Whatever the weather

Aussies love visiting the UK, and the UK loves having them.

Australia is now the fourth-most valuable visitor market by nationality, according to tourist body Visit Britain, which last year recorded a 10 per cent increase in Australian visitor numbers compared with pre-pandemic 2019.

It estimates Australians will have spent about £1.7 billion ($3.3 billion) on their trips to the UK in 2024.

London is the top destination but other cities, towns and villages in Britain and Northern Ireland also pull in their fair share of Australians, wooing them with their historic sites and streets, rousing pubs, sport and music, not to mention the ancestral connections, the superb (and often free) museums and galleries, and the walker-friendly countryside that has been the gorgeous green backdrop to so many beloved novels, movies and TV shows.

The scenery is pretty green for a reason and that’s, in large part, thanks to the weather — a favourite topic of conversation (and complaints) for people in the UK, and something Australians have been known to moan about occasionally on their travels here.

Considering the UK’s latitude (it lies to the north of Japan, Mongolia and Nova Scotia) it’s actually fairly mild here overall, the maritime climate warmed by the Gulf Stream that drifts across the Atlantic from the Caribbean, keeping temperatures above what they would otherwise be.

Extremes are fairly rare, although blasts of air from the Arctic and Sahara occasionally blow in. It can briefly plunge well below 0C in winter (December-March), and occasionally creep towards 40C during summer heatwaves (June-September).

For the most part, however, things are quite moderate, albeit increasingly strange and unpredictable in this climate change-addled era. If you reckon Melbourne (four seasons in a day) has weird weather, spend a month in the UK and you’ll see what weirdness is.

Naturally, the warmer weather tends to be in London and the south, while it’s cooler the further north (and higher above sea level) you go. The west coast gets more rainfall, and it’s drier in the east, although on occasions the situation can be reversed.

Despite their best efforts, and the latest technology, the experts at the Met Office — the UK’s national weather and climate service — often struggle to provide accurate predictions. The forecasts on my phone apps routinely change by the hour.

The truth is you could have fair, warmish weather (close to 20C and above) anytime between early April and late October. And even in the depths of winter, you may get those short crisp but gloriously sunny days with the type of radiant blue skies Perth folk tend to take for granted most of the year.

Obviously, Australians don’t come to the UK for the weather — although there are certainly no complaints when they’re drinking in a sunny beer garden, picnicking in a park (with no snakes to worry about) or slip-slop-slapping while cheering on the Baggy Greens at an Ashes Test match. Or, indeed, when they’re enjoying a spectacular sunset at 10pm.

But if there’s one piece of advice I’d give anyone planning a trip to the UK, it is: don’t have any expectations for the weather, and don’t let it spoil your plans. Unless you’re faced with genuinely appalling or dangerous conditions — such as a day of non-stop torrential rain or a storm with 100km/h winds — get out there.

The cities are spoilt for indoor diversions, from watering holes and galleries to restaurants and theatres, if you want shelter from the elements, while the countryside scenery can take the breath away even under drizzle and gunmetal-grey cloud cover.

I speak from experience. Numerous mornings I’ve woken up in the UK, looked out of the window and bemoaned the absence of sun (in the first 10 days of November 2024, most of the country saw no sunshine at all due to an “anticyclonic gloom” that was hanging over us).

Some days I’ve wavered about heading out. Other days — especially when I’ve pre-arranged a catch-up with friends or family members — I’ve given myself a proverbial kick up the backside and pressed on. And I’ve rarely regretted it. Whatever the weather, a hike amid beautiful landscapes provides a boost for your physical and mental wellbeing with the endorphins flowing.

It’s a philosophy you can take wherever you travel — but particularly in the UK. Be sure to pack layers and an umbrella, and wear waterproof boots or shoes just in case. Of course, many places look sensational under a blazing sun. But clouds and mist can conjure a different type of magic, a moody atmosphere that’ll have the hairs on the back of your neck prickling. And even (short) downpours can be exhilarating.

I’ve been on various tempestuous walks that have stayed with me, including recent ones in Wales and Scotland when magnificent rainbows have mushroomed above, and a clifftop walk under thrillingly menacing skies in Northern Ireland as I peered down at the surreal basalt columns of the Giant’s Causeway.

A favourite place that drags me back time and again in all conditions is the Peak District National Park — the UK’s oldest national park, a 1437sqkm expanse of bucolic and ruggedly beautiful scenery sprawling across central England, with easy access from cities like Manchester, Sheffield, Stoke, Derby and Leeds.

Many of the fields and hillsides have a remarkable luminosity, even when it’s overcast, and appear lusher still when the sun fights its way out and casts its rays. Heather and wildflowers often brighten the view further, and other things provide an uplift too, from cute lambs grazing and bees buzzing about sweet-scented gardens to hearing chirpy birdsong and burbling streams and rivers.

And usually, at some point, a tearoom or pub will come into view, offering liquid refreshment, home-cooked food, and perhaps a crackling log fire.

fact file + For help in planning a trip to the UK, see visitbritain.com and ireland.com