Life in the UK

A village in the UK has been hailed for its “insane” chippy and for providing visitors with an accurate taste of life in the past thanks to its “trapped in time” aesthetic and feel

A village in the north of England has been praised for its “insane” chip shop and its ability to transport visitors back in time with its “trapped in time” atmosphere. The UK is home to a wealth of scenic and historical locations that are well worth a visit.

One such place is Beamish, an open-air museum village located in County Durham, England – north-east of Stanley. It offers 350 acres of rural countryside, as well as being a “living” museum, complete with vintage shops and restaurants, Georgian gardens, historic modes of transport like trams and buses, and much more. This charming and fascinating destination has been designed to give visitors a realistic glimpse into the history of northern England, attracting hundreds of thousands of people each year who come to experience it first-hand.

The official Beamish website states: “Step into the past at Beamish, The Living Museum of the North.

“Beamish is a world famous open air museum which brings the history of North East England to life at its 1820s Pockerley, 1900s Town, 1900s Pit Village, 1940s Farm, 1950s Town and 1950s Spain’s Field Farm exhibit areas.”

It’s a mix of original buildings, replicas, and relocated structures that together create a functional “living museum” that visitors can experience as if it were the real thing.

Food content creator Callum recently embarked on a journey to the village, which look like a seemingly untouched, historic British town.

He made a stop at the renowned Davy’s Fish and Chips, known for its traditional cooking methods.

In a video tour of the chippy and the town, Callum said in a voiceover: “This is the fish and chip shop trapped in time – one of the last in the world that uses coal to heat the original 1950s fryers, with fish and chips cooked in beef dripping.”

He added: “The sweet shop makes candy by hand, the bakery makes the same cakes as a century ago. There’s no mobile phone reception up here so people actually have to talk to each other.

“A slice of England unchanged. It’s one of the most incredible fish and chips, it’s Davy’s in Beamish.”

In the caption alongside the video, he added: “Insane chippy stuck in history. Absolute scenes. Davys Fish and Chips, Beamish”.

TikTok users were quick to share their thoughts in the comments section. One user enthused: “Beamish museum if you’ve not yet been then go, it’s brilliant, them chips and fish best ever”.

Another reminisced: “We went on a school trip to Beamish when I was about 10. Loved it! I’m 57 now”.

A third said: “Wonder if no mobile reception is a specific tactic. What a world with no mobiles and social media.”

One enthusiastic fan shared: “I’ll just tell ya right now fish in beef dripping from that shop heated by coal is the BEST fried fish you will ever eat in your f***ing life”.

Another declared Beamish’s fish and chips the “best fish and chips [they] have ever had.”

While another user pleaded: “Make the WHOLE of the UK like this”.

A final commenter confessed: “Not me Googling if people live here, in attempt to escape modern society”.

After having travelled across the UK for some weeks, American woman Amber Kacherian has shared four things about British hotel rooms that she found confusing or mind blowing

An American has shared the four things she found strange in her hotel room during her recent visit to the UK, but Brits soon came to explain the reasoning behind it all.

A woman named Amber Kacherian has taken to TikTok, where she has over one million followers, to share her experiences as she’s been travelling across the UK with some of her friends. While her viewers have loved watching her experiences, Brits have often taken to the comment sections of her videos after they were left confused by different things that differed to the way they do things in the USA.

In a recent video, Amber went on to share four things that she had found weird in one of the hotels she’d stayed in, but Brits soon came to explain the differences usually were for the better.

“Things in my British hotel that are weird to Americans,” she said at the start of her video, where she was seen standing in what appeared to be a standard hotel room.

No plug sockets in bathrooms

The first thing on her list was not having any sockets inside the bathroom.

“So the only outlet in this bathroom is just a small one for an electric shaver,” she explained.

Amber went on to say that she in particular had found this frustrating due to not being able to use the hair blow dryer or a curling or straighten iron when in the bathroom, as the closest plug was in the middle of the hotel room.

“Which begs the question, where do you plug in your hair styling tools?” she asked her viewers. “How do you do your hair with no mirror?”

Two flush buttons on the toilet

“Number two, no pun intended, two different buttons to flush the toilet,” Amber revealed as she showed the two flush buttons on the wall above the toilet.

She went on to explain that over every toilet, there are two buttons – a big one and a smaller one. She went on to explain that she’d assumed they are different depending on what you’re flushing.

