Pass The Passport

Places / Europe

United Kingdom

Visited

At a glance

Region
Northern Europe
Capital
London
Population
69.5 million (2025)
Area
242,900 km²
Languages
English
Currency
British pound (GBP)
Drives on the
left
Calling code
+44
Visited: United Kingdom

Country visited City visited Still to go Click a pin or country to read more. Zoom with + and −, a double-click or a pinch.

Before you go

Home turf, so no travel advice needed.

Overview

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a supreme country situated off the northwestern coast of Europe. It comprises of the Island of Great Britain, the northeastern region of Island of Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales and other small islands.

The United Kingdom recorded a population of 66.65 million in 2019 and covers an area of 242,495 km2.

Its capital is in London.

The major cities in the country are Edinburgh, Birmingham, Liverpool, Glasgow, Manchester, Cardiff and Bristol.

Buckingham Palace, London.

History

The origins of the United Kingdom can be traced to the time of the Anglo-Saxon king Athelstan, who in the early 10th century CE secured the allegiance of neighbouring Celtic kingdoms and became “the first to rule what previously many kings shared between them,” in the words of a contemporary chronicle.

Through subsequent conquest over the following centuries, kingdoms lying farther afield came under English dominion. Wales, a congeries of Celtic kingdoms lying in Great Britain’s southwest, was formally united with England by the Acts of Union of 1536 and 1542.

Scotland, ruled from London since 1603, formally was joined with England and Wales in 1707 to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain.

Ireland came under English control during the 1600s and was formally united with Great Britain through the Act of Union of 1800.

During the First World War, the UK and Germany were against each other until its end in 1918.

The UK granted Ireland independent in 1921 but retained Northern Ireland.

UK joined in establishing NATO in 1949.

Food & culture

UK’s culture is based on the history of the combined nations, Europe and its historical Christian religious life.

The crops grown in the country are cereals mainly wheat, barley and oats, sugar beets, root vegetables, pulses and forages.

The popular dishes are fish, chips, kidney pie, shepherd’s pie, mash and bangers.

Tower Bridge, London.

Wildlife

Common wildlife animals include roe deer, red deer, hedgehogs, badgers, otters, hares and moles.

Festivals & events

The main celebrated events include St. George’s Day on 23rd April in England, Diwali in Leicester, Hogmanay, Burns Night, Hay Festival, Robin Festival, Jorvik Viking Festival and Notting Hill Carnival.

Things to see

One of the places to visit is the British Museum in London, which is a public organization that is devoted to human history, art and culture and was widely sourced during the British Empire.

There is also the Tower of London, which is a historic castle in the north of River Thames.

Lastminute.com London Eye widely called millennium wheel, which is a cantilevered monitoring wheel on the south of River Thames in London is also a great place to visit.

People also go to see the Big Ben, which is the Great Bell of the conspicuous clock situated at the north of the Palace of Westminster in London.

Other must-visit places in the UK are Buckingham Palace, Stonehenge, Roman Baths, St. Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey.

Big Ben & The Houses Of Parliament, London.

Interesting facts

The birthplace of Shakespeare and the Beatles in England.

The UK is famous for Oxford and Cambridge Universities, David Beckham and the Royal family.

The most populated country in the UK is England.

The official language in the UK is English and the official religion is Christianity.

City guides

Cities & towns I’ve visited

Famous hikes in United Kingdom

National Three Peaks Challenge

Distance
About 37 km of walking
Time
24 hours
Best time
May to September

How to do it: Climb Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon, the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales, within 24 hours, including the driving between them. Most people join an organised event with a driver.

See it on my bucket list

Run a marathon in United Kingdom

London Marathon

London · usually April

One of the six World Marathon Majors and the world's biggest fundraising race. Places come through the public ballot (opens the year before) or a charity place.

I'm running it in April 2027

Dates move from year to year, so check the race website before you book.

Races I've run in United Kingdom

127 races here so far. The most recent:

  • Oct 2026 Duxford Dash · Cambridge
  • Sep 2026 Autumn Wolf Run · Leamington Spa 2:21:08
  • Jun 2026 Summer Wolf Run · Leamington Spa 2:23:31
  • May 2026 Sawston Fun Run · Sawston 26:36
  • Apr 2026 Spring Wolf Run · Leamington Spa 2:20:28
  • Apr 2026 Coal Carrying World Championships · Gawthorp Maypole 8:40
  • Mar 2026 Cambridge Half Marathon · Cambridge 1:29:14
  • Feb 2026 London Winter Run · London 40:55
  • Nov 2025 Nuclear Fallout · Essex 1:41:00
  • Oct 2025 Cattle Creep 10k · Milton Keynes 45:00
  • Sep 2025 Shelford Fun Run · Great Shelford, Cambridge 19:48
  • Jun 2025 Summer Wolf Run · Leamington Spa 1:14:43

All my races

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in United Kingdom

9 of 34 visited. See every site I've been to.

My videos from United Kingdom

  • Steam train on the Glenfinnan Viaduct
    Glenfinnan, Scotland

My photos from United Kingdom

From 15 trips, newest first, so you can see which places each set of photos came from.

