The English customarily test a newcomer’s salt before welcoming them into their fold. In business, this occurs by more subtle means, but socially, it can be akin to running a gauntlet. Show yourself to be an able wit or raconteur, and lasting friendship, typically sustained by much impolite but good-natured “taking of liberties,” is sure to follow, whereas a polite reaction means you likely failed the test.
Happily, there are easier ways to access British quintessence, such as visiting the following homegrown standards.
On February 9, 1961, the Beatles made their first official appearance at Liverpool’s steamy underground Cavern Club—and the rest is history. Still featuring live music, the venue accommodates groups of up to 380 for private events, in addition to coordinating transport aboard the Magical Mystery Tour bus and performances by a Fab Four tribute band.
The British love their baths, and for the best soak of your life, indulge at Thermae Spa in ancient Bath, where visitors experience mineral-rich waters as the Celts and Romans did over 2,000 years ago. The open-air rooftop pool offers incredible views across Bath.
Scheduled to open by early 2014, the much-anticipated new visitor center at group-accessible Stonehenge will provide for enhanced viewing and overall appreciation of the World Heritage Site’s mystical monoliths.
As the largest and oldest occupied castle in the world, Windsor Castle has wowed visitors for nearly 1,000 years.
Once, the joke was that the chefs in hell were British, so bad was the national cuisine. Those days are long past, however, and groups can enjoy delicious culinary excursions such as Birmingham's world-renowned Balti Triangle, home to more than 50 authentic Balti restaurants, each with its own specialty dish.
Integral to British culture, pubs seemingly grow on every corner. In Nottingham, Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem is said to be the nation’s oldest such establishment. Carved into the rock and connected with the labyrinthine sandstone caves footing Nottingham Castle, the inn dates to the time of Richard the Lionheart—1189AD.
