《闲话英伦》－英国乡村的岁月静好

·      British people love thecountryside

o   Very often the top of the listwhen people are asked what do they like about Britain

o   The countryside (or thecountry) is very positive in the UK – rural can be positive or negative

o   Many people dream about ‘aplace in the country’ or ‘a holiday home’

o   There is still farming in theUK – mostly sheep or dairy (quite a lot of sheep around!)

·      More and more people arechoosing to spend their holidays

o   When the Euro is strong, itbecomes quite expensive to travel to Europe

·      It is easy to get thecountryside

o   Green belts – the countrysideis heavily controlled in the UK to protect the environment

o   National parks – the PeakDistrict, the New Forest

·      Villages (cottages, villagepubs) – mostly old buildings

o   Thatched cottage

o   Village fetes still take place

o   Hiking (or a ramble) – verypopular and normally ends in a pub

o   Actually very expensive if youwant to buy a place there

o   People visit country houses andcastles