July 2026 UK

Durham, Bude

Whole trip gallery
  • Durham Cathedral rising above the trees
  • Rugged cliffs dropping into the Atlantic near Bude in Cornwall

October 2025 United Kingdom: Uttlesford

Uttlesford

Whole trip gallery
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May 2025 United Kingdom: Uttlesford

Uttlesford

Whole trip gallery
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April 2025 Lake District

Borrowdale, Buttermere, Above Derwent, Braithwaite

Whole trip gallery
  • A man and a woman taking a selfie with a boxer dog in the foreground.
  • A smiling man hugging a big brown boxer dog outside.
  • A man and a woman in beanies taking a selfie with a boxer dog by a lake.
  • A boxer dog in a harness sitting on grass in front of a fence and green fields.
  • A boxer dog sitting among rough grass and heather on a hillside.
  • A person with a dog by a clear river with trees and hills behind on a sunny day.
  • A boxer dog in a harness sitting on a pebbly lakeshore with hills behind.
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July 2024 UK

Cornwall

Whole trip gallery
  • St Michael's Mount seen across the beach in Cornwall.
  • A golden beach and turquoise sea on the Cornish coast.
  • Rugged cliffs on the South West Coast Path in Cornwall.
  • St Michael's Mount rising out of a calm blue sea.

May 2024 UK

South Downs

Whole trip gallery
  • The last light of sunset over the South Downs during the London to Brighton ultra.

January 2024 Winter Chills

London

Whole trip gallery
  • A golden sea of clouds stretching to the horizon below an aeroplane wing.

October 2023 UK

Jurassic Coast

Whole trip gallery
  • Waves rolling into the white chalk cliffs of the Jurassic Coast near Durdle Door

September 2023 UK

Snowdonia, Caernarfon

Whole trip gallery
  • Green valleys and a lake in Snowdonia.
  • The walls and towers of Caernarfon Castle at dawn.
  • The mountains of Snowdonia under a blue sky.
  • The Snowdon range and valleys from the trail.
  • Looking across Snowdonia's peaks and lakes.

June 2023 Dolomites

Crawley

Whole trip gallery
  • A bowl of granola topped with yoghurt and fresh strawberries on a wooden table.

October 2021 Isle Of Wight

Neist Point, Totland, Invermoriston Falls, Neist Point, Isle of Skye, Glenfinnan, Loch Ness, Scottish Highlands, Shanklin and 1 more

Whole trip gallery
  • A golden autumn beech wood beside a waterfall, with a wooden bench in the leaves
  • The white lighthouse at Neist Point on the Isle of Skye
  • The Glenfinnan Viaduct curving through the Scottish Highlands.
  • The cliffs of Neist Point on the Isle of Skye.
  • A shaggy Highland cow grazing near Loch Ness.
  • The lighthouse at Neist Point on the Isle of Skye.
  • An autumn woodland in the Scottish Highlands.
  • A thatched cottage pub with white windows, hanging flower baskets and a Union flag on a rainy street.
  • Waves breaking on a pebble beach below sandy cliffs under a cloudy blue sky.
  • Waves breaking on a rocky beach with white cliffs in the distance on the Isle of Wight.
  • A wide sandy beach with grey waves under cloud at Sandown.

October 2021 Scotland

Highland, Crawley

Whole trip gallery
  • A loch surrounded by steep mountains with autumn-coloured trees in the foreground.
  • A steam train crossing a curved stone viaduct among autumn hills, trailing white smoke.
  • A black steam locomotive puffing smoke beside green bushes and autumn trees.
  • A calm harbour with a small jetty, moored boats and a red-roofed building under a blue sky.
  • A stone castle on a small island linked by an arched bridge, with low tide revealing seaweed.
  • A shaggy young Highland cow with an ear tag standing on rocky, grassy ground.
  • A rocky river rushing over boulders between banks of autumn bracken.
  • White water rushing between rocks below misty, autumn-coloured hills.
  • A white lighthouse on top of rugged sea cliffs above a deep blue, choppy sea.
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  • A close-up of a shaggy ginger Highland cow, with more cattle and a wooden fence behind.
  • A row of brightly painted houses along a harbour, framed by trees and hills.

August 2021 Wales Road Trip

Snowdonia, Betws Garmon, Conwy, Portmeirion, Bro Garmon, Llanrwst, Betws-y-Coed, Trearddur and 3 more

Whole trip gallery
  • The round stone keep of Dolbadarn Castle in Snowdonia.
  • A clear stream running through a mossy Welsh wood.
  • Green hills and woodland in North Wales.
  • The sign for the Italianate village of Portmeirion.
  • A man in a T-shirt standing beside the stone summit pillar of Snowdon.
  • A rocky river gorge with rushing water, mossy boulders and green trees.
  • A stone cottage almost entirely covered in green ivy with a gravel path in front.
  • View from medieval stone walls over Conwy streets and rooftops towards the estuary.
  • A stone tower framing a view of an estuary with moored boats and a town beyond.
  • A tiny bright red house with a sign reading The Smallest House in Great Britain.
  • A multi-tiered waterfall cascading over dark rocks surrounded by lush green trees.
  • Sheep grazing on a green mountainside with rolling ridges and a distant coastline beyond.

March 2020 Land Of The Northern Lights Cruise

Shetland, Shetland Islands

Whole trip gallery
  • A sweeping sandy bay below green cliffs in Shetland
  • Grassy remains of ancient stone buildings on a green coastal headland.

October 2015 USA OCR World Championships

London

Whole trip gallery
  • A group of men holding a Union flag on a plane, on the way to the OCR World Championships.

Plan your trip to United Kingdom

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Neighbours

Also part of United Kingdom

Bucket List goals in United Kingdom