laverendrye

For those who have not yet heard it, or wish to enjoy it again, here is the Mastersingers' "Weather Forecast" in MP3 format:

http://marguerite.ca/images/mastersingers.mp3

sandi_travelnut

when we were preparing for our trip to Rome in January 2007 the weather was forcasting rain almost the entire time. It never rained a drop on us. Don't worry about it. Br prepared and enjoy it if it happens.

JulieG

Thanks to where2 for easing my mind about the weather.com forecast! It just looked so appalling. MariaH, our plans are much like yours for your past Lake District trip. We'll be staying in a cottage, must catch a bus when we want to go to town, and plan to do some hiking and scenery-viewing.

No thank you to the folks who have responded to my pre-trip jitters with snarky remarks. How is that helpful?

Maria_H

Where are you staying Julie? I hope you get some good weather, the Lake District can be beautiful in spring. That particular trip we were just very unlucky - and that was supposed to be high summer! We'd also chosen a cottage that was rather too remote for public transport - not ideal with 2 children!

The problem with the weather in the UK is that it's often changeable and never guaranteed. That's why we are all obsessed with the weather and weather forecasts!

PatrickLondon

Today in London, it has been alternating nice blue skies and sunshine with dismal grey downpours, at roughly hourly intervals, with some wind obviously pushing the clouds along.

For once, it rather looks like the old saying might be right: March - in like a lion, out like a lamb.

But remember, we're on the edge of everybody else's weather systems: changeable, but rarely extreme. Practise your skills with Scrabble, Monopoly and I-Spy just in case - and bring a book or two to add to the stock that is often left by previous guests at B&Bs. But you should be able to get about, at least, even if you may not always be able to get up on top of the fells.

Morgana

Julie, it's well known that the forecasters don't get the next day's weather right, so 2 weeks ahead is impossible. However, the bbc.co.uk website is pretty reliable - just put in the nearest town or postcode to where you are staying and it gives the next 5 days forecast.
However, here's a good thing about rain. It makes the waterfalls tumble down superbly and the rivers rush along in a dramatic way. I recently saw Aysgarth Falls in North Yorkshire (quite near to where I live) after a rainy few days and they were just a magnificent sight! Very unlike the dry summer period where they are 'pretty' but nothing more. So the lake District rivers, streams and waterfalls (that is where you are going??) are going to be wonderful.

artstuff

One of my husband's and my favorite rainy days was spent in Amsterdam during a drenching rain storm. We were on the Dam Square when it started pouring, so we ducked into the Nieuwe Kerk where they were having a special exhibition, <i>de Weg naar de Hemel.</i> We didn't speak Dutch...and didn't know what we were getting into. Turned out to be <i>The Way to Heaven,</i> an exhibition of reliquaries from all over Europe.

We became enthralled by the ornate boxes and vessels containing pieces of the cross, vials of Jesus's blood, and various body parts from saints, popes and other religious dignitaries. Since then, we have sought out reliquaries whenever we travel.

So a rainy day while travelling is only what you make it. Peace, Robyn &gt;-

JulieG

Thanks again for the suggestions to use the BBC Weather site. It seems much more - how should I put it - &quot;varied,&quot; than weather.com.

Morgana, we're staying in the Hebden Bridge area as you recommended, but our cottage is outside of town.

Artstuff, I loved your story of the rainy day at the reliquaries exhibition! That sounds like wonderful serendipity.

Heimdall

JulieG, I hope my replies weren't among those you considered 'snarky'. It's a good idea to be aware that some parts of the British Isles get more rain than others. I live in East Anglia, which is one of the drier regions. Ireland, North Wales, Scotland (especially the Western Isles), and the Lake District are all wetter than southeast England.

For what it's worth, about the only times I have gotten sunburned in the UK have been in North Wales and Scotland. I hope the sun shines for you when you visit the Lake District, but if it doesn't, so what? No one comes to England for the sunshine. Dressed properly you can still enjoy being outdoors. I engage in country sports in the winter, and with a Barbour or Goretex coat, and waterproof boots, you can stay comfortable in all kinds of weather.

Maria_H

Hi Julie, thought you were going to the Lake District this trip, rather than South Yorkshire. I like Hebden Bridge and have done some walking in that area in past years. There are some good walks at nearby Hardcastle Crags and a pub worth visiting on Widdop Moor, above Hardcastle Crags and near the Pennine Way. The Packhorse Inn is not posh but is several hundred years old, caters for walkers, has roaring fires in winter and serves good hearty food at weekend lunchtimes. By road it is reached by passing a wonderfully name village called Slack Bottom (near Slack Top)

Morgana

Hi
Yes, i thought you wre going to the Lakes too, but I am sure you will enjoy Yorkshire. You are staying in the more gritty part, rather than the pretty pretty areas, but it is often wild and very beautiful countryside.
Hebden Bridge is the final resting place of poet Sylvia Plath. She is buried in nearby Heptonstall, Her husband, the poet Ted Hughes was born a couple of miles away at Mythomroyd.
You are near Haworth, and a visit to the Parsonage Museum is recommended.
www.bronte.org.uk

JulieG

We love bleak and gritty. I've done a lot of research on the area and the local sights and can't wait to be there.

But I'm afraid that &quot;Slack Bottom&quot; may describe the way I'm feeling after my first hike on the moors!

RM67

Is 'snarky' even a word?!

sara_qc

Re: Barcelona - what to do on a Monday when museums are closed:
Sagrada Familia and a tour of the Palau de la Musica Catalan, finish our gift shopping (in a supermarket) and do our airport check-in at an internet place for a 6:20 am departure).
Good luck.