Another humorous excerpt: "I took a train to Liverpool. They were having a festival of litter when I arrived. Citizens had taken time off from their busy activities to add crisp packages, empty cigarette boxes, and carrier bags to the otherwise bland and neglected landscape. They fluttered gaily in the bushes and brought colour and texture to the pavements and gutters. And to think that elsewhere we stick this objects in rubbish bags."

Bryson is certainly an opiniated chap. He pretty much condemns any of the modern architecture or services such as British Rail. He goes on extended rants about how carelessly the British are treating their wonderful heritage. (Despite the fact that this book was written while Princess Diana mania was at its peak, neither she nor the other members of the English royalty get mentioned in this book.) But Bryson also gives enthusiastic descriptions to the people and places that he enjoys, whether it is a genuine Roman mosaic buried under plastic bags in a corner of the woods, or a beautiful but forgotten cathedral in a town of Durham. Sometimes Bryson has three different opinions about the same place, which is more a reflection of his mood and the weather, rather than the place's actual merits. When Bryson arrives in Edinburgh on the evening train, he calls it a most beguiling and beautiful city. Next morning, with drippy rain falling, Edinburgh is much less enchanting and dull. The next day, with the sun shining, Bryson finds Edinburgh positively ravishing, alive with parks and greenery. So you can't really trust his opinion of a site, but you can be amused by his narrative.