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Books : Great Britain (Lonely Planet Country Guide)
Rating: 
- A big book, but of limited appeal in the internet age
This is a large book- over 1000 pages, and it aims to be a single, comprehensive guide to Britain. It begins with a section on travel advice such as tips about safety, information about currency and safety and information about travelling to Britain and within Britain. Basically, information for before you travel. But I would question the appeal of this kind of printed material. All this information can be found out quite easily online, and online sources are naturally much more up to date.
In the intro, and throughout the book, they make remarkable generalisations. "English pubs general..." " The British public usually..." I hope people don't take this too seriously!
Also this book is not re-written, it is simply updated. As such some sections are not actually updated for years, as they are left untouched with each edit. Hotels that were good 10 years ago might have changed a great deal now. Obviously they can't go back and review each hotel every year- which is the books main drawback. Nowadays you can go online and view customer reviews from many travellers for a specific hotel, something that a book simply can't do.
They don't include the very useful chain hotels (Travelodge, Premier Travel Inn, Inn Keepers Lodge etc) in this book at all- Simply dismissing them as "for business travellers." However often these offer very large discounts for people who book in advance (which most vacation travellers surely do.) They seem almost obsessed with " Hostels " and " B and Bs" I presume because they consider them more "authentic." The reality is hostel/B and B accommodation is in somewhat of a decline, and the destinction between "business" travellers and "vacation" travellers is somewhat artificial.
What I'm sayng is this book shouldn't be soley relied on for hotel listing as it is of limited scope, and material might be well out of date.
Their comments and listings for restaurants are, by necessity, very limited and a bit pointless. For many cities they list only a couple of restaurants. I don't know anyone who would choose their dining location based on such a limited scope, and it makes no little attempt to cover Britains massive take away culture, presumbaly assuming that people on holiday always dine restaurants.
The main sections of this book attempt to cover the entire country. Of course, London gets massive coverage, and most other places an overview or just a few lines. Some counties get barely more than a page. I don't know anyone who goes on holiday to visit an entire country, so really most of the book is of little relevance to travellers as it reviews places they arn't going near. This is especially true if you arn't including London in your trip.
This book is certainly readable, but as a full travel guide it lacks the depth available from other sources, most notably the internet. The size of the project means that most information in this book (especially about hotels) isn't based on personal experience- how could it be? As such the majority of info- phone numbers for taxis, places to stay, places to eat etc is available easily for free on websites and at tourist centres in the major towns.
I also feel it lacks more down-to-Earth information such as info about supermarkets, nightclubs, social groups etc. Most towns are judged on thir historical rather than contemporary appeal.
My tip would be to read this BEFORE you go to Britain, then leave it at home. the best way to travel is to experience things firsthand, by yourself. My experience of some places I have visited has been ruined by poor guidebook descriptons.
Rating:
- Essential
Do those people complaining that this book runs down Britain actually live there?
I am English and this book is an interesting and accurate portrayal of the country. For the tourist the UK is a minefield of over-priced goods, bad food, kitsch B&B's, dirty beaches, drab towns, rain, and dodgy plumbing.
On the other hand it is a country of architechtural beauty, breathtaking scenery, delicious local fare, unrivalled cultural diversity, literature, music, theatre, history spanning back thousands of years around every corner and virtually never-ending summer nights (if the weather's fine).
This book helps to make sure you visit the latter of those descriptions rather than the former.
As a local I enjoy keeping this in the car when I'm travelling round and find the criticisms very amusing, as well as being mostly accurate to some extent.
Rating:
- Good for first-time visitor to the UK
Most visitors to the UK come for short-term visits, business trips or weekend breaks, and tend to focus on London so it's appropriate that this book devotes a lot of space to London. Although nowadays, London is such an international melting-pot that it is perhaps not really part of Britain proper; the book should encourage visitors to travel further afield. I didn't think it was Anglophobic. Its criticism of much of the customer service and poor value of tourism in Britain is justified. Surveys show that many overseas tourists are disappointed by the transport, hotels and restaurants that they encounter while visiting the UK. Hopefully this book will point them towards the better places.
Rating:
- Not a guidebook for the British
Being British myself I was looking for a comprehensive guidebook. Unfortunately the Lonely Planet Great Britain falls short. There are a number of alarming omissions; Coventry, for example. I'm no fan of the city but surely it should get at least a mention for its Cathedral alone. It is as important for a guidebook to tell you what's bad and not worth seeing, just as much as what's good.
Aside from the above the articles in the book are comprehensive, informative, well written and often accompanied by maps (although these could be clearer). The guide lists hotels by category (budget, mid-range and top end) and usually gives a telephone number and website address for each. Restaurant and bars are also listed, together with a critique.
I think that this guide would be a good companion for a foreign visitor who is looking to spend a few weeks in the country, but is only of small use to British nationals. Since buying this guide I have bought Fodor's Great Britain 2006 - this has far fewer omissions and is the one I would take with me on a trip. It's still heavily aimed at the American market but as long as you can put up with that it is a better guide.
Rating:
- This is no good for indigenous people
I read this book on the back of Reading Bill Bryson's "Notes from a Small Island" in the hope that it would be able to (as Bryson's book had) recommend me some places to visit in my own country. It was very disapponting in this respect - covering only the most touristy places and uncovering no little gems. This is probably a really good guide for people who are visiting Britain for a short time and want to concentrate on London and maybe one or two other major tourist traps - but for someone who really wants to get to know Britain it is worthless. This said, the guide to the English language at the back of the book is hilarious, albeit in no way comprehensive.
