Journalist Tom Otley of the Business Traveller, a British publication, snaps a photo of Lake Arthur. He was part of a group of United Kingdom travel writers who toured Butler County Friday.

MUDDY CREEK TWP — Lisa Meakin pointed her phone at Lake Arthur to capture its splendor.

“It's amazing. It's unbelievable,” said Meakin, a Manchester (England) Evening News reporter. “I can't quite imagine it's man-made. This piece is so big it's probably the size of Wales, the country I'm from.”

About seven United Kingdom travel writers toured Butler County Friday after they landed Tuesday in Pittsburgh on the British Airways inaugural direct flight.

“British Airways is such an iconic airline,” Meakin said about the opportunity to be part of its first flight. “We've been all over.”

The group saw a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game, visited several museums and the Strip District and learned about the culture and history of Pittsburgh.

“We have football or rugby back home, we don't really have baseball, so to see that, that was really cool,” she said. “We've been absolutely treated like VIPs, it's been amazing, such a warm welcome.”

Their day in Butler County consisted of breakfast at Wunderbar Coffee and Crepes, followed by a tour of Historic Harmony; a tour of Moraine State Park; lunch at North Country Brewing Co. in Slippery Rock, where they were shown the county beer circuit; and Recon Brewing in Butler Township, where they had the chance to see a variety of Jeeps, including a 1941 Bantam BRC-40.

Art and architecture piqued Laura Millar's interest. The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh stood out to her, said the travel editor of Metro.

“The culture is great. A lot of people outside the U.S. don't know that though. I'd imagine people think it's a steel town, hardworking ... but it's got this great kind of culture and food,” she said. “It's always good to go somewhere you've never been or heard much about.”

The trip could easily have stretched to five days, said Jack Cohen, Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau president.

The itinerary was packed with the unique aspects of what makes Butler County, Cohen said.

“The crown jewel of the county is Moraine State Park,” Cohen said, adding it is the third largest park in the state. The park sees just under 2 million visitors a year.

When the British visitors start writing articles about the sights they enjoyed in the county, they will share their experiences with their readership, Cohen said. More people will then become interested in the county and tour operators will bring groups.

Another traveler on the airline's first flight was Joe Leogue, a writer for the Irish Examiner.

“Our side of the Atlantic, particularly Ireland, wouldn't know about Pittsburgh or the area around it,” Leogue said.

The group's visit to Harmony stood out to Leogue who was looking forward to the beer circuit tour.

“I feel like I've seen and done so many things, I think it'd be almost unfair to pick one out,” he said about the sights.

Meakin said the direct flight made this trip much more convenient.

“For Americans in this area who want to go to London and then Paris, they'd have to go to other cities to get to London or the UK,” she said.

But as one of the first passengers on British Airways inaugural direct flight, she recognized the benefits.

“It's good for economy, it's good for travelers, it's good for business.”

British Airways is currently the only carrier to fly direct between London and Pittsburgh.Pittsburgh service runs once a day on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from London Heathrow.Flights are direct at about eight hours.You can fly in economy (World Traveller), premium economy (World Traveller Plus), or business (Club World) — all three provide food and drinks.SOURCE: British Airways