched in 1765, she first saw action in the American Revolutionary Wars, long before her greatest battle at Trafalgar. And if all that isn't enough ( I haven't the space to list all the other ancient churches, medieval buildings ,historic pubs, museums etc in the towns) then their is also the WWII munitions ship, sunk at the mouth of the River Medway (the Richard Montgomery) which is still loaded with thousands of tons of bombs, and which, if it were to go off, would cause the largest non- nuclear explosion ever!
You beat me to it! John Weaver, I, too, am from Gillingham! Lol. Medway is full of history, as you said, well worth the visit. Joel, not only was Chatham Dockyard the birth place of HMS Victory, but the1/4 mile Ropery there, is not only the oldest still working in Britain, it is also the place that still makes all the ropes and rigging for her. As well as all the ropes and rigging for the Cutty Sark at Greenwich, London, and for all the ships in the movies of the Pirates of the Caribbean too. And Rochester Castle is not only older than Dover Castle, but it is also the tallest Keep Castle in Britain too. Rochester is also the place where the famous Victorian author Charles Dickens, spent time growing up in the surrounding area, and where he set some of his novels in. We even have a Dickens festival every year too, where people dress up in Victorian costumes, have parades, and a Christmas Market, and basically spend time with friends and family eating and drinking! This might give you an idea. 😃 th-cam.com/video/M6Bf4agi2OU/w-d-xo.html
Deffo visit Portsmouth! My favourite city tbh, not only for the history... the people are really nice and nowhere skimps on the food portions! Not too that pricey either...
On a slightly tangential note - given that World War II was very much a large part of Dover's history, have a listen to "The White Cliffs of Dover" by Dame Vera Lynn. She was a famous British singer during World War II, and through her efforts in keeping people entertained during the war, she was dubbed "The Forces' Sweetheart", and was awarded Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1975. Another one of her famous songs was "We'll Meet Again". When listened to in the context of what people were likely to be going through during the war, it was quite emotional.
Joel, if you are at Dover, (where I grew up) tale a walk over the cliffs eastwards to St Margaret's Bay, a special little place. Ian Fleming and Peter Ustinov lived there when I was young, and I know she has talked about this publicly so I can say that Miriam Margolyes lives there now. The beach is a mix of sand and shingle. It's also good for rockpooling, but the tide comes in quickly.
Joel, I'm so glad these videos have made you more interested in British history . SO excited you're coming back to the UK this summer 🙂 what about East Anglia ?
We have loads of beaches - we’re an island! And we have loads of sandy beaches too. I hate the pebbles personally. Brighton is the only one I know that has pebbles. I’m sure there are others, but there’s a geographcial reason for them having stones.
Most British coastal resorts are tourist traps in summer with traditional amusements for families. If you’re not interested in this then avoid places like Brighton, although it has a good nightlife. Most of the coast has sandy beaches so Brighton and a few other places are definitely outliers with their pebble beaches. Take a look at the best beaches in England videos to get some ideas of where you might want to visit.
The closest train station to Beachy Head is Eastbourne. Two hour hike to the cliff. Or take the bus to Brighton that leaves from Eastbourne Pier. Bus also goes through East Dean, which features in the video you responded to. TH-cam video of the bus ride in the opposite direction (made by some German tourists) may be found at th-cam.com/video/j9Faf2CSZy4/w-d-xo.html The most scenic part of the trip is from Seaford to Eastbourne.
For Beachy Head you want a train to Eastbourne, then you can get a open top double decker bus up to Beachy Head. Also Eastbourne only about 40mins from Brighton by bus.
Joel - Brighton is certainly worth a visit because of its many attractive shops. You can walk through the many side streets and see some wonderful small shops selling stuff that you wouldn’t find anywhere else. Rick neglected to talk about those here which was disappointing tbh.
Yes, I love spending time in the North Laine streets: browsing the bookshops & quirky gift shops; discovering something unusual in Snooper's Paradise that I suddenly can't live without.... 🙃
@night owl Yep, I love North Laine too, my favourite part of Brighton! So much character, so many interesting shops, cafés, pubs and restaurants. Strangely, even though I've been going to Brighton since I was a kid (my parents even first met there on a camping holiday!), I only really discovered North Laine about 15 years ago. Now it's the first place I head to.
There's a lot of speculation, and some of it with good reason, that Battle was not the actual site of the Battle of Hastings, but was possibly either a few fields away from what is said to be the battlefield or maybe even in a different town altogether, at Crowhurst. I live a couple of miles from Beachy Head, and it is truly a magnificent area to visit
Morning Joel i have been to Plymouth many times and every time I go there is always something different to see.Brighton is so near to London that it is very busy. And lots of people live there and travel to London for work each day.
I agree with your view on Brighton. It is a fun place to visit but the beach is painful on the feet. Because we are an island we are surrounded by beaches of all types including beautiful soft sand.
Pebble beaches are weirdly more comfortable than sandy ones. Pebbles are tumbled by the sea, so they’re completely smooth. Lying on them, they conform to your body and absorb huge amounts of heat from the sun. It’s like getting a warm massage from the coastline.
Sea bathing is pretty popular along the South Coast. There are some lovely little coastal towns to visit, like Rye, Hastings and Eastbourne. You can get in and out of the sea easily, but it helps if you have something on your feet on shingle (rounded pebbles) beaches. The sea drops off nicely for swimming - it's pretty clean at Brighton, not too many currents, but can be a bit rough and is red-flagged sometimes. The water temperature gets up to about 18c in high Summer. As for Brighton it's a nice enough place to stay for a few days, a fair bit of life with some good pubs and bars and eateries, nice beach and promenades, interesting little shops and alleyways and places to explore. Beachy Head and Birling Gap are nearer Eastbourne but easily reachable by double-decker clifftop buses from Brighton too.
@@junosaxon4370 I agree, though there's also plenty of sand at Hastings at low tide, especially a mile or two west of the town. A dozen miles to the east, there's a really beautiful sandy beach complete with sand dunes - Camber near Rye. Much used by UK filmmakers whenever they need a Sahara Desert scene or something😀.
18:00 King George IV - remember that’s the same Prince Regent from Blackadder season 3. You will definitely like Brighton - the shops in the Lanes, the Pavilion, the pier and the beach.
