Things to do in United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is four nations sharing one set of islands, each with its own weather. Scotland even keeps its own banknotes. London sits in the warm, dry south-east corner, and the wet, cold end is Scotland's north-west.

Four countries, one timetable

England holds London, and beyond it Cambridge, under an hour north by train, plus the industrial cities: Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham. Scotland runs north into the Highlands. Belfast, in Northern Ireland, is closer to Glasgow by air than to most of England.

• Cambridge — the university town, its colleges and punts on the Cam a short walk from the station.
• Belfast — the Titanic city, and the road base for the Giant's Causeway, an hour up the Antrim coast.
• The Highlands — north of both Glasgow and Edinburgh, and colder than either most of the year.
• Wales — mountainous, often skipped, between England and the Irish Sea.

What the four add up to

Castles, cathedrals and football stadiums cover English and Scottish cities alike. Whisky belongs to Scotland alone. Ghost tours and self-guided city quests turn up almost everywhere sold here, from Birmingham to Belfast.

The coast runs on both ends of the map. Surf breaks in the south-west; cliffs line the Antrim coast, and neither sits close to the middle.

Practical

• Weather. London averages about 23C in July and 8C in January; Scotland and the north run several degrees cooler and wetter in every month, and rain is a year-round risk everywhere.
• Currency. Pounds sterling everywhere; Scottish and Northern Irish banks print their own notes, and English tills take them without argument.
• Getting between the four. London to Edinburgh runs under four and a half hours by train; London to Belfast is faster by air, about ninety minutes.
• Driving. On the left, and single-track roads are normal once you leave the Highlands' main routes.
• Tipping. Restaurants often add a service charge of around twelve per cent; pubs and bars take none.
• Booking ahead. Edinburgh in August, football weekends anywhere, and the Giant's Causeway's summer time slots.