We all know that Britain has very variable weather in summer and those halcyon days spent on the beach in our youth, picnics and endless summer holidays on our bikes are but a distant memory but you’d think that after a run of very poor summers, we must be due for some better news.
Sadly it seems it’s not to be according to the experts at a climate conference in the UK. After pouring (no pun intended!) over reams of information on world weather patterns and the way that the Atlantic Ocean affects our weather they’ve come to the rather depressing conclusion that we are in for a run of ten more years of poor summers.
Whilst that makes for depressing news for those Brits who can’t afford to jet away to somewhere warm, it’s even worse for travellers to the UK who want to see a little of Britain’s unique landscape, preferably warmed by a little sunlight.
It’s time though to cast away the gloom that this dreadful forecast spreads and think about how we can make the best of the situation.
Umbrella and plastic mac sellers are rubbing their hands together whilst ice cream salesmen scour the situations vacant columns for more suitable employment but for the tourist industry, it’s a chance to rethink what the UK means to a tourist and focus on that.
You’ve got to admit that compared to the Himalayas, the Pennines are a poor alternative. The fields of the Home Counties are nothing to the prairies of the US and Canada and the Thames is a mere trickle alongside the mighty Nile or Amazon. We needn’t compete on sights that need sunshine or at least dry weather to enjoy when we have so much to see and enjoy indoors.
Think of the museums in London; almost all of them free and with some of the best collections in the world. Visit the stately homes of the Midlands and North – they’re at least the equal of the chateaux of France.
Around the country you have the historical importance of Portsmouth Naval Dockyard and such constructions as Stonehenge, the Angel of the North, the Shard and the various grand bridges dating from the industrial revolution Forth Rail Bridge and the Tamar Bridge to the modern Millennium Bridge and the Humber Bridge.
There are the theatres of the West End and the provincial ones too, all with highly polished performances from Shakespeare to Stoppard and Morpurgo to Lloyd Webber.
Dine out in some of the finest restaurants in the world or in the cosiest pubs and inns and enjoy the drinks Britain is famous for; Scotch whisky, real ale, ginger beer, Pimms and more.
Next time you hear someone moan about the weather and that there’s nothing to do when it rains, tell them they’re going to have to get used to it and then direct them to some of the UK’s indoor glories.