Dover - and the adjoining town of Folkestone have some lovely spots and there is an enormous history there. The most iconic song of World War Two was "The White Cliffs of Dover" - Dame Vera Lynn who sang it stated famous for it for the rest of her life. In a British WW2 movie, Vera Lynn is probably even more iconic that Glenn Miller is, in an American one. The cliffs were iconic since the are the first thing anyone returning to England from France would see, whether on a troop ship or in a bomber. While the history is still there, the two towns have been hit by various declines over the years. For centuries, as the shortest crossing, they were the preferred route into Europe, at a time when only the very rich could travel - even back to the Middle Ages when noblemen would be sent to do the "Grand Tour". Centuries later Dover was still the port that the wealthy travelled through on the "Boat trains" - trains that left from Victoria station and linked in Dover, before continuing on the other side, the best known was "The Orient Express". As a result, Dover especially had some very grand hotels and buildings. Air travel put an end to the boat trains. There as fishing declined, the world switched to container shipping. - this hurt coastal towns everywhere, but Britains especially hard. The docks in London, Manchester and Liverpool are probably the best known examples. Where thousands of stevedores had once loaded and unloaded ships by hand - literally shovelling some goods in and out, the world changed to shipping containers and two or three guys could load a ship in a day instead of a week or two. Folkestone and Dover continued as an important port as as well as goods, the British public started travelling more and the passenger and car ferries kept things ticking over. While the ferries continue to run, the volume of passengers has been decimated by the Channel Tunnel, which runs from London above ground, but enters the tunnel before it hits the towns, meaning passengers no longer go through the town, they no longer spend money and all the jobs once connected to those passengers no longer exist.The ticket booths are in London, the food and drinks are prepared and sold in London. I haven't been there in many years - my grandparents lived there, so I spent a lot of my childhood there - but the tons have lost a lot of prestige, significance and income
Rick Steves has lots of really good videos highlighting the majority of the UK. His videos often focus on attractions/landmarks a lot of videos dont highlight
"You guys don't have many beaches". What on earth are you talking about? There are hundreds of miles of beaches around the coast of Great Britain! We are an island, after all.
Cathedrals are so tall due to the fact it helps reinforce the power of church, it’s also does amazing things for acoustics. You’d be able to hear the most gentle choir boys voice from opposite ends of the church without amplification
I've lived in Brighton twice. The first time I felt like I was on holiday, every day for 11 years, with so much to do. The second, it had changed beyond recognition with a lot of problems for a small city. I think it's a great place to visit however and I'm sure you will love it!
Come to Pompey, the Dockyard is fantastic. There is also the D Day museum and other places to visit. Don't forget to go on a pub crawl down Albert Road. Beer and a curry, what's not to like?
You can buy a ticket for the dockyard that is valid for 12 months so you can go back as many times as you like within a year of purchase, and it's well worth it ,so much to see , I went back 5 times !
Oh there were some favourite places in this video, Joel! Every inch of Britain is worth seeing. Rick Steves always does a nice job. A bit further down the coast are the sandy beaches of Dorset on the Jurassic Coast. They're beautiful. Durdle Door is a wonderful sight and beach to see. When I was working at the Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset, I went to the Royal Navy Museum at Portsmouth. The waterfront is just as Rick described it, and recognized some of the pubs!!! As for the museum, the Navy runs a free ferry across the harbour to Gosport where the Submarine Museum is located. That's not to be missed!! I'm hoping to get back to England this summer, as well. Cheers, Joel. John in Canada
Hello Joel. I still prefer Cornwall, but I have family in Hastings, which is where I think I got the love of history from. Funny, I used to have to travel there from Yorkshire for work, so I do recommend you see this area.
When I visited Dover Castle there were loads of French school children visiting. Our guide told us, "This castle was built to keep the French out. Now it's invaded by French school kids."
Definitely worth a visit! I live in one of the worst parts of Southeast England and I still don't think it's that bad. I live halfway between London and the Coast.
The description of Brighton was a little lite. There so much to do there, especially visiting the Lanes which are narrow passaged flanked by small shops and pubs. Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters lead onto Seaford Head another swarth of white cliffs. A few years ago there was a 50,000 ton landslide of chalk which was supposed to be quite spectacular. If you head east from Beachy Head you'll find Eastbourne, a nice seaside town with a pier and lots of things to do. As for the Tiger Inn in East Dean, I've had a few pints there and it is a top notch pub, the food is great. Have fun in my neck of the woods.
Beachy Head is well worth a visit. You'll be crawling on your belly to peer over the 500ft cliffs. Eastbourne which is right next door and is much nicer than Brighton imo. Don't forget to head inland if you decide to come. Many castles and villages to see. I'm in Edenbridge which is close to Hever castle with its drawbridge, maze and 16th-century pub. If you like that sort of thing.
Hi JPS. I've been to all the places in that video many times. My Dad grew up in Dover but the town itself is a mess now so I would avoid that part. Just stick to the top of the cliffs. Rye and Dungeness are worth going to, Battle, Hastings, Eastbourne, Beach head, Burling Gap, East Dean and Brighton, Portsmouth are all worth a visit unless it rains.👍🏻
Hi, I love watching your face when you see and hear all these interesting facts. You seem so blown away by it all. I live 9miles north of Canterbury, it's a lovely area to live in. I love your videos and hope that you do get to come over here, can't wait to see the videos you make and to see your face at the sight of it all. When you come to the South East you have to visit London, would love to know what you make of it, Kent is the Garden of England, the countryside is amazing.
Yes, I have been around most countries in Europe. We are the only nation that is surrounded by beaches. This should be logic, even if someone has never been here before. However, most visitors from overseas come with their cameras to snap our places that are very different to back home. Most unique being our castles, medieval buildings, and idyllic towns & villages dating back to when "the world had yet to be conquered", and where you can indulge in English dishes (or breakfast) and of-course afternoon tea with all its trimmings.
I dislike Brighton but I'm an 80 year old lady and I really love my country and it makes my heart glad when I hear someone say good things about it. There are a lot of things in this day and age that I don't like what is happening to our island and I look back over the years and things seemed so much better then.Take care Joel.
Brighton- yes, the beach is shingle- a lot of our coastline is to some extent - if you want to try a sandy beach, there are many to choose from- you need to do your research to find one convenient for your itinerary. Brighton has a very definite vibe. Yes, it has the touristy pier, but it also has class with its historic streets and antique shops, and is a centre for all manner of 'alternative' lifestyles. There is a very large and well known gay community in the area too. Beachey Head is most well known as a suicide spot. There are volunteers who hang out there to try and spot the vulnerable and talk them down. The Mary Rose Museum at Portsmouth houses an unbelievable collection of 16th century artefacts - we have learned so much about everyday life at that time from what has been recovered. If you go to Portsmouth, you will need at least a full half day to see what the historic dockyards have to offer! It's a joke pretty much founded in reality that HMS Victory has been so heavily renovated over it's lifetime that it is now basically a 1:1 scale model of the original!
