Being one of the new people to the forum could I offer a word of praise & thanks to Lisa our Host, one just needs to look at the articles on this site, a lot of time has been taken & all very informative, well done.

As for my self, have been interested in learning about wine past two years, been searching for a site can feel at home, have found some sites, which seem to either be non informative or ready to shoot down new comings with snobbish ways or with far to much techno stuff, think I have found what I have been searching for.

Last but not least, being a London Lad born & bred, know we say & doing things which may differ to other parts of the world, please forgive me if I should come across pushy or OTT, it’s not my intention, it’s just my love of this new hobby, wishing to learn more & share with like minded people.

Neil

Welcome Neil, we love to have you here!

I have many friends from England, and I think it's fair to say that every culture has its unique aspects. You get the added benefit of having cool locations like Stonehenge to visit

Lisa,
Thanks, we have Stonehenge, but you have Disney World.

Neil

LOL what a scary comparison! How about we have the Grand Canyon?

Lisa,
The sad things, most people these days seem to prefer the Mouse House. Trust when you visited Stonehenge you went to Averbury, better not get me going on what U.K. has to offer visitors, even the folks here do not know many of our hidden gems.

Neil

Peter took me to ALL sorts of cool places, I got to see standing stones of all shapes and sizes, old Roman walls, old "high roads" and more! I had a blast

Lisa,
Best not get me going down this road, I used to be a tour guide, getting paid to meet interesting people & show them the Beauty of the what the U.K., has to offer, most enjoyable.

Neil

oooo excellent! What a fantastic career! What would you say I should see on my next trip? I already have so many things. I love the Jane Austen books so all those locations. I love the Robin Hood stories so those locations. I really enjoy the Brother Cadfael stories. And then I want to see Hadrian's Wall. So that's already 4 trips right there ...

Lisa, We went to Jane Austin’s house last week end, if you go, go early or just before the house shuts, sit in the garden ( not this time of year ) if lucky, the house cat might come out & sit with, you just as it did when Jane sat in the same garden writing the books.

After visiting the house one must go to see her tomb in Winchester not forgetting also to see the Round Table, ruined by Henry V111, told you not to get me going down this route, love it.

We are into the Pre Raphaelite movement at the moment, visiting the house & galleries, next week intend to get to the Red House, William Morris home, know you get BBC production, keep your eye open for Desperate Romantics, forget all the rubbish put into to get it to sell, it give one a great eye opened to how great these people painted & changed art in the U.K., that is enough, back to wine.

Neil

Wow there's a 300 year old cat in the Jane Austen house??

meee-owww

Thought everyone knew Cats have Nine Lives.

I guess they must have nine *really long* lives!!

What's interesting - and I admit I'm odd - is I'm not that keen on going to where Jane Austen sat and wrote. I'm really interested in going to see the places she describes in her books

You have to go to Bath & on way, call into Lacock Village, set in a time wrap most of the period productions made in the village for BBC, also look out for Harry Potter, some of it filmed in the Abbey.

Neil

Yes definitely I want to go see Bath, that figures very strongly in Persuasion which I've seen many versions of many times

I love Bath. Been there four times for some reason...it just draws me.

I just had to say it :-

I love Bath. Been there four times for some reason,

"maybe to get clean"

Neil

Jilly, see, you are an amazing world traveler! Many people would LOVE to see the places you've been