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when to go |
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Considering the temperate nature of the British climate , it's
amazing how much mileage the locals get out of the subject: a two-day
cold snap is discussed as if it were the onset of a new Ice Age, and a
week in the upper 70s starts rumours of a heatwave. The fact is that
summers rarely get hot and the winters don't get very cold, except in
the north of Scotland and on the highest points of the Welsh and
Scottish uplands. Rainfall is fairly even, though again mountainous
areas get higher quantities throughout the year (the west coast of
Scotland is especially damp, and Llanberis, at the foot of Snowdon, gets
more than twice as much rainfall as Caernarfon, seven miles away). In
general, the south gets more hours of sunshine than the north.
The bottom line is that it's impossible to say with any degree of
certainty what the weather will be like. May might be wet and grey one
year and gloriously sunny the next; November stands an equal chance of
being crisp and clear or foggy and grim. If you're planning to lie on a
beach, or camp in the dry, you'll want to visit between June and
September - a period when you shouldn't go anywhere without booking your
accommodation in advance. Elsewhere, if you're balancing the clemency of
the weather against the density of the crowds, the best months to
explore are April, May, September and October
Average daily maximum temperatures
| |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
|
Birmingham
|
|
°F |
42 |
43 |
48 |
54 |
60 |
66 |
68 |
68 |
63 |
55 |
48 |
44 |
|
°C |
5 |
6 |
9 |
12 |
16 |
19 |
20 |
20 |
17 |
13 |
9 |
7 |
|
Cardiff
|
|
°F |
45 |
45 |
50 |
56 |
60 |
68 |
69 |
69 |
64 |
58 |
51 |
46 |
|
°C |
7 |
7 |
10 |
13 |
16 |
20 |
21 |
21 |
18 |
14 |
11 |
8 |
|
Edinburgh
|
|
°F |
42 |
43 |
46 |
51 |
56 |
64 |
65 |
64 |
60 |
54 |
48 |
44 |
|
°C |
5 |
6 |
8 |
11 |
13 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
16 |
12 |
9 |
7 |
|
Fort William
|
|
°F |
43 |
44 |
48 |
52 |
58 |
60 |
62 |
63 |
60 |
54 |
49 |
45 |
|
°C |
6 |
7 |
9 |
11 |
14 |
16 |
17 |
17 |
16 |
12 |
9 |
7 |
|
London
|
|
°F |
43 |
44 |
50 |
56 |
62 |
69 |
71 |
71 |
65 |
58 |
50 |
45 |
|
°C |
6 |
7 |
10 |
13 |
17 |
21 |
22 |
22 |
19 |
14 |
10 |
7 |
|
Plymouth
|
|
°F |
47 |
47 |
50 |
54 |
59 |
64 |
66 |
67 |
64 |
58 |
52 |
49 |
|
°C |
8 |
8 |
10 |
12 |
15 |
18 |
19 |
19 |
18 |
14 |
11 |
9 |
|
York |
|
°F |
43 |
44 |
49 |
55 |
60 |
67 |
70 |
69 |
64 |
57 |
49 |
45 |
|
°C |
6 |
7 |
10 |
13 |
16 |
19 |
21 |
21 |
18 |
14 |
9 |
7 |
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