Great Britain Travel Information

Great Britain Travel Information

As long as Great Britain is still a member of the EU, the principle of free movement applies to the entry of EU citizens.
German citizens only need a passport or ID card to enter the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. Entry is also possible without any problems with a temporary identity card. The German child ID card is recognized without a photo up to the age of 10, with a photo up to the age of 16.
In addition, the entry of the child in one of the parents’ passports is sufficient to enter the UK. There are no special regulations for minors traveling alone or when traveling with only one parent who has custody.
Particular care should be taken with hitchhikers as aiding and abetting illegal entry into the UK is punishable by prison terms of up to 10 years and a £ 2,000 fine.
In the light of the London terrorist attacks in July 2005, it is also advisable to inquire about the current security situation with the British Foreign Office or the Metropolitan Police when traveling.

Security advice on Northern Ireland
The security situation in Northern Ireland has eased considerably in recent years, but the region still offers certain risks, especially during the “marching season” from mid-June to mid-August.

Mountains

Ben Nevis
The highest mountain in the country is Ben Nevis in Scotland with a height of 1,344 m.

Snowdon
The highest mountain in Wales is Snowdon with a height of 1,085 m.

Scafell Pike
The highest mountain in England is Scafell Pike with a height of 978 m.

Slieve Donard
The highest mountain in Northern Ireland is Slieve Donard with a height of 852 m.

Other high mountains are:

  • Ben Macdhui in Scotland at an altitude of 1,310 m.
  • Braeriach in Scotland with a height of 1,296 m.
  • Cairn Toul, also located in Scotland, with an altitude of 1,291 m.

Rivers

Severn
The longest river in the country is the Severn with a length of around 354 km. It is located in the south-west of Great Britain between England and Wales – Cardiff is at its mouth. The tidal range here at the mouth of the river is one of the highest in the world at 15 m. At spring tide a high wave flows into the river, which has led to a record in surfing of 1 hour and 16 minutes.
There are plans to build a tidal power plant here with a total output of 8,600 megawatts in the next few years. It should be mentioned that a nuclear power plant delivers around 1,000 megawatts.
Other rivers:

United Kingdom Rivers

Thames
The Thames with a length of 346 km is without a doubt the most famous river in England and Great Britain, not least because it flows through London and the university city of Oxford and is only slightly shorter than the Severn. The Thames flows only through England and flows into the North Sea a little less than 60 km east of London at the village of Southend-on-sea. It rises in the town of Kemble in the county of Gloucestershire – in the Cotswolds region – in which there are six counties and which is often referred to as the heart of England. About 90 km upstream the ebb and flow of the North Sea are noticeable.

  • the River Trent with a length of around 297km
  • the river Aire with a length of around 259 km
  • the River Great Ouse with a length of around 230 km
  • the River Wye with a length of around 215 km

Lakes

Lough Neagh
The United Kingdom – Great Britain and Northern Ireland – includes numerous smaller and larger lakes. The largest lake is Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland with an area of ​​approximately 147.39 km².
Other larger lakes:

  • the Lower Lough Ernein Northern Ireland with an area of 40.57 km2
  • of Loch Lomondin Scotland with an area of 27.46 km2
  • And Loch Nessin Scotland with an area of ​​around 21.87 km2

Lake Windermere
The largest lake in England is Lake Windermere with around 16 km².

Lake Vyrnwy
The largest lake in Wales, Lake Vyrnwy, has an area of ​​around 3.18 km².

Islands

The term “British Isles” refers to the entire archipelago of Great Britain, from Scilly in the south to the Shetland Islands in the north, and from the western Blasket Islands to eastern East Anglia. The entire area has over 6,000 islands. The United Kingdom (United Kinfdom) consists of the British Isles – with England, Scotland and Wales. In addition, the island of Ireland with Northern Ireland is one of them.
Here are some of the most important islands or groups of islands in Great Britain:

  • The Isles of Skye with a total area of ​​1,735 km2
  • The Shetland Islands with a number of 100 islands and a total area of ​​1,466 km2
  • The Isle of Man with an area of ​​572 km2
  • The Isle of Wight with an area of ​​381 km2
  • The Isles of Scilly with a total of 50 different islands in a total area of ​​16 km2

North Sea, Irish Sea, Celtic Sea, Atlantic, English Channel

North Sea

The North Sea is a marginal sea of ​​the Atlantic Ocean and covers an area of ​​approx. 575,000 km². The North Sea stretches from Great Britain in the west to Norway in the northeast, where it merges into the European Arctic Ocean at about 61 degrees latitude . In the southwest, the North Sea borders the Dover Strait, where it merges into the English Channel. Their average salt content is around 3.5%.
It is connected to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat in northern Denmark connected. Via the Elbe and the approx. 100 km long Northeast Sea Canal which ends at Kiel-Holtenau in the Kiel Bay, there is an approx. 900 km shorter connection for ships from the North Sea to the Baltic Sea than via the Skagerrak.
The North Sea has an average depth of approx. 94 m. The deepest point at 725 m is in the so-called Norwegian channel. It is therefore a rather shallow sea.
Their amount of water covers a volume of around 54,000 km³.
The German North Sea coast has a length of around 470 km and is protected against storm surges by sea dikes with a length of around 1,600 km. The mean tidal range is around 3.50 m.
It should also be interesting that there are around 4,000 shipwrecks in the German Bight alone in the
Irish Sea
Celtic Sea
Atlantic
Channel

Formalities, visas

Issuing of visas in Germany
As is well known, no visa is required for the entry of tourists, as Great Britain is (still) a member of the EU.
But if you need a visa for professional or other reasons, you can get it:

Visa department in Düsseldorf
British Consulate General
Yorckstrasse 19
D-40476 Düsseldorf
Email: [email protected]
www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk

Issuing visas in Austria and Switzerland
See under Representations of Great Britain in Austria and Representations of Great Britain in Switzerland.

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