The rocks are pebbles and are smooth so not as horrible as you’d think but at the same time, not as comfortable as sand. Brighton is touristy but a lot are English tourists so not so bad and it does have a good vibe about the place.
I am a local of Canterbury and I resided in Dover for 7 years and frequently visit as I have friends there. Dover castle is spectacular it is viewed from most homes in Dover, the cliffs are equally spectacular. Dover isn’t far from Deal which is a lovely area to visit also you are close to Folkestone if you visit Folkestone there are great views from The UpperLeas and lower Leas /the riviera there is a beautiful park on the seafront for a glorious chilled walk. Canterbury has fabulous old building, a park where you can catch a gondola ride, the cathedral is magnificent my daughter had her graduation there something very special indeed. There is also a modern shopping centre in Canterbury. Brighton is ok it’s very busy and a typical seaside town the Brighton pavilion is worth a visit . As for beaches a lot of them in the south east are stones but there are a few sandy beaches around.
I live in SE Kent at the start of Dovers whitecliffs just outside Folkestone. My village has a cafe on the cliffs edge with lovely views over the English channel and on clear days you can see France quite easily. Lovely place to have a bacon buttie!I feel the most many see of the county is from a car on the motorway going to the Port of Dover (31 miles to Calais). Its quite sad as we have so much to offer, gentle rolling countryside, historic village and market towns and a good selection of castles. Worth a visit and Folkestone really is very up and coming!
Hey Joel, one bit of advice for your next visit decide, where you want to see and spend a couple of days exploring, don't try and do so much next time, cut down on the travelling spend more time exploring..
Beachy Head (and its light house) are my home turf! The picturesque South Downs hold Eastbourne in its vale and is known as The Sunshine Coast. My little slice of Britain gets the most sunlight in the country over the course of a year, hence the nickname. Sadly, Beachy Head is a suicide hotspot, and people have traveled here from all over the world to drop into oblivion from the top. Despite that, Eastbourne is a quaint little place with all the amenities you'd expect to find anywhere. We're definitely worth a day trip next time you're in the UK.
@@sandgroperwookiee65 I've lived here since the mid eighties when I was just a kid, we moved here and have stayed, 37 years this year, I can't imagine living anywhere else.
👍for East Sussex, Eastbourne and Beachy Head....and the town certainly does enjoy a lot of warm sunshine; is definitely warmer than Brighton in my experience 🌞
best time to go to Battle is when they are doing the 1066 re-enactments...brings that whole thing to life. Not sure if it's every year though, worth looking up.
I stayed overnight in DOVER Then boarded an incredible Amazing HOVERCRAFT for French port of CALAIS The Hovercraft was insane the smoothest ride I've ever been on Chunnel was not finished yet- then reaching up the beach next to the rail station on my way to PARIS - the most cultured beautiful city I've ever been to ❤👍
There are loads of sandy beaches around the UK from the 2.2 mile long Holkham beach in Norfolk, where the Queen used to walk when staying at her Sandringham House Estate; Studland Bay in Dorset, a four-mile long golden, sandy beach on part of which you can officially get all your kit off on a hot summer's day if you're not shy (!); the vast stretches of sandy beach at Dunstanburgh and Bamburgh in the north-east of England complete with their ancient castles to Morecambe Bay on the west coast and many, many more.
My daughters went to school in Canterbury and they would have their Christmas assembly in the Cathedral! Also, Canterbury has more pubs per square mile than anywhere else in the country 🍻
The clarity of the waters in chalk streams has to be seen to be believed - plus they provide the best fly fishing for trout and salmon anywhere in the world. Former president Jimmy Carter has even paid the River Test in Hampshire for a spot of fly fishing.
The thing to remember about England is that the east is drier than the west, right up to about the Tees Valley. It's not the common misconception about the south being drier than the north.
Mate, we're surrounded by beaches! South East is very pretty. I'd recommend the Isle of Wight personally, but then I live in the south east 😆. Lovely video as always. ✌
I'm born & bred in Eastbourne which is chilled, a few retired people but great country pubs, Cow Gap & Birling Gap are the beaches at the foot of Beachy Head. Cow Gap gets you views of the lighthouse once the tides out. Brighton is a city more about comedy & night clubs, gigs, variety of night venues playing some funk n disco & more, loads of shops, lanes & many LGBTQI+ Pride events. I remember Fat Boy Slims beach party years ago. Canterbury is full of history. Enjoy Sussex & Kent dude. 🇬🇧
I have been exploring this part of the country with trips there over the last few years. I am hoping to get to Dover and Canterbury this year. Of the others I can't recommend Portsmouth's historic dockyard to strongly. I spent a whole day there and didn't see it all. It is astonishing how much access to HMS Victory you get, and there was so much discovered in the wreck of the Mary Rose it is known as Britain's Pompey.
England has had so many people wanting to rule it and invade it, that's what gives us a very varied history. Also our language and place names has words from French , Viking and many other people, we have strayed away from Anglo saxon a lot. I didnt like history in school but we have some interesting stories that usually involve a death or murder.
I'm in the South West of England in a town called Bournemouth and there's train links to Portsmouth via Southampton Central train station have a look at Trek Trendy's video on the Queen Mary 2 the last Ocean Liner it's really amazing how British people travelled to America from Southampton to land in New York to vacation or start a new life in America
You need to check out Brighton Lanes these are Old Brighton but really near the seafront, it is like a different world there. The South East Coast is stoney and shingle based but at low tide it is sandy too.
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I’ve never understood why Americans say we don’t have many beaches in the UK… we’re an island! We’re surrounded by beaches!
Brighton is the capital of Gay UK. It’s so much more than just a tourist town. It’s a beacon of tolerance and diversity and has been for hundreds of years. It’s a great place to visit.
What do you mean we don't have many beaches? We live on an island surrounded by beaches. For someone who is supposed to be interested in the UK, you are ignorant of basic information. They are not rocks on Brighton Beach, they are pebbles worn smooth by the action of the sea.
He's right Brighton is a terrible beach as are most of the beaches along the south coast. There are some really nice sandy beaches in Sussex, East and West, that I'm not going to mention here as they used to be pretty unknown but now with the Internet are getting too busy. The only other decent beaches in the South are Dorset-way and Cornwall, which is a long drive for most. Some in East Anglia too but that's more East than South. Wales has amazing beaches, especially Gower, Pembrokeshire and in the North West, Pwllheli, Barmouth etc.
