VisitEngland celebrates launch of England flag emoji with top tips for where to use the newly released icons,

Instagramming, tweeting and texting your mum has got a whole lot more exciting with a host of new emoji added to the palette of 2000+ currently available. Due to popular demand, an England flag joins the ranks, along with vampires, zombies, mer-people and… a pie. To celebrate the release of the new icons, VisitEngland suggests where in England to type out a T-Rex and which experiences merit the 'mind blown face'.

Stars in their eyes face

Nothing fits the stars-in-their-eyes emoji better than literally filling your vision with stars; get gazing at the heavens at Exmoor's Dark Sky Reserve and Northumberland's Dark Sky Park. Stay at Canopy and Stars property the Sky Den (which featured on George Clarke's Amazing Spaces); the roof over your loft suite opens in full for uninterrupted celestial views.

www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/enjoying/stargazing, www.canopyandstars.co.uk/britain/england/northumberland/calvert-trust-kielder/sky-den (the Sky Den sleeps four and costs from £150 per night).

Person in lotus position

Yoga has been practised in India for centuries, but its appearance on the emoji dashboard in the form of the person-in-lotus-position emoji cements its worldwide popularity. Head to the Ventnor Botanic Garden on the Isle of Wight for wellbeing among the blooms; the garden's rich heritage of healing dates back to the Victorian chest and respiratory hospital that once stood on the site, and today there are regular yoga, tai chi and reiki sessions held there. At 18th century manor house Combe Lodge, just outside Bath, you can book a Hygge Yoga half-day retreat and enjoy Vinyasa yoga, outdoor meditation, a delicious picnic and a delightful complimentary pair of knitted woollen socks!  

www.botanic.co.uk/wellbeing, combegrove.com/whats-on-at-combe-grove/2017/hygge-yoga-returns (Hygge Yoga retreats cost £62 and run until 14 January 2018).

The pie

One of England's best-loved dishes, the pie joins the pizza slice and bowl of ramen as a lunch option you no longer have to painstakingly spell out in a text. Celebrate with award-winning MYPIE, who sell 'epic pies and awesome sides' from a vintage van that takes piping hot goodness around the country. They scooped gold for Champion Vegetarian Pie at the 2017 British Pie Awards with their sweet potato, fennel and goats cheese concoction, but it's not just great for veggies– the menu regularly features Hampshire steak and lamb. Follow MYPIE on Twitter to find out where they'll pop up next – they often land in London's Broadgate Circle.

mypie.london

The sandwich

For a sandwich selfie you can't do better than holding a cheese and pickle sarnie next to the Welcome to Sandwich sign in Kent. Sandwich recently united with Cheddar and Bury St Edmunds (where Branston Pickle comes from) to create the UK's first 'triple town'.

Sauropod

Follow in the footsteps of dinosaurs in Dorset – quite literally – where footprints dating back 140 million years were left by brachiosaurs, a type of dinosaur known as the sauropods, who now feature in your catalogue of emoji. Dorset's Jurassic Coast offers fascinating glimpses of prehistory, and the UNESCO World Heritage Site is popular with fossil hunters (though a strict code of conduct when it comes to fossil-hunting applies). Don't miss the Etches Collection in Kimmeridge, a new and unique experience that takes you back to a time before humans existed; embark on an immersive journey through life underwater the tropical seas of Kimmeridge 150 million years ago. Dorset is set to attract even more dino-enthusiasts from 10 February-8 May 2018, when Dippy the Diplodocus – the skeleton cast that towered over the Natural History Museum atrium until not long ago – starts his tour of the UK at the Dorset County Museum.

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/spyway/features/the-keates-quarry-dinosaur-footprints, www.theetchescollection.org, www.dorsetcountymuseum.org

Zombie

For those who fancy being chased through a disused Sheffield factory or an abandoned shopping mall in Reading by a pack of infected, bloodthirsty zombies, the Zombie Experience is for you – an apocalypse is occurring and it's up to you to run for your life! Find Zombie Experiences in ten further England locations. Meanwhile The Last Survivors in Essex takes place in a real ex-government nuclear bunker 100ft underground and features terrifying zombie combat.
zombieexperiences.co.uk (Sheffield's Zombie Experience costs £65), thelastsurvivors.co.uk (The Last Survivors costs £90).

Person climbing

Scale the 'Big Three' limestone heights of the Yorkshire Dales and whip out that climbing-person-emoji with pride. The cliffs of Malham Cove, Gordale Scar and Kilnsey Crag are some of the most impressive in the country, particularly the huge amphitheatre of Malham. If you're new to the sport, jump on the indoor-climbing trend and book a beginner lesson at The Arch Climbing Wall, whose three London locations feature climbs ranging from easy to challenging.

www.yorkshire.com/inspiration/outdoors/rock-sports/rock-sport-routes, www.archclimbingwall.com (a beginner's lesson at The Arch costs £20 for one hour and includes entrance to the centres for the rest of the day).

Zebra and giraffe

You don't need to travel thousands of miles to wake up to a beautiful sunrise scene, at the centre of which are zebras grazing and giraffes limbering up for the day – the two beautiful creatures have just been added to the emoji roster and can be seen at the magnificent Port Lympne Reserve in Kent, where you can stay overnight in the hotel, an on-site lodge or glamping accommodation. Bristol Zoo also offers wild sleeps in luxury accommodation, with late-night behind-the-scenes tours after day visitors have left.

www.aspinallfoundation.org/port-lympne, thelodgebristolzoo.co.uk

Mind blown emoji

Have an exhilarating ride on the UK's oldest rollercoaster at Dreamland in Margate, which has been renovated to become the Queen of Dreamland once more – though officially named the 'Scenic Railway', don't be fooled because this is one mind-blowing ride! There are plenty more entertainments for thrill-seekers at the revamped seaside attraction including the Hurricane Jets and Born Slippy.  www.dreamland.co.uk

For more holiday inspiration check out www.visitengland.com

Ends

For further press information and images please contact:
Evelina Andrews/ Louise Ferrall
VisitEngland Press Office
Tel: 020 7578 1446 / 020 7578 1437
Email: vepr@visitengland.org

Images from Apple and Emojipedia.