LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL GUIDEBOOK INFORMATION
Top Tens
Must-See Movies
Predeparture planning is no chore if it includes a trip to the cinema or a night on the sofa with a DVD and a bowl of popcorn. Our parameters for a 'British' film? Anything about Britain. Anything which gives a taste of history, scenery or peculiar cultural traits.
- Brief Encounter (1945) Director: David Lean
- Passport to Pimlico (1949) Director: Henry Cornelius
- Braveheart (1995) Director: Mel Gibson
- Sense & Sensibility (1996) Director: Ang Lee
- Brassed Off (1996) Director: Mark Herman
- Trainspotting (1996) Director: Danny Boil
- The Full Monty (1997) Director: Pater Cattaneo
- East is East (1999) Director: Damien O'Donnell
- Shakespeare in Love (1999) Director: John Madden
- Billy Elliot (2000) Director: Stephen Daldry
Rave Reads
Travel broadens the mind. Especially if you read before you go. For a taste of life in Britain, try a few of these novels - from past classics to contemporary milestones.
- Pride & Prejudice (1813) Jane Austen
- Kidnapped! (1886) Robert Louis Stevenson
- The Trumpet Major (1895) Thomas Hardy
- The Rainbow (1915) DH Lawrence
- How Green Was My Valley (1939) Richard Llewellyn
- The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1962) Muriel Spark
- Waterland (1983) Graham Swift
- Trainspotting (1993) Irvine Welsh
- High Fidelity (1995) Nick Hornby
- White Teeth (2000) Zadie Smith
Fave Festivals
For entertainment or sheer fun to weave your travels around, here's a list of our 10 favourite festivals.
- Jorvik Viking Festival - York, February
- Brighton Arts Festival - Brighton, May
- Bath International Music Festival - Bath, May
- Glastonbury Festival - Somerset, June
- Mardi Gras Pride in the Park Gay & Lesbian Festival - London, June/July
- Edinburgh International Arts Festival - Edinburgh, August
- International Eisteddfod - Llangollen, July
- T in the Park - Kinross, July
- Reading Festival - Reading, August
- Notting Hill Carnival - London, August
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