He hasn’t done Brighton justice at all! It is young, vibrant and diverse. I would call it bohemian 😁
Full of those weird alphabet people though
I’m not sure it did do Brighton justice as it missed out the ‘old town’, with its quaint lanes and shops.
Don't have many beaches? We're an island lol
Joel how can you say we have not many beaches…. We are a damn island or selection of islands joined in unity . We are surrounded by water and have a huge number of excellent beaches, sandy, pebbles and rocks with awesome rock pools. When we are young we explored rock pools for the variety of small sea animals that were trapped when the sea went out
lol was going to say that about the amount of beaches, we're an island, we have loads.
I think there may be a linguistic difference in the American meaning of "Beach".
That saves me from mentioning all our various beaches. How can an island not have beaches, lol?
by Beach I meant comfortable for swimming and lounging on sand
@@ItsJps We have plenty of those beaches. Depending where you go, you have a choice of sandy beaches. Go to Cornwall & you can surf too.
“You guys don’t have many beaches”. We’re an island man, we have literally thousands of miles of beaches 😂 shingle, golden sand, chalk , fossil filled rocks, Britain has every type of beach.
He’s American he doesn’t really get it lol
Mud. Essex has lots of mud beaches, as well as glorious sandy beaches like Frinton, Clacton, and Walton-on-the-Naze.
Just to confirm, Brighton has a Beach. However, it does not have a "Sandy Beach". It has a "Pebble Beach". The UK has loads of different "types" of Beach.
It is not a place to build sand castles. However, the pebbles and shells are fascinating in themselves. Different colours, shapes and sizes.
Used to collect them as a youngster for all sorts of art and craft activities.
Britain has some wonderful sandy beaches. Remember the length of the coastline is huge. Brighton is not my favourite beach either.
America has a lot of beaches you know 😂, it’s a big country with a lot off coasts
Not many beaches?! The place is surrounded by beaches. Just not always as pleasant and sandy as you're used to.
Thanet has sandy beaches
Bournemouth has all sandy beaches too- and there is Russell Coates Museum on the seafront which is full of Victorian period antiques and curiosities
@@abbie321 true, Bournemouth and the Jurassic coast is amazing but i wouldnt consider bournemouth as part of the southeast
No more south west but I would recommend it if JPS ventured that way for beaches with sand. For somewhere in the south east West Beach in Littlehampton is sandy with sand dunes 😊
West wittering is possibly the best beach in the south east if you visit
Another place in the South East worthy of a visit is Arundel Castle. Arundel itself is quaint and has a old English look to it. The castle can be toured and the rooms are like stepping back in time and the gardens there are beautiful, full of flowers in the summer. I like visiting Arundel as it’s near to me and has lovely areas to walk around for getting into the countryside. Side note: easy to get to from London Victoria on the train (it’s one train journey about an hour and half into the journey- the train travels through the South Downs which is a scenic route to take)
I’m from the South East near to Canterbury. Just extra info - Canterbury Cathedral is the oldest of all cathedrals within the UK, it was built in 597 AD. Canterbury cathedral also is where Saint Thomas Becket was entombed and where King Henry the fourth was buried. The best thing about the architecture of Canterbury’s cathedral apart from the obvious beauty, is it’s phenomenal acoustics. Many classical concerts choose the cathedral for this reason 😊
Also has the tomb of the Black Price and far superior to York minster.
Brighton is a lovely place, despite it being a bit of a touristy spot. If you've never been to a Pride parade, go to Brighton 4th-7th August this year. It is probably the most diverse place on the South coast of England, outside of London. A great atmosphere and an eye opener!
My mum visited Portsmouth for her holiday and she really enjoyed her time there she visited HMS Victory and from Portsmouth she went to the Isle of Wight which she enthused about and wished she could have stayed longer.
24:44 the Mary Rose was lifted out of the seabed in 1982.
Brighton embraces all things LGBTQ, quirky individuals and places which really add to it's character. There is so much more than the brash touristy nature of the place. Beachy Head has a decommissioned lighthouse, the Bel Toute that was moved 17 meters away from the cliff edge through an amazing feat of engineering because of coastal erosion. The coastline is still in danger and the café at Burling Gap which was briefly shown is getting closer and closer to the cliff edge each year. Hope you don't mind the nerdy but fascinating info Joel.
I would really recommend both Brighton and Eastbourne to visit - with Beachy Head and maybe Cuckmere Haven inbetween. I love Brighton's quirkiness and crazy busy-ness whereas Eastbourne with its' seafront and pier has managed to escape commercial tackiness and kept its Victorian character (love the art deco bandstand 🙂)
@@nightowl5395 Eastbourne also claims to have the most hours of sunshine in the UK. Hire a car and take the scenic coastal road between Eastbourne and Brighton, perhaps stopping off at that pub at East Dean, one of the most picturesque villages, for a bite to eat.
Lighthouse sold for...£900 in 2001 by the local council to a local councillors wife? Later in 2007 on the market for... £850,000?
Nothing to see here of course ;)
Imagine building Canterbury Cathedral with no power tools at all. Every part of it done by hand. The skills were amazing.
It Amazes me as a Brit how much this little,e Island has so much importance in world history its a rabbit hole to go down !!
Joel, the churches in the UK, when they were built, were signs of piety and of power. They were built tall in an effort to reach toward God. Prayers ascended to God in these spaces. These huge churches are all over the UK and Europe. They were part of the culture when they were built.
Re Brighton, I live in London but used to visit a friend in Brighton regularly for many years (until he moved back to Vienna). Brighton is a very cool place, called 'London-By-The-Sea' because it is only an hour from London by train and so a lot of people who work in London actually commute daily from Brighton (as my friend did).
It's also the most 'Bohemian' town in the UK because of its large artistic community (its annual arts festival is famous), lively music scene, two universities (which means the average age is quite young) and the largest LGBT+ community (by percentage, and possibly absolute numbers) of any town in the UK.
It has great bars, pubs and restaurants, a wonderful seafront, a famous pier, and beautiful countryside to the north (the South Downs National Park) and to the east (the famous chalk cliffs running from the Seven Sisters to Eastbourne).
The place has a happy, laid-back, chilled-out vibe and makes a wonderful weekend escape for people living in London and elsewhere in the South East.
But yeah, you're right - the only bad point is the beach, which is covered in pebbles rather than sand and is actually painful to walk on barefoot. But it's the local geology, so what can you do?
