pattyshearts

I hear terrible things about the weather in England. Would like to plan a trip there next year. Is there any good time to go when the weather might be the most pleasant?

janisj

What terrible things have you heard??

In general the UK is warmer in the winter and cooler/more comfortable in the summer than many places in the US.

It rains - so what. Most places it rains less than in Portland or Seattle. It snow sometimes - but a LOT less than in Chicago or Colorado. It gets warm sometimes - but a LOT more comfortable than the Carolinas or DC in the summertime. It can be foggy - but there is a LOT less fog than in Sacramento or SF.

But in general (VERY general) - the best weather will be in May/June and Sept. But you can have a great trip almost any time of year.

alanRow

May/June followed by September/October.

Just avoid the last week in June & October as the dear little children aren't at school then

nessundorma

I say September.

Mucky

I think the weather is a major factor and that is soooo unpredictable that I would say anytime between March and September. But the biggest factor is Bank holidays and school holidays. If you can avoid them then do so.

Muck

Tracey14

Last year I visited England mid-to-late May, and the weather was beautiful. This year I visited England (and Wales) mid-to-late May, and it rained every day - and I mean really, really rained (there were a couple of days when I thought I would never be dry again). Point being: one should always plan for rain, especially if one is interested in long-distance walking. But in terms of temperature, England is quite temperate. Frankly, the weather seems no worse than some places I have visited/lived (such as Oregon) - and quite better than others (like western New York). In terms of timing, I prefer May or September (if my work schedule allowed), because I can avoid huge crowds and get cheaper airfares. I would also urge you to avoid bank holiday weekends, esp. if you plan on renting a car.

Carrybean

I usually have excellent luck in June. With weather, nothing is guaranteed.

AR

Just to be pedantic and correct a probable unintentional error in Alan's post........there are no school holidays in June. He possibly meant to say last week in May.

Many attractions in the UK open at Easter until the end of October. The schools in England & Wales break up towards the end of July and go back during the first week of September and as everyone has said, avoid these dates if you prefer quieter breaks.
I'd say that June and September are the best.

andy

I have been in MAY and it rained and rained ( up in the Lakes District) and been to London in June and it was BOTH rainy and sunny ...and to London in Sept and it was sunny.

MY first month's choice is Sept.

Carolina

Late June is the most reliable - but by no means guaranteed.

Carolena

AR

Nothing is guaranteed in the UK when it comes to the weather!!

There's a live nightly wildlife programme currently being aired by the BBC. The other night they compared this year's weather to last year using migratory birds as a guide. The Spring birds started arriving in February in 2005 but some still have yet to arrive in May in 2006 because its been too cold. That gives you some indication of how unpredictable and different the weather in the UK can be from year to year. Therefore just because a particular May, June or September is fine one year - it may not the next.

ILUVPARIS

I vote for June as well. Many people may say "so what if it rains"?? Well call me crazy but if it rains during the majority of my vacation, I want a do-over!

CotswoldScouser

Why on earth does it matter?

We don't have volocanoes, hurricanes, typhoons or earthquakes. You can't get skin cancer here. Our systems don't close down catastrophically through blizzards most winters.

You don't need air conditioning to make any part of England habitable. With proper insulation and wearing pullovers, you can go through most winters without turning on the heating.

We simply don't get - ever - weather that prevents you from doing anything you want to. Unless you enjoy mindlessly frying to death on a beach - in which case there's no good time to come here.

In England, there's no such thing as bad weather. Just brainless people too feckless to dress properly.

Mucky

Blimey scouser, I'll tell that to Mrs Muck next time she is wrapped in 4 jumpers a blanket heating on and in front of the fire.

Not to mention the old people living here on a measly pension, struggling and I mean struggling to maintain a decent temperature without spending all their money on heating bills.

Hypothermia is a big problem here in the UK. Ask AR how many hypothermia cases he has come across in his job.

I'm pretty sure he will agree it's a problem.
Anyway October to February is dreadful; wet and cold. The rest of the year is unpredictable sometimes hot and sunny but usually rain .
Muck

Josser

Actually Scouser, we have a lot of cyclones in the UK.

They are (so far) titchy ones that just remove a roof or two, fine unless it's your roof.

The British climate is very mild. That's why we have the best gardens in the world.

PatrickLondon

Even the cyclones are classically British, then - too polite to make themselves noticed, apart from the occasional hooligan...

obxgirl

>>You can't get skin cancer here.<<

Really? Old man, tell that to my aunt in Devon. Her husband died of melanoma.

From cancerresearchuk.org:

"Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK and the number of people who get it is increasing.

There are over 70,000 new cases of skin cancer diagnosed each year in the UK

Many cases are not reported so the real number of cases is probably much higher

The number of cases has more than doubled since the early 80s

Over 2,000 people die from skin cancer each year in the UK

In fact, there are more skin cancer deaths in the UK than in Australia, even though Australia has more cases of the disease."

Kate

obxgirl, I suspect that's more to do with holidaymakers burning themselves to a crisp on the costa del sol than on Brighton Beach, but it's certainly true that you CAN burn in the UK, even when it's cloudy.

And I think sunbeds have a lot to answer for.

nessundorma

I have to disagree that there is no time of year when the weather in England is so bad you can't do what you want to do. As pointed out, England has some of the best gardens in the world, and I also greatly admire its public parks, and it is downright unpleasant to be outdoors for long periods in the damp cold of an English winter, especially on days with windy rains or freezing fogs -- no matter how many woolens you've got on!

I also think that in recent years London has benefitted greatly from becoming much more of an outdoorsy city, with sidewalk cafes and pubs with gardens, and al fresco dining along the river banks and in many squares. So I prefer to go to England in the months I can enjoy the new openess of London.

And I really, really would have liked more air conditioning during a heat wave southern England suffered last year in the first week of June. Eating in restaraunts was often a torture, and the ones with air conditioning were overflowing.

My experience of England is that September brings dry, crisp (if sometimes windy) weather, usually pleasantly mild or cool and sometimes brilliantly sunny.

obxgirl

To answer the OP's question, I agree that May and September are the month's likeliest to yield the most pleasant weather.

Kate, you may choose to believe that the rise of skin cancer in the last 25 years is due to tanning beds and Brits on holiday elsewhere but medical science dictates something else.