“So, in America, there’s just one switch that flushes everything, We do not have two different flushes based on how much you just deposited into the toilet,” she explained. “Just one switch takes care of it all.”

Ground floor is not the same as first floor

For her third point, Amber went out of their hotel room to the lifts, where she showed the sign which had all the different floors of the building.

“The ground floor here is called zero instead of one. In America, we would call the ground floor the first floor,” she told her viewers. “And the floor above that would be the second floor.”

She went on to explain that when they had gotten their room number, which was on the first floor, they had found it confusing that they’d had to go up to the first floor, which is what they had considered the second floor, in order to find their rooms.

Light switches outside the bathroom

Next up, Amber expressed her confusion after finding that the light switches for the bathroom was located outside the bathroom door instead of inside the bathroom.

“Why do they put the light switch outside the bathroom?” she asked in confusion. “Because that means you could turn off the light on someone who’s in the bathroom while they’re in there.”

This sparked inspiration, as she was then seen running over to her friend’s room in order to turn the light to the bathroom off while he was in there.

While the American friend group had been left confused by these things, Brits soon took to the comment section to explain the reasoning behind some of these ‘weird‘ things.

“Yeah it’s against the law to have sockets in bathrooms because you know safety,” one person explained. Another person added: “Anything electrical that needs a 3 way British plug aren’t used where there is water and steam. Too dangerous…”

Someone else went on to say: “To be fair I’m not sure most of us understand the flushes. We just press something and hope for the best.”

The Hall family left the UK nine months to start a new life halfway around the world and they say it was ‘the best decision they ever made’ after pointing out several downsides of their homeland

A family who left the UK to move halfway around the world have hailed their long-distance move as the “best decision they ever made” before explaining the many reasons why. Kayleigh Hall, who documents her family‘s adventures via Instagram shared a clip that began by highlighting the miserable British weather they left behind at their previous property.

“Nine months ago we booked a one-way ticket out of the UK,” she wrote in a caption. Kayleigh went on to explain their move was enabled by “selling, donating and giving up everything we owned” and since they’ve never looked back at their ‘gloomy’ homeland.

Kayleigh bluntly continued in her video, outlining further reasons behind the Halls’ decision to start a new life.

“Fed up with the grey skies, misery, a school system not fit for purpose, working to survive, quality of life dwindling, negativity and a healthcare system in crisis,” she slammed.

With their bags and suitcases packed, and unwanted belongings thrown in a skip on their driveway, Kayleigh explained: “Yes no country is perfect, we aren’t looking for that.”

She elaborated: “We’re looking for a country that is safe, friendly, affordable, warm, slow living, prioritising experiences over things, a place where we don’t get taxed on things taxed, a country where we can raise our family in peace.”

Six months on from settling in their new home, Kayleigh says her family are now “convinced” the move was the right decision, describing the experience as “incredible”.

“We still don’t know when we’ll settle [permanently] and where,” she went on to confess. “It definitely won’t be the UK. We are loving our adventures so far and have so much more to experience.”

Kayleigh, who has currently based her family in Malaysia, closed: “Being able to spend all day as a family is a blessing. Our children are growing, thriving, and happier than ever. I am so grateful I get to spend so much time with them and my husband.”

The Halls’ decision was met with a mixed reaction, however, with some Instagram users pointing out that the “grass isn’t always greener”.

“I find this video very negative,” one of them responded. “You’re more than happy to have your own opinion and move wherever you want but completely roasting country you’re coming from and not saying anything positive about this country is really wrong.

“Yes, weather is nowhere near as hot as in Portugal, Greece and Spain but thanks to that UK is so green. There is so many beautiful places in here.”

A second individual concurred, listing several benefits: “UK is beautiful, misty and grey in autumn and gorgeous in summer. Fifth largest economy in the world with immense opportunities. Strong chemical, environmental and safety policies. Highly regulated food and pharmaceutical industry.”

Whilst a cynic questioned: “Be interesting to see what happens if one of you needs medical care, suppose you won’t come back to use the NHS will you?”

Others were more supportive, however, including one person who congratulated: “Amazing well done, your family are going to have such amazing memories.”

Another fumed of UK life: “I think it was the best decision you’ve ever made. I’ve been living in the UK for over 20 years, and I haven’t gained anything good from this country. Just five more years, and I’ll be leaving for good. Life here hasn’t felt normal – it’s been a constant fight for survival.”