Joel, you should check out the Isle of Wight. Just a 30 minute ferry ride from Portsmouth. It has some of the best sandy beaches in the South. The weather is always that bit warmer & drier. We would watch the rain clouds skirt along the South Coast & miss the Isle of Wight. None of the towns are very big, but lovely villages and pubs. Lots of thatched cottages. England in miniature.
Totally agree. I’m from and live in Portsmouth. Love the IOW. He could also take the hovercraft over. Not something you get to do often.
@@johngreen6375 Everything you said was great but not THe Hover. Went to France once 45 years ago and once one person is sick EVERYONE was, as we were so close together..
@@IsleofskyeLol. It depends on your sea legs I suppose. I worked at sea for 17yrs so it doesn’t bother me. The crossing from Southsea to Ryde is about 10 minutes and quite a smooth crossing over the Solent.
What's brown and comes out of cow(e)s backwards?
@@johngreen6375 In that case ,there's no contest John.
I re-visited THe Isle Of Wight in 2017 having been there in 1968, 1972 and 1976.
Lovely place...
There is so much more to the south East than seen in this video. For instance, a short hop away from Portsmouth you can visit the Isle of Wight via the only public hovercraft ferry service. The Isle of Wight is full of sandy beaches, historic sites and villages and possibly worth at least an overnight stay. Queen Victoria had her holiday home there and is much larger and in some ways more lavish than the palace at Brighton and now open to the public. There are lots of historic sites more inland as well. Lots of steam railways and a very varying landscape. But then the whole of the UK is like this. I live here and haven't seen that much of what is here. You just have to do your research on what interests you most. What about a brewery tour with a tasting session at the end of it? The main problem with the South Est is it is easy to transverse East to West but not as easy to traverse north south across this part of the country via the train system. It really is worth a visit during July and August as a lot of festivals are also in full swing during the holiday period.
I wouldn't say either Portsmouth or the Isle of Wight are Southeast. but then I am from Dover myself! I would say they were South.
@@Lily-Bravo They're in the South Eastern NUTS region.
The IOW is worth a visit for Alum Bay alone. And to see the most southerly station on the London Tube network. ;-)
@@neuralwarp I consider that a bureaucratic contrivance. They have left out Southern entirely.
I didn't know the hovercraft was still going. Glad to hear that!
pebble beaches are fairly common in this part of the UK...you don't go there to dig in the sand
While Henry VIII ordered the destruction of the shrine to Becket, he did not 'purge the nave of its ornate decorations and Catholic iconography''. This was the work of the Puritans in 1642 or 1643 who, as they put it, 'cleansed' the cathedral.
5:27 Shoutout to Alan Turing (Gay Icon who sadly died young) who broke the Enigma during World War 2.
Have you watched the film 'The Imitation Game'? It is excellent.
Being born in Kent and having lived in Australia for many many years, this was just like a trip home. Some other worthy places to visit are Tonbridge Castle, Igtham Moate and Leeds Castle. It really is a beautiful part of the world.
Maidstone/ county town.
"History has been my least favourite subject at school, since the beginning of time."
- There's a hilarious poetry to this 😄
That video mainly focused on the South coast. Lots to see and appreciate inland too, throughout Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire.
Romney Hythe and Dymchurch miniature railway, is a quirky visit. One can have a beer on a carriage, whilst travelling to Dungeness lighthouse. Hythe is great for an afternoon tea. The honours were carried out by the famous comedy duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy on March 21, 1947 when they visited the railway, to open the New Romney to Dungeness section of the line.
Pop in the Pub/Restaurant named 'The Pilot' for Fish and Chips and a pint at Dungeness. A great day out in the summer.
There is an inland area called the Weald of Kent, which is very beautiful. The vernacular architecture is wooden shingled or tile hung cottages, and there are old Oast Houses which were used for drying hops for making beer. Nowadays the hop gardens have given way more to vineyards.
Brighton is actually lovely, if the cameras has panned round from the pier you'd have seen some absolutely gorgeous Georgian buildings running along most of the sea front. Brighton has no natural harbour, so wasn't a place with the same working class routes as towns like Portsmouth or Dover, it was largely developed by very wealthy Londoners who kept summer homes there, when London got to to hot and smelly for the rich to want to be there. There is a lot of very nice architecture. It's also a very "liberal" and artsy community making it a fun place to be.
Southern, a UK rail company, operate the routes from London to Brighton (and other cities on the South Coast).
I live in Gillingham on the North Kent coast. We have here in the Medway Towns (Rochester, Chatham and Gillingham), nearly everything mentioned in this video. Rochester, once an important Roman city, has the second oldest cathedral, after Canterbury, founded in 604 AD, a Norman Castle dating from 1089, a Manor House built by the Knights Templer in the 1200s (Temple Manor, Strood) and a Tudor castle built by Henry VIII (Upnor Castle). Chatham has a Georgian fortress, Fort Amherst, which features miles of underground tunnels, including rooms used in World War II to coordinate defences against the Luftwaffe. Also Chatham Dockyard, once one of the most important Naval bases in the country, now a fascinating Historic Dockyard. It was here at Chatham Dockyard that Nelson's flagship HMS Victory was built. Laid down in 1759, and launched in 1765, she first saw action in the American Revolutionary Wars, long before her greatest battle at Trafalgar. And if all that isn't enough ( I haven't the space to list all the other ancient churches, medieval buildings ,historic pubs, museums etc in the towns) then their is also the WWII munitions ship, sunk at the mouth of the River Medway (the Richard Montgomery) which is still loaded with thousands of tons of bombs, and which, if it were to go off, would cause the largest non- nuclear explosion ever!
You beat me to it! John Weaver, I, too, am from Gillingham! Lol.
Medway is full of history, as you said, well worth the visit.
Joel, not only was Chatham Dockyard the birth place of HMS Victory, but the1/4 mile Ropery there, is not only the oldest still working in Britain, it is also the place that still makes all the ropes and rigging for her. As well as all the ropes and rigging for the Cutty Sark at Greenwich, London, and for all the ships in the movies of the Pirates of the Caribbean too.
And Rochester Castle is not only older than Dover Castle, but it is also the tallest Keep Castle in Britain too.
Rochester is also the place where the famous Victorian author Charles Dickens, spent time growing up in the surrounding area, and where he set some of his novels in. We even have a Dickens festival every year too, where people dress up in Victorian costumes, have parades, and a Christmas Market, and basically spend time with friends and family eating and drinking!
This might give you an idea. 😃
th-cam.com/video/M6Bf4agi2OU/w-d-xo.html
We've got plenty of sandy beaches .
Deffo visit Portsmouth! My favourite city tbh, not only for the history... the people are really nice and nowhere skimps on the food portions! Not too that pricey either...
On a slightly tangential note - given that World War II was very much a large part of Dover's history, have a listen to "The White Cliffs of Dover" by Dame Vera Lynn. She was a famous British singer during World War II, and through her efforts in keeping people entertained during the war, she was dubbed "The Forces' Sweetheart", and was awarded Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1975.
Another one of her famous songs was "We'll Meet Again". When listened to in the context of what people were likely to be going through during the war, it was quite emotional.
Joel, if you are at Dover, (where I grew up) tale a walk over the cliffs eastwards to St Margaret's Bay, a special little place. Ian Fleming and Peter Ustinov lived there when I was young, and I know she has talked about this publicly so I can say that Miriam Margolyes lives there now. The beach is a mix of sand and shingle. It's also good for rockpooling, but the tide comes in quickly.
Joel, I'm so glad these videos have made you more interested in British history . SO excited you're coming back to the UK this summer 🙂 what about East Anglia ?
We have loads of beaches - we’re an island! And we have loads of sandy beaches too. I hate the pebbles personally. Brighton is the only one I know that has pebbles. I’m sure there are others, but there’s a geographcial reason for them having stones.
Yes, but it was us Brits who invented the piers/boardwalks.
Brighton is a fantastic beach. Used to go there all the time when I lived in London. Oh and its pebbles.
Check out the film quadrophenia
Most British coastal resorts are tourist traps in summer with traditional amusements for families. If you’re not interested in this then avoid places like Brighton, although it has a good nightlife.
Most of the coast has sandy beaches so Brighton and a few other places are definitely outliers with their pebble beaches. Take a look at the best beaches in England videos to get some ideas of where you might want to visit.
The closest train station to Beachy Head is Eastbourne. Two hour hike to the cliff. Or take the bus to Brighton that leaves from Eastbourne Pier. Bus also goes through East Dean, which features in the video you responded to. TH-cam video of the bus ride in the opposite direction (made by some German tourists) may be found at th-cam.com/video/j9Faf2CSZy4/w-d-xo.html The most scenic part of the trip is from Seaford to Eastbourne.
For Beachy Head you want a train to Eastbourne, then you can get a open top double decker bus up to Beachy Head. Also Eastbourne only about 40mins from Brighton by bus.
Joel - Brighton is certainly worth a visit because of its many attractive shops. You can walk through the many side streets and see some wonderful small shops selling stuff that you wouldn’t find anywhere else. Rick neglected to talk about those here which was disappointing tbh.
Yes, I love spending time in the North Laine streets: browsing the bookshops & quirky gift shops; discovering something unusual in Snooper's Paradise that I suddenly can't live without.... 🙃
@night owl Yep, I love North Laine too, my favourite part of Brighton! So much character, so many interesting shops, cafés, pubs and restaurants. Strangely, even though I've been going to Brighton since I was a kid (my parents even first met there on a camping holiday!), I only really discovered North Laine about 15 years ago. Now it's the first place I head to.
There's a lot of speculation, and some of it with good reason, that Battle was not the actual site of the Battle of Hastings, but was possibly either a few fields away from what is said to be the battlefield or maybe even in a different town altogether, at Crowhurst. I live a couple of miles from Beachy Head, and it is truly a magnificent area to visit
Morning Joel i have been to Plymouth many times and every time I go there is always something different to see.Brighton is so near to London that it is very busy. And lots of people live there and travel to London for work each day.
exploring the tunnels and walls of Dover castle is a great way to spend a day
I agree with your view on Brighton. It is a fun place to visit but the beach is painful on the feet. Because we are an island we are surrounded by beaches of all types including beautiful soft sand.
Nelsons resting place is at st pauls cathedral
Pebble beaches are weirdly more comfortable than sandy ones. Pebbles are tumbled by the sea, so they’re completely smooth. Lying on them, they conform to your body and absorb huge amounts of heat from the sun. It’s like getting a warm massage from the coastline.
Sea bathing is pretty popular along the South Coast. There are some lovely little coastal towns to visit, like Rye, Hastings and Eastbourne. You can get in and out of the sea easily, but it helps if you have something on your feet on shingle (rounded pebbles) beaches. The sea drops off nicely for swimming - it's pretty clean at Brighton, not too many currents, but can be a bit rough and is red-flagged sometimes. The water temperature gets up to about 18c in high Summer.
As for Brighton it's a nice enough place to stay for a few days, a fair bit of life with some good pubs and bars and eateries, nice beach and promenades, interesting little shops and alleyways and places to explore. Beachy Head and Birling Gap are nearer Eastbourne but easily reachable by double-decker clifftop buses from Brighton too.
I prefer pebble beaches, I hate sand in my shoes, sand in my food etc. Hastings has a great pebble beach.
@@junosaxon4370 I agree, though there's also plenty of sand at Hastings at low tide, especially a mile or two west of the town. A dozen miles to the east, there's a really beautiful sandy beach complete with sand dunes - Camber near Rye. Much used by UK filmmakers whenever they need a Sahara Desert scene or something😀.
18:00 King George IV - remember that’s the same Prince Regent from Blackadder season 3. You will definitely like Brighton - the shops in the Lanes, the Pavilion, the pier and the beach.
Dover - and the adjoining town of Folkestone have some lovely spots and there is an enormous history there. The most iconic song of World War Two was "The White Cliffs of Dover" - Dame Vera Lynn who sang it stated famous for it for the rest of her life. In a British WW2 movie, Vera Lynn is probably even more iconic that Glenn Miller is, in an American one. The cliffs were iconic since the are the first thing anyone returning to England from France would see, whether on a troop ship or in a bomber.
While the history is still there, the two towns have been hit by various declines over the years. For centuries, as the shortest crossing, they were the preferred route into Europe, at a time when only the very rich could travel - even back to the Middle Ages when noblemen would be sent to do the "Grand Tour". Centuries later Dover was still the port that the wealthy travelled through on the "Boat trains" - trains that left from Victoria station and linked in Dover, before continuing on the other side, the best known was "The Orient Express". As a result, Dover especially had some very grand hotels and buildings. Air travel put an end to the boat trains. There as fishing declined, the world switched to container shipping. - this hurt coastal towns everywhere, but Britains especially hard. The docks in London, Manchester and Liverpool are probably the best known examples. Where thousands of stevedores had once loaded and unloaded ships by hand - literally shovelling some goods in and out, the world changed to shipping containers and two or three guys could load a ship in a day instead of a week or two.
