Why the British Summer might have stolen us back for good
Contributed by Susie Phelps
The suntan lotion has been dolloped on to excess, there isn’t a cloud in the sky
and classic food and drink combinations are available on every turn. Have you
found yourself strolling down a European street again this summer? But no, of
course like many Britons you decided to stay in the land of good old Blighty
this year, and who can blame you if last summer was anything to go by?
‘Staycations’ have without a doubt become a much popular alternative type of
holiday, after all England is a country of beauty and it’s surprising how
a few rays of sun can actually shed light on this! The change in vacation style
appeared to really take precedent in 2010 when, The Guardian reports, that over
a third of Britonsreportedly chose to stay in England rather than go abroad
for their main annual holiday. And of course we know that Southern England and coastal
resortsare the highest attractors for this. St Albans is therefore just one
of the many locations that have benefited from this turn in British holidaying
habits. As a result this summer there is seemingly even more on offer to attract
tourism and locals alike.
Filming Britain
Skift Travel have reported that one of the many reasons for this turn is the booming
British film industry, which is attracting an unprecedented amount of
visitors to places where films have been shot. St Albans is of course definitely
not lacking in this department. Here are just a few places you might recognise
from the big (and not so big) screen;
- The area of Romeland and the walls of the Abbey and school ground were used for
filming in Inspector Morse, posing as Oxford colleges
- The Lady Chapel in the Abbey was used in First Knight which Sean
Connery starred in in 1995
- The nave of the Abbey was used instead of Westminster Abbey in Johnny
English
- Several scene of Incendiary were filmed in the Abbey as well, with Ewan
McGregor, Michelle Williams and Matthew Macfadyen
Alternative Holidaying
The travel model has completely changed over the years, and now according to
Sell My Timeshare one of the main reasons why
people are choosingto sell holiday properties is that people are either
looking for all inclusive holidays or are in the position where they no longer
want to travel abroad. This is great for British cities and areas such as St
Albans, who have really been able to benefit from the influx of more Britons
spending their holiday money at home. Of course the increase in visitors over
summer periods have also insured the longevity of new events and leisure options. Perhaps one
of the biggest functions to come to St Albans over the summer period is the
summer fair which runs from 27thto 29thJune and is set
to attract a wealth of visitors this year.
London funfairs have most certainly seen a rise in the
return to the popular fair, supporting the more traditional form of
holidaying. Events are reasonably one of the main things to draw in people to a
specific area, and there is a list of the biggest
and best in St Albanson our site.
The Isle of Accessibility
Another possible reason why Britons are looking to stay on the isle over summer
is because of how easily accessible everything is in our country. In St Albans
you’re within easy travelling distance to a great many number of locations,
including being a short train ride away from London, which WN.com has reported
as being the world’s
third best tourist destination. Being third best is perhaps not quite as
awe-inspiring as hoped, but when thinking this in the whole world, who’s really
going to be complaining? The quaint market town of Hitchin is also only a mere
thirty minute car ride away or a short trip on public transport, making St
Albans a perfect base for combining the best England has to offer with its
idyllic countryside and bustling, metropolitan capital city.
It really is not surprising after all then that Britons have adopted the
‘staycation’ ideal. Perhaps we are in essence just falling in love all over
again with our timeless country of which we can all most certainly be proud to
live in.