And a third exclaimed: “Much respect! Leaving the UK was the best decision I’ve ever made too! I haves lived in Tuscany, Italy for the last 24 years. It’s not perfect, but for me it’s a great quality of life. Most people don’t ever consider moving country as an option…sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t, but until you try you’ll never know!”

Travel blogger Chelsea Rodd was left stranded at London Gatwick Airport after being denied a flight to Italy owing to a passport issue she believes may not be common knowledge

A woman has issued a warning to all British passport holders after her holiday plans ended in tears at the airport. Travel blogger Chelsea Rodd fell victim of a rule she was unaware of, resulting in her having to cancel her plans despite the fact her passport is yet to expire.

“I should be in Milan right now with the girls,” began a tearful Chelsea in a TikTok video. She continued, explaining that after arriving at London Gatwick Airport ready to drop off her baggage, her passport was subsequently checked and it soon became apparent she wouldn’t be heading to Italy. “I’m not sure if this is common knowledge – I travel all the time – but because my passport’s start date is July 2015, it’s just gone over the 10-year mark even though it doesn’t run out until April 2026,” Chelsea explained.

So what’s the problem? “I learned the hard way that for travel to the EU your UK passport must have been issued within the last 10 years – even if it hasn’t expired yet,” she revealed.

Chelsea continued: “I’m absolutely shocked by that. When you go to book your flight to the EU, nothing on the website mentions this and at the point of check-in nothing was said.”

Attempts to fly with a different airline, on alternative flights and to another airport all proved in vain. “I even tried the Passport Office and booking an emergency appointment online” Chelsea said. “But there was nothing until Monday when we’d be due to come back. I tried everything and the girls didn’t want to go without me, but I wanted them to have a lovely time as we’ve been planning it so long.”

To compound her misery, Chelsea revealed she will now be forced to miss out on numerous content creation opportunities she had arranged with a number of brands over the course of the past year.

She closed by urging others: “If you have a trip coming up, check your passport’s start date, not just the expiry date. This rule came in after Brexit, but it’s still catching so many people out.

“Previously when you renewed a passport, if you did it before the 10 years was up they would give you the extra on top – this was my issue. They don’t do that now.”

Writing in response, one TikTok user shared the same frustration, penning: “The annoying thing is when you check in and put your passport details in they only ask for expiry – and given this has happened so many times of people being unaware airlines should ask for start date too.”

A second person added: “This happened to me many years ago. I organised a trip to Milan. We all at airport checking in. That’s when I was informed that my passport had expired. I had to wave goodbye to my friends.”

While a third fumed: “Happened to me too a couple of weeks ago at Gatwick. Passport expires Sept 2026 and issued June 2015. Don’t get how they allow you to book. I always thought you had to have 6 months from when you return.”

The European Union’s travel website advises: “If you are a national from a country outside the EU wishing to visit or travel within the EU, you will need a valid passport and possibly a visa.

“Your passport should be valid for at least 3 months after the date you intend to leave the EU and it must have been issued within the last 10 years.

“This means your travel document must have been issued within the previous 10 years the day you enter the EU on condition that it is valid until the end of your stay plus an additional 3 months.”

A woman who moved from the US to the UK has shared three phrases she never said before she moved to Britain, including one that she claims ‘throws off every American’

A woman who moved from the US to the UK has shared the one ‘British’ phrase that she claims every American expat gets confused by. It’s expected to get some culture shocks when moving to a new country, including the language used by locals, and an American called Katie has taken to TikTok to speak about the differences she has experienced since moving across from the States.

The content creator now lives in York and has posted videos about her life in the UK. These include British supermarket items she likes and things that “feel illegal” in Britain but aren’t illegal. In another clip she shared three British phrases she never used to say before living in the UK.

1. ‘You alright’

Katie claimed the phrase ‘you alright’ “throws off every single American when they move here” and she admitted that it’s definitely true for herself.

She explained that in America people only say that if something’s wrong but in the UK people commonly say ‘you alright’ as a greeting when passing each other in the street, for example.

The expat advised fellow American expats not to panic if a British person says this to them and to respond ‘yeah, good thanks and you?’

2. ‘Hiya’

Katie continued: “[The] Second one is ‘hiya’. I don’t…I never said this before moving here, now I say it all the time.”

‘Hiya’ is an informal way of saying ‘hello’. She added that it flows well with ‘you alright’ so someone from the UK might say ‘hiya, you alright.’

3. ‘What’s for tea?’

The content creator’s third and favourite phrase that she has picked up since moving to the UK is ‘what’s for tea?’