Folkestone and Dover continued as an important port as as well as goods, the British public started travelling more and the passenger and car ferries kept things ticking over. While the ferries continue to run, the volume of passengers has been decimated by the Channel Tunnel, which runs from London above ground, but enters the tunnel before it hits the towns, meaning passengers no longer go through the town, they no longer spend money and all the jobs once connected to those passengers no longer exist.The ticket booths are in London, the food and drinks are prepared and sold in London. I haven't been there in many years - my grandparents lived there, so I spent a lot of my childhood there - but the tons have lost a lot of prestige, significance and income
Rick Steves has lots of really good videos highlighting the majority of the UK. His videos often focus on attractions/landmarks a lot of videos dont highlight
"You guys don't have many beaches". What on earth are you talking about? There are hundreds of miles of beaches around the coast of Great Britain! We are an island, after all.
Cathedrals are so tall due to the fact it helps reinforce the power of church, it’s also does amazing things for acoustics. You’d be able to hear the most gentle choir boys voice from opposite ends of the church without amplification
We have some great beaches…Durdle door is a must visit
I've lived in Brighton twice. The first time I felt like I was on holiday, every day for 11 years, with so much to do. The second, it had changed beyond recognition with a lot of problems for a small city. I think it's a great place to visit however and I'm sure you will love it!
Come to Pompey, the Dockyard is fantastic. There is also the D Day museum and other places to visit. Don't forget to go on a pub crawl down Albert Road. Beer and a curry, what's not to like?
@ Pacino, it used to be good, want to leave so much but house prices 😢😢 it’s a third world ghetto now with no atmosphere
You can buy a ticket for the dockyard that is valid for 12 months so you can go back as many times as you like within a year of purchase, and it's well worth it ,so much to see , I went back 5 times !
Oh there were some favourite places in this video, Joel! Every inch of Britain is worth seeing. Rick Steves always does a nice job. A bit further down the coast are the sandy beaches of Dorset on the Jurassic Coast. They're beautiful. Durdle Door is a wonderful sight and beach to see. When I was working at the Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset, I went to the Royal Navy Museum at Portsmouth. The waterfront is just as Rick described it, and recognized some of the pubs!!! As for the museum, the Navy runs a free ferry across the harbour to Gosport where the Submarine Museum is located. That's not to be missed!! I'm hoping to get back to England this summer, as well. Cheers, Joel. John in Canada
Hello Joel. I still prefer Cornwall, but I have family in Hastings, which is where I think I got the love of history from. Funny, I used to have to travel there from Yorkshire for work, so I do recommend you see this area.
When I visited Dover Castle there were loads of French school children visiting. Our guide told us, "This castle was built to keep the French out. Now it's invaded by French school kids."
Definitely worth a visit! I live in one of the worst parts of Southeast England and I still don't think it's that bad. I live halfway between London and the Coast.
“You guys don’t have too many beaches”
Errrrr,we’re an island.
We have beaches around our entire nation.
😁
Love these episodes, you should do more of them!
The description of Brighton was a little lite. There so much to do there, especially visiting the Lanes which are narrow passaged flanked by small shops and pubs. Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters lead onto Seaford Head another swarth of white cliffs. A few years ago there was a 50,000 ton landslide of chalk which was supposed to be quite spectacular. If you head east from Beachy Head you'll find Eastbourne, a nice seaside town with a pier and lots of things to do. As for the Tiger Inn in East Dean, I've had a few pints there and it is a top notch pub, the food is great. Have fun in my neck of the woods.
Beachy Head is well worth a visit. You'll be crawling on your belly to peer over the 500ft cliffs. Eastbourne which is right next door and is much nicer than Brighton imo. Don't forget to head inland if you decide to come. Many castles and villages to see. I'm in Edenbridge which is close to Hever castle with its drawbridge, maze and 16th-century pub. If you like that sort of thing.
I recommend Camber Sands for a nice beach and nearby Rye Village for a nice walk
Hi JPS. I've been to all the places in that video many times. My Dad grew up in Dover but the town itself is a mess now so I would avoid that part. Just stick to the top of the cliffs. Rye and Dungeness are worth going to, Battle, Hastings, Eastbourne, Beach head, Burling Gap, East Dean and Brighton, Portsmouth are all worth a visit unless it rains.👍🏻
This is home for me between Brighton and Portsmouth. I live 5 min from the beach.
Hi, I love watching your face when you see and hear all these interesting facts. You seem so blown away by it all. I live 9miles north of Canterbury, it's a lovely area to live in. I love your videos and hope that you do get to come over here, can't wait to see the videos you make and to see your face at the sight of it all. When you come to the South East you have to visit London, would love to know what you make of it, Kent is the Garden of England, the countryside is amazing.
The Archbishop of Canterbury probably does most of his work at Lambeth Palace, his official London residence.
Yes, I have been around most countries in Europe.
We are the only nation that is surrounded by beaches.
This should be logic, even if someone has never been here before.
However, most visitors from overseas come with their cameras to snap our places that are very different to back home. Most unique being our castles, medieval buildings, and idyllic towns & villages dating back to when "the world had yet to be conquered", and where you can indulge in English dishes (or breakfast) and of-course afternoon tea with all its trimmings.
I dislike Brighton but I'm an 80 year old lady and I really love my country and it makes my heart glad when I hear someone say good things about it. There are a lot of things in this day and age that I don't like what is happening to our island and I look back over the years and things seemed so much better then.Take care Joel.
Those White Cliffs of Dover many thousands of years ago used to be connected to France.
Brighton- yes, the beach is shingle- a lot of our coastline is to some extent - if you want to try a sandy beach, there are many to choose from- you need to do your research to find one convenient for your itinerary. Brighton has a very definite vibe. Yes, it has the touristy pier, but it also has class with its historic streets and antique shops, and is a centre for all manner of 'alternative' lifestyles. There is a very large and well known gay community in the area too.
Beachey Head is most well known as a suicide spot. There are volunteers who hang out there to try and spot the vulnerable and talk them down.
The Mary Rose Museum at Portsmouth houses an unbelievable collection of 16th century artefacts - we have learned so much about everyday life at that time from what has been recovered. If you go to Portsmouth, you will need at least a full half day to see what the historic dockyards have to offer! It's a joke pretty much founded in reality that HMS Victory has been so heavily renovated over it's lifetime that it is now basically a 1:1 scale model of the original!