- A big book, but of limited appeal in the internet ageThis is a large book- over 1000 pages, and it aims to be a single, comprehensive guide to Britain. It begins with a section on travel advice such as tips about safety, information about currency and safety and information about travelling to Britain and within Britain. Basically, information for before you travel. But I would question the appeal of this kind of printed material. All this information can be found out quite easily online, and online sources are naturally much more up to date.
In the intro, and throughout the book, they make remarkable generalisations. "English pubs general..." " The British public usually..." I hope people don't take this too seriously!
Also this book is not re-written, it is simply updated. As such some sections are not actually updated for years, as they are left untouched with each edit. Hotels that were good 10 years ago might have changed a great deal now. Obviously they can't go back and review each hotel every year- which is the books main drawback. Nowadays you can go online and view customer reviews from many travellers for a specific hotel, something that a book simply can't do.
They don't include the very useful chain hotels (Travelodge, Premier Travel Inn, Inn Keepers Lodge etc) in this book at all- Simply dismissing them as "for business travellers." However often these offer very large discounts for people who book in advance (which most vacation travellers surely do.) They seem almost obsessed with " Hostels " and " B and Bs" I presume because they consider them more "authentic." The reality is hostel/B and B accommodation is in somewhat of a decline, and the destinction between "business" travellers and "vacation" travellers is somewhat artificial.
What I'm sayng is this book shouldn't be soley relied on for hotel listing as it is of limited scope, and material might be well out of date.
Their comments and listings for restaurants are, by necessity, very limited and a bit pointless. For many cities they list only a couple of restaurants. I don't know anyone who would choose their dining location based on such a limited scope, and it makes no little attempt to cover Britains massive take away culture, presumbaly assuming that people on holiday always dine restaurants.
The main sections of this book attempt to cover the entire country. Of course, London gets massive coverage, and most other places an overview or just a few lines. Some counties get barely more than a page. I don't know anyone who goes on holiday to visit an entire country, so really most of the book is of little relevance to travellers as it reviews places they arn't going near. This is especially true if you arn't including London in your trip.
This book is certainly readable, but as a full travel guide it lacks the depth available from other sources, most notably the internet. The size of the project means that most information in this book (especially about hotels) isn't based on personal experience- how could it be? As such the majority of info- phone numbers for taxis, places to stay, places to eat etc is available easily for free on websites and at tourist centres in the major towns.
I also feel it lacks more down-to-Earth information such as info about supermarkets, nightclubs, social groups etc. Most towns are judged on thir historical rather than contemporary appeal.
My tip would be to read this BEFORE you go to Britain, then leave it at home. the best way to travel is to experience things firsthand, by yourself. My experience of some places I have visited has been ruined by poor guidebook descriptons.
Rating:
- EssentialDo those people complaining that this book runs down Britain actually live there?
I am English and this book is an interesting and accurate portrayal of the country. For the tourist the UK is a minefield of over-priced goods, bad food, kitsch B&B's, dirty beaches, drab towns, rain, and dodgy plumbing.
On the other hand it is a country of architechtural beauty, breathtaking scenery, delicious local fare, unrivalled cultural diversity, literature, music, theatre, history spanning back thousands of years around every corner and virtually never-ending summer nights (if the weather's fine).
This book helps to make sure you visit the latter of those descriptions rather than the former.
As a local I enjoy keeping this in the car when I'm travelling round and find the criticisms very amusing, as well as being mostly accurate to some extent.
Rating:
- Good for first-time visitor to the UKMost visitors to the UK come for short-term visits, business trips or weekend breaks, and tend to focus on London so it's appropriate that this book devotes a lot of space to London. Although nowadays, London is such an international melting-pot that it is perhaps not really part of Britain proper; the book should encourage visitors to travel further afield. I didn't think it was Anglophobic. Its criticism of much of the customer service and poor value of tourism in Britain is justified. Surveys show that many overseas tourists are disappointed by the transport, hotels and restaurants that they encounter while visiting the UK. Hopefully this book will point them towards the better places.
Rating:
- Not a guidebook for the BritishBeing British myself I was looking for a comprehensive guidebook. Unfortunately the Lonely Planet Great Britain falls short. There are a number of alarming omissions; Coventry, for example. I'm no fan of the city but surely it should get at least a mention for its Cathedral alone. It is as important for a guidebook to tell you what's bad and not worth seeing, just as much as what's good.
Aside from the above the articles in the book are comprehensive, informative, well written and often accompanied by maps (although these could be clearer). The guide lists hotels by category (budget, mid-range and top end) and usually gives a telephone number and website address for each. Restaurant and bars are also listed, together with a critique.
I think that this guide would be a good companion for a foreign visitor who is looking to spend a few weeks in the country, but is only of small use to British nationals. Since buying this guide I have bought Fodor's Great Britain 2006 - this has far fewer omissions and is the one I would take with me on a trip. It's still heavily aimed at the American market but as long as you can put up with that it is a better guide.
Rating:
- This is no good for indigenous peopleI read this book on the back of Reading Bill Bryson's "Notes from a Small Island" in the hope that it would be able to (as Bryson's book had) recommend me some places to visit in my own country. It was very disapponting in this respect - covering only the most touristy places and uncovering no little gems. This is probably a really good guide for people who are visiting Britain for a short time and want to concentrate on London and maybe one or two other major tourist traps - but for someone who really wants to get to know Britain it is worthless. This said, the guide to the English language at the back of the book is hilarious, albeit in no way comprehensive.