UK Bank Holidays and UK Public Holidays

Aztec calendar stone
National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City

England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales enjoy similar sets of bank holidays every year. Some are celebrated in all four countries, and some are only celebrated in one or more countries.

We all think of bank holidays and public holidays as being the same, and often use the terms interchangeably. However, there is a difference: bank holidays are those holidays when banks and some other businesses are closed, and public holidays are those holidays that have become established through common practice.

Top tourist attractions in England

British Museum
Great Russell St., London WC1B 3DG

Every year the VisitEngland web site publishes a list of the most popular visitor attractions in England.

In 2013, the British Museum in London was again the most popular free attraction, and the Tower of London was again the most popular paid attraction.

Attractions in London filled 9 of the top 10 and 15 of the top 20 positions in the list, with Brighton Pier in East Sussex, in sixth, being the most popular outside the London area.

15 of the top 20 in the list were free attractions, with only 5 being paid attractions.

Visa requirements for visitors to the UK

Map of the UK
Image by nearby.org.uk

Visitors to the UK who live in the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland have the right of free movement and residence in the UK. Hence they do not need a visa to enter the UK. Members of their family need an EEA family permit.

Visitors from other countries need a visa to visit the UK. Visitors from some countries might need an entry certificate instead of a visa, but it functions in much the same way as a visa. A visitor to the UK is normally allowed to stay for up to 6 months.

Saint George's Day History and Celebrations

Saint George's Flag
Image by James Yardley

Saint George is the patron saint of England. Saint George's Day, is England's official national day, and is celebrated on April 23rd every year.

St. Patrick's Day History and Celebrations

St. Patrick's Day Parade in Houston
Image by Sarah Worthy

St. Patrick's Day, which was originally a Catholic holiday, is now a recognized all over the world as a celebration of Irish Culture.

British Summer Time

National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
Image by Richard Croft

British Summer Time (BST) starts every year in the Spring, and ends every year in the Autumn (or the Fall as our American cousins call it), when the UK reverts to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

Penzance, Cornwall: Holidays, St Michael's Mount, and the Pirates

St Michael's Mount, near Penzance
Image by Sheila Russell

Penzance in Cornwall, known as Pen Sans ( the Holy Headland) in Kernowek, the ancient Cornish language, is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and in England.

The town is situated in Mount's Bay and faces south-east into the English Channel, giving it a temperate climate, which is milder than most of the rest of the country. Penzance's gardens  provide a colourful backdrop to the town from early spring to Late Autumn, with many sub-tropical flowers and palm trees.

The first recorded mention of the town, under the name of Pensans, was in the Assize Roll in1284, although there is evidence of Roman remains in the area.

Newquay, Cornwall: Holidays, Beaches, and Surfing

Surfing at Fistral beach
Image by Geoff Tydeman

Newquay is situated on the North Atlantic coast of Cornwall, and is known as the "Surfing Capital of the UK".

Newquay was originally a fishing village catching mostly pilchards, but these days only a small amount of edible crabs and lobsters are caught by the local fishermen. In the last century, the town has blossomed as a holiday resort, with its population swelling five times at the height of the season.

Newquay is particularly popular with families, due to its ten long sandy beaches, and with surfers, due to the powerful, hollow waves and good sized swell at the Fistral Beach.

St Ives, Cornwall: Holidays, Art, and The Tate Gallery

Porthminster Beach, St Ives
Image by Chris J Dixon

The seaside town of St Ives, Cornwall, is situated on the coast of the Celtic sea, in the South-Western corner of the county.

Originally a thriving fishing port, St Ives is now primarily a popular holiday resort, boasting a rich artistic culture. Many artists live and work in St Ives for the perceived quality of the air and of the light.

The town is well known for its four beaches, for its many galleries, including the Tate Gallery, St Ives, and the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden, and for its sub-tropical climate.

The Eden Project, Cornwall

The Eden Project, Cornwall at night
Image by Neil Kennedy

The Eden Project in Cornwall, the most popular visitor attraction in the region, attracting more than a million visitors a year. It is 1.25 miles from St. Blazey, and 3 miles from St. Austell, the largest town in Cornwall. It is housed in an old Kaolinite (clay) pit.

The Eden Project, which is run as a charity, aims to both provide an entertaining and educational day out for all the family, as well as running social  and environmental projects, research into plants and conservation, and providing memorable learning experiences for students of all ages.

Land's End, Cornwall

The famous signpost at Land's End
Image by Lewis Clarke

Land's End is situated at the most westerly point of Cornwall, which, in turn, is the most westerly county in England.

The name Land's End is used for the headland and cliffs which face the Atlantic Ocean, and for the Visitor Attraction that attracts over 400,000 visitors every year.

Land's End is famous for its iconic signpost that shows the distance, 874 miles, to John o' Groats, the most north-easterly point of the UK,  the distance, 3147 miles, to New York across the Atlantic Ocean, and the distance, 28 miles,  to the Isles of Scilly. The signpost also shows the current date, so that visitors' photographs are easily dated.

Cornwall, UK: Holidays, Tourism, and Pasties

Land's End, Cornwall
Image by Roger Butterfield

Cornwall is England's most westerly and most southerly county. With nearly 300 miles of coastline, some of England's best weather, and a rich history, Cornwall is a major tourist destination.

Cornwall boasts many world famous tourist attractions including Land's End, The Eden Project, and St.Michael's Mount, as well as towns and cities like St. Ives, Newquay, Penzance, and Padstow that are known throughout the world.

Counties of Northern Ireland

Parliament Building, Stormont, Northern Ireland
Image by Ross

Northern Ireland was divided into 26 districts, or councils, for local government purposes by the Local Government (Northern Ireland) Act 1972. The councils of the 26 districts are known as either district councils, borough councils, city councils, or and city and district councils.

These 26 districts replaced the six counties and two county boroughs that had been created by the Local Government Act 1898. These six counties and two county boroughs are still used for purposes such as Lieutenancy.

Counties of Wales

Flag of Wales
Image by manuel | MC

Wales was divided into 22 Principal Areas for local government purposes by the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994. 11 of them are known as Counties, and 11 are known as County Boroughs.

These 22 Principal Areas replaced the 8 Ceremonial Counties that had been created by the Local Government Act 1972. These 8 Ceremonial Counties became known as Preserved Counties, which are used for purposes such as Lieutenancy.

Counties of Scotland

Flag of Scotland
Image by Cayetano

In Scotland, the term county is now officially used to mean the Registration Counties that are used for land registration.

Local government is operated by a separate subdivision of the country into Council Areas.

And, finally, another subdivision of the country, into Lieutenancy Areas, is used for the ceremonial Lord Lieutenants, the representatives of the UK monarch in Scotland.

Counties of England

Counties of England
Image by PicturesOfEngland.com

England is divided into 48 counties, that together cover all of the country. These counties are commonly called the geographical counties of England for that reason.

Each county has a county town, which historically was the administrative centre for local government and was often the largest town in the county.

Countries in the United Kingdom (UK)

Map of the UK
Image by nearby.org.uk

The UK consists of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. More formally, these four countries form the sovereign state known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which itself is also described as a country.