Is a first time trip to Englad in November going to be miserable?
 

My husband and I were thinking about possible taking a one week trip to the UK the week of Nov. 21st. My cousin has invited us to stay with him at Cambridge University for about 4 nights, from which we would take a couple day trips into London and Bath. The last 2 nights, we would stay in London, to allow us to take in a show and a couple good restaurants.

I knew that winter is not the most comfortable time to visit England, but last night, we ran into some of my parents friends who's daughter has been living in London for the past year. They were saying that the cold is almost unbearable, and it got me thinking... is it going to be worth it? Should we switch to a milder destination and save England for a future visit in May or Sept?

This forum has always been very helpful for me, and I thought I'd get some good advice on here. We live in Florida. Is the cold and rain as extreme as they said? They mentioned their daughter is leaving London because of the unbearable cold. Please be honest. Is the discomfort enough to hinder the trip?

Any suggestions and/or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Apcretul, I am also interested in the answers you get. From checking weather sites, I get that November averages a high of 51, low of 40 in London. I have thought of going in the Fall of the year also, and wondered what experience others have had. I personally like to travel when it's cooler, so those temps don't sound bad to me.

Weather.com lists the average high temperature in November for London as 50 degrees and the average low as 37 degrees, with 3 inches of rain in November on average.

I guess it depends on what you find unbearable. You can count on it being cool and maybe somewhat rainy.

One thing that does make a difference is that a lot of buildings in England aren't heated as much as we're used to here, so sometimes it's a little colder <i>inside</i> than we might like.

How you feel about the weather can depend a lot on what you are accustomed to. Just as a ballpark guesstimate, the typical temperatures at that time would likely be in the mid-40s to perhaps 50 degrees F in the daytime. Coming from Wisconsin, I have no problem with that in late November. For someone living in Palm Springs, that might not be quite so balmy-sounding.

It might rain and be windy but it is unlikely to be unbearably cold in November.
You should have no problem in London. As with any city, it doesn't have to be hot and sunny to enjoy. Touristy places like Cambridge and Bath will be much quieter at that time of year, so it is a trade-off. Even in November, it doesn't always rain. I'd say, come and enjoy.

For goodness sakes, it's not Siberia! Just think that it will be much like an East coast USA city.

I went to England this past Christmas, and although very cold and damp, had a lovely time! We got a deal that couldn't be passed up on a flight, then also on a hotel by a train station. A lot of Fodorites said that everything would be closed for the holidays, but we were never alone out there. The shopping, restaurants and siteseeing tours kept us busy--even a New Year's cruise dinner and party. The only time the cold weather played a role was going to see Stonehenge. The cold wind blew us to pieces and as soon as pictures were taken, we ran back to the bus. Look, wear a warm scarf and coat, take an umbrella and boots and have a great time!

I was in London several years ago around that time and although the temperatures weren't terribly cold, it felt colder because of the rain. And remember it will get dark very early. But pass up a trip to England? NEVER! :-) Just dress warmly!

Ditto to what Roger says. A friend from Boston who is very sensitive to the cold, spent the week of Thanksgiving in London several years ago and found it to be more temperate than Boston would be at that same time of year.

I have been to London several times in November. It's really not that bad. You will probably be in museums, stores and restaurants most of the time anyway. Have a nice cup of tea to warm yourself.

I wento to London in Feb 2002 and was pleasantly surprised by the weather; it was cold, but there were long, sunny spells, and my sister and I enjoyed ourselves very much. By the way, her first time in Europe, we both grew up in Puerto Rico.

apcretul

Yes May and September are lovely in England but I hardly think the average temperature in November is unbearable. I say go in November and then go back again in May or September.

Another good site for weather is www.weatheronline.co.uk

Sandy

apcretul: Since I've been talking about Scottish weather, the southern half of England is not Scotland, and London is not Edinburgh, it's generally quite a bit milder in London. I can't handle cold very well myself, but Nov. in England has never been a problem for me. It will be cool, but not unbearable. The bone-chilling stuff comes later, in January. I'd go in Nov.- you'll love Cambridge, (psst. as to which Uni. is better- Oxford or Cambridge-Cambridge wins, hands down!)

What is unbearable depends in large part on where you're from and how well you personally tolerate heat or cold. London in winter is distinctly warmer than Boston or New York - probably more like Virginia.

But since you will be doing mostly indoor things - I don;t think the weather should be that much of an issue - unless you're one of those people who starts putting on winter coats when it goes below 70.

I live in Florida, too and I look forward to the weather in England in October and November. I do take a lined raincoat but often have to remove the liner.

Bring an umbrella and warm clothes, you'll be fine.

I'm from Minnesota, but I found the cold in London to be a different kind of cold. It was very damp and as someone mentioned earlier, many buildings (my apartment!) aren't centrally heated. I would recommend clothes that are good for a damp-type cold - wool, flannel, fleece. My ski jacket wasn't all that useful. Also, be sure to bring warm indoor clothes. Most Americans dress indoors as if it were July.

Beany,

Quite right about Americans dressing indoors like it's July. I find that to be even more true back east. I live in California and whenever I've visited people on the East coast or Midwest during the winter (which I try to keep to a minimum -- way too cold for me), I can't believe how hot they keep their houses during the winter. It's almost suffocating, restaurants also have that problem, I almost felt like I should be wearing shorts and a tank top. Most people in California don't keep their houses that warm during the winter, and usually wear sweaters.

Lyb -
Yes, and then those same Californians wear those some sweaters and wool SCARVES outside when it's 60! At least they did last December. I was so thrilled with the weather that I put on shorts and completely looked like a tourist. And was pretty cold by the way, but doggonit was GOING TO GET A TAN.

After reading all of those replies, I guess it's decided -- we should go. I had my husband read them and he said we can handle it.

I'm looking forward to planning the trip! Hopefully we'll be able to take advantage of the off-season rates.

Beany,

You're right about Californians wearing sweaters and scarfs when it's 60 degrees. To be honest, I've seen some people wear it when it's 70 degrees. But to be fair, when you live in warm weather most of the year, 60 degrees is a bit colder than I like. Also funny, my siser lives in Hawaii and has been living there for over 5 years now and when I visited her recently in March, it maybe got down to 75 degrees, and I saw locals in the morning wearing what looked like winter jackets...I guess everyone's body temperature is different, which is why it's so hard to respond when someone asks whether or not they will be cold.

Spent 3 nights in London November 2001 on our way to France. We thought a wool sweater and warm jacket would suffice. It is only in 40's, well wrong had to buy scarfs, gloves and stocking hats after one hour. It is the wind that makes it so cold. You need to remember it is an Island in the north atlantic. We traveled on to Burgundy and the temperature was in the 30's and were not as cold because your not surrounded by water.

We have always travelled to London in May, June or September but last year, I went on business in late November and early December. The weather was very pleasant - much nicer than the same week in Washington, DC. I took a raincoat with a liner and regular work clothes and was very comfortable. There was some rain, mostly light and a number of sunny days, temperatures in the 50s. The big difference about that time of year is the hours of daylight; it is usual dark at 4:30. That just gives you an excuse to go somewhere for tea! London is a wonderful city - if you can manage, try to stay longer than 2 days.

We visited London for the first time in late October/early November 2003. The weather was actually pretty good. It did rain a couple of days, and it was cold a couple of days, but most of the time we had clear skies and great weather. There were a couple of days we only needed a very light jacket. We did carry umbrellas with us most days, just in case it did rain. I realize that we had unusually good weather for that time of year.

We have only been to England in the fall, late Oct or early Nov, oncein March.(which was the coldest visit). The weather has never been so cold as to be unbearable! It has also not been that wet, we are so lucky as to have gotten rain once in 7 years of visits.
Maybe because we were from NY, the weather was just the same? or maybe someone is exaggerating a bit, but if you want to move it to Sept, it would be nice, but so is November.

apcretul
We spent 9 days in London last November and had no problems with the weather.
I live in San Diego and have 'thin blood' so just dress warmly.
You can't depend on weather forecasts as We have frozen in Edinburgh in August and, in contrast, during another trip in '89 it was actually hotter one day in May in Scotland than it was in L.A.
Just take plenty of warm clothes and enjoy London without the crowds.
Don

apcretul
One more comment. If you plan to see a stage show I recommend 'Any Thing Goes'. In mid November you should be able to purchase same day tickets wirhout problem.
We saw rhe show last November and it was exceptional.

I have gone to London the past 2 Novembers and will be going again this Nov. Weather was fine. It is not unbearably cold. As others have stated, dress warmly. There are plenty of places to stop in if you need a break from the weather. I do go to London for the weather - I prefer cool weather. Plus, Nov 1st, the airfare drops quite a bit as the airlines consider summer ending Oct. 31. You will have a good time. London is my favorite city to visit and it is a great jumping off point to explore Europe. Have a great trip!

My best trip EVER to Bath was one January, with snow on the ground: The short days, the glancing golden light of the sunsets, the oddness of thronging streets in the pitch-dark, the beckoning lights of the pubs......

Now I think of it, Cambridge was also very appealing when I visited my brother, a Canadian graduate student, in their winter term.

(I'm sure the term has a name but I do not recall it: Informed readers, please do not upbraid)

Only negative of a November visit is that the National Trust properties are closed for the season -- or used to be!

No need to upbraid-at Cambridge, winter term would be called Lent Term, fall term Michaelmas.