United Kingdom

Actually true

• Queuing is sacred

  Jumping a queue is treated as a near-criminal offence; the British form orderly lines instinctively, even for one person.

• The weather really is unpredictable

  Four seasons can happen in one afternoon, which is why everyone carries a coat regardless of the forecast.

• Pub culture is central to social life

  The local pub functions as living room, meeting hall and Sunday roast venue all at once.

• It rains a lot, but not constantly

  Much of the country gets more drizzle than downpour — grey skies rather than storms are the norm.

Commonly believed, wrong

• "British food is terrible"

  London has more Michelin stars than most European capitals, and regional cooking from Cornish pasties to Scottish seafood is excellent.

• "Everyone talks like the Queen"

  Accents vary wildly between Glasgow, Liverpool, Newcastle and London — often barely mutually intelligible.

• "It's always foggy"

  London fog was largely a Victorian coal-smog problem, solved decades ago by clean air laws.

• "The UK is small so there's not much to see"

  From the Scottish Highlands to Cornwall's coast and the Lake District, the landscape variety rivals countries many times its size.