How to spend Easter weekend when you are in the UK!

As you probably know we have a four day weekend coming up in the next few days. A lot of people, including me, will use this as an opportunity to escape the hurly burly of London by taking a short holiday. Here is our latest blog post from one of our trainers, Jon.

There are of course a lot of options. Europe is on your doorstep - there are plenty of inexpensive flights and Paris, Barcelona and Rome are all just a few hours away. Alternatively some people might choose to go and visit other places around the UK - from Brighton in the south to Edinburgh in the north there is an abundance of beautiful cities each with its own unique history and culture.

If, however, you'd like to try something a little different, why not get away into the countryside. The UK has a number of unsung beauty spots which everyone would enjoy.  My personal favourite is Snowdonia in Wales. It is a huge national park (when I say “park”, it’s not like the parks in London, it’s much bigger than that, it’s hundreds of square miles of more or less untouched natural beauty). It has something for everyone. If you want an action break climbing mountains, riding horses and white water rafting, you can find it here. If, on the other hand, you’d prefer something a little more sedate then it’s ideal for you too, you can have a gentle stroll along one of the many exquisite beaches, or enjoy a hearty lunch in an old-fashioned pub. You’re not going to find any massive shopping centres here, nor, for that matter, are you going to come across any major nightlife, but you’re not looking for that, you have all of that in London. What you’ll get if you go to Snowdonia is clean air, stunning scenery, and a chance to see the real UK.

One other point to make is that getting out of the city will give you a brilliant chance to practise your English. My students always tell me that they never meet any “real British people”. Once you’re in the countryside you will meet lots of authentic Brits, with a variety of accents and dialects for you to get to grips with, so you can take a holiday from school in order to practise your English!

It should of course be noted that there are other places of great natural beauty in the UK, including the Lake District, the Cotswold hills, and the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, amongst many others. If you want to know what they’re like why not do a little internet research and pick one for your next escape from the capital?

By Jon

Glossary

coming up (phr.) – happening soon

on your doorstep (phr.) – close by

abundance (n.) – a large quantity of something, more than enough

get away (phr.v.)- escape

unsung (adj.)– valuable and important but not famous

sedate (adj.) – quiet, calm, relaxed

exquisite (adj.)– extremely beautiful

hearty (adj.) – strong, powerful

come across (phr.v.) – find, discover

stunning (adj.) – extremely powerful

Brits (n.) – slang, British people

get to grips with (phr.) - to come to understand something or  deal with a problem or situation