The rocks are pebbles and are smooth so not as horrible as you’d think but at the same time, not as comfortable as sand.
Brighton is touristy but a lot are English tourists so not so bad and it does have a good vibe about the place.
I am a local of Canterbury and I resided in Dover for 7 years and frequently visit as I have friends there. Dover castle is spectacular it is viewed from most homes in Dover, the cliffs are equally spectacular. Dover isn’t far from Deal which is a lovely area to visit also you are close to Folkestone if you visit Folkestone there are great views from The UpperLeas and lower Leas /the riviera there is a beautiful park on the seafront for a glorious chilled walk. Canterbury has fabulous old building, a park where you can catch a gondola ride, the cathedral is magnificent my daughter had her graduation there something very special indeed. There is also a modern shopping centre in Canterbury. Brighton is ok it’s very busy and a typical seaside town the Brighton pavilion is worth a visit . As for beaches a lot of them in the south east are stones but there are a few sandy beaches around.
I live in SE Kent at the start of Dovers whitecliffs just outside Folkestone. My village has a cafe on the cliffs edge with lovely views over the English channel and on clear days you can see France quite easily. Lovely place to have a bacon buttie!I feel the most many see of the county is from a car on the motorway going to the Port of Dover (31 miles to Calais). Its quite sad as we have so much to offer, gentle rolling countryside, historic village and market towns and a good selection of castles. Worth a visit and Folkestone really is very up and coming!
Hey Joel, one bit of advice for your next visit decide, where you want to see and spend a couple of days exploring, don't try and do so much next time, cut down on the travelling spend more time exploring..
Beachy Head (and its light house) are my home turf! The picturesque South Downs hold Eastbourne in its vale and is known as The Sunshine Coast. My little slice of Britain gets the most sunlight in the country over the course of a year, hence the nickname. Sadly, Beachy Head is a suicide hotspot, and people have traveled here from all over the world to drop into oblivion from the top. Despite that, Eastbourne is a quaint little place with all the amenities you'd expect to find anywhere. We're definitely worth a day trip next time you're in the UK.
Aussie here 🇦🇺
I lived in Eastbourne & Seaford for 3 years back in '90. Great place,loved it 👍👍 & the best weather in the UK from my experience.
@@sandgroperwookiee65 I've lived here since the mid eighties when I was just a kid, we moved here and have stayed, 37 years this year, I can't imagine living anywhere else.
Same here. 1970-2007. Now Thailand. Had a couple of trips inside the lighthouse for work.
👍for East Sussex, Eastbourne and Beachy Head....and the town certainly does enjoy a lot of warm sunshine; is definitely warmer than Brighton in my experience 🌞
@@nightowl5395 Not to mention flatter!
There's much more to Brighton than the pier and seafront. Walk through the North Laine's, pavilion gardens, enjoy the music scene etc
best time to go to Battle is when they are doing the 1066 re-enactments...brings that whole thing to life. Not sure if it's every year though, worth looking up.
I stayed overnight in DOVER Then boarded an incredible Amazing HOVERCRAFT for French port of CALAIS The Hovercraft was insane the smoothest ride I've ever been on Chunnel was not finished yet- then reaching up the beach next to the rail station on my way to PARIS - the most cultured beautiful city I've ever been to ❤👍
There are loads of sandy beaches around the UK from the 2.2 mile long Holkham beach in Norfolk, where the Queen used to walk when staying at her Sandringham House Estate; Studland Bay in Dorset, a four-mile long golden, sandy beach on part of which you can officially get all your kit off on a hot summer's day if you're not shy (!); the vast stretches of sandy beach at Dunstanburgh and Bamburgh in the north-east of England complete with their ancient castles to Morecambe Bay on the west coast and many, many more.
Glad you did this video. I was born in Canterbury and now live in Dover. Both places are worth visiting!
Great show as always. We love the USA especially the Boston area. Keep up the good work. With love from England
My daughters went to school in Canterbury and they would have their Christmas assembly in the Cathedral! Also, Canterbury has more pubs per square mile than anywhere else in the country 🍻
"you guys don't have many beaches" 😂
Which is odd considering we have approx 11.000 miles of coastline.
The clarity of the waters in chalk streams has to be seen to be believed - plus they provide the best fly fishing for trout and salmon anywhere in the world. Former president Jimmy Carter has even paid the River Test in Hampshire for a spot of fly fishing.
My brother went to University of Kent and his graduation ceremony was at Canterbury Cathedral.
The thing to remember about England is that the east is drier than the west, right up to about the Tees Valley. It's not the common misconception about the south being drier than the north.
Mate, we're surrounded by beaches! South East is very pretty. I'd recommend the Isle of Wight personally, but then I live in the south east 😆. Lovely video as always. ✌
I'm born & bred in Eastbourne which is chilled, a few retired people but great country pubs, Cow Gap & Birling Gap are the beaches at the foot of Beachy Head. Cow Gap gets you views of the lighthouse once the tides out. Brighton is a city more about comedy & night clubs, gigs, variety of night venues playing some funk n disco & more, loads of shops, lanes & many LGBTQI+ Pride events. I remember Fat Boy Slims beach party years ago. Canterbury is full of history. Enjoy Sussex & Kent dude. 🇬🇧
I have been exploring this part of the country with trips there over the last few years. I am hoping to get to Dover and Canterbury this year. Of the others I can't recommend Portsmouth's historic dockyard to strongly. I spent a whole day there and didn't see it all. It is astonishing how much access to HMS Victory you get, and there was so much discovered in the wreck of the Mary Rose it is known as Britain's Pompey.
I live close to Dover and yes the cliffs are great and the castle but the actual town is kinda rough haha
England has had so many people wanting to rule it and invade it, that's what gives us a very varied history. Also our language and place names has words from French , Viking and many other people, we have strayed away from Anglo saxon a lot. I didnt like history in school but we have some interesting stories that usually involve a death or murder.
The Battle of Hastings was actually fought at Telham, just up the road from Battle.
I'm in the South West of England in a town called Bournemouth and there's train links to Portsmouth via Southampton Central train station have a look at Trek Trendy's video on the Queen Mary 2 the last Ocean Liner it's really amazing how British people travelled to America from Southampton to land in New York to vacation or start a new life in America
You need to check out Brighton Lanes these are Old Brighton but really near the seafront, it is like a different world there. The South East Coast is stoney and shingle based but at low tide it is sandy too.
George, Prince of Wales, Prince Regent, and as King definitely knew how to party.