YORK is a city of "extraordinary cultural and historical wealth", according to a new Lonely Planet guide, published today.

But Harrogate has not changed much since Agatha Christie fled there in 1926.

The guide suggests that Britain is now a truly united kingdom with the north-south divide a thing of the past.

Dynamic development has transformed the north of England, dispelling the myth that it is "grim up north", the latest Great Britain guide revealed.

Manchester is "one of Britain's most exciting and interesting cities", Newcastle upon Tyne has displayed "miraculous powers of urban regeneration", and Leeds is the "Knightsbridge of the north", the guide claims.

And it added that Liverpool had done a wonderful job.

It had succesfully thrown off its "largely ridiculous reputation" as a city "full of smart-arse scallies who would as soon nick your car as tell you a joke".

The guide also admires Britons, describing them as "uninhibited, tolerant, exhibitionist, passionate, aggressive, sentimental, hospitable and friendly.

"It hits you like a breath of fresh air".

But while praising much of Britain, the guide offers its share of brickbats.

London can feel "dirty, polluted and overcrowded", and the English Riviera is a "rather optimistic" term to describe the Devon resorts of Torquay and Paignton.

Overall, though, the guide's co-ordinating author David Else said: "When it comes to great destinations, the north-south divide is a myth. Great Britain is now comparable to fine countries such as Italy, which boasts an array of unmissable cities like Rome, Venice, Florence, Turin and Milan."

Updated: 10:23 Tuesday, May 24, 2005