15 Fun facts about life in the UK — a place where people love to shop for clothes and can write letters to the Queen

The United Kingdom is famous for its monarchical tradition, the education of its citizens and the quality of its universities. The richness of its history attracts travelers from all over the world, and the international prestige of its capital London — dozens of millionaires. But you don’t need to visit the castles or study at the University of Oxford to get in touch with the country’s culture, just write a letter to the queen, for example.

We, from incredible.club, we decided to immerse ourselves in the culture of the United Kingdom and explore the curiosities of everyday life there. At the Finalwe prepared a bonus about a small British island that is looking for a “king” to rule it. Check out!

This, however, does not mean that the Royal postal service can be used indiscriminately, telling the Queen about the weather in your city or what you had for breakfast, for example. But, of course, it’s a sign that the times when British monarchs were inaccessible to the people are over.

Nowadays, anyone can write a letter to Elizabeth II, Duchess Kate Middleton or Prince William, congratulating them on a commemorative date or confessing their admiration for their accomplishments.

And you certainly won’t be left without a return: aides send official letters in response thanking you for your attention or with postcards with photos of the royal family. If you’re lucky, the queen herself will be able to read her letter.

There is a zero tolerance policy for cheating. Any kind of cheating during a test is a concrete reason for the expulsion of the student. The British call it cheating🇧🇷

Many Britons cross the road at any point, regardless of the traffic light. Over there, we don’t see the traditional white stripes forming the crosswalks, but points on the ground that delimit the path for people to cross.

Tourists are often confused when faced with this. And considering London’s hectic traffic, crossing a street at random can be dangerous. However, the British themselves justify this behavior by claiming that, according to local law, they can do whatever they want as long as it is not specifically prohibited.

Homeowners with a front yard are obsessed with how their lawn looks. And the length of the grass always looks the same everywhere. As soon as the grass grows a few centimeters, the British immediately mow it.

It’s no secret that the British are famous for their education. In the UK, you can hear “I’m sorry” quite often, and with different intonations and meanings. Certainly, it was from this sense of courtesy that the custom of thanking the driver when getting off the bus arose.

The UK definitely has good beaches. However, due to the local climate, the water there is quite cold even in summer. But this is not an impediment for the British, who are used to low temperatures and bathe in the sea even with very cold water.

In the UK, you can find a wide variety of breads — from the sweetest to the more traditional. And each type has its own name. Because of this, it can sometimes be difficult for tourists and newcomers alike to find their way around and correctly order the bread they want. Also, due to the diversity of dialects, the same bread may be called differently in different parts of the UK.

“Look left”

Traffic is on the left in the UK, which is not new to many. However, one-way streets are quite common there. And all this ends up complicating the lives of pedestrians, who sometimes don’t know which way to look before crossing a street. Therefore, in some places in London you can see instructions written on the asphalt like “Look to the right” or “Look both ways”.

Overcast and gray weather is so common in the UK that when the weather is good people can even be shocked. So much so that when the temperature rises to 30ºC and the sun shines on the beaches, it is reported in the newspapers.

On the streets of British cities you can find not only artists playing the guitar, but also a variety of other musical instruments such as the cello, harp or saxophone.

The dairy profession emerged in the United Kingdom in the mid-nineteenth century. And already in the 20th century its relevance began to decline, so much so that milkmen almost disappeared. However, in recent years the milk delivery service has gained new momentum. Currently, there are organizations that deliver this product and dairy products in glass bottles to homes in the morning, returning to collect the empty containers later.

Scientists have discovered a rare species of mosquito living on the London Underground. They belong to the genus Culex and seem to have adapted well to subway systems and evolved independently of other species.

On weekends, people in other countries often play sports, go bowling, go for a walk — in short, relax and enjoy their free time in a variety of ways. The British, however, go shopping. According to a recent survey, more clothes are bought in the UK than in any other European country. Overall, people spend around £1,000 a year on clothes, which equals roughly £7,120.

In some houses in England you can find a plaque with the inscription “Old Lights” under the windows. This means that the property owner has the right to oppose the construction of buildings or the planting of trees in front of their windows that block the entry of natural light.

This law, traditionally known as the “old lights” doctrine, was adopted in 1832 and applied to properties that had natural light as the only form of lighting during the day for a period exceeding 20 years.

But not always. It turns out that the average temperature in the UK during the winter is around 5 ºC, but despite that, due to the high humidity of the air, the thermal sensation ends up not being that cold. In this season, it can either rain or snow. Anyway, people never fail to take an umbrella with them.

Thus, the most common clothes for this time of year are a light coat, waterproof boots and a hat. But as clothing — of course — is individual preference, it is sometimes possible to find people wearing shorts or short-sleeved shirts on the street. This rather unusual choice can be explained by the fact that if you move around and do not spend a lot of time outside, then you will not “freeze” from the cold. In addition, it is common to see British women wearing light dresses or skirts to go out at night with friends, even if it is snowing.

Among the British Isles, there is a rather small Piel flame, whose main attractions are an old ruined castle and a pub. In January of this year, a search was launched to find a “monarch” to run it, and a contest for king has even been announced. According to tradition, the winner will be crowned by sitting on a makeshift throne and pouring a drink over his head.

What feature of life in the UK caught your attention the most? Would you be able to adapt to the local lifestyle? Tell us in the comments section.