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 27^thto 29^thJune 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.