My husband and I have always taken our summer holiday in June. We love the beach, but can't handle the July / August humidity. Actually last year we spent the first 2 weeks of June in Tuscany and even then we couldn't really cope with the heat! This year is the first year our daughter is in school so we're stuck with holidaying in July / August - Any ideas for a beach destination with relatively low humidity & cooler temps at that time of year - pref. within 4 hours flight from London, but otherwise open to any suggestions

Try the Baltic (Northern Germany or southern Finland.

Or what about the "local Hero" concept and northern Scotish coast?

The Baltic Sea probably has the whitest and sandiest beaches of the whole continent.

Or how about the Dutch or German North Sea islands?

I would agree with the Baltic area,I was in Parnu Estonia few months ago and there is ahuge stunning beach there with lots of great on beach facilities.bit cold for swimming in late september but should be great for july/ August.mind you this place is very popular with the local population.
worth a look though.

Norhern Spain, for example, Santander or San Sebastian.

Cycling on the Dutch coast & islands ?

Thanks all - I'm going to start investigating these ideas further..

IF it's not too late, you really have no guarantee about heat and humidity in those months anywhere in Europe. However, some destinations do favor less humid weather, and generally those are by the southern seas. Rule of thumb for me (I live on the Mediterranean), is that if a place gets rain for most of the year, it will be humid in summer.

Therefore, while it is true that northern Europe is generally cooler in summer, when it experiences a heat wave, it is a heat wave with choking humidity. By contrast, the Mediterranean coasts might be hotter by the thermometer in summer, but the air is dry.

I would also look at Mediterranean destinations backed by mountains that stop wet sea air from being sucked in when the interior plains heat up (that was your problem in Toscana).. Thus, I would look at the coast of Italy barricaded by the alps (Liguria, the Italian Riviera) and France barricaded by the Alps (Nice to the Italian border) and Spain barricaded by the Pyrenees (the Costa Brava, Catalonia).

Hope that helps.

Biarritz or St. Jean de Luz?

Iceland might be appropriate. Prices have gone way down.

Sweden

Don't know if it's true but when we were there several years ago we heard that the Swedes don't have a word for humidity.

Danish islands too.

Tiree in Scotland- sunniest place in the UK. NO humidity (and, mercifully, virtually no midges)

IMHO, Greece- or at least the islands- isn't humid but I've never been in July/August.

Brittany or anywhere on the French Atlantic coast

Thanks all for the great ideas. Zeppole - interesting tip about the mountains..

Nah, good theory but Northern Europe does not get very humid in a heat wave it just gets hot. The problem is it may not get hot. I would try to stay on the continent rather than UK Iceland Ireland which hace had very rainy summers in last few years

Trust me, if we have a heat wave in the Netherlands it gets humid - how can it not with all the water around/rainfall we get?
However the chances of a heatwave are small, warm weather yes, but a heatwave, no.
And even if we do get one the coast is always more pleasant than inland.

Everywhere south of the Alps will be hot.

North of the Alps, it might be warm, even hot, but not humid, or it might be cool and rainy. Usually, there is a 80% chance of nice, warm, sunny weather in July/August. And if you catch a few rainy days, you will find enough opportunities for sightseeing.

Here my favourite destinations for beach vacation in northern Europe:

- The Baltic coast. The Baltic Sea is surprisingly warm in summer (warmer than the North Sea and the Atlantic), because it is shallow and warms up quickly. Expect wide, sandy beaches.

In Germany, interesting destinations are the beaches near Lübeck (Travemünde, Timmendorf, Scharbeutz, Grömitz...), the beaches around Wismar, around Rostock (Kühlungsborn, Heiligendamm - the place of the G8 summit -, Warnemünde, Fischland, Wustrow, Ahrenshoop) and the islands Rügen and Usedom. The hinterland is also interesting with historical hanseatic cities (Lübeck, Wismar, Rostock, Stralsund), lakes, castles etc.

If you are more adventurous, you may even explore the beaches of the Baltic states.

On the North Sea, the German island Sylt would be the number one destination. For Germany, it is what the Hamptons are for New Yorkers.

Another option would be Brittany - with fascinating landscape and Celtic feel, but expect very cold Atlantic water (around 16° C) and a higher chance of rain (like the British isles). And IF it's raining in Brittany, the rain is tremendous.

Last option: The Cote d'Argent (the French Atlantic coast between Arcachon and St. Jean-de-Luz). Gorgeous beaches with warmer water than in Brittany and also interesting hinterland (Bordeaux, the Pyrenees, Basque country). As others have mentioned, Donostia on the Spanish side would be similar.

When you have narrowed down your choice we will be happy to provide more detailed information.

In August 2006, there was a 15-day heatwave in the lowlands, and in Amsterdam, they iced down the chimpanzees in the zoo. If African chimps couldn't take it, I doubt I could either. One of the problems if you get caught in a heatwave in a climate where such events are considered rare is that finding air conditioning can be really tough.

I'm also surprised that people recommend St Jean de Luz or Biarritz. I would have thought them to be muggy in summer. And if Sylt in Germany is like the Hamptons in August, the Hamptons can be awfully humid.

The French and Italian rivieras can get muggy days, although more likely in June, and the thermometer climbs in summer. (The sun is very strong.) But they can be lovely. I've also heard people sing the praises of Corsica and Sardegna, but I've never been.

Lisadrew, how hot was it in Tuscany? What's your upper limit for temps?

hetismij you are right (been there and been damp) but I was not seeing holland as northern Europe. I see Sweden as Northern Europe, still it can get a bit muggy in swampy finland but no way Op going there

Here is a website with monthly averages for temps, plus heat and humidity indexes:

http://www.weather2travel.com/climat...=san-sebastian

Brilliant - you've all given me lots to think about - For example have been thinking that we certainly wouldn't want to sacrifice sunshine for low humidity - If the weather was more humid than anticipated we'd be uncomfortable, but if it rained our whole summer holiday we'd be a lot more miserable! Maybe French Atlantic coast or Northern Spain is the best bet.
Zeppole - not sure what the temp was in Tuscany but from noon until about 5pm we alternated being in the pool with our air conditioned hotel room - so didn't manage to explore many Tuscan villages as planned.. I grew up in Cape Town South Africa and would spend all weekend on the beach throughout summer (6 months!) with no problem - the climate there is described as Mediterranean, but it's a much milder drier heat than what I've experienced since in Italy (and Turkey and Spain)