Places of interest in the UK for the Life in the UK test

The UK at a glance

Capital cities

London (England and the UK), Edinburgh (Scotland), Cardiff (Wales) and Belfast (Northern Ireland).

John O'Groats to Land's End

The longest distance on the mainland: about 870 miles (1,400 km), from Scotland's north coast to the far end of Cornwall.

The National Trust

A charity set up by three volunteers in 1895. It looks after historic buildings, coastline and countryside, helped by many thousands of volunteers. Scotland has its own charity, the National Trust for Scotland.

National parks

Protected countryside that everyone can visit, where people also live and work. There are 15 across England, Wales and Scotland.

England

Big Ben

The nickname of the great bell in the clock of the Houses of Parliament, not of the tower. The clock dates from 1859. In 2012 the clock tower was named the Elizabeth Tower to mark Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.

The London Eye

A huge observation wheel on the south bank of the Thames. It is about 135 metres tall and was built for the millennium.

The Tower of London

First built by William the Conqueror. Visitors can see the Crown Jewels and tour with the Yeoman Warders (Beefeaters).

The Eden Project

An educational charity in Cornwall. Its huge 'biomes', like giant greenhouses, hold plants from around the world.

The Lake District

England's largest national park. Its lakes and mountains draw climbers, walkers and sailors. Windermere is England's largest natural lake, and Wastwater is England's deepest lake.

Stonehenge

A prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, built by early farmers. It was most likely a meeting place for ceremonies held at certain times of year.

Hadrian's Wall

A Roman wall across northern England, built to keep out northern tribes. You can still visit Roman forts on or near it, such as Housesteads and Vindolanda. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Maiden Castle

A huge Iron Age hill fort in Dorset.

Cathedrals

Medieval cathedrals include Durham, Lincoln, Canterbury and Salisbury, and York Minster, famous for its stained glass. Sir Christopher Wren designed the new St Paul's Cathedral after the Great Fire of London in 1666.

Westminster Abbey

Its Poets' Corner holds the graves or memorials of many of Britain's best-known poets.

The Cenotaph

In Whitehall, London, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. On Remembrance Day, the national ceremony includes laying wreaths here.

10 Downing Street and Chequers

The Prime Minister's official London home and official country house.

Scotland

Edinburgh Castle

Has stood on its rock above Scotland's capital since at least the 12th century.

Loch Lomond and the Trossachs

A national park in western Scotland. Loch Lomond is the largest stretch of fresh water in mainland Britain.

Skara Brae

A Stone Age village on Orkney, off the north coast of Scotland. No prehistoric village in northern Europe survives in better condition.

Holyrood

The home of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. The Parliament was set up in 1999.

St Andrews

Known as the home of golf, a game that can be traced back to 15th-century Scotland.

The Edinburgh Festival

Held every summer. Its largest part, the Fringe, mainly shows theatre and comedy, much of it experimental.

Wales

Snowdonia (Eryri)

A national park in north Wales. Since 2022 it has officially used its Welsh name, Eryri. It contains Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), the highest mountain in Wales.

The Principality Stadium

Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, now called the Principality Stadium. It is the home of the Wales rugby union team.

Conwy and Caernarfon castles

Great castles built to hold Wales after Edward I's Statute of Rhuddlan of 1284 brought it under the English Crown.

The Senedd

The Welsh Parliament, which meets in Cardiff. The handbook calls it the Welsh Assembly; it was renamed in 2020.

Northern Ireland

The Giant's Causeway

About 40,000 basalt columns on the north coast of County Antrim. They were formed by volcanic activity 50–60 million years ago.

Stormont

In Belfast. The Northern Ireland Assembly meets here.

Gardens and gardening

Gardening is a favourite hobby in the UK, and famous gardens in all four nations attract visitors.

Famous gardens

Kew Gardens, Sissinghurst and Hidcote in England; Crathes Castle and Inveraray Castle in Scotland; Bodnant Garden in Wales; and Mount Stewart in Northern Ireland.

The Chelsea Flower Show

Held in London each May.

Allotment

A piece of land that people rent to grow their own fruit and vegetables.

National flowers

The rose (England), the thistle (Scotland), the daffodil (Wales) and the shamrock (Northern Ireland).

Capability Brown and Gertrude Jekyll

Garden designers. Brown created natural-looking parkland in the 18th century. Jekyll made colourful gardens, often for houses by Lutyens.

Food, shops and going out

England

Roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, and fish and chips.

Scotland

Haggis.

Wales

Welsh cakes, made with flour, dried fruit and spices.

Northern Ireland

The Ulster fry, a fried breakfast that includes bacon, eggs, sausage and soda bread.

Shops and markets

Most shops open seven days a week, with shorter hours on Sundays and public holidays. Many towns hold markets with traders' stalls on one or more days each week.

Pubs

Pool and darts are the traditional pub games, and pub quizzes are popular too. You must be 18 to buy alcohol. In England, Wales and Scotland, 16- and 17-year-olds may drink beer, wine or cider with a meal if an adult is with them.

Betting and the National Lottery

You must be 18 to enter a betting shop or gambling club. The handbook gives 16 for the National Lottery; it rose to 18 in 2021.

Dogs

A dog in a public place must wear a collar showing its owner's name and address. Owners must clean up after their dog.

Cinema, television and comedy

1896

The first public film screenings take place in the UK, and cinema quickly becomes popular.

Charlie Chaplin and Alfred Hitchcock

Chaplin became a star of Hollywood silent films, playing a tramp. Hitchcock began in British films, directing The 39 Steps (1935), before moving to Hollywood.

David Lean and the Ealing comedies

Lean directed Brief Encounter and Lawrence of Arabia. Ealing Studios in London made comedies such as Passport to Pimlico and The Ladykillers. It claims to be the world's oldest film studio still in continuous use.

British films today

James Bond and Harry Potter are hugely successful film series made largely in the UK. The BAFTAs are the British film awards. Animator Nick Park has won four Oscars, three of them for Wallace and Gromit films.

Satire

Punch magazine, launched in the 1840s, and Private Eye today. On television, That Was The Week That Was and Spitting Image poked fun at politicians. Monty Python's Flying Circus was first shown in 1969.

TV licence

Anyone who watches or records TV as it is broadcast, on any device, needs one, and since 2016 so does anyone using BBC iPlayer. The money pays for the BBC, which shows no adverts. One licence covers all the TV equipment in a home, unless rooms are rented under separate tenancy agreements. Watching without one risks a fine of up to £1,000.

Famous venues for sport and music

Wembley Stadium

In London. Like the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, it hosts many major sporting events.

Wimbledon

Played at the All England Club: the world's oldest tennis tournament and the only Grand Slam event on grass.

Horse racing

The Grand National at Aintree, near Liverpool; the Scottish Grand National at Ayr; Royal Ascot in Berkshire; and the National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket.

The Royal Albert Hall

The main home of the Proms, eight weeks of summer concerts run by the BBC since 1927.

Music festivals

Glastonbury and the Isle of Wight Festival are examples. The National Eisteddfod celebrates Welsh culture.