Reading - Part 3

Gardening is a well-known favourite. As the weather in Britain is rather mild, British people manage to do gardening almost all the year round. Sometimes this can be just weeding and sometimes, serious vegetable and fruit growing. In fact, the British can always find plenty to do in either a small or a big garden. Every Sunday morning (except for winter) they come out to mow their lawns. The British see an untidy lawn, not only as a sign of laziness, but also as disrespect to the others.

Walking is also very popular. Ask any British person if they have a pair of walking boots and the answer will probably be yes. Except for dry summer days, the beautiful British countryside is muddy, so you need a good pair of walking boots to enjoy your walk. Walking as a leisure activity has a long tradition in England. You can buy a variety of maps and guides to walking routes. Organized walking with a group of like-minded people and a good guide is also very popular.

And, of course, the famous British eccentricity is the cause of such sports as extreme ironing. Extreme ironing is a serious sport where teams of people compete at who can do their ironing in more extreme conditions (for example, under the water or riding a bicycle). Extreme ironing is now an international sport with serious competitions and organized events.

Of course, not all British people keep fit by engaging in extreme sports. Many go to the gym, swimming pool or fitness classes. However, it has to be said that the British are not the sportiest nation in the world. You see, watching TV often gets in the way. Increasingly, British people spend their free time watching TV. The only comforting thing is that they are not on their own - most of the world seems to be doing the same!

As far as actually going away on holiday, many British people choose to spend their holidays abroad, preferably somewhere warm and dry. Spain, France and Greece are regular countries due to convenient location and kind climate. It's a good idea to have a change of scenery and see new places without too much trouble.

Unlike the popular belief, winter is a very busy time for companies selling holidays. People get so fed up with bad weather and stress that they just cannot wait to get away. Some people also buy holidays for the summer or even next year during the festive season as it can work out significantly cheaper than buying closer to the time of travel.