I used to love Winnie-the-Pooh growing up, so when I got to actually play Pooh sticks on the famous bridge in England, I couldn’t resist. True, I cheated. I just couldn’t let the children win. Through their tears I could see they understood my need to accomplish a long standing dream.
Okay, I jest a bit. I let them win. After all, it’s hard to tell which stick was really mine so I thought sod it, let the buggers have it. Truly, my sacrifice will be remembered through the ages. Statues will be erected, feast days planned. Etc.
Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, Winnie-the-Pooh. Those clever chaps at VisitEngland have produced a beautiful PDF of the “simple pleasures” enjoyed by people in Britain. You can either read on your tablet or download and print for the kids if they like that old fashioned paper-like feel.
Three of the most popular excursions in England involve Food. Fish and chips near the sea, a spot of Afternoon tea and a picnic in third.
A spokesman for VisitEngland said: “There is nothing like tucking into a portion of fish and chips. A fish supper is an ultimate pleasure of which many people will have memories. It is a taste of quintessential English life, and I think that really resonates with the parents who were polled.”
Download the PDF right here… and read the list below and see which ones you agree with (or would like to do when you get to England)
The top 25 simple pleasures
1. Enjoying a fish supper on Blackpool Pier, Lancashire
2. Indulging in afternoon tea, Devon
3. Picnicking on the shores of Windermere in the Lake District, Cumbria
4. Rock-pooling in Treyarnon Bay, Cornwall
5. Camping in the New Forest, Hampshire
6. Marvelling at Stonehenge, Wiltshire
7. Getting lost in the maze at Hampton Court Palace, Greater London
8. Taking a stroll beside Hadrian’s Wall, Northumberland and Cumbria
9. Boating day out on the Broads, Norfolk and Suffolk
10. Watching the puffins on the Farne Islands, Northumberland
11. Stargazing in Exmoor National Park, Somerset and Devon
12. Taking in the vista from the peaks at the Peak District National Park, Derbyshire
13. Trying to make the Queen’s Guard laugh at Buckingham Palace
14. Watching the changing of the Guards at Windsor Castle, Berkshire
15. Fossil-hunting on Brook Beach, Isle of Wight
16. Exploring the famous White Cliffs of Dover
17. Playing Pooh Sticks at 100 Acre Wood, East Sussex
18. Rolling down the hills around Corfe Castle, Dorset
19. Visiting a honey farm in Devon
20. Skimming stones at Holy Island, Lindisfarne, Northumberland
21. Picking blackberries on Box Hill, Surrey
22. Riding a narrow boat through the canal ways, Birmingham
23. Taking in the grandeur of Chatsworth House from the park, Chatsworth, Derbyshire
24. Seeking out the deer at Richmond Park, London
25. Admiring Bamburgh Castle from the beach, Northumberland
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