normal1983

Hello to all!

My DH and I will be traveling to Farnborough, Hampshire in the south of England in August for a wedding. I am in the process of booking a hotel and have two options: one with a/c ($$$$) and one without a/c ($$). I've researched average temps for that time of year and have seen anywhere from 71 F to 86 F. If it is on the cooler side then obviously the hotel w/o a/c (which is less expensive) would be a good choice. But...if it is 86 F then we will be sweltering w/o the a/c! It won't be very pleasant getting ready for the wedding in that type of heat.

Does anyone have any experience with the weather at that time of year in England? I will be checking the forecast before we leave for England but would like to have the hotel taken care of before then.

Thank you for any information!

CarrieAnn40

Daytime temps are unlikely to be as lower than 15C in August but it does happen. Equally it is unlikely to be as high as 30C but it does happen. It could be anywhere in between.

If it helps you make a decision, we don't really go for a/c here as we so rarely need it.

annhig

Hi normal,

the fact is that virtually any weather is possible short of snow. you could boil or freeze. My rule of thumb is that if I don't book the a/c, it'll be hot and muggy, if I do, it'll be perishing cold.

to be serious, you'd be very lucky to have it so hot that you needed a/c. if you are planning on wearing thin summer clothes for the wedding, pack some thin thermals!

laurie_ann

I like the features on www.wunderground.com for checking the weather. Under "Travel and Activities" and then under "Trip Planner" you put in your dates and then it shows you historical daily actual temperatures and also the % probability you will have a "hot" or a "freezing" day based on that history.

normal1983

Laurie_ann, I love that site! It looks like the warmest recent year was in 2003 and 2004 and for the most part, temps have been in the upper 60's to mid to upper 70's. Not bad at all for comfort. I'll keep checking the temps as the time approaches and I may keep the res I have at the hotel with a/c just in case since their cancellation period is within 2 days of arrival.

Carrieann40, I live in Florida so its hard for me to conceive of anyone living w/o a/c...it's such a part of our life here! I know we're spoiled since I grew up w/o it and survived the Miami heat quite well!

ribeirasacra

How can any one say what the weather is going to be like after the Met office cannot get it right, they are the professionals after all!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8462890.stm

sassy_cat

You probably won't need ac. Even when it does reach 30C it's less humid than Florida and doesn't last all day and all night.
Temperature fluctuations throughout the day are more likely so I'd bet my bottom dollar it would not be 30C at midnight.

If it's hot then open the window. If it's very hot ask the cheaper hotel if they can provide a fan or buy a fan (probably cheaper than the more expensive room) and open the window..

I liked in the UK for over 30 years without ac. I lasted 2 months in Massachusetts before we installed ac!

sassy_cat

oops that's liVed not liked!

nytraveler

You could have a high of 70 or a high of 90 - and probably won;t know until a few days in advance. Generally the UK doens;t get really hot - summer hot for Americans - but I have been n London when we had 4 days in a row in the 90s and I would not have survived wihtout AC. But, that's rare.

Only you know your tolerance for heat.

janisj

Checking later really won't help you much. You won't have a good idea of the weather until right before you leave. That would be too late to cancel your booking. wunderground is and interesting site - but it tells you nothing about what will happen when you are there. It does say the chances of 90F is less than 2% and freezing is nil. But you could have 62F, you could have 86F, you could have wind/rain, you could have bright sun, or very possibly, all of the above.

You said yourself >>average temps for that time of year and have seen anywhere from 71 F to 86 F. << and those are just averages. If the wedding is in a church - be sure to take something warm to wear during the service. Ancient churches can be very cool even in a heat wave.

I lived in the UK for 5 years - never had house a/c and never turned on the car a/c in all that time (most of my cars didn't even have a/c but nowadays they do)

Pick the hotel you like the best and that you can afford.

normal1983

The bride has given guests a couple of options but I think she may be leaning towards the hotel w/o a/c because of the "English" feel to it. She may also be hosting a dinner party at this hotel as well because it would be easier for guests to just walk to the event rather than having to get a car ride to it.

There is a considerable difference in cost $106 vs $200 per nite. As time progresses through the summer, I think I will have a better idea of which hotel to book depending on weather forecasts throughout the summer. Although, I too, am leaning towards the less pricey option.

The wedding itself will be held in a "barn" so to speak...a new wedding venue in the area. Quite lovely but I assume I will be needing some type of shawl in case the evening gets chilly.

annhig

The wedding itself will be held in a "barn" so to speak...a new wedding venue in the area. Quite lovely but I assume I will be needing some type of shawl in case the evening gets chilly.>>

the phrase "born in a barn" didn't come about by accident. a pashmina might be a good idea!

chartley

If it's cold enough to need a shawl at the barn, then you won't need air conditioning at the hotel. If it's hot enough to need air conditioning at the hotel, you won't need a shawl at the barn.

Sod's law says that you will get it wrong whatever you do. I would say that an "average" of 86 degrees F is very unlikely.

willit

I used to live in Farnborough, there are days in summer when you might want A/C but they are few and far between.

janisj

"<i>I think I will have a better idea of which hotel to book depending on weather forecasts throughout the summer.</i>"

Nope -- nothing that happens in June or July or even a few days prior to your arrival will tell you <u>anything</u> of use. Honest.

rogerdodger

$100 is very cheap for a quality hotel. Have you checked the rating? I would opt for the higher priced hotel regardless.

normal1983

Rogerdodger, actually it is the Brook Waterloo Hotel in Bracknell and shows a 4 star rating. The rate normally goes for 149GBP per nite excluding breakfast. The 70GBP per nite includes breakfast but is a special deal because the bride has arranged a deal with the hotel.

The other hotel is a 5 star hotel and really is very posh and with a/c but is almost twice the cost per nite and further away from the wedding venue. That hotel, The Aviator, was not willing to make any deal with the bride unfortunately.

Janisj, I definitely will take your word for weather conditions since you've lived there. Whatever the weather, we'll just have to make do. That's what makes traveling interesting...planning and then going with the flow!

janisj

You'll probably have lovely weather -- but really, the word 'changeable' was created to describe British weather

normal1983

Just the fact that I am traveling at all thrills me! Good weather would be great, bad weather will be an adventure!

cynthia_booker

A few years ago we went to England for a week in mid-September. Checked all the historical averages, etc., etc. and packed several light weight sweaters. It was a week with a heat-wave and inside the hotel at night it was truly swealtering, although outside temps were fine. The building just held the heat from the day.
Fan didn't help much - just blew around the hot air. I live in Florida, so can live with some heat, but getting dressed up for an event would have been unpleasant, with everything all sticky and damp.
Now I travel only in the shoulder periods. If I had to go in August, I would book the hotel with a/c. Good luck.