Katie remarked: “I ask everybody ‘what’s for tea?’, I love it.” She explained that Brits use this casual phrase when asking someone what they are having for dinner.

The expat elaborated: “I think it’s maybe only like a northern thing to ask that but either way, yeah I’m obsessed with it.”

She also shared that she asks ‘what’s for tea?’ anytime there’s a lull in the conversation or when she’s talking to someone she has just met.

Katie’s TikTok video has garnered 18,700 views, more than 1,000 likes and numerous comments, at the time of writing.

One user pointed out: “Americans say ‘how you doin’ which is literally the same as ‘you alright’.

Another said: “There’s an amusing irony in how you started the video with ‘what’s up’ which always throws Brits off as we would only use it if something is wrong.”

A third praised Katie for adopting British culture as they commented: “Perfect, you’re doing great. These made me smile, I use all of these.”

While a fourth added: “Love how you’re picking up a bit of an accent too.”

A woman travelled with three of her friends to Alicante, Spain, and shared before-and-after snaps of their tans on their return – but people were left with the same concern

A group of Brit holidaymakers have been slammed online after sharing before-and-after snaps of their tans following a trip to sunny Spain. Lizzy Pittaway and three of her pals travelled to Alicante for five nights – plenty of time, it seems, to have caught some nasty sunburns.

Prior to jetting off, the group posed at the airport to show their pre-holiday skin colour as they stood in front of a Boots store. Then, on their return to the UK, they repeated the pose to show off the effects of the sun. Lizzy, from West London, shared the before-and-after video to TikTok, which quickly went viral with 895,000 views and 800 comments.

Many of those who commented criticised the ladies’ newfound “red” look, however.

“You were in Boots, why didn’t you buy sun cream?” one TikTok user asked in response.

Another person asked: “Tan or burn?” A third urged: “Girlies wear sunscreen. The locals feel bad for you when you walk around red as a lobster. It looks painful. I say this as a white as a ghost Spanish girl, skin cancer is not a joke.”

Meanwhile a fourth offered kinder feedback, declaring: “Looks like you had a very good time.”

In response to the backlash, Lizzy said: “We did use factor 50 sun cream consistently. And the lighting makes us look way redder than we actually were.”

She told What’s The Jam: “This has been a trend on TikTok for a while now so we thought it would be a bit of fun for when we went on holiday. We posted several TikToks while out in Alicante, including outfit checks each evening, but for some reason this one just blew up.”

The 21-year-old continued: “I think mostly because people were shocked and outraged by the video, not necessarily because they liked it. Whilst she explained that she posted the video “without too much focus” when their return flight home was delayed.

“I posted it while we were waiting at the airport and it wasn’t until the next day when I was like, ‘Whoa, this has actually gone quite big’,” she admitted. “The reaction was very mixed – friends and family thought it was quite funny and light-hearted, which was our motivation behind posting it.

“But then it started to get picked up by Spanish people, which is where most of the views and comments came from. They were quick to judge us and say that we were all sunburnt, don’t know how to use sun cream, and are going to get skin cancer.”

Lizzy added: “While I completely understand the dangers of sunburn and skin cancer, we were all extremely cautious on holiday. We even did a pre-order at Boots prior to the holiday that we picked up at the airport, mostly made up of sun creams.

“Some of the comments were restricted because they were quite harsh. Luckily, I am able to take the comments and they haven’t affected me too much as I know the truth behind the video. But for some, many of these comments could be damaging, as people don’t often consider that there is someone on the other side receiving them. There was also a lot of division within the comments section with many people arguing among themselves.”

While the university student and her pals covered themselves in cream every day, she admitted that “a few of us did get a little bit sunburnt”.

“But nothing unusual that we hadn’t experienced before,” she stated. “We were continually applying sun cream and were in the shade or pool for most of the day.

“I would say that it is quite hard to avoid getting a little bit sunburnt when visiting another country and trying to explore the area. We did try to stay inside or in the shade when it got to the highest UV levels in the day and apply extra factor 50 sun cream to be safe.”

Lizzy closed: “In no way did we intend for the video to promote getting sunburnt as obviously that is not cool and can be seriously dangerous. When we posted it, we obviously knew that we weren’t as sunburnt as the video made out and so didn’t think much of it.”

“But the labelling of us as ‘guiris’, which I initially didn’t know the meaning of, is untrue as we were up to date with how to stay safe in Spain.”