Go Back  Fodor's Travel Talk Forums > Destinations > Europe
Reload this Page >

England in August?

Search

England in August?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Apr 24th, 2016, 05:36 PM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 74
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
England in August?

We have the chance to go to England the last two weeks of August. Is this a good or bad time to go?
Ducko is offline  
Old Apr 24th, 2016, 05:41 PM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 72,873
Likes: 0
Received 50 Likes on 7 Posts
As good as any other time. Some tourist sites will be more crowded than at other times.

England is a big place -- any particular regions?
janisj is offline  
Old Apr 24th, 2016, 05:55 PM
  #3  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 74
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Not sure exactly if we'll stay in southern England or try to go all over. I was mainly concerned about huge crowds that time of year or weather concerns.
Ducko is offline  
Old Apr 24th, 2016, 06:01 PM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,294
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
London has the huge crowds. England has the unpredictable weather.
dfourh is offline  
Old Apr 24th, 2016, 06:04 PM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 72,873
Likes: 0
Received 50 Likes on 7 Posts
What are your weather concerns? It is an island and the weather changes every day - sometimes several times a day. The weather in London, Cornwall, and Yorkshire can and probably will be entirely different on any particular day

Huge crowds only apply to specific sites (like the Tower of London . . . And it is crowded year round)

Your questions are really very broad/vague.
janisj is offline  
Old Apr 24th, 2016, 11:11 PM
  #6  
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 25,721
Received 4 Likes on 4 Posts
A lot of Brits leave Britain in August for their holidays and a lot of foreigners turn up. Crowds will be at some festivals and there are a few days when roads get a bit busy (there is a bank holiday at the end of August so the roads may be worse on the Friday before then as people go on tour).

But basically the only issue will be hotel availability and price, however if you are booking now there should not be a problem, if you wait until early August you will get what everyone else didn't want.

London is a big place with lots of centres to visit so if something is "on" one day, just go to another area.

Weather, the world's very best computers can just about work out the weather in the UK two days out and you want to know about August...
bilboburgler is online now  
Old Apr 24th, 2016, 11:24 PM
  #7  
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 9,989
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Here's one American who likes English weather. Southeast England has the warmest and driest weather, and August is the warmest month. No guarantees though — as janisj wrote, the weather is very changeable here.

The only way to avoid the crowds is to avoid the tourist spots, and you won't want to do that. British schools have their summer break in August, and those families who don't travel abroad often head for the seaside resorts.
Heimdall is offline  
Old Apr 25th, 2016, 06:12 AM
  #8  
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 72,873
Likes: 0
Received 50 Likes on 7 Posts
>>Here's one American who likes English weather.<<

Me too . . . And I live in <i>California</i>. Give me a nice summer shower followed by 75F over 3 straight weeks of sunshine/heat any time.
janisj is offline  
Old Apr 25th, 2016, 06:29 AM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 10,296
Likes: 0
Received 3 Likes on 1 Post
>>Here's one American who likes English weather.<<

>>Me too . . . And I live in California. Give me a nice summer shower followed by 75F over 3 straight weeks of sunshine/heat any time.<<

We should form a club.
Fra_Diavolo is online now  
Old Apr 25th, 2016, 06:42 AM
  #10  
 
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 6,325
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
You only like it because you don't have this weather all the time. 75 = 23 celsius. The average for London in July and August is 19, or 66f.

I see that it is around the 70s in LA today. Expecting snow this week in Antwerp
Tulips is offline  
Old Apr 25th, 2016, 06:53 AM
  #11  
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 72,873
Likes: 0
Received 50 Likes on 7 Posts
Actually I like 65F better than the 95F we would have at that time of year.
janisj is offline  
Old Apr 25th, 2016, 07:13 AM
  #12  
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 6,144
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I am here all the time and I like the weather. Even the rain.
RM67 is offline  
Old Apr 25th, 2016, 08:38 AM
  #13  
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 7,561
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
<<Me too . . . And I live in California. Give me a nice summer shower followed by 75F over 3 straight weeks of sunshine/heat any time.>>

Come on now, California is not universal. If you lived in San Diego, you'd never extol the weather anywhere else. If you lived in Death Valley . . . you'd have to be a snake to enjoy.
BigRuss is offline  
Old Apr 25th, 2016, 09:15 AM
  #14  
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 9,989
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Well, I live here all the time too, and have for about 40 years. I don't miss the subzero winter temperatures in Wisconsin where I grew up, nor the 100F summer temperatures of Texas where I lived for several years. A little more sunshine would be nice, though!
Heimdall is offline  
Old Apr 25th, 2016, 09:22 AM
  #15  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 57,091
Received 5 Likes on 3 Posts
I was mainly concerned about huge crowds that time of year or weather concerns.>>

Personally I wouldn't worry about either of those and I live here too.

Tell us what you're thinking of doing, and we can be a bit more specific.
annhig is offline  
Old Apr 25th, 2016, 10:30 AM
  #16  
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 72,873
Likes: 0
Received 50 Likes on 7 Posts
>>Come on now, California is not universal. If you lived in San Diego, you'd never extol the weather anywhere else.<<

The weather in SD is lovely -- but that is it -- it is lovely pretty much year round. No seasons to speak of. For sure I would like SD better then England in January.
janisj is offline  
Old Apr 25th, 2016, 11:10 AM
  #17  
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 7,960
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I have been to London ( and thereabouts) five times now.

Only once was it not in july or august. ( the one off was in March. and that was cold, rainly and it sleeted.. yikes)

It rained or was cool for all four of those summer visits.. but NOT everyday.

We did a daytrip to Brighton and were amused to see how crowded the beach was.. and how many folks hopped over the rocks to get into the water.. when temps could not have been more then 21, ( or 70) .. we sat down on rocks in our sweaters and watched the locals obvious enjoyment of the "good " weather.. lol

We are going to London again in less then two weeks. We are bringing a rainjacket with a warmth layer to put under it.. cardigan or lightweight jacket. If we hit some nicer weather.. ( which you never know.. we could) we can just remove a few layers.

I would be happy to visit London again in summer.. but late spring is best we got this year.. maybe we will be surprised.. London does on occasion have "heat waves" ( we have friends who live just outside London, and they told us so !)
justineparis is offline  
Old Apr 25th, 2016, 11:19 AM
  #18  
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 17,268
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
"For sure I would like SD better then England in January."

I wouldn't.

Crisp mornings. Empty footpaths. Dogs discovering the world smells differently today (when it's frosty) from how it smelt yesterday (when it was a few degrees above). Watching frost melt as the sun hits the grass.

Never a hint of the sub-Arctic horrors most of America accepts as normal in winter. A house kept warm throughout by a boiler about the size of an A4 sheet of paper - topped up at night by a wood-burning stove: fuel paid for entirely by the taxpayer.

On roughly half the days in January, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. On more or less every day of the year, our idyllic weather (never too too hot, never too cold, never as wet as New York and always different from yesterday) reminds us all that God is an Englishwoman. Who can't see why anyone could possibly give a rat's fart what the weather's like, because it's always interesting
flanneruk is offline  
Old Apr 25th, 2016, 12:38 PM
  #19  
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 72,873
Likes: 0
Received 50 Likes on 7 Posts
To be fair -- I do prefer English weather most of the rest of the year.
janisj is offline  
Old Apr 26th, 2016, 09:14 AM
  #20  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 57,091
Received 5 Likes on 3 Posts
We are going to London again in less then two weeks. We are bringing a rainjacket with a warmth layer to put under it.. cardigan or lightweight jacket. If we hit some nicer weather.. ( which you never know.. we could) we can just remove a few layers. >>

Very wise, there's a cold wind blowing down from the north at the moment which makes it quite cool even in the sunshine unless you can find a sheltered spot. it looks set to continue the week after, but I'm not sure about the week after that.
annhig is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Sominex
Europe
8
Aug 16th, 2010 02:49 PM
rickh54
Europe
4
Aug 23rd, 2004 10:59 AM
coastalperson
Europe
26
Jun 1st, 2004 11:13 PM
Catherine
Europe
6
Oct 24th, 2002 04:29 AM
barb
Europe
5
May 22nd, 2002 08:16 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On



Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -