Northern UK - leaf change time?
 

Just got back from 10 days in UK, mostly of it spent in Northern England. I want to go back in fall to spend more time in places I liked in Yorkshire and Lakes District, plus to venture into Scotland. Question is: when do the leaves change in that part of the UK? I'd like to time my next trip to match that time.

I guess if I said "autumn" I'd be attacked for sarcasm??? <BR> <BR>Mid/late September/ early October is best. Start north and come south

Sheila- <BR> <BR>I thought it was determined that humor was inappropriate here... <BR> <BR>Well, you made me giggle anyway.

In Britain the leaves on deciduous trees tend to stick around on the branches for quite a long time before they finally decided to fall, but I would argue that their colourful displays don't always match those put on by the trees in parts of north America, like New England. That's not to say they can't be beautiful, but be prepared for a longer fall (or non-fall!) period than perhaps you are used to. <BR>Our rail network sometimes falls foul of the falling leaves. The mould they produce reduces the efficiency of brakes on the trains, resulting in many a mocking column-inch about 'No trains - leaf on the line'. It is now a well-known joke, only to be bettered by 'the wrong type of snow', but that is another story.

Sheila, I appreciate your humor, but appreciate the answer more. Funny, leaves turn in autumn here in Texas, too. I guess we have more in common than we thought. Plus, leaves turning in Texas (more like late October for us) aren't as spectacular as New England, either, but they're still pretty. I've always found that anything that can enhance the visual traveling experience, such as timing a vacation with nature's events, usually pays off.

When I was in the Lake District last summer, a local gentleman told me that early October was the best time to visit. I was there in June and it was cold and rainy almost the whole time, so I was prepared to believe him. Hopefully it will be less crowded, too. <BR> <BR>(Even though the weather was what I would generally call "miserable", I didn't feel the trip to the Lakes was wasted. Some of those peaks and valleys are quite beautiful in